Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

o 00 0') ICIockwise from top left) Steve Eklund got by Jay Springst8eil to finish ~d. while Springer was fourth. Bill Labrie showers the crowd after winning Ascot for the second time this year. Scott 1141 and Goss worked through traffic. and the roost, to finish 3-5. Honda 500cc Invitational It was a scrapping battle among Ted Davidson. Jeff Haney and Mickey Fay as the Honda 500cc Invitational got underway. but a chain reaction crash in the third corner put Davidson. Rich Arnaiz and Jim Filice on the ground. and the red flag halted the race. Arnaiz's and Filice's bikes were too damaged to make the restart. and Filice was nursing a very sore leg. David· son did make the restart after a few repairs to the bike. but he was suffering from a puncture wound to his knee. That didn't stop Davidson from grabbing the lead on the restart aboard his Dave Bird Yamaha with Roo Sulli· van and Haney in pursuit. Haney got into second two laps later. with Fay moving into third a lap after that. Then Haney tried a turn four move that got him the lead, but only briefly as Davidson went right back out front. Then on the seventh lap, Fay made an outstanding move through tum two to pass both Haney and Davidson. "I came into the comer with no brakes, and it sent me into the comer a little further than I should have been. I knew if I didn't gas it really quick it was going to send me way out. so I grabbed a handful and it brought it around and just got me a drive that was really great: it worked perfect. And that was how I got the lead." reo lated Fay after the race. He continued tn the lead as Haney got in front of ,Davidson aDd narrowly held him off to dIe finish. Rod Sullivan finished third, and was first Junior. Semis Steve Morehe~d let Mike Inderbitzen give him a one· lap LOur of the track. then got in front and hustled his Horton Racing/KK Supply XR straight to the flag and the sole ticket to the National. Tom Berry held second for three laps and then surrendered it to Wayne Rainey. The second semi saw Ronnie Jones in front for two laps before giving way to Alex Jorgensen. Jorgy then peeled off a number of laps in the lead as Ted Boody moved from a fifth·place start past Jones to occupy second. With two laps to go. Boody moved his borrowed Harley past Jorgensen, and the Arai/ Lectron·sponsored rider was the last man to make it into a National in 1980. Trophy Race Jorgensen and the Ron Wood/Alpha· bet Headers Harley found themselves again in the lead, this time in the Trophy Race. Wayne Rainey hung close for 10 laps, then went into the lead via a good move in the fourth turn. Rainey went on to win with the H&H Workshop/Chris Armstrong/ Sandy. Rainey machine, finishing the 12 laps in 4:33.38, over two seconds faster than Lance Jones' 1979 record. Jorgy maintained second over Tom Berry and 1980 Rookie of the Year Bubba Shobert. National Scott Pearson again gave a demon· stration in Advanced Holeshot, arriving in turn one well ahead of Jay Springsteen, Steve Eklund. Bill Labrie and Terry Poovey. Hank Scott and Randy Goss both started on the second row and had a run through traffic fac· ing them. By the third lap Labrie had gotten Eklund behind him, while Goss and Hank Scott continued to move up. On the fifth lap the order was Pearson. Springsteen, Labrie, Eklund, Poovey, Goss. Hank ,Scott and Scott Parker. , - While the title contenders tried to move their way up. Pearson was dom· inating the race, running a line through the corners so high his rear wheel was often only a couple of feet away from the haybales. Back in the run for Number One. Scott passed Goss, and they both passed Poovey to run 5·6 on the seventh lap. Labrie got past Springsteen for sec· ond one lap past the midway point. But there-were no more changes until the 15th lap, wheri Pearson slid out in turn two. "I was on my butt before I knew what happened. I went through the corner, I had my foot on the peg and I had it wide open. I just spun out com· ing out of the corner," said Pearson later. "With the combination I had and the tire I had, all I could do was stay up high and tum it wide open. It worked for 15 laps: just five more, and I would have won." "I saw him slide out," said Billy Labrie, "I was kind of thinking he'd do that, after I passed Jay, so I just figured I'd ride around and see what happened. He fell down and I thought Jay was right on my butt, so I kept pushing it pretty hard. The tire was starting to go away, so I looked back. saw I had a pretty good lead, and I just slowed it way down.. " As Labrie took over the lead, Ell.· lund passed Springer for second. A lap later Hank Scott also passed Springer. If he could advance one more spot he would take the title. But there were only three laps left. "If I just could have gotten up to Eklund a little sooner. I think he got tired. I didn't get tired. It looked like he was wobbling a bit going into the comer," said Scott. .. But the order held. Labrie crossed the line a good distance in front of Eklund, Scott. Springsteen and Goss. The championship went back to Michi· gan after a one·year stint in California. Behind the lead group. Scott Parker took sixth in front of Poovey. Brad Hurst. Gary Scott and Steve Morehead. Willie Crabbe finished 11th. in front of Ted Bocxly. Pearson and Garth Brow, who had a plug wire knocked off the distributor by a dirt c1cx1. Morehead retained his seventh in the points behind Labrie. but eighth is a three· way tie between Parker Pearson and Eklund. all at 103. "It's a GcxI·durn long season," said Goss, in the midst of the celebration. ''I'd like to go back this winter and make a few improvements. and then come back and do it again." • Results 2O-LAP NATIONAL: 1. Bill Labrie (H·D); 2. SI.... Eklund (H-D); 3. Hank Scon (H-D); 4. Jay Springsl_ (H-D); 5. Randy Goss (H-D); 6. Scon "-k.. (H·D): 7. Brad Hum (H-D); 9. Gory Scon Torry Poovey (H-D); (H-D); 10. SteW MorehNd (H-DI; 11. Bill Crabbe (H-D); 12. Tad Boody (H·D): 13. Scon ",,",son (H-DI; 14. Garth Brow (H-DI. TIME: 7:36.00. 12·LAP TROPHY RACE: 1. Wayne Rainey (H-D); 2. Ale. J e < _ (H·D); 3. Tom Berry (H-D); 4. Bubba Shobert (H-D); 5. Mike Inde 11

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