Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126426
The start of the NlItionlIllIgIIinst the background of the state fair. Moreheed (42), Eklund (111 and Springsteen played m ~ shuffle. AlIA Grand Ndonal Championship/WInston Pro Series: Round 20 'Goss demolishes delayed Des Moines Half Mile; Eklund 4th, Sp.ri·nger 6th By Gary Van Voorhis DES MOINES, lA, AUG. 20 "The race is going to be won in the corners," said Randy Goss before the start of the Des Moines Half Mile at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Topeka. "Whoever gets the best drive (off the comers) will be able to take command. The track is setting up just like MiddJetown." True to his word , Go. took command on the fourth ?f 20 !aps .and ~r I~ed .back m sconng his second Nauonal WID of the season. Billy Labrie followed Go. from the foul1h lap right into the winner's circ1e. Gary Scott put his KK Motorcycle Supply/Sizemore Traveland XR into third after seizing upon the misfonune of Corky Keener and Mike Kidd when Kidd took Keener and himself out of third and founh in a tum three accidem on lap 18. "E~rything went just like when I won at Middletown," said Goss afterwards. The bike, which Larry Johnson did most of the work on, worked really well. I felt good, the bike felt good and the traclt felt good. That's all you need. Be sure you mention Klotz, Wiseco and Esprit and the help they give me." St~ Eklund, via his fourth place, gained another two points on defending AMA Grand National Champion Jay Sl'ringsteen and DOW holds a commanding 4% point lead in the chase for the crown. Springsteen finished sixth. Originally scheduled for Sunday, the ~nt was postponed until Monday due to wet track conditions. Saturday night's rain was matched by rain on Sunday night. but after fi~ more houn of track prep on Monday prac· rice began. Time Trials Hank Scou, Randy Goss and Terry Poovey squeezed themselves within three-thousandths of a second at the top of the qualifying list. Scou. aboard the Patrick Racing/Sure-Fire Distributing/Carlisle XR. ticked the clocks at 25.42 seconds with Goss at 25.44 and Poovey. on his Doug Sehl monOlhoclt XR at 25.45. Joe Wilson put his Capshaw Enterprises XR in at fourth fastest with Mike Kidd fifth on the clods. Heats 14 Kidd set his sights on being the preNational favorite with a green Iigtu to thg win in the first heat. Hank Scott banp his way to second - literaUy according to Rick Gr~, ~ho felt Scott ~ call1ed his .mp Into ~ haybales m tum one while chal~ for third _ as Phil Darcy maintamed his grip on third. The second beat was red flagged after Garth Brow and Mike Caves tangled in tum one. Brow jammed his foot in tum four while leading and slowed to pull off tbe track when Caves went high to p~ and crashed into. him. The break in the action gave Steve Ek.lund a chance to switch to a soft compound tire on the rear and ad· jwt both the forks and shocks. Unfortunately: the changes didn't help as Ek.lund still finished fifth behind Goss, Gary Scou and Rick Hocking on the Southern Nevada H-D/Chris Ar· D1Strong XR. Heat three found Corky Keener taking the early lead with heavy pressure from Poovey and Springsteen. Poovey bumped Keener from the lead with an inside mo~ as the pair entered tum one on the third lap. Springsteen got past Keener on the back straight and the trio held pOIition to the finish. Billy Labrie found he had the right combination for jet-like dri~ off turns two and four and worked that ad· vantage into a ten lap romp in the fourth heat. St~ Morehead, Joe Wilson and Scou Drake got into a three way battle for second that went right down to the flag between Morehead and Drake after Wilson found himself shut out. Drake put his Tex Peel tuned XR within a foot of Morehead's H-D factory mount at the finish. Junior Invitational It took six laps for Rick Resweber to mo~ his self-sponsored Harley to the front of the field in the Junior Invitationa1 race. Eighteen riders had been invited with time trials cutting the enrry to the 12 fastesL Russ Gourley grabbed the lead at the green light. but his time at the front was shon-lived as Andy West stormed his way into the lead. Resweber was running about sixth_ By lap four West was slowing with a sick engine and Resweber was on the m~. Two lap- later Resweber was in the lead and waving good-bye to the field. Rick Volk chased him home. Semis Steve Eklund knew that he had to win the first IIeJIli to get his ticket to the National, and that's just what he did at the expellR of Skip Altsland. Ek.lund hounded Altsland for four lap- and then movcd past for the win. The second semi saw plenty of hard charging by Scott Parker. Scou Pearson and Joe Wilson held the top two spots, but that didn't stop Parker as he nailed Wilson in the clOling laps and then blew past Pearson on the back straight with one lap to go. Unfortunately, Parker couldn't get stopped in time for tum three and his heroics ~t for naught as Pearson took the WID. National The program was flopped with the National running frrst at the request (orders?) of the fair officials who . needed to put the fmishing touches on the faciliry for a concen by tbe Beach Boys later that e~ning. Kidd showed his Topeka winning form and grabbed the lead when the green light blinlted followed by Poovey, Goss, Labrie, Keener, Morehead, Gary Scott and Springsteen. Eklund, with a third row stan. was 10th. Poovey prohed Kidd's defenses on the first two lap- Alnd found a way around 00 the third lap when Kidd slipped off the groo~ in tum four and dropped to founh. H~, Poovey's lead didn't last long as he made the same mistake one lap later. His misfortune was compounded when the brake line broke and he retired one lap later. Goss took over after Poovey's slip and was not to be headed for the retnainder of the 20 lap National. Billy Labrie held onto Goss for the next few laps. "I tried to catch Randy," said Labrie after the. race, "but my tire was going away and I decided to play it safe and settle for second." Behind Labrie, Keener and Kidd had settled into a battle for third with Morehead. Gary Scou, Springsteen, Eklund. Pearson and Drake in a long train waiting for a mistake by a rider in front. "This waS probably the roughest track and most physical race I've been in in a long time." said Gary Scou when it was ~r. "(t was a war mo~ than a ril~. n The banging and bashing continued as each rider tried to gain an advantage by getting the mOlt dri~ off the corners to position themJel~ for entry going imo the Qat comer. Both Scott and Eklund ~ by Springsteen in this fashion. Sp~ would later mention that there was a lot of UDIpOI"tsman like conduct on the track and that be rwice had help slipping off the • grooye. From lap- seven through 16 Eklund held off Springaeen in their battle for seventh. On tbe following lap Hank Scott ItUfIcd a wheel under Sp~ and be was eighth. Kidd had heeD trying ~ available opening to get around KeeDer and on lap 18 he decided it was now or ~r. NI commiucd myself coming off tum two to get underneath Keener as we entered tum three. Unfonunately, I.couldn't ~ stopped in time and I hit Corky s rear wheel which, in the end, took both of us out of the race. I was wrong. It was a dumb move on my pan and I'm sorry." Keener, having c101ed to within striking distance of Labrie at that time was less than happy. Then, to add insult to injury, the AMA initially listed Kidd ahead of Keener in the results. With KeeDer and Kidd out, Gary Scott and Eklund moved into third and founh to follow Go. and Labrie home. TrophyRece Joe Wilson's verbal barrage to AMA officiab who had considered scrubbing the Trophy Race did some good. Not only did the race get run (after the National), bllt Wilson came out on top. FoUowing Wlbon to tbe winner's circle was Billy Schaeffer on the Schaeffer's H-D/Zeckman's Cycle Center/Taylor White ipODIOIed XR and Bubba Rush aboard the Edwards Motor Co.lJemco/1A;e Rush sponsored Harley. • Results _ : 1. "-I¥ Ga.lKa; 2. liliy IarieCIW!;-3. Gory Scoa lH-Dl; 4. S - EIdund llf.OI; 5. _ Scoa lH-OI; B: Jay SpIIo C I t")); 7. S-......- .... 01; B. Ric:I< Hoc:Idn; lH-Ol; 9. PIIiI Dorey llf.OI; 10. Corky K _ lH-D1; 11. Milce Kidd lH-OI; 12. Scoa IlNke .... 01; 13. Scon -.anlH-Dl; 14. Terry Poowy lH-Ol. Time: B min.• 23.17 ... Trophy "-»: ,. Joe _lH-O}; 2.1lIIy ~ (HOI; 3. Bubbo 1luIhlH-D1; 4. Scon flIIbr lH-D1; 5. _ Miming (H-DI; 6. Sonny _ lTril; 7. S - DoIIenfioId IH-DI; 8. 0.. - . . tH-DI; 9. Frri Ward. IH (H- OI; 10. PIIiI McOonoId lH-Ol. Junior Im';I."u.: 1. Ric:I< _ lH-Ol; 2. Ric:I< Vall< lVom!; 3. Tam _ _ IH-Dl; 4. _ 5 _ (HOI; 5. Ken - . . lH-OI; 6. Dennie - . . lH-Ol; 7. Tom Men.- lVom!; B. Mic:hIoI ~ lV_I; 9~~":~~~~llH-O); 11. _ r_4 "*'-. 30_78...