Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Cycle News 1980 01 30

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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Mark Lawrence grabs the holeshot in the first 250ec moto aheed of Rex Steten 1&&1. Larry Woelck 1251 end Goat Braker 1&41. CMC/Can-Am Golden State MX Series: round three Sliding to victory with Holley (once By Jim Gianatsis FREMONT, CA,JAN, 20 Perseverance and determination finally paid off for "Rocket Rex" Staten. The Team Yamaha star cleaned house in both the 250cc and Open classes in round number three of the Can-Amsponsored Continental Moto-sports Club Golden State Series after three weeks of trying, Rex pulled off his double wins, which also 6 helped him to secure a strong points lead in the Open class of the Series, riding box-stock examples of Yamaha's new 1980 YZ 250 and 465 G model production bikes. ''I'm getting myself ready for the Nationals," claimed the Rocket Man. "Running two classes back to back just makes me meaner and stronger." Making it a triple victory for Yama· ha was Jim Holley's win in the 125cc class, riding a new 125 G model with support from Yamaha and MOlO-X Fox. The rains which had inundated northern California for weeks finally cleared away for sunny skies, but the wet and flooded ground forced a relocation of the usual motocross course at Fremont Raceway away from the night motocross track to a soggy field nearby. The new course was nearly flat as a blown tire without more than a set of artificial triple stadium jumps. But the soggy grass quickly gave way in practice to slick and muddy conditions which proved highly challenging and quickly separated the good from the best. 125cc PrOS Jim Holley led the first 125cc moto from starting gate to checkered flag. His win couldn't have been more con· vincing, nor was there much racing going on. For that we would have to wait for the second moto. Craig Dale had gotten his Anaheim Husqvarna 125cc bike off the line in second behind Holley's Yamaha, but Dale found himself spit back to 10th place as he bailed off halfway around the opening lap. That turned second posi· tion over to Suzuki support rider Scott Burnworth, with Moto-X Fox team rider Mike Preston, Gary Denton, Ron Turner, Dave Coupe and Dana Waxham strung out behind. Suzuki test rider Turner put on the most spirited charge, getting by Preston and Burnworth to claim second spot behind Holley for the moto. In moto two the action was a lot . hotter. This time Craig Dale pulled another blast out of the hole and took the lead with his Anaheim Husky (tuned to within an inch of its life by Mitch Payton), holding it for three laps over Preston, Holley and Turner, who were intent on heated pursuit. But then Dale lost his composure in some ruts and went down, taking with him Series point leader Holley who was right 'behind. Preston and Turner found themselves balked as well, and when the pack came around for lap four it was Yamaha mounted Phillip Larson in the lead with Rick Johnson and Ron Turner a good distance behind in a heavy fight for second, chased by Denton and Team Mugen's Johnny O'Mara. At one point Johnson dropped all the way back to fifth spot behind O'Mara as Denton pushed his Honda support team bike up to second spot past "Radical" Ron Turner. Going into the last lap both Turner and O'Mara tangled over third place and both of them went down, putting themselves out of the money with no time left to retrace their steps to the front. Larson breezed in for the moto win tailed by Denton, Johnson, Holley (having worked his way back up to fourth after his crash), Burnworth, Waxham, Preston and Coupe..For Jim Holley that fourth place finish was more than enough, combined with his first moto win, to give him the overall class win. 250cc Pros Previous week's 250cc class winner Larry Wosick wished he had stayed home this day. During the morning's practice he seized his works Uni-Trak Kawasaki and had to borrow Goat Breker's worn out practice bi'ke, a production Uni-Traker with a broken kick· starter. After stalling the bike in a mudhole during his qualifier. Larry was able to come back and win his consolation race to make the cut to the feature motos. - The first moto saw LOP's "Mad Man" Mark Lawrence pulling the start over Rex Staten, Wosick and Breker. Mike Brown got his Yamaha sideways through turn two, went down, and blocked off most of the 30, bike field behind him as the four leaders pulled off into the distance. Down on power, Wosick was passed by Kawasaki teammate Breker before the first lap ended. Staten, meanwhile, was trying to put his moves on Lawrence for the lead. Lap after lap Staten would close on Lawrence then drop back as far as 100 yards at a time, putting Rex in danger of being bitten by Breker. Wosick continued to try and keep his tired Kawasaki in fourth, but Eric McKenna on the Euro Cycles Maico was closing fast and two laps before the finish McKenna blitzed past "Lav· ender" Larry to displace him back to fifth. Lawrence entered the white flag lap with the lead and Staten hot on his rear knobs. Knowing it was now or never, Staten got wild with his throttle and closed back up on what distance

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