Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(Above) MIce BeIer ..... 1he 121icc Pros. Scott MeI•• 1S1 C5I. Scott Bumw0l1h 114) end Denny ChendIer C37I foIow. lBeIow) 25Oc:c Pro rece finds G8ry Semics with the hoIeahot. Rex St8ten 134) end Scott Johnson C1) are alao up there. DC Golden State Series: Round five Danny 'Magoo' Chandler tops 125cc Pros as points race tightens By Terry Whytel CARLSBAD, CA. FEB. 1 Despite a bone-jarring crash on the Carlsbad Freeway uphill, PrO- Trac Yamaha rider Danny "Magoo" Chandler was able to post double runner-up placings and clinch the overall . . 125cc Pro WID. Chandler benefited from bad luck suffered by competitors Scott Burnworth, who rode moto one With a sticking 12 . L_-' throttle, and Ron Turner wh 0 finisucu the d to flat ti secon mo on a rear reo "We didn't have time to prepare both bikes after the SuperCl'Ollll last night," explained Brae Glover as he sat out the 500cc class. The Yamaha teamlter did, however, continue his domination of the 250cc class, winning both motos handily over fellow Yamaha teamaten Rick Johnson and Larry Wosick. Marty Tripes made his fint GSS appearance on a Husky, but it was Maico rider Eric McKenna who wallr.ed off with the big money and moved into the points lead as the Rocket Man, Rex Staten, battled bad luck and fatigue and 10it to both. Many riden came prepared with hard compound tires, expecting mud from the previous week's rainfall, but the traclr. dried quiclt1y into near optimum traetioa. - . Maico rider Alan 01lon continued his string of Veteran Masten victory. 01lon never faltered as he swept both Masten races and left Maico·mounted Jim O'Neal and Yamaha rider Tom White to argue over the runner-up sl O'N al h Id c d 1 ot. e e on .or secon p ace and White picked up third. 12&cc Pro The fiercest competition in the DG leI1es has consiltently been the ll!5cc Pro battle. Going into the Carlsbad round, four riden were within six points of the lead. "Radical" Ron Turner and his Suzuki teammate George Holland wer.e tied at 51 while Yamaha riden Scott Burnwonh and Danny Chandler hung close behind. When round five's dUll settled, Turner had sole pouesion of the points lead, but Chandler narrowed the point gap by placing fint for the day. Turner timed the gate perfectly at the Itan of moto one leading through the fint tum with La Habra Yamaha rider Mike Beier running in second. Bumwonh, Mike Tripes and Scott Manning rounded out the top five. Chandler moved into sixth to challenge Manning u Burnwonh worked past Beier. Lap two wu tough on Beier u he slipped off the groove and dropped fIVe slots, but good for Chandler u he swept past Manning and Tripes into the number three position. Holland squeezed into the top five near the halfway point as Turner managed to put a little diltance between himself and Burnwonh. Chandler reeled in the young Yamaha ace as Burnwonh stopped in the mechanic's area while pointing at the throttle. Magoo danced into second as Burnwonh re-entered the race at reduced speed and struggled to finish in the points. Turner led to the flag, Chandler piclr.ed up second, Holland third and Mike Tripes founh. Burnwonh faded to lOth. Tripes and Chandler led side by side through the fint five turns of moto two with Magoo finally edging ahead u the field screamed into Rattlesnake Gulch. Burnwonh followed in third with Yamaha rider Phil Larson running founh and Turner fifth. Chandler quiclr.1y opened a safe lead on lap two with a 2:01 lap time as Burnwonh powered past Tripes on the big uphill. Turner soon displaced Tripes also and dove under Bumwonh two turns later to grab the runner-up I slot. "I couldn't see a dam thingt" exclaimed Chandler later after bailing off on the uphill straight. "The sun was in my eyes and 1 hit the bank." While Chandler tried to find his composure and restart the bike, Turner and Burnwonh swept by. Chandler remounted in third, 25 seconds down on the leaden. Suddenly Bumwonh slipped put Turner u Radical Ron slowed with a flat rear tire. Chandler was crui:;ing until he got the signal from his pit crew and reeled in the hapless Turner. Turner was losing five seconds a lap as Chandler raced by and Tripes and Larson closed on Turner with one lap remaining. Turner rode the final lap sideways, the gas on and the bike slIding from one side of th~ track to the other. In a tremendous display of determination and slr.ilI, Turner held off Tripes' challenge that left Tripes on the turf and outgunned Larson's desperate finish tum gamble. Turner's second overall edged him ahead in the points with winner Chandler and founh overall Holland close behind. Tripes piclr.ed up the third place money for the day, rtfth went to Larson and Burnwonh stayed in the hunt with a sixth overall placing. 2&OcCPro Brae Glover clearly had control of the 250cc Pro class u he hu nearly every race of the leI1es. Gary Semia, Craig Gonnley and Rex Staten put their Yamahu out front at the start of the tint moto, but by lap two Glover was in the lead and in command. Staten moved into second before dropping out with mechanical problems. Semia and Yamaha rider Rick Johnson dueled for second as Gonnley faded. Juan Benavidez slipped his Can-Am past Husky rider Elr.i Steele from Finland and battled with Semics several laps before moving into founh. Glover and Johnson continued to lead u Larry Wosick charged his Yamaha up from a poor stan and into third at the checlr.en. Benavidez took founh, Semics ruth, Steel sixth. Moto two was a near repeat as Glover nailed down an early lead and Wosiclr. and Johnson dueled for second. Johnson settled the issue on lap three and the front positions never· . changed. Glover tint, Johnson second. WOIick third and that's the way the overall scoring totalled also. Semics piclr.ed up.the founh-place share of the pune and Benavidez grabbed fifth. 500ccPro Tommy Croft roOited his big-bore Husky into the tint tum lead at the Itan of moto one. Second through rtfth spots would change quiclt1y as riden tangled and fell on the tint lap. Maico riden Val Tamietti, Scott Johnson and Kevin Davis all took trips to the turf letting Dave Coupe move his Mega Two into second as the pad completed the fint two go 'rounds. Eric McKenna kept the pressure on Coupe while Yamaha rider Pete Snoneland and Husky-mounted Billy Grossi battled for founh. McKenna passed Coupe and Croft to take over the lead with the moto nearly over. A charginf Many Tripes bulled his Husky lOtO the top five u Grossi moved past Snoneland and Coupe to finish third behind McKenna and Croft. Tripes settled for founh and Coupe took the checlr.en in fifth. Despite his heavy fall in moto one, Johnson found the throttle-to-traction combination that launched him into the lead as moto two thundered down the stan chute. Canadian loli Berenyi lr.nifed his Yamaha into second with Croft third and Coupe founh. Johnson and Berenyi soon faded as McKenna and Grossi moved up to challenge the leaden. Grossi found an, extra handful of throttle on lap three and moved &om founh to tint as McKenna followed into third place and Tri~ moved into founh. Staten ended his disappoin~ day of crashes and mechanical ails with another faD that rang his bell and left him wallr.ing to the pits. McKenna passed Croft with Tripes pressuring and soon Tripes slipped pall. Grossi caught his leg 10 a rut and . badly twisted his left knee, forcing him from the race after building a 10second cushion on Tripes. Tripes held off repeated passing attempts by McKenna and took the checken followed by McKenna, Croft, Snoneland and Husky rider Steve Rhyan. McKenna's overall victory propelled him into the leI1es class points lead as Glover and Staten both failed to earn points. Tripes picked up second overall purse money with Croft talting third, Snoneland founh and Rhyan ftfth. • Results / VET MAS1Bl: ,. AIon Oloon (moil: 2. Jim 0'_ IM8ll;3. Tom While lYlmI. aT MAST1:R: '. lMa ~ lHull: 2. Morvin Oloon lYlmI: 3. mel SInlnI< IMlll. VET !NT: '. Jim ArbogoollMlil; 2. Gory ClIrt< lYlmI: 3. Roy w.y lYlmI. _aT JR: , . . . . . ~ lMeIl; 2. e.t EIon IM8ll; 3. ChucI< Woo4ot lSuzl. aT NT: '.Ken Cleytan lYlmI. VET JR: ,. Greg lMoiI: 2. BiI _ CSuzI: 3. Jody W_IM8ll. '25 PRO: 1. Donny a..- lYoml 2·2; 2. Ron T.... lSuzl ,-3: 3. _ TripoIlYlmI ~: 4. co-ge _ IIlSuzl H; 5. PhI ...... lYoml8-4; I. Saoll _ l Y o m l ,~,: 7. John _lYoml H; I. Jon ........ lYomI7-8; I. _lYomIl-'Q; '0. Saoll -.;"g lYomI '4-7; 11. Bob lSuzl 8-17; ,2. ~ NoIn lYlmI 17"3; ,3. _ _ " ' CSuzI '5-'5; '4. _ _ ILtlYl '3-'1; ,5. MIcUot [)ynQ1CIlYlmI23-11; 11. Jim ~ lYlmI22·' 2; 17. III< _ lYoml 18-1.; 18. RIck Fl'/WllYoml 21·14: '9. Jim _ _ lYoml "-42; 20. Gory DiIcb lYomI a.- a - man '24 2IiO PRO: ,. Brae ~ lYomI1-'; 2. RIck _ lYlmI 2·2; 3. lMTy W _ lYomI 3-3: 4. Gory Semico lYlmI ~: 5. .un _ _ tC-Al 4-6: •. Eki S1IIoI lHuoI8-7; 7. Clwio _ (M8Il 1-1: 8. er.Ig Gormloy lYlmI 8-13; I. _ lYlmI '2-'0; '0..... Hubbo lYlmI '3-11; W H_lYImI14-'2; 12. ~ " - - l~ ,1-1; ,3. Mike LoeIfter lHonl ,5-,.; '4. 0-, lSuzI '8-'5: 15. Don ~ lYomllG-38; , •. _ WhIIey lHullll-38; '7. W.".. Rold lYomI 18-34; 18. Leo ~ lYlmI _ : '1. Saoll _ IM8ll 7-611; 20. . . . . Gochmonool

• Cover