Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Te am Honda's Chuck Sun clinched the SOOcc National MX Championship. AMA 125 /500cc National Championship MX Series: Rounds 7/7 . Barnett blasts 125s, Sun clinches 500cc title in New York By Tom Mueller File photo CENTER LISLE, NY, AUG . 24 Team Su zuki's Mark Barnett r an a close race and edged ou t Team Yamaha's Broc Glover for the 125cc overall , while T e am Honda's Chuck Sun had an uncontested day in the 500cc ranks and secured the 1980 500cc Championshi p in the Le Blanc Welding National rounds at the Broome-Tioga Sports Center. Barnett and Glover carded first and fourth in moto one , and at that point were tied for th e lead in the points race . Glover grabbed the second moto win with Barnett a close second, and the two ar e onl y three points apart in Glover 's favor - going into the final round at St. Petersburg, FL . next week. Suzuki's Brian Myerscough still re m ains in th ird in the point standings, bu t Myerscough was no t present at the race, and will not ride the final round in St. Petersburg, either. Myerscough was not riding under doctor's orders, as it has been determined he has hypo glycem ia - an insulin -related problem. Suzuki's Denny Bentley wasn 't there, either. He inj ured his shoulder a t the Philly Supercross, and though he rode last week was not 100 percent recovered, Bentley will ride in Florida . The National was the second at Broome-Tioga, the first ran last year. The course takes advantage of the hi llsid es and is mostly natural terrain steep hills , off-camber turns, and wide straigh taways, b ut a few m a n-m ade jumps have been thrown in. 125cc National 12 Barn ett took th e hol eshot into the funneling first tu rn in the first rnot o with Ho nda riders Rich Coon and Ro n Su n and New Engla nd hotshoe J im Glover tied at 245 poin ts a piece after the checkered fla g had d rop ped. "1 wat ched the sta rter, a nd when he moved I dumped the clutch. I go t hu ng up on the gate and the ot her riders keyed off of m e." said Glover concerning his poor start. "The rear backing plate on the hub broke and threw the chain off," said early second place rider Sun, "T ha t was one of th e first times 1 was pacing with the leaders ," said Benolkin . I would fall ba ck and then cat ch up again . I guess I was thinking more ab out Glover than the track ," Ward a nd Glover sha red t he holeshot in moto two. but Glover took command on a d ownhill on lap one. After some sorting Barn ett took third com ing from a poo r start . d isplacing Ben olkin and Coon on th e way. O 'Ma ra , -Cantalou pi, Mo to -X Fox's Jeff Wa tts and Sun were nex t. Then Benolkin went d own a nd picked up in l l rh , Sun plugged in behind O 'Mara , and Ba rn ett was closing on Wa rd , In the meantime Glover was intense on his lines and with th e u rgi ngs of his m echa nic Jim Felt , was securing a comfortable lead , At t he hal fway mark Glover was bu ried in traffic and Barnett finally found a way by Ward afte r having the door slammed in his face for several laps. Coon, Sun, Cantaloupi, O 'Ma ra , Chris Heisser, Meenan and now Kris Bigelow were in the top 10 slots. Benolkin had gone into th e weeds and fell back. Glover's 15 . second lead sta rted to decrease as the crowd's cheering in creased. Glover was slowing and Barnett was carving seconds off every lap. By the white flag Glover's lead was cu t to five and a half seconds. It came as close as two bikelengths at the checkered, but Glove r hung on to win. Ward, Coon, Sun, Cantaloupi, LOP's Mike Brown, Benolkin, Burnworth, and Meenan crossed the line spread apart . "1 sucked dirt all th roug h the first moto and all we could do was clean it out. The second mota it ran fine until ha lfwa y a nd then it started to die," said Glover . "All i need next week is a first a nd a third . I spent a m onth down there learning the tracks." Glover rode the Wint er AMA Warm ·Up Series this year, " It's about tim e I tak e a cha m pionship," Barnett said , " Broc took three of 'em . 1 think I'll tak e one this year." Meenan in behind . Glover was left back.in the pack and had his work cut out for him . W ithin a few laps he had 500cc Natio nal shown his ab ility and moved to 10th. Chuck Su n took the position he New Ho nda teamster Tom Benolkin would hold all day - that of the had found a route to th ird. leader - at the start of the first 500cc Barn ett started to go to work a nd mot o. On the first uphil l Alan King began pu lling a lead. Coon held a nd LOP's Ma rty Moa tes collided and steady, bu t Su n and then Yamaha's fell. Moates wai ted for medical assistDonnie Cantaloupi moved by Benolkin . ance and was helped off the track. Jeff Ward ha d planted his factory Honda's j im Gibson , Ga ylon Mosier on Kawasaki in sixth with Glover, Mugen a factory Kawasaki and a Goat Breker l rider Jim Holley, Suzuki's Scott BurnRex Sta ten d uel followed , Breker on a worth and Meenan following. support Kawasaki and Staten on a Gary Denton had pulled off the Team Yamaha bike . track, and then Pat Moroney did like Sta ten took Breker th rou g h a set of wise, a victim of mechanical woes. uphills and then passed a fading Ward went for it and challenged Mosier for third. Sun had 14 seconds Benolkin , and th e two flip -flopped on Gibson with Staten now in the hu nt positions until Ward won out. Ward for second. Mosier held firm with d idn 't stop there. and soon had paced Breker , Mickey Kessler, Maico's Denny his way around Cantaloupi for fourth . Swartz and Suzuki's Marty Smith next. By that point Glover had moved past Danny LaPorte, the current class Benolkin and was running in sixth. cham pio n, was int o seventh . No doubt about it , Ward was ho t. Sun never faltered , and Sta ten took He soon took Coon , who had fallen Gibson for second. Breker finally won back behind second place Sun, Soon out over Mosier for fourth . Smi t h a nd after he got Sun, but by that time Kessler trai led with La Porte bac k fro m Ba rn ett was on his way, Ward got t hem , Ga ry Sem ics a nd Arlo Engl u nd close, yet was never in position to set clic ked bars a nd Semi cs got th e edge up a pass . by two feet. Sun went out of th e race. Coon held "M Y bike just stopped up the hill ," on to take third, an d cu rre nt 125cc said King ab out the first la p crash. National Champion Glover was tight " I'd tu rn the throttle a nd nothing. 1 on him for fourt h . Cantaloupi won out feel bad about taking ou t Marty." in a dice wit h Ben olkin for fifth . with King had installed a new engi ne in his Burnworth next , and a ways back was bike and was ready for the second the 1980 125cc USGP winner. Mugen's Johnny O 'Mara. It was Barnet t . and , . mota. Moates' bike was com plet ely apart in the pits. His fra me had been bent in th e acci de nt and needed to be st ra ightened. Sun again heade d moto two wit h Mosier and Moat es beh ind . When the pack ca me around the high section of the course Swartz was in third. Mosier came around last. but was on the gas _ Yamaha's Rick Burgett . Dan Turner. Kessler, Englund and Gibson were tigh t behind, Staten was buried in the pack and was never in contention . Then Kessler got hot . took second, and took a sho t at Sun. Burgett. Gib son and La Porte followed . Moa tes was fading . He pull ed into th e pi ts in pain . Moates had had a kn ee op eration on ly a week befo re. King and Smi th picked up beh ind LaPo rt e. Sun pu lled into a safe lead with Kessler never letting up . LaPorte moved ito third . bu t then went off the track with a m echanical DNF. Smith looked good and had worked to third , and Burgett took Gibson for fourt h. Steve Sta ckable and King had the 6· 7 slots. Smith challenge d Kessler la te in the race and got by. Burgett held fou rt h but Gibson faltered, letting Stackable and King by. Englu nd, Turner and Staten filled out the top 10. " Breker hit my arm in the first lap , and la ter I hit a post with my hand. At first I thought som ething was broken, but I guess I couldn't move it if it was ," said Sun. "1 guess th e preparation for myself is what did it, " Sun said in a very calm manner after t he championship was wrapped up. " Eric (Crip pa) d id a fine job with my Honda. I felt I could dial it on any time I wanted. If my fingers are O K I'm going to go for it in Florida and keep my winning streak going." Kessler was back in the pits with a cu t on his right shoulder. It was from a rock thrown by a lapped rider . "There were some rocks , but you go to New York you get rocks . You go to Florida you get sand. This was the third time I rode here." "1 wish I had an expla nation for Danny's bike, " said LaPorte's tuner Pat Alexander. " It's something with the top end - it lost com pression. We'II know by nex t week." Sun added in win ner's circle he was sorry tha t LaPorte could n' t mount the challen ge to defend his th rone that he believed LaPorte was ca pa ble of, d ue to me chanical DNFs that ha ve plagued LaPort e this season , • Results 125cc NAnONAL: 1. Mark Barnett. 1-2 ISuz); 2. Brae Glover, 4-1 (VarnI; 3. Jeff Ward, 2-3 IKawl; 4. Rd, Coon, 3-4 (Han); 5. Donnie Cantaloupi, 5-6 IVaml; 6. Tom Benolkin, EHlIHon); 7. Scan Burnworth. 7-9ISuzJ; 8. J im Meenan, 11-10 IKTM I; 9. Phil Larson. 10-11 IVam): 10. Jim Holley. 9-12IMugl; 11. Johnny O'M ara, 8-16 IMug}; 12. Ron Sun. DNF-5 IHon); 13. Mike Brown . DNF-7 lVam); 14. A.J. Whiting, 16-13 lVam); 15. Tom RK:e. 15-14 IVaml; 16. Mark Rakestraw. 13-19 IHanI; 17. Jeff wens. 12-DNF lVam); lB. Chris Hoisser. 14-20 (Hon); 19_ Pat Mo

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