Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

o 00 0') ~ .... ...... 0.""' < Junior Denny Perkins 129R) won Ascot·. Junior/Expert race. eRie photo.) Perkins tops Ascot hall mile By Maureen Lee GARDENA. CA. APR. 11 The hot, dry. windy weather was more suited to camel racing Fri~ay night, and spectators would have been more comfortably ... 28 .. dressed like Lawrence of Arabia to keep the grit out. but the racing sure got flashy with lots of nice rooster tails in the air.. With so many on tile; way to Sacra'mento, Juniors and Experts ran together, and fastest time trialer was classy junior Rich Amaiz at 25.21 with Expen Bob Sanders second, 25.45. Amaiz wilS being chased home in the first heat when he fell in the nonh tum, sliding down with his bike. Danny Perkins, who had been in founh and moving past Bob Cunnington, came stomping up past second place Steve Polson and took the win. Bob Sanders got away first in the second heat but three riders fell in the nonh tum and out came the flag. On the restart away went Sanders again, with Charlie Summers and David Ryan behind. Sanders was mounted on one of Sal Acosta's super Triumphs and Summers is commanding a Nonon this year and Nonons for some strange reason handle great on dry surfaces. Summers and Sanders swapped first and second around for a while bdore Charlie had enough and got in front to stay. They looked like they were going fast but their time of 2:06.29 was slower than the 250cc Novice ridersl Steve Oort was riding high. wide and beautiful in the third heat, throwing up rooster tails but unable to get first place away from Many Halkola. Mike Minnig was in third but we'd been watching Junior Steve Karsten coming up by people and Minnig almost lost his third to him. The last heat had Ben Zakarian and Jdf Allison off the line and into tum one first but right with them was Arlette Smith, holding her own and in second place coming down the front chute. Allison built himself up a nice lead but the stands were all watching Arlette. Finally John Burnett got by, as did Rich Volk, but Smith hung on in there in full control of her big Harley but in the nonh tum she lost another place right at the end to Zakarian, and the rundown was Allison. Burnett. Rich Volk. Zakarian and Smith. We all wondered if the semi was a ponent of things to come as Randy Patterson and his 500cc Yamaha flat ran off with it as bigger twins Skated around the various lines behind him. all in clouds of din. Second through founh was fought over by Volk, Zakarian, Minnig and Cunnington. For a while it looked like Rich would be the last man into the main, as he hung onto second in the shuffle, but Minnig ended up with it. The start of the main was wooley; the constant wind had spooked just about everyone. Charlie Summers took the lead ahead of Sanders who soon had his hands full with Steve Oort. They went like that for a while, then Marty· Halkola got by Oort but Sanders was running hard on that super Triumph and catching Summers. He finally got him in the south tum but coming up fast through the skid· ding pack was Danny Perkins and suddenly there was Danny tucking into third spot. Summers slid out a bit too wide and Perkins was now second and after Sanders, passing him down the back straight. Once Perkins was in front that was it. and Summers faded a bit and Halkola and Oon moved on by but the nice wasn't over by a long shot. Halkola and Oon both got Sanders, but Bob came flying back down low in the north turn and got Oort, and the move was copied exactly by Summers. Out front Perkins was happily pulling away a bit. then came Halkola. Sand· ers, Summers, Oort. Steve Patterson and in seventh the rider who had looked so good in the semi on the 500 single, Randy Patterson. and it was all over. Speaking of singles, American Honda has put up the purse and there will be an invitational for 500cc four-strokes at the May 10 Ascot half mile National. In the Novice division first heat the point leader Tommy Walton had the brid lead until something in his carburetor came loose (the bit was upside down. believe it or not) and another hot Novice. Freddie Winters, was also out before the end. The winner was Mearl Bennett, who ended up in the lead rather late over Ross Klatt and Pat Seigle. Seigle had kept the lead for quite a while until Benne.tt and Klatt decided to move on by. Second heat went to smooth Rob Pfe.tzing who was never passed. That heat started with complete anarchy on the line and four riders going to the third row. Bobby Garrison fell in behind Pfetzing and here came Mike Hale, who's tied for sixth in the points. He went very fast but still ended third, while Pfetzing turned in the very fastest of the three Novice heats, a 2:04.04. Bill Scott and Chris Cannon did battle for the heat three lead and the clang of handlebars sounded more than once, with Cannon trying super hard to get around Scott, especially one time when he went to the inside and then came skatinll out ... Whe.e.e. Last heat had Charles "Bud" Carroll coming out of the start on top with Jdf Johnson in hot pursuit. They came out of the north tum side by side, and things got a little bumpy there in the south tum and the handlebar clangs were sounding again. Bud Idt the door open a bit and Johnson went through for the lead. Carroll kept second over Ben Meyer. For the semi Charles Montgomery just took off first, leaving Mike Hale to make his way up to second and final transfer spot ahead of Don Re.mp and Mike Bird. Bobby Garrison shot off first in the main, but Chris Cannon fell head first over his handlebars exiting tum TwO and slid for a while on his chest. He was up and OK to restart though, and again it was Garrison out in front, then three. abreast coming through the nonh tum were Mearl Bennett, Rob Pfetzing and Jdf Johnson, and the race. was on. Garrison was comfonably out in first but Pfe.tzing passed Mike Hale and then the two of them got Bennett. Around they all went again and Chris Cannon was now up and into fourth spot. Suddenly Garrison's hand flew up going into the south tum, and although everyone had it full on they all missed him as his bike slowed with mechanical ills. Now it was Hale out front, then Cannon who'd kept his charge going, Pfetzing and Johnson. Results NOVICE MAIN: 1. Mike HoM lVom); 2. Chris Cannon lVom); 3. Rob Pletzing lVom); 4. Jeff Johnson lVom); 5. M_ IIer..- lVeml: 6. o.leI Cem>II lVom): 7. BiU Scott lVom); 6. o.leI """nljOlie,. lVeml: 9. _ KJott lVeml: 10. Bobby Gorrioon lVom). TIME: 3:21.09 JRIEX MAIN: 1. Danny ....... CIH)); 2. Morly _IH-O); 3. Bob _ _ ITril: 4. o.leI SurTnws """'); 5. Stelle Cart IH-OI; 6. Stelle Polson lVoml; 7. Rondy Pan...,., lVom): 8. John IlumelllVem); 9. Mike MlnnilllVeml; 10. Jeff AJlieon lVoml. TIME: 5;43.01 TROPHY DASH: 1. Bobby Senders ITri): 2. Morly Helkole (H-O): 3. Rich Amelz. Junior IM-DI: 10. Jeff All*". Junior lVom). TIME: 1:16.34 KIng, 810se top· ArIzona ChampionshIp round By Brownie Bouch PHOENIX, AZ, APR. 6 The third race in the Arizona State Championship Series at Canyon Raceway attracted racers from far away places with a $2500 Pro purse up for grabs. Kawasaki's Chappy Blose took his old KXI25 out of mothballs and proceeded to show the local boys the shortest way around the track in the first 125cc Pro moto. but not without some anxious moments. He had to contend with Southwest Yamahasponsored Drey Dircks, and Honda House-sponsored Bob Blose off the line. Chappy pUlle.d brother Bob on the third lap going into the S turns, then set his sights on Dircks. By the fifth lap he had caught the flying Yamaha, and passed him several laps later when Dircks slid high in the shon sweeper. Halfway into the 50 minute moto', Dirclts slowed with a flat tire. Bob Blose moved his Honda into s«ond, with Tucson's David King following through in third. and Yamaha riders Bobby Belluzzi and Tibbs McCullough in founh and fifth. The second moto was a real thriller right to the checkered flag when McCullough got the jump into the first turn ahead of Dave Crawford (Moto-X Fox Yamaha) and Chappy Blose.. Crawford took over the lead when McCullough fell on the first lap. With Chappy tacked to Crawford'. back wheel, the race. got tight as King moved in close for third and Bob Blose joined the. battle in founh. It was a four-bike race. for the lead when Chappy suddenly pulled over with bilte. trouble on the third lap. The batde for first continued lap after lap with no one giving an inch till a cleverly planned and executed brake job put both King and Bob Blose down in the S turns. King recovered flJ'St, maintaining his second place position and Blose held on to third with Dircks and McCullough following through in founh and ftfth. King and Bob Blose tied for first place points,..ith King's 52 finishes and Blose:s 2·5. McCullough, David Robinson. and Jon Deremo rounded out the top five overall positions. The "Flying Chicano" from Tucson, CariOll Serrano, aboard his Moto-X Fox-sponsored Honda saw daylight first in the first 250cc Pro moto with Gary Dircks aboard his Southwest Cycle Sales·sponsored Husky on his tail. Serrano slipped in the S turns and Dircks took over the lead and laid an undisputed claim to first place while the battle was in the pack with Kawasaki's Chappy Blose pushing his way into third. Blose got under Serrano in the shon sweeper. moving into second. but slid down in the next tum giving second right back to Serrano. Blose. recovered in ftfth as Maico-mounted . Brian Hayes and Yamaha-mounted Ron Watmore both got by. Two laps later Hayes fell and while both Watmore and Blose were held up in the crash, Tim Richardson aboard a Nolan Action Cyde.-sponsored SWM, squeezed by into third. Blose recovered in founh. Then all positions held firm to the checkered flag. The second moto was almost a carbon copy of the first moto off the line with Serrano taking control until he got to the S turns where he fell again, leaving Watmore in the lead and Blose second. Hayes took over third. Positions were changing fast in the next few laps when Watmore fell moving Blose into a solid first and Hayes up to second. Serrano had recovered from his fIrSt lap spill and was pushing hard. moving up through the pack into founh behind Watmore. who was also trying to move again after his crash. Both riders passed Hayes simultaneously, moving into second and third. When the checkers waved it was Blose first. Watmore second. Serrano third, Hayes founh and Perkins ftfth. Blose laid claim to the first overall, followed by Serrano, Watmore, Gary Dircks and Richard· son. Randy Sargunt on a Vesco Yamaha came out of the first turn in the lead in the fIrSt moto of the Open Pro class with Yamaha-mounted Jim Riggle in second, EI Paso rider Maby McIntyre on a mean green machine in third and Husky rider Gary Dircks pushing hard in founh. Riggle squeezed his Yamaha into the lead through the S turns, as McIntyre decided to take soil samples, moving everyone up a position. Dircks moved in to press Riggle for the lead. taking it on lap four. David King (Yam) was moving up into the action, taking over third. McIntyre was back up blitzing his way through traffic and halfway into the moto pushed into

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