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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126425
lAbove) Bubba Rush 124) made it to the top 10 in the National. finishing ahead of Jay Springsteen 11I.IBelow left) Founh in the National. Randy Goss leads
Skip Aksland in a heat race. IBelow right) Runner-up Eklund and Craig Filmer prepare for the race.
Malf Mile, Springsteen 11th
Semis
The two semis provided battles right
down to the flag for the two remaining
National starting spots.
Rick
Graham
dogged
Phil
McDonald until the closing laps of
semi one before exchanging places.
Graham led McDonald to the flag by
two bike lengths.
Bubba Rush's win in the final semi
was even closer. Rush edged Marty
Bushman by less than a wheel width
after a last lap, last turn drag race to
the checkered flag.
Trophy Race
Phil McDonald put his Sonny
Burres·tuned. CPD of Wichita,
Kansas, Team K&N Harley out front
on lap one of the consolation race.
However, Marty Bushman was having
none of that as he stormed past
McDonald and moved into a
comfortable lead aboard his Archie's
Gas and Oil sponsored mount.
Then, with just five laps remaining,
Bushman began to slow and quickly
discovered that one carburetor had
come loose from the manifold. That
was all for Marty.
McDonald retook the lead and held
off a late,l"p I:l:tatge,by Ric:k. Hockin~
National
"It allows me the most direct line to
where I want to go," explained Mike
Kidd on his choice of the outside pole
position. Brow, Poovey, Gary Scott,
Springsteen and Eklund filled out the
rest of the front row positions on the 6·
6·2 grid.
The second row had Mitchell, Hank
Scott, Labrie, Pearson, Goss and Jones
lining up with Graham and Rush on
row three.
The 14 riders roared into turn one
in a flying wedge with Brow, Kidd,
Gary Scott and Eklund all going for
the lead. It was Brow who hooked up
best coming out of turn two.
Springsteen, about sixth at this
point, was almost last by the end of the
opening lap. By the end of 20 laps he
had moved up to I I th, although this
was due more to the bad luck of Hank
Scott. Mitchell and Graham than any
good fortune.
"I wanted to make sure my tires
were scrubbed in before making my
move," explained Kidd. "Everything
felt good by lap four so I began to
push,"
By the end of lap four Kidd was
around Scott for second. Two laps
later he had displaced Brow for the
lead.
"When I passed Garth, I knew I
could
win
unless
something
happened," said Kidd.
Brow soon began to feel the pressure
from Gary Scott, who in turn was
being hounded'by Eklund. While the
Brow/Gary Scott/Eklund battle was
going on, Goss and Hank Scott were
hooking up and moving toward the
action,
By lap 12 Goss and Hank were at the
front of the second wave followed by
Mitchell, Jones, Pearson, Labrie and
Poovey. Springsteen and Rush were
fighting for last.
On the next go·around Eklund
moved by Scott and dropped Brow to
third one lap later.
Hank Scott saw his challenge in
sixth go away on lap 15 in an easy
slideout between turns 1·2.
Mitchell was now the victim of
electrical problems and Graham's Bart
Markel sponsored mount was on one
cylinder with a bad plug.
Eklund began to cut Kidd's lead by
holding a very low line while Kidd
stayed high. "I tried the high line
early," said Eklund. "But what worked
for them, didn't for me. Then I tried
the groove, but that didn't work
either. Finally, I put it as low on the
track as I could. That worked." ,
Unknown to Eklund, Kidd had been
slowing bit by bit from about the
halfway flags. However, the race
played itself out with Kidd never
relinquishing his grip.
Lost in the drama up front was the
battle between Randy Goss and Gary
Scott for fourth. Goss' traction on the
final lap proved to be the winning
factor.
"Two more laps," sai!! Eklund to
Kidd in the winner's circle. "I know,"
said Kidd.
•
Results
NATIONAl: 1. Mike Kidd IH·D); 2. Steve Eklund (HOI; 3. Garth Brow IH-D); 4. Randy Goss IH·D); 5. Gory
ScoIlIH-D); 6. Scoll Pearson IH-D); 7. Billy Labrie (H·D);
8. Te