Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

.... 1-0 p.. < Ricky Grahem goes around John Wincewicz to win Ascot'. helf mile. Graham grabs Ascot HM Opener By Maureen Lee Photo by Dan Mahony GARDENA, CA, MAR. 29 If Friday night's opener was a promise of the next few weeks at Ascot, it'll be a short but very sweet season of flat track racing. po .. 26 The Park has fresh paint and new lights, makin~ the turns look a lot brighter. So, m the fust Expert heat Wayne Rainey missed breaking the five lap record by a heartbeat and turned in the fastest opening night Expert heat ever in 1:55. 14. Ricky Graham set the fastest Expert time with 22.96, showing the track wasn't too swift and he and Rainey hit tum one fint in the first Expert heat side by side. Wayne had the edge and moved into the lead. Graham couldn't get him but Steve Monger moved by Brian Thompson and Mike Minnig to take third. Dave Busby found himself the middle of a sandwich going through tum two as Tom Berry and Bobby Sanden passed him high and low on the stan of heat two. But as the pack sorted out it was a much missed rider in the lead - Ted Davidson is back after a two year layoff. He's lost none of his promise, fire and speed during his "retirement" and won the heat over Berry, Sanden and Mike Inderbiuen. In the semi, Minnig was away fint, but as they emerged onto the back straight, John Wincewicz was by him and by the end of lap one so were Inderbiuen and Brian Thompson. Dennis Flue hung on to the flnal transfer spot over Busby. It was an all Harley lineup for both the main and the trophy dash. The dash consisted of Graham, Davidson, Rainey and Berry, with Graham and Davidson getting off side by side. Graham cbose his line carefully and took over the lead. Davidson didn't let off the pace the whole three lape but it was Graham who won the custom KRW helmet presented by Chuck Palmgren and a trophy girl by the name of Boom Boom, Off went Rainey with Berry right with him on the stan of the main and they shook down into a line Of Rainey, WineMa, Berry, and Davidson. It wasn't long before Davidson was running second chasing the fleet Rainey, then Wincewicz and Graham. Graham was soon up on Davi~'s rear wheel and the race was on. Berry left the chase in the IOUth tum for a while, his hand signaling bike prob- lems which put him all the way back a lap before he got the bike running again. Meanwhile Davidson, Rainey and Graham were shuffling around first place and as they caught up full bore to the lapped Berry, he fell right in the fray as if he wasn't a lap down, falling into "second" spot right behind Davidson and just ahead of Graham. and there he stayed for a while regardless of blue move-over flags from the staner. Finally Graham pulled away in fint, then Rainey passed Davidson for the last time and got second fU'1tlly in hand and John Wi~cewicz got around Berry for the founh. It was a neat main event, and on checking with the referee afterwards he obviously hadn't decided yet if he was going to say anything to Berry for failure to yield or not. The fine could be nasty if imposed, but you couldn't say Berry was getting in anyone's way; he was as fast as they all were and boy, did the stands love it! It was a race that was only just over a second off the 15-lap record so we're going to see things happen this year that's for sure. Next week, Alex Jorgensen will be down with his new Harley-Davidson, now that he and the legendary Ron Wood Norton proved they are the measure of anything running, It sounded like the ghosts of the old BSA Wrecking Crew in the Junior heats as so many of them are on 500cc singles this year. Fastest Junior time trialer Danny Perkins (25.20) won the .fint and fastest beat on his Harley over Steve Oon (H-D) and Eddie San Roman (Yam) while founh was Ray DuF on a 500cc Honda. Jun Filice, fresh from two Houston wins and the Novice Daytona road race led the way into turns 1-2 on the start of the second heat aboard a 500cc Yamaha, and the race was on between him, Steve Polson (Yam) and Ron Yamamoto (500cc Yam). In the melee Polson managed to whack into Filice's rear wheel hard although neither rider went down. Later, when Filice left the door open, Yamamoto slipped into the lead. Ah thoseJunionl The wbole heat three herd went through the south tum bunched together but somehow they all survived with Rich Arnaiz (H-D) leading, then Jeff Allison (Yam), Ben Zakarian (HD) and Matt James (Tri). Coming up hard was Dennis Camp while Allison seemed to be all over the race track. Amaiz went wide with Zakarian almost taking over fint in the process but Camp just steamed by them, and the race ended with Camp fint, then Zakarian, Arnaiz and Roger Cunningham. Cunningham and Ray Dugan tangled and went down on the stan of the semi, and the evening's eXcellent staner, Jon Nelson, the AME 126cc Pro winner, leads runner-up Chip Chepman. Rick Hutchins, went on another sprint up the front straight, red flag in hand to meet the riders exiting tum four. It's been a while since we've seen as able a staner as Hutchins both in controlling nervous riders and getting races stopped quickly - a tip of the helmet to him. San Roman took the lead as they left the line again but was to fade behind the onsalught of Arnaiz, Polson and Allison before retiring with mechanical woes. Arnaiz finally/ut a little space between himself an the other two, who were taking turns holding down second. Polson took it at the flag by an inch. ·In fourth was Wyatt Scroggins (500cc Hon) over fint alternate Derek Land (H-D). Yamamoto led off the line in the main with Zakarian quickly taking over, then Arnaiz, Camp and Allison all in a gaggle. Zaltarian was flying, leading lap after lap; Allison was starting to look wild again and Arnaiz caught up to Zakarian to do some lead swapping. Yamamoto fell off on the back straight, losing his chance for the evening. But for his first time at Ascot, the Spokane. WA, rider showed the locals a thing or two, and after remounting even finished tbe race. Arnaiz was now leader but all of a sudden up flew Danny Perkins. He and Camp went at it for second for a while with Danny taking it over. He then went for Arnaiz, and when Rich went a bit too wide, Danny took full advantage of it and went on to win. Mead Bennett, an early Novice main challenger was fint to pit in the "new kids" race, leaving Tommy Walton with the lead firmly in hand ahead of Mike Hale and Dave Boyles. But coming up fast was Walton's buddy from the D-57 scrambles wars, Chris Cannon who eventually slid into second behind Walton. Jeff Johnson ended up third with Russ Klatt fourth. The Novice class is not going to be a nonhern California runaway this year. SoCal has a fresh crop of fast 16-yearolds all primed and ready. Results TROPtfY DASH: 1. Ricky Grohom 0+-01: 2. Ted e..-. lH-OI; 3. Tam Berry (H-DI: 4. w.- Roiney lH-Dl. rome: 1:09.45. NOV MAIN: 1. Tommy Wolton

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