Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Gibson jum~ past Guerra for the lead before a lap was done. and Tripes stalled temporarily. dropping'lo fifth. Trans·USA Suppon Class Cham· pion David Bailey slipped his Kawasaki around Howerton for third as they entered the stan strai1/;ht on lap two. Spills took Gibson and Guerra out of their top spots. Gibson staned quickly enough to hold third to the end just ahead of Bailey while Guerra fell again towards the end and finished out of t~ front runners. Howenon led the last half of the race with pressure coming from Tripes who made a good comeback after his first lap delay. Honda's Ron Sun moved up steadily to grab fifth at the halfway point and hold it to the finish. Honda's Chuck Sun went wire to wire in the third qualifier despite a fall on lap three which let Bob Hannah c1~ to within a couple lengths. Sun quickly gathered his wits and pace to stan pulling away again. Hannah kept second ahead of Sun's Honda teammate Steve Wise. Yamaha rider Rex Staten finally wrangled his way around Honda·mounted "Dyna· mite" Dan Conway on lap seVl'n, and finished fourth. Honda's Donnie "Holeshot" Hansen led out of the gate in the fourth qualifier, but Mark Barnell turned his Suzuki early in the first left·hander to steal the lead. Hansen didn't let him go very far, though, as he stuck right behind the new 125cc National Cham· pion. Back and forth they went, Hansen closing the small gap between them constantly, sticking a wheel under Barnell only to see the Suzuki repulse his passing attempts. On lap eight, Hansen picked a better line through the Beau Gentry Whoop-dee's, an ex· tremely difficult and rough section, and bounced by Barnett. Hansen pulled away from Barnett right away and it seemed that the finish would he a foregone conclusion. However, Hansen almost fell in'the final section of jumps on the last lap, allowing Barnell to catch and almost pass him. Hansen wicked it full on, though, in a final. desperate attempt to hang on to his lead. The Honda rider kept it for the win. U.S. Norstar/ Kawasaki rider Goat Breker, Suzuki's Danny LaPorte and LOP Yamaha rider Gary Semics finished in spots three through five. Broc Glover kept the hometown's hopes alive with a convincing stan·to· finish victory in the first semi, holding almost 20 seconds over Kawasaki's Chappy BI~ at the checkers. 250cc World Champion Georges Jobe missed a transfer with a third on a works Suzuki. Mark Lawrence led the first half of the second 5e1Di. Working his way up quickly from "a heck of a bad start," however, was Suzuki's Marty Smith. another local favorite. He got a good drive past Lawrence for the lead on lap five and kept it to the finish. Danny Turner on the Williams Harrison Contruction Honda moved into second when Lawrence went through some banners on lap eight. but lost his chain on the last lap giving Steve Martin on an LOP Yamaha second. Honda·mounted Jeff Jennings led all but the final lap of the consolation. PDQ. Yamaha rider Arlo Englund ad· vanced steadily through the pack from his seventh-place stan. When Jennings drop~ it momentarily, the lead, win and last transfer into the final were Englund's. Final Jim Gibson hurtled into the first corner with only an empty race track in1front of him. On his rear quarters, t lOu'gh, came a swift pack headed by C.huck Sun, Donnie Cantaloupi and Mike Bell.. • •.•.••.•• When Gibson and Sun clashed in a corner, Sun and Cantaloupi broke away, leaving Gibson third only to be involved in a pile·up later in the whoops that included Darrell Shultz. Jeff Ward and Steve Wise. Bell quickly took over the third slot and began to go to work on Cantaloupi. By lap six, Bell and Hansen were both by Cantaloupi, leaving him to fend off Wise for founh. Hannah, after a dismal start, was up to eighth behind Goat Bruer. When Breker drop~ out a shon time later. Hannah was up to sixth. though that was as high as he'd be able to move before being forced out with a derailed chain on lap 13. Bell continued to pressure Sun at the front and on lap nine found his spot. Wise, in fifth, was anxious to move up and dice with the leaders but couldn't get around Cantaloupi. "I had to stuff him out of the way," said Wise later, "and by that time, they were gone." The pass put him in fourth, but only temporarily as Many Tripes put him back on lap 10 to fifth where he finished. Bell and Sun continued their duel, neith~r able to consistently pull away from t~ other in anyone section of the track. As Bell remarked later, "I thought it would go on all night." Whenever Bell surged, Sun would come right back to him, keeping the crowd screaming. By lap 14, the frontrunning duo were still close. but Bell appeared to have gained a slight edge. Sun's role as a contender for the lead vanished when he got off on lap 16, letting Hansen by for second. Ben bad a comfonable lead without any pressure from Sun and he simply maintained it to the finish. The faJltbrew Suo's rhythm off and he drop~ it again a few laps later to let Tripes by for third. Finishing sixth was Ward who rode rather unnoticed by the crowd despite passing Cantaloupi, who rode in for 10th, and circulated stylishly in the top 10 for most of the race. Howenon and Barnett were the seventh and eighth finishers. They were, at one point, quite close. especial· Iy in the early laps. At the mechanics' area, someone hit him from behind after a traffic snarl there and in the ensuing melee, his foot got caught in Barnell's front wheeL Barnell had to back his bike up in order to get himself going again and free Kent's foot. Though disappointed with riders "going wild" and riding over their heads in the early going, Howerton "had fun the last half of the race." Warren Reid was ninth and Canta· loupi recovered from a spill for 10th. Bell said afterward that the Beau Gentry whoop section gave both him and Sun trouble, but Bell found out just where else he could make time on the 500cc National Champion. "My mechanic (Dave Osterman) de· serves a lot of credit," Bell said. "I can't really thank him enough." Sun. in contrast. was fairly disgusted with himself. ". blew it. • deserve it. too. My preparation wasn't good this week ... and 1 paid for it." (He spent much of the week doing PR work for Honda dealers.) ". was a lillie fatigued. and it threw me off just a bit." • o QO .... ~ lAbovel Marty Tripes worked up to thIrd.lBelowI Kent Howwton hed problems. but moved to seventh with W.....n Reid III carding • ninth. Results FINAl: 1. Mike BelIIVaml: 2. Donnie Hen-. IHonl: 3. Mlwty Tri_ lVoml; 4. Chuclc Sun lHon): 5. S _ Wile lHon); 6. Jelf W.d IKow): 7. Kent - ' o n ISu": 6. Marl< Ilor.- ISuz): 9. Warren Reid IKow); 10. Donnie CantaIoupi IVom): 11. Broc Glove< lVoml: 12. Arlo Englund IVaml; 13. Danny LaPorta ISuz); 14. Darrall Shultz ISuzl: 15. Manv Smith ISuzl: 16. GarV Samica IVoml; 17. Choppv Blosa lKawI: lB. Rax Statan IVom): 19. Danial Conway IHonI: 20. Ron Sun IHanI. /JoMA SUPERCRDSS SERIES FiNAl POINT STANDINGS: ,. Mike Ball 14001: 2. K_ Ho-.on 13461; 3. Chuck Sun 133Ol; 4. ~k Ilar.- (292): 5. Brae Glove< 12851; 6. Jim Gibson 1239): 7. Stave Woaa 12161: B. DonnHl Hanaen 11791: 9. Warren Reid 1163); 10. Martv Tripes 1155); 11. Denali Shultz 11411; 12. Donnie Cantaloupi 11361: 13. Brian MV8fSCOUgh 11291: 14. Je" W.d tl18); 15. Marty Smith 11(5): 16. Danny LaPorta 11011; 17. Re. Statan 167); lB. Arto Englund 1791: t9. Jim Ellis C60~ 20. mEl.Rick BurgenJlauv Wosick (t5l.• 1

• Cover