Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ CN $-< V ..0 S v > o Z (Clockwise from left) Jeff Jennings. shown here relaxing in th,e pfts with MXA editor Dennis "Ketchup" Cox. was the fastest in the Open Pro class. but thrown chains cost him the win. Ron Turner won a moto. but suffered from chain troubles in the other. 'Lance Moorewood won the 500cc Pro class. , again, but then Turner's Horsepower bike spit its drive chain and Turner was' left rethreading sprockets from last place. Even with Turner out of the way, Gerig ·had no chance to breathe as Hansen and Jem1.ings quickly closed in from behind. then on the fourth lap Hansen and Jennings left Gerig seeing double as they both blew past at once. Hansen now held the lead over Jennings and Gerig. but Jennings was pushing hard. "The bike was running really good," Jennings related afterwards, "I was having just a little trouble passing Donnie. He was holding his line pretty good. ] thought I'd have to wait more towards the middle of the moto before ] ,got him .... then I found my opening on the downhill." JeffJennings was obviously the master of the Carlsbad downhills as he leaped some 10 feet further off the jump at the top of the hill and used his momentum to pass where others were backing off the throttle. Within a couple of laps, Jennings had no fear whatsoeve,r for his steadily increasing lead. Hansen pulled out of second place and imo the pits for the remainder of the afternoon after breaking his second front wheel since practice . that morning. Third-place Gerig was left on the side of the track with a fouled plug. Staten had been running a good distance back behind the leaders, but now found himself claiming second place behind]ennings. Grossi collected a cautious third place on the . Porter 600 Yamaha he was riding due to badly flexing front forks. Everyone's bike seemed to require some kind of r~building ,between motos. Kelvin Franks took a broken rear hu b off of Jennings' first motowinning Honda. trading it with teammate Gerig's good rear hub since the team had brought. no spares. Billy Grossi had Bruce'Porth-install a set of. Fox Factory Forx on his Pro-Tec Yamaha to try and solve the front-end handling problems he was having. "I can still win this one," vowed the Bear. David Gerig was hoping for a different outcome as he put the back-up .Franks Honda into the lead of the second I2-lap mota. Jennings quickly displaced Grossi and Turner to join his teammate at the front, with Staten once again a distant fifth. Jennings wasn't waiting behind Gerig for long and on the third lap made th~ move around Gerig thit gave JenningS the lead for the' second time of the day. From that point on. he began putting distance on the rest of the riders towards the overall win. But then, suddenly, Jennings coasted to the side of the track with a thrown chain. "The rear backing plate had seized the first moto. We had to leave the backing plate loose for the second m?tc> and it was causing the bike to throw the chain," said 'the disappointed Jennings. This was the third straight year that Jent:tings, had won a moto and then suffered a breakdown. Just as Jennings dropped out at the sixth lap mota midpoint, Billy Grossi pushed his way past Gerig and found himself in the lead. That would be more than enough to give Grossi the overall win if he could .hold himself there.. Turner moved his Horsepower Factory Honda up to challenRe die two from runners and make the lead another exciting three,way battle. Jennings, meanwhile, rejoined the race in a distant fifth place behind Staten. Grossi held his lead ahead of Gerig and Turner for two laps, tllen Grossi slid out. turning the lead over. to Turner who had just passed Gerig. "My rear brake kept locking up," moaned the Bear. Grossi was running sandwiched into second between Turner and Gerig and a quick tabulation of points showed that Turner, Grossi, Staten and J'ennings were in a four-way tie for the overall win 'with their present running positions. Then with two laps to go, Jennings threw' his chain a second time and ~as marooned on the side ·of the track, again. Ge~ig tried to repass Grossi and Turner, but had the from end of his Kelvin Franks bike wash out 'and Ge:rig went down. Turner held his Horsepower'Factory Honda in the lead the remaining two laps to the finish line to claim the second moto win. With his rear brake still locking up, Grossi fell prey to Staten on the last lap. By passing Grossi to take the second position once again, Rex Staten (on the Pro- Tec 600 Yamaha) had pulled off the overall win for the CMC, Moto-X Fox a?d Horsepower Factol)'-sponsored Fourstroke National Championships. The race had gone to the tortoise who had paced himself at the back of the pack of quicker running hares. In an effort to bring four-stroke racing into step with the 500cc International standard, a 500cc championship was instituted this year. The Open class. is dominated by massive engines as la£ge as 600cc, and the 500cc class was a shocker. Using a 25Occ-based Kawasaki KLX, Lance Moorewood routed the pack, coming from behind in both motos on his White Brothers Cycle Specialtiessponsored giam killer. The 500cc championship was never in doubt. Whatever the former minicycle champion fost up the uphill, he gained back in the rough. .. Ken S,isler,' on a Pro-Tec-powered BP Racing Yamaha 5bo was second. while Bill Keefe'overcame crashes on his White Brothers/ MXA Suzuki DR400 for third overall. Jim O'Neal (3:4) rode his Horsepower Factory Honda into fourth to complete a full house of Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda in the top four places. • Results OPEN PRO: 1. Rex Staten IYam) 2-2; 2. Ron Turner (Han) 5-1; 3. Bill Grossi (YamI3·3; 4. Jeff Jennings lFral 1-5; 5. Randy Losh (Honl4-6., , 500 PRO: 1. Lance Moorewood (Kawl '-1; 2, Kenny Sisler (Yam) 2-2; 3. Bill Keefe (Suz) 4·3; 4. Jim O'Neal (Hon) 3-4; 5. Brad Williams lHonl5-5. . MINI JR: 1, Bernie Knaus (Hon). MINI INT: 1. Kevin Hardahl (Hon); 2. Terry Woody (Hon). ~ MINI EX: 1. Rick Atkins (Hon); 2, Mike Pillar (Hon); 3. Steve Souisa (Hon). 1150 JR: 1. Richard ,yviUiams lHMS); Q. lee Fabry , (Yam); 3. Donald Parker (Hon). 150 lNT: 1. Greg Stevenson (Hon); 2. Lloyd Thomas IYam). 360 JA: 1. Steve Bussell (Yaml; 2. Mark Cagnon ITn; 3. Jim Crockett tHon). 360 INT: 1. Ted Van.den Raadt (Han); 2. Tom White (Kaw);- 3. Scon Bergren (Hon). • OPEN JR: 1, TIm Daily IH~F); 2. Butch Baum (Han); 3. J.T. Crawford IYam). OPEN INT: 1. Rusty Hannah (Suz); 2. Marco Proto, Jr.IYaml; 3. Steve Chandler ILCY). OT JR JO-IO: 1. Tim Daily IHPF); 2. Steve Bussell IYam); 3. J.T. Crawford IYam). OT JR 40 +: 1. Chuck Woody ISuz); 2. Jack McCafferty (Yam); 3. Arnie Ankinson Ion. OT INT 30-40: 1, Oan White IKaw); 2. Jon Wells IYam); 3. Charles Smith IYaml. OT MASTERS JO-IO: 1, Bill McClinton IDMS); 2. Jim O'Neal IHPF); 3. Chuck Minert IBSA). 7

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