Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

00 0') ...... ..... M ~ < Kyle Landrum 18411 drags Greg Fouts through a turn. Mickey Pizzitola pushed his Kaw to first 250cc Expert in the 'Dome. 1,000 + storm Astrodome GNC Finals By Mike Reilly Photos by B. Click and G. Graham HOUSTON, TX. MAR. 15 "These kids make it all worth the effort," admitted Team Kawasaki's Dave Jordan in post race philosophizing. "These kids," and others of somewhat larger stature, assembled over 1000 strong in the Houston Astrodome complex fOT the Fifth Annual GNC International Finals to decide the champion in 16 classifications, 20 "The effon" Jordan referred to was to coordinate the legions of Team Green suppon riders in their "holy war" against the Team Yamaha factory support hordes. Each army could boast of 17 fully supponed riders equally divided between the mini and motorcycle classes. Representing Team Honda was one lone soldier, but he proved to have quite a cannon to fire with. The Superbowl of Amateur Supercross, as the GNC Final is known, is in its fifth year of competition and has always received vast suppon from the motorcycle industry. The sponsors for 1981 included Bel-Ray Oil. Bosch Spark Plugs, US Rentals. Hannah Racing ProductS and Roto Guide Poning Tools, The rewards for the riders were as spectacular as ever: Six foot, three inch first -place trophies trailing down to every finisher in the top ten. and several thousand dollars in Expen cash. But the most alluring incentive for the riders was to earn or keep that factory suppon ride. Each GNC Final has developed its own character in past years; there was no question about the make-up of this year's race. Thiny-five (only five in 1980) full suppon class riders lined up for the Finals and they were just as quick to announce that they were a part of Team Kawasaki or Team Yamaha as would Warren Reid or Broc Glover. The lines were clearly drawn. Mickey Pizzitola from Houston, gave Team Green its biggest win by taking the 250cc Expert class championship. Pizzatola, the first Expert nder to ever win two 'Dome titles in the sam night (1979), was thankful of sponsors Dave Jordan of Team Kawasaki, Jack Cotton of Pasadena Kawasaki and Howard Racing in victory circle. But Mickey seemed to need all the help he could get in the first three laps of the fmal. "I was sure I was going down. too," said the winner about a first lap crash that changed the scope of the race. After Team Green's California connection Cun McCuistion and two other riders crashed out on the front straight. the pack roared into the infield section of the course with Billy Liles from Georgia leading 'Kawasaki teamsters Pizzitola and Wendell Simmons from Louisiana and Yamaha ace Scooter Bates. also &om Louisiana. The plot thickened when Liles unloaded trying to cross a stair-step jump and his machine took out Bates while his flying body almost torpedoed Pizzitola's Kawasaki. When the smoke had cleared, Team Green had three of its riders out front. Pizzitola led Arkansas's Phil Reed and Simmons. and for the remainder. the top positions never changed. Reed and Simmons pressured Pizzitola hoping for a mistake that never came, and the Texas rider picked up his third championship. Closer to the front, Johner Kight on the factory Yamaha tucked into the draft of the EC Bin Yamaha of Texas great Danny Storbeck and they passed Team Missouri and staned to run down Latham. At the halfway point leaders Latham, Storbeck and Kight all looked a bit wild but were having a great dice. Abernathy carried his suppon Yamaha around Team Green's Peters and Harrington as that three-way battle inched closer towards the leading trio. With two laps to go, Latham stalled his machine and Storbeck took over, but his glory was short-lived. Kight slipped around the Texan for the win. Abernathy set up Latham on the Imal lap to grap third position for Team Yamaha. The Minibike Junior race was predicted to be and in reality was a two-rider death struggle. Keith Turpin from Forest Park, GA on his factory Kawasaki was the pre-race favorite in the minds of most observers. Eddie Vreeland from Pearland, TX was one of many young riders soundly defeated by Turpin when he won the 50cc GNC Championship in 1979. But Vreeland's talent had kept pace with his desire for revenge over the past two years. It was time for a showdown. Sponsored by "Good 01' Dad" and riding a Yamaha, Vreeland grabbed the lead with Turpin's factory Kawasaki right behind. The race was onl For two laps, Vreeland held his line while Turpin sized him up. The Georgian made his move in a ti~ht right-hander attempting to stuff itwde Vreeland. but the Texan refused to give ground. Instead. Trupin slid down but rapidly remounted his machine and in one lap had closed to within an inch of Vreeland's fender. Turpin's second attempt at a pass came on the final lap wben he tried to pass underneath the Yamaha rider on the slippery back straight that doubled as the start. Again Turpin went down and this time for good as he was helped from the track after the fall. No other riders were even in contention for the lead and Vreeland rolled home the big winner with the factory Yamaha of Ronnie Ticbenor from Florida a distant second. For Vreeland. who had been passed over when the support rides were handed out, it was sweet revenge indeed. "F1yin' Bryan" Taylor of Bandera, TX was the sole representative of Team Honda at the 'Dome, and when he lined up for the 125cc Expert final, he was lost in the army of green and yellow warriors. but he made the red. white and blue quite prominent in the race. Taylor holeshot the start and never looked back. For four laps of the seven-lap final, Taylor held a tenable lead over Kyle Landrum from Texas on a Howard Racing Suzuki and Greg Fouts from Texas on a Yamaha suppon bike. This was quite a show until Fouts and Landrum tangled together under a bridge and Taylor was home free. Landrum managed to fight his way back into seventh at the finish, but Fouts dropped out of the top ten. As Taylor a previous GNC champ as a minibiker - styled to the finish, the rest of the pack was deciding the issue of the runner-up positions. Joe Burke from Kansas on a Suzuki and Curt McCuiston on the Team Green entry assumed the second and third spots following the FoutsLandrum incident and stayed there to the flag. finishing about six seconds behind Taylor. Randy Shekell from Missouri held fourth until the final lap when he crashed and relinquished the spot to Yamaha support rider Clay Hoenshell from Oklahoma. Wendell Simmons from Louisiana pusbed his Team Green machine past Yamaha supponrider Terry Thomas &om Texas for the fifth spot. Taylor. who smiles about as much as he loses, rarely. accepted his trophy for Team Honda in the classic Taylor style - no words. he had made his speech out on the track where everybody was listening. The Open Expen class was curiously devoid of any factory suppon riders (already we expect too much). but nevertheless was a fine battle fought by three riders the entire distance. After the meat grinder first tum had eliminated four riders. tbe action whittled down to leader Jim Thomas from Oklahoma on a Yamaha and pursuers Jimmy Sandvig from Texas on a Suzuki and Pete Watson &om Kansas on a Yamaha. On lap two. Watson picked off Sandvig and waited for his chance to pass Thomas. Two laps later. opponunity knocked. Thomas got a bit out of shape over a small jump and Watson sprang to the lead. Despite the fact that Watson almost bailed off himself on the final lap. Thomas was in no position to counterattack because he was engaged in a serious duel with Sandvig for second. The top three crossed the finish line within a second of each other. Founh place went to Steve Mulholland from

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