Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

o 00 C') ~ • The win put Kidd in third place in the H·D Dirt Track Series points standings with 61 points only one ~hind second place Poovey and 22 ~hind Labrie who has 83 with two events 10 go. The following morning Mike DiPrete, AMA Commissioner of Prof~ional Racing issued the following statement to the riders; "The AMA prof~ional din track rule book requir~ that tire manufacturers re"omm,'nd tires for usc in dirt traek ra,·ing. Goodyear lires, number 2381. have not been recommended for uSC" in dirt track racing by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber company and therefore are not allowed to be used in any AMA dirt track race beginning March 8. 1980." The r~ults of Friday's shon track stand as posted. Saturday The long .... of the lew forcibly esc:orted Gary Scott from Memoriel Stadium Friday night. Police were reportedly reedy to cherge Scott with inciting • riot. St~e: Hall and Rusty Pallillo. SCOll P~anon w~nt out to the: front of the: founh and final sc:mi ne:ve:r to ~ 32 he:ade:d. Mike: Gerald was running a steady ~ond until he: went off of the groove on the third lap and found himself in seve:nth. Ronnie Jon~ took ov~r ~ond and the: final transfer into the: main e:vent with third place finisher Bubba Bardwdl heading for the: traile:r. As referc:c: Fre:ddie: Ephrem called the riders to the starting line for the final event of the night he was IOld by a group of riders that they thought that Poove:y and Kidd had an unfair advantage with their tires and therefore the group would not race. "They're playing games," SCO.ll said of Goodye:ar. "They're giving a limite:d num~r of tir~ to certain riders. As far as I'm concerned it's bad PR for Goodyc:ar and Goodyear is not out to hurt the sport, but tbey are. There's no rule in the AMA stopping them." Mike Babick, assistant direClOr of racing for Goodyear said there were 20 tir~ made for HOUSlOn. "It was a one shot deal. If we need it to be com~titive we'll bring it out, but at this point it d~n't look like we'll ne:ed it. " A crowd of ride:rs and mechanics gathered around Ephrem, SCOll, Labrie, Poove:y, Kidd. and Jones while the: five tried to resolve the problem which cente:re:d on the AMA's apparf'ntlack of allention 10 the riders and their problems "I don't ",ant to get any lines or into any hassles, but the way I ff'el is I don't mind not racing tonight. The AMA won't listen to us. They can't race with twO guys," SCOll said. "We're going to race," Ephrem countered, "We'll use our alternates." Th~re were three alternates. "There's SIO,OOO at stake and I've gOl more in it than anybodv." Labrie: added. "If we: don't stop this BS now , it'll go on all ye:ar." Ephre:m offered to contact the AMA in the morning, but that was an unpopular alternative. "Tomorrow night.s too late." Labrie said. "Everyone of you is subjel'l to suspension if you don't do what I say," Ephrem said. "They're eligible 10 ride the:m (the tires). The man IOld me they were." Ephrem .said trun his superior had given the go ahead for the tir~. but didn't identify his su~rior. Vetera n racer Sonny Burres said to the protesting rid,-rs, "If you guys don't ride it's lhe be>! thing you can do." Ephrem told the riders thaI the seri~ promoters had threatened to withdraw all bonus money, but the riders didn't believe him. Ephrem then a ked Kidd and Poovey if they would change their tires. "I don't want 10 take mine off. but I will," Poovey said, "If I get ten laps to work in a new one." Kidd replied "Tve got it the way I want it and I'm noc: changing it. I've got the advan· tage now and I'm going to keep it ... Scollthen said to Kidd, "It·s on your shoulders. " "If we don't do .omething soon 5000 people are going 10 tear this place apart," SCOll said. "We've got 10 stick together ... After Ephrem pleaded a while longer with the riders, it became evident that they were nOt going to compromise and soon after that SCOll was forcibly ~corted out of tbe stadium by an officer of the Volusia County Sheriffs Department. The crowd. both in the stands and in the infield had grown hostile as several police officers drew their nightsticks anticipating trouble which didn't occur. The crowd had no idea what the probl~m was, but as th~ police took SCOll out th~ staned chanting "We want ScOll." However, SCOll was only briefly detained outsid~ of the stadium and r~-enter~d to the delight of th~ crowd. SCOll spok~ with Epbrem and then told Labrie, "It's going to hurt us a lillie: now, but I~t 's give: th~ people: a show." Labrie asked if Scott was all right th~n took his place on the starting grid 30 minut~ after the fi~ld had ~en called to the line. To none: of the: riders' surprise, Kidd bolted into the lead with Poovey second followed by Hall, Day, Pearson, and Labrie. The final then turned into two separate races. Kidd was pressured by Poovey as the two left the field far behind and the other race was for third place spot which Steve Hall held. but which Keith Day and Scott Pearson wanted badly. Passing on the narrow groove was almost impossible and the thrc:c: held their positions 10 th~ end with Hall in the winner's circle for the second straight night. Poovey challenged Kidd every inch of the way, but Kidd wasn't fazed as the pair crossed the finish line while Hall was still in turns three and four. "I ran out of laps," Poovey said while thanking his sponsors. "It was running real smooth," Hall said of his Johnny Melniczuk tu ned Full House mount. He was then presented with a 5,,0 rhl'Ck from Klotz for being the hlJ,(ht'st plan'd finisher using KlolZ pnxlul·t,. "II r.'ally feels great. " After the race Labrie thought of protesting. but said that "It won't stick. It's unfair. ex~tially in this series. If they were running the tires we were there's no way they could have done it. Mike and Terry miJ,(ht have won the race anyway, but not by a straiJ,(htaway. " "Thank God, because he told me that I was going to win tonight and I won e\·t'Tything, "said an ecstatic Hank SCOll after winning the seventh round of the Harley·Davidson Din Track Seri~ on the final night of shon track racing in Memorial Stadium. S«ond place in this Expen Junior ..vent wenl to previous night's winner Mike Kidd who also moved into second place in the seri~ points standings. Charl~ Ro~ns fmished third in this, his first time in the main ev~nt in Memorial Stadium. ~ri~ points leader Billy Labrie finished third in his scratch h~at and didn't qualify for the main. Labrie was the ~ond alternat~ in the eight, ~igbt man h~ats, but th~ went off without a hitch and Labri~ was out for the night and couldn't add to his 83 point total. . Kidd mov~d up to ~ond with 77 points and Poovey slipped back to third with 73. Hank Scott started off the night on a good note by winning the first of th~ heat rac~. Doug Ahn, St~e Hall. SCOtt Pearson, Keith Hawley, Mark Cox, and Bubba Shobert also took heat wins. The eighth and final heat looked like a mini-National with Kidd, Ronnie Jones, Lance Jones, Terry Poovey, and Phil Culver in it. Kidd took the victory, but was pre~d the whole distance by Poovey with Ronnie Jones thi rd. The first semi lived up to expeclations wilh Hank Scott taking the lead from Charlie Robens and stretching it out for what would be the fast semi of the night. RobertS had his hands full with Garth Brow who had his sights set on second place and nOlhing thaI Roberts did could dissuade him. The race went down to the wire with Ro~ns holding Brow off . and Steve Hall taking a disappointing founh after changing Ihe sus~nsion on his bike. The second semi was almost a carbon copy of the first heat with Kidd, Poovey and Ronnie Jones once again slugging il out. Kidd emerged victorious. but this time Jones took St'cond wilh Poovey third. The Ihird semi was a re·play of the sixth heat in which Mark Cox and Ricky Graham crossed the line in a phOIO finish with Cox nudging Graham for the Will. The CoxGraham duel never materialized however. as Cox, SCOll Pea rson and Emmett Watkins were St'nt 10 the penalty line for jumping. the stan. Steve Freeman led Graham for half of the ract'. bUI on lap six Graham moved by coming out of turn four and stay~d ahead to the end. Frc:c:man held onto second with Steve Mendenhall third.

• Cover