Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

most com~t1t1ve as two new riders among the 82 on hand won the two semis. Randy Texter held off Tommy Maitland for a semi win with Greg Tysor nipping Mike Garrison in the other one. Garrison turned the tables on Tysor in the main, but both were chasing Texter who was never pressured, "I just worried about getting off the line," Texter said, "Turn one was the slickest and I had trouble picking up the line." Garrison picked up his second second plac~ of the series with Tysor making his best showing yet in third. Of the 58 Experts who time trialed, 40 qualified for the program. with Garth Brow's 20.613 second lap the fastest. Brow overcame a bad start to beat Billy Labrie in the first and fastest heat. Gary Scott's start was so good that he was never challenged by second place Steve Morehead in heat two. A spectacular final lap fourth turn crash took Bubba Shobert, Ricky Farrington, and Roger Crump out for the night, but none were seriously hurt. Randy Goss and Scott Drake won the final two heats. It was eleven national numbers and one rookie on the line in the final. Drake and Labrie were off quickest and took their fight' to the front with Scott, Brow, and Morehead wanting third. Labrie, on the Daytona International Speedway/Fletcher's H· D got oh·so close, but couldn't quite catch Drake. "He was starting to mess up in the end," Labrie said. "I think the track got faster as the fog set in. I thought I could have gotten him." "I knew he was there. I was just waiting for the checke.red flag," Drake said, adding that Skip Eaken did the job with the wrenches. Scott took third and more precious series' points as fourth-place Brow came up just short. "I didn't get off the line," Brow offered, "If it had been 20 laps I might have even won it." • Results Nov: 1, Pete Hames (Kawt; 2. Jeff Joi"'" (Hen); 3. Mat Rozowicz (Vam!; 4. David Mu...... (Hen!; 5. Todd Retliff (Han!; 6. Bobby Pinder !Yam); 7. Andy Richardson (Vam); 8. Jimmy ROOI (Vam); 9. William Davis (C·A); 10. Keith 8ryant (Vam); 11. William penz (Vam!; 12. Jeff Sizemore !Yam). Jr: 1. Randy Texter (H·D); 2. Mike Garrison (HoD); 3. Greg TVSO' (HoD); 4. Billy Herndon (Han!; 5. Tom MeitIand (HoD); 6. Scott Davignon (H·D); 7. TIm Hunt (HoD!; 8. Rodney Sullivan (Vam); 9. Roger Durkee !Yam); 10. Mark Gruber (H·D); 11. Tim Palone (H·D); 12. Oon Barker (H·DI. Exp: 1. Soon Drake (H·Dt; 2. Billy Labrie (HoD); 3. Gary SCan (HoD); 4. Gerth Brow (HoDI; 5, Steve Morelleed (H·D); 7. Terry PllOIf8'/ (HoD); 8. Ricky Campbell (H·D); 9. Bubba Rush (H·D); 10. Peter Hook (H·D); 11. St...... Don (H-D!; 12. Billy Schaeffer (H·DI. Harley-Davidson Dirt Track Series: Round 4 I.abrie rolls at East BayST By Henny Ray Abams GIBSONTON, FL, FEB. 28 Hometown favorite Billy Labrie swept through the field to take round five of the H-D Dirt Track Series at East Bay Raceway, Labrie, of nearby St. Petersburg, made his move halfway through the race to bring the partisan crowd to his their feet as he top~d Randy Goss and Terry Poovey on the hard clay short track. More importantly, it moved Labrie into third place unofficially in the points standings with 39 points. Gary Scott, who finished fifth leads with 52, three ahead of Terry Poovey. David Mueller returned to winner's circle in the Novice class. Mueller has been by far the most consistent in his class with two firsts, a third and a fourth. The Novice pot had been sweetened by a local merchant who had donated $100 to the winner and Mueller proved the hungriest as he split from the field. Behind him, Houghton and "Wild Will" Davis gave the near·capacity crowd a fine show with a race-long scrap for runner· up. "It was slick out there. My front tire was pushing and I had to back offfor a while," the Carter's Yamaha/Dallas Quick Car Wash/Johnny Houghton sponsored Houghton said. Even with the tire problem Houghton hung on to second, but was nowhere near Mueller who picked up his biggest payday ever. "I loved it, it was great" the Casey Cycle City/Buddy Oliver mounted Honda rider said. The engine on Mueller's short-tracker cost $1,700. Since the Juniors and Experts were running together all riders had to qualify through a series of 15 scratch heats. Experts won ten of them. The Honda CR 250 powered shorttracker seemed to be the hot set· up with all four semi winners aboard them. Factory Honda rider Micky Fay had the fast heat. Gary Scott, riding a Honda that brother Hank built, showed factory Suzuki rider Ronnie Jones the way in the first semi. Labrie on his Honda topped Terry Poovey in the second one. Continuing his series-long string of holeshots, Gary Scott blitzed the ten man field and headed out with Poovey and Labrie close behind. Scott led until halfway when Labrie swept by. "I think the bike got richer when the stinger fell off," Scott said. "Those guys were just running a better line." "I got past Terry and Gary on the same lap," Labrie said. With all eyes on Labrie nobody noticed. Harley factory rider Randy Goss who also passed Poovey and Scott for second. "I knew I had to pass people," Goss said after getting off to a fifth from the line. "You're supposed to charge all the time. But there's that extra pressure of the $10,000 top prize for the series on those guys." Goss's charge gave him a solid second behind the Dallas Honda of Poovey which brother Teddy Poovey tunes. Labrie was in a class by himself. "When you have all these people up here it makes it so much better," the runner·up in last. year's series said. Then with a big grin Labrie added, "There's still five races left." • ~ 00 0') ~ Results Nov: ,. David Mueller (Han): 2. Timmy Houghton (Yaml: 3. Will.., Davis fe·A); 4. Matt Rozowicz (Yaml; 5. Oave Rosa (Vam); 6. Russ Miskovsky (Hanl; 7. Charlie Orr (Han!; 8. Jeff Middlebrooks (Han) 9. Todd Ratliff (Han); , O. Dan Ingram (Hen). ExplJr: 1. Billy Labrie (Honl; 2. Randy Goss (H·D); 3. TerryPoovey (Han); 4. Micl

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