Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126516
QO C') AMA 125/250cc National Championship MX Series: Round two Hannah breaks Suzuki's streakl By Mark Kariya Photos by Cherles Morey ORANGE, CA, APR. 5 Yamaha broke a long dry spell to snap Suzuki's win streak in 250cc races as none other than Bob Hannah edged Kent Howerton (2-1 to 1-2) in the second moto for the overall 250cc win at the Coors/Yamaha 125/250cc Motocross National. The pair put on the most spectacular racing of the day. more 12 like a Supercrou that went two 45· minute motos, before an estimated 14,500 spectaton, the largest crowd in Saddleback Park's history. Howenon fell during some heavy dicing with the Hurricane in the fint moto, but came back to win it. In the second round, Hannah slipped by Howerton after about 15 minutes and successfully held him off the rest of the way. In the 1255, Mark Barnett dominated both motos as he did at Hangtown last weekend, keeping alive his hopes of winning every 125cc moto this year and maintaining Suzuki's win streak in thatdus. Second overall was Kawasaki's Jeff Ward with 2-5 rides. Johnny O'Mara took his factory Honda to 5-4 fmishes for third with teammate Jim Gibson running a strong second in moto two. A blown transmission after moving into fourth early in the fin[ mota caUled Gibson to DNF and dropped him to eighth in the overall column. Preliminaries The fint 125cc qualifier found Suzuki West-mounted Gary Denton in ·the early lead before a bobble toward the end of the fint lap dropped him back. Yamaha's Erik Kehoe was there to snap it up and he went the rest of the IO-minute race alone. Gary Dircks on a KI:M Racing KTM held off DC Yamaha-mounted Mark Murphy for the runner·up slot wi Yamaha rider Jeff Schumacher and Bryan Wargo on a Pacific Racing Enterprises Yamaha chasing them in. Cedar Rapids Honda rider John Spaw, Kawasaki's Tom Benolltin and Michael Preston on a Jorgy's Suzuki were the fint to plummet down Banzai in the second qualifier. Benolkin peged it and went around Spaw on lap two, going untouched to the checken. DC Yamaha·mounted Rick Maki got by Preston the second time around but couldn't find a way to beat Spaw. Todd Hempstead on a Barney's Motorcycles Yamaha finished fifth. Dynamic Cyde Yamaha rider Kreg Bigelow and Chris Heisser on a Heisser Racing, Inc. Suzuki led off the can· solation race. Heisser took command quickly while Wargo moved up to second leaving Bigelow to fend off Cycle West Suzuki's Scott Rebuck, Vestal Marine Yamaha rider Thomas Rice and Andy Kirker on a new Suzuki Floater. "Cousin Chris" Howard on a Maico got the holeshot in the fmt 250cc qualiflei', but Maico-backed Carlos Serrano stole the lead by the end of the first lap and was never headed. Canadian rider ROIl Pederson on a Kawasaki held off Suzuki-mounted Clint Hardick at the finish for second followed by Howard, LOP Suzuki rider Steve Manin and Wayne Boyer on a Suzuki who had moved up to third but bailed on the final lap. Honda rider Jim Tarantino ran off with the second qualifier. Track 'N Travel Maico rider Ed Arnet. Maico's Dave Coupe and Eric Eaton and Hondamounted Jonathan Keller filled out the top five. It was Yaroaha rider Mike Shoemaker all the way in the consola· tion mota, Trey Jonki on a Kawasaki plugging himself into second. Timbo Richardson kept his Honda in front of Can-Am pilot Juan Benavidez II for third with Bay Moton Honda rider Jeff Ellens and Doug Longwell on a Sport Dynamia Yamaha gaining the final ttansfen to the National. Honepower Factory Honda ridft' Clark Jones took the thne·lap exhibi· tion race for thumpen from stan to finish. Marty Moates on another HPF boomer cha1le~ Jones in the early going but got off at the double jumps on lap two and restaneci at the back of the pack. Suzuki·mounted Gary Jones got second. 121icc Netlonel Jeff Ward and Erik Kehoe screamed their bikes up the stan hill and into the fmt turD in front of the pack. but it wasn't long before Mark Barnett had a lock on the point position after start· ing fifth. He quicklr built a IO-second lead and simply cbcked off lap after lap in preci8e, unerring fuhion though traffic s10wed him a few seconds around the 25·minute point. Lapped riden posed a probl~ for Ward. "I closed on Barnett a litde bit. then lapped riden sent toe off a bunch of berms. I took some really bad lines. and I just dropped Wther back than I was gaining... lie said. He held about a 50-second margin over third place Johnny 0', though. Jim Gibson had gotten a fair stan and moved up to founh after 10 minutes. The tranny locked up a couple laps later, however. to suddenly squelch his charge. Yamaha teamster Scott Bumwonh took back founh position at that point and kept it to the finish over Tom Benol\rin. RicltJohnson on aJT Racing/ Carrera Yamaha and Danny "Magoo" Chandler on a Pro Trac Trailen Suzuki. Yamaha-mounted A.J. Whit· ing. Chris Heisser and Gary Denton ftlled out the top 10. Barnett was anxious to get a better start the next time around. "I started on the left in the fint mota and I went to the right for the second mota. It was a lot better. The right was smoother. a lot faster out of the gate," he said later. It worked well. and he immediately zipped into the lead. At end of two laps. he had five seconds over Ward and began to build toward another 10-