.._._._._._._._._._._._-_._._._._.•._._._._._._._._._._._._...-._._._._._._._.and the sun disappeared they had the
drawing for these bikes and Buddy
Dumo won a new KX80 for the 9-11
classes. Bruce bunch won a new KX80
for the 12 and over class drawing while
Andy Nelinger won a like machine in
the dealers' contest and Ron Eversole
picked up a new and very trick Uni-'
Trak KDX175 for the drawing
between all full-scale motorcycle contestants.
Some of these riders have worked
themselves into favorable positions
with major factories. NMA official
Ted Moorewood informed me that just
recently Mouse McCoy signed a
contract and he races in the Junior
Cycle Modified Intermediate 9-11
classl Mouse was on the gas today but
was outshined by Mike Healey. Healey
took first in both motos yet Mouse
gave him a great run for his money,
particularly in the final moto when
Mouse was leading till he fell on his
super Mouse machine. What an upset!
Healey took the overall win ahead of
Eddie Hicks, McCoy and Buddy
Dumo.
Marty Rickard was all outfitted to
win today and his full-coverage helmet
looked so big on him that it covered
half his body. This guy performed
really well on his Italjet and he was
. determined to upset the leader of the
Junior Cycle Stock Novice 9-11 race
who was Doug Fisher. Fisher hooked
the first win but was trailing Rickard
in the second go. Then Rickard went
down and this gave Fisher the clean
win. Nice try Martyl Overall it was
Fisher, Rickard, Space Schriner and
Shane Sheffield.
The Expert racing was superb and
in the 85cc Stock Expert 12 and over
event it was wild. George Holland
most always gets the holeshot on his
R&D Racing Engines Suzuki and he
did just that in the first moto. It
looked like he had it made but sure
enough Eric Kehoe worked his way up
after getting a terrible start and eventually passed Georgel This was a good
example for riders who sometimes give
up after they get a crummy start.
Kehoe went on to win the second moto
and this gave him the oveall win ahead
of Holland, Sam Storer, Troy Blake
and Rick Hemme.
It is rare when somebody else places
ahead of Kehoe but in the 83cc
Modified' Expert 12 and over race it
finally happened. Holland took the
top honors with two flTSts but Kehoe
was having his share of problems and
even laid his Yamaha down in the first
moto. Rick Hemme stayed in front of
Eric and captured second overall
because of that while Sam Storer was
third after having a great day, especially in the first moto when he got
the holeshot. Kehoe had to settle for
fourth but considering his numerous
other victories in this series, how could
he complain?
Results
PEE WEE STOCK: ,. Chris P1atenhauer ISuz); 2.
Dustin EIIlInS 1m; 3. King Richard 1m.
PEE WEE MOD: 1. Bobby Dlugos ISOl); 2. King
Richard 1m; 3.1Iobbv Vorba {Suzl.
JR CVCLE STOCK NOV 9-11: ,. Doug Fisher !Yaml;
2. Marty Rid
0
Z
.,
By George Thermal
PHOENIX, AZ, OCT. 28
The mornings are cool and the
days warm in Phoenix in late
October. Statistically, rain is "impossible," but one still recalls the
deluge of last year. In order to give the
statistics a shove in the right direction,
Sun M.C, kidnapped all Hopi and
Navajo rain dancers. Tough methods,
to be sure, but certainly effective.
There was no rain; the weather was
perfect.
This year a Pro class was added to
the racing program with a $1000
purse. In addition, the Phoenix Coors
Beer distributor, Zeb Pearce and Sons,
sponsored the fourth Sun Grand Prix.
The Pro race was run as a heads-up,
run-what-you-brung event, with $500
going to the winner: Phoenix's Chappy
Blose, riding a 250cc for Team
Kawasaki. Blose battled for nearly the
entire 15 laps with Moto-X Fox's
Carlos Serrano (Mai), the "Flying
Chicano" from Tucson,
A.M. Race
The Novices, Beginners and women
left the asphalt 'oval starting grid at
8;50, looking at 15 laps through the
varied desert, sandwash, MX track
and Jeep-road course. After a quick
shot on the banked oval's first and
second turns, the course did a nasty,
180· off-camber turn onto the drag
strip straight. Kearny, AZ's Bill
Stamey took the first two laps' lead,
with Canoga Park, CA rider, Roger
Spielman (400 Suz) right behind.
Stamey fell back on lap three and
Roger took over, never to be passed again. As Open Novice Roger passed
through the Trees of Mystery, second
place was taken by 'Mark Sidman,
from Lake Havasu City.
As the leaders made it all look so
easy, the middle of the pack had other
ideas as' they found the mudhole.
Over-zealous application of water by
one of the five water trucks made the
less exPerienced riders really unhappy.
The fine-grained river silt, with water,
made a heavy, glutinous trap for the
unwary and weary. The many
spectators and course personnel spent
many a delightful moment removing
the impacted scooters. Sun re-routed
the course to bypass the quagmire.
As the riders tried to settle into a
comfortable pace and handle the
many obstacles, it became apparent
that Spielman would continue to lead
the race if nothing untold occurred.
The battle for second overall was
being won by Tucson Husky rider
Barry Jones, who had a several-minute
lead over third place Mark Sidman
(Open Nov). The real ringer in the
group of leaders was Tempe's Bill
Meyer on a 250cc Yamaha. Bill soon
slipped in between Spielman and Jones
to run second overall. The final places
Troy Blake in action at the Elsinore round of the NMAIKawasaki Series.
were spelled -out in the waning
moments as there were less than 30
seconds between Spielman and Meyer,
who was closing fast. The question
was: could the difference be made up?
The unofficial Long Distance
Award has to go to Geoff Hamilton, a
displaced Eastern enduro rider now
residing in Cortez, CO. Geoff had a
good ride; 16th overall and 10th Open
Novice. An unusual sight was an
anachronistic 250 Greeves, ridden by
Californian Davey Krohn. It looked
like a low-rider next to the Star Warstechnology '79 bikes.
The women's race developed -into
quite a contest near the end. Invader
Cindy Max, last year's winner, had her
hands full with transplanted Californian Tasha Whitmore (C-A) from
Prescott. Both were on the same lap
and within 10 places of one another.
Cindy had a clean ride but may not
have known the women's leader was
just around the corner. She had to
settle for second.
The only significant action late in
the race was Jay Gilbertson losing
second 250cc Novice to Richard
Prouty (Hus). When the checkered
flag fell on the 15th lap, it was as
expected; 'Spielman, Meyer, Barry
Jones (Open Nov) and Jim Dunlap
(250 Beg).
Sidecars
The 100% payback routine for the
chairs was split ev~nly between the
smallbores and bigbores; nine rigs
each. The course was abbreviated
from the a.m. race in order to keep the
relatively few racers nice and close for
visual impact. With the pot big and
the race one hour, the equipment and
personnel were guaranteed to take
some kind of abuse.
When the flag dropped, the BS
started (as opposed to the generally
accepted principles, for sure). The
John Palfreyman, Jr/Tom Lund team
leapt into the lead, looking' very
aggressive on their Triumph/Eagle
unit. But at tbe first tum through
scoring it was a three-way race
building; Palfreyman. Sanner and
Whitney. All rigs were within striking
distance and no one could take a
significant advantage and hold it. But
after 50 minutes, Palfreyman, leading
by some 15 seconds, plowed into
, scoring with a stuck throttle, pitching
hay bales from hell to breakfast. The
next time around it was Bob "Sliver"
Sanner, Jr. with Perry "Como" Mellilo
assisting.
For the remainder of the eight-lap
affair, it was super racing with a cat
and mouse game between Sanner and
the Whitney kids from Santa Barbara:
The lead was less than 25 feet. On the
back section,' heading for the white
flag, the Whitneys got past Sanner for
a very slim lead. Looking for a race to
the checkered the haybales were
pulled back in scoring, but the
expected drag race was less than
expected. Whitney sailed on in a good
50 feet ahead of a tired Sanner.
The smallbore class was taken over
by the immaculate TT500 Yam/Wasp
of Loren Imrnken and hirsute Ron
Peck. Running in second, but not
really threa tening were Sunoids Bob
Neill and Butch Doom. Bob is easily
running the lowest HP rig, using a 400
Yamaha Enduro engine in his Wasp,
And passenger Doom has been known
to moon ,the Mayor of Elsinore.
P.M. Race
The afternoon event was launched
by starter Tumbleweed Pepper. The
Pros received a two-minute head start
over the Experts, in order to avoid any
unnecessary and undesirable tangles
between overachiever Experts and billpaying Pros. The Pro ranks included
such notables as "Sizzlin' Six" Mike
Si~bery, Team Kawasaki's Chappy
Blose, Moto-X Fox's Carlos Serrano,
last year's winner Dale Eppard, and
Team Maico/County Cycle's F1yin'
Bryan Hayes. But when the first lap
leader rocketed through, it was local
MX s.tar Gary Dircks on a Yamaha
World-sponsored YZ. Hot on his heels
was Blose, Sixbery, Eppard and Gary
Wells. Right behind were Serrano and
David King of Tucson.
Lap two saw the same top three
riders, with Serrano moving up to
fourth, ahead of Eppard, King and
Wells. Dircks held onto his slim lead
through lap four, after which it was
Serrano, Blose, Dircks, Sixbery, Wells,
Bryan Hayes and Eppard. These top
riders had eclipsed the field and
started to lap riders.
...
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