Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

course extended from the one the cars used. Starts were motocross style , one for each of the classes . The first race started the weekend's competition and Yamaha pil ot Eri c Ma cCracken jumped in the Class 22 (O pen) lead. MacCracken completed the first 2 ~ -rnile lap still in the lead , trailed by Yamaha's Larry Roeseler, McKenna and Kevin Davis (Mai ), Jack Johnson (Yam) was right with the lead ers but underwent a healthy get -off ~hortl y into the second lap. o 00 en - In Class 21 (250cc) Las Vegan Giger already had the lead at the end of a lap. Gambling capitol neighbor Kevin Steele (Yam) led the pursuit; the other pursuers being Clark Jones (Hus) and LOP's Kippy Pierce (Yam) . In Class 20 (125cc) Todd Peterson (Yam) and Steve Wiseman (Hon) were closest to the fleeing Maki. Lee Evans led Class 30 over Jackson and Bill Saltzman (Mai) . Bryon Farnsworth (Ya m) had the early Class 38 lead over Hoyt Sta tham (Yam) and Miller. (Top) Eric McKenna dominated both Open class motos.IAbove) Lenny Giger. here pursued by Kevin Welch (61). defended his 250cc title. Bridgestone/SCORE Off-Road World Championship McKenna, Giger romp at Riverside By Dale Brown Photos by Skip Johnson and Brown RIVERSIDE, CA , AUG . 23 The competition saw red as Maico-mounted Eric McKenn a and Moto-X Fox Honda rider .Len ny Giger led the way in the motorcycle portion of the Bridgestone/SCORE Off-Road World Championship at River side Interna tional Raceway, win ning the Open and 250cc classes, respectively. 14 Motocrossers had an eas y time of it in the displacement categories. with DG's Rick Maki running away from the 125cc competitors. But in the two age· bracket categories. desert riders struck back as Yamaha -mounted Lon Peterson edged Husky pilot Richard Jackson in Class 30 , and Arizona 's David Miller (Hus) won both motos of the class for riders over 38 . Competition consisted of two 12·lap. 31.8·mile mo tos around the Riverside Mac Cracken's lead last until lap th ree . when McKenna pu t his J an Hou termans-t uned, Hi-Point/ Euor -Cycles/ Maico-sponsored mount out front for good. Roeseler continued to hold third. with Anaheim Husqvarna's David Gerig and Davis pressuring him. Giger continued in front of the quarter-liters with Steele and Pierce now 2·3. Maki continued to put distance on his corn petition whi le the Class 30 and 38 riders tried to sort out their positions in the often-thick dust. Midway through the race MacCracken dropped out. turning second over to Gerig. Roesel er was feeling pressure from teammate Johnson. who was coming back hard from his crash. Behind them were the 250cc leaders, Giger and Steele . As the race came down to the final laps . McKenna had ridden to a huge lead and Giger had slashed his way through the pack to where he threatened Gerig's second overall. Mc Kenna took the checkered with an easy win a nd Giger came out of the fina l comer leading Gerig by a few scant yards . Acco rd ing to the SCO RE results , Giger's elapsed time was nearly eight seconds faster than McKenna's. But competition was by class and McKenna had the win over Gerig. Johnson, Roeseler and Kevin Welch (C ·A). Giger took his class by besting Pierce. Steele. Mike Sixbery (Yam) and Jones. Maki was the easy 125cc winner over Peterson, Wiseman , Paul Emerson (Hon) and Bob Maxwell (Yam ). When the dust had cleared, Richard Jackson took the Class 30 win on his Kern Sportcycle Husky in front of Lon Peterson. Lee Evans , Bill Saltzman and Steve Staats (Yam) . Parker 400 class winner David Miller, sponsored by Southwest M/C Sales, overtook early leader Farnsworth to win Class 38 . Statham, Chuck Sugar (Hus) and Gary Sigman (Suz) rounded the top five . When the second moto got underway, it was Kevin Davis pulling the Class 22 holeshot, followed by Larry Roeseler and Eri c McKenna . Troy Fitch (Yam) picked up a similar advantage in the Class 21 start , while first moto Class 20 winner Rick ' Maki found himself in third at the start behind Pau l Emerson and Todd Peterson. Lon Peterson and Bill Sa ltzm a n led the Class 30 troops a nd Bryon Farnsworth and Hoyt Sta tham led the last of the five starts. At the end of a la p , Davis still led McKenna , Gerig. Roeseler and John . son. Kevin Steele. sponsored by Bill McFee & Associates and Valley Cycle , had pic ked up the Class 21 lead over Fitch and Lenny Giger, Maid had over come two riders to lead the small bores . Davis. who had finished sixth in the firs t leg, continued to lead on his Maico/Vegas Cycle/Hi-Point machine. but McKenna had moved up to pressure and the two had opened up a sizable amount of real estate over Gerig with Johnson passing Roeseler to take over fourth. Meanwhile, Giger, the defending Class 21 cha m p in this event , had taken over the lead with Steele back to second. On the fourth lap McKenna grabbed the lead but lost it the following lap when he went off course and Davis took it back. Davis led for a while long er as McKenna had some problems with the dust. "There was a time when I came out of a comer behind a gu y. He threw up a dust cloud, and I couldn't see a haybale, and I hit it ," said McKenna later. Bu t on the 10th lap , McKenna took over for good and opened up a 25 · second lea d at the checkered flag. Gerig came across the line in third . this time holding off Giger's charge. Johnson. Roeseler, Kevin Welch and Steele followed them past the fluttering b lack and white, When the ove ra ll tallies were announced it was Mc Kenna (of course) taking the Class 22 win. "It wasn't easy ," he said, "but it was a lot of fun , If you don't have fun you might as well quit. " Gerig's 2·3 earned him second overall money . Johnson had a 3·4 for third overall on a very busy day. He rode dune buggies in Class 9, where he finished third. and in the $25 ,000 Pepsi Challenge of C hampions, where he had problems. Davis, Roesel er , and Welch rounded out the top five. Class 21 winner Gige r thanked, in addition to Moto-X Fox, Honda Kawasaki of Las ' Vegas, and Mike Kline , who prepared the winning Honda. It was a 1·2 day for La s Vegas as Steele took second with a 3·2. edging Kippy Pierce's 2·3. Mike Sixbery and Honda-mounted Bill Tarling were listed next in the overall tally. " I just wanted to win. I wanted to win this race more than anything. I need the money . . , it's bitchin; it's great." said Class 20 double winner Maid , who thanked DG , Trivic, Super. Seer. Yamaha Motor Corp. and a list of product sponsors too long to list here. DG teammate Todd Peterson finished second : his 2·3 beating Paul Emerson's 4·2 and Steve Wiseman's 3·4. Lo n Peterson beat R ich a rd J ackson in the second moto and , via the second moto tiebreaker, took the overall win . Class 30 . A 3·4 score gave Lee Evans third overall. Lynn McGraw (6·3) took fourth on a Rusta n Yamaha -sponsored effort, and though Bill Saltzman pulled off the track midway through the second moto, his first moto fourth and 10th place score in the second ga ve him fifth overall. David Miller won the second moto, making him the fourth rider with a 1-2 score and earning him the Class 38 win. Farnsworth again finished second and the same overall with Chuck Sugar third overall off a 4·3 moto tally, • Resu lts ClASS 22 lOVER 251ccJ: 1. Er"=McKenna. 1·1 IMai); 2 David Gerig. 2·3 IHus!; 3. Jack Johnson. J.4 lYam); 4 . Kevin Davis . 6-2 IMai); 5. Larry goeseree. 4-5 IVa m); 6. K"';n Welch. !HlIC·Al; 7. Scot Harden. 8-7 (Hus!; 8 . Leon Uv;ngston, 7-8lYam); 9 . Mark Miller, 10-9 IHusl; 10. Bruce Ogilvie. 9-10 (Yam ). ClASS 21 125OccJ: 1. Lenny Giger. 1-1 (Han ); 2. Kevin Steele. 3-2 lYam); 3. Kippy Pierce, 2-3 (Vam); 4. Mike Sixbery. 4-4 IVam); 5. Bill Tarling, 7-5 IHan); 6. Chuck Miller. ~ (Vam); 7 . Marv Cha pman. 10-7 (Mai); 8. Bob Rutten, 11-8 lYam ); 9. Bill Boyer . 12-9 (Han); 10. Marl'( Miller. 8-14ISuzl. CLASS 20 1125ccJ: 1. Rick Malci, 1·1 IYaml; 2. Todd Pet erson. 2·3 IVam); 3. Paul Emer so n. 4-2 (Hon) ; 4. Stev e W iseman. J.4 IHon); 5. Bob Maxwell. 5-5 (Yam); 6 . Scott Pfeiffer, 7~ (Vam); 7. Sco tt Coutts, 6-8 IHus); 8 . 8i11 Holmea. 8-7IHus); 9. Craig Cabla . 9-9 (Vaml; 10. Randy Aeming. 10-11 (Vam). ClASS 30 (RIDERS OVER 30) : 1. Lon Peterson. 2·1 lYam); 2. Richard Jackson, 1·2 (Hus); 3. Lee Evans, J.4 lYam); 4. Jamea Lynn McGraw. 6-3 lYam); 5. Bill Salt2man. 4-10 IMai); 6. Ron Christner. ~ lYam); 7. Louis Forell, 11-5 (Hus!; 8. Mike Harper , 7·9 IC-Al; 9. Kirk Kontilis, 14-7 IHusl; 10 . Mac Douglas. 13-8lYam). ClASS 38 (RIDERS OVER 38 1 1. David Miller. 1·1 ; IHus); 2 . Bryon Farnswonh, 2·2IYarn); 3 . Chuck S ugar, 4-3 (Hus); 4 . Hoyt Statham, 3-5lYarn); 5. Gary Sigman. 54ISuzl .

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