Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ 00 0') ~ IAboyeleft) Defending Ascot TT champ MI!te K~ sw~ched to 8 V8meh8l111d won egeln.IAboYe right> Flve-time winner Gery SCott finished fourth. AMA Grand National Championship/Winston Pro Series: Round four Kidd makes it twoyears running at AscotTT By Dele Brown Photos by Cherles Morey end Brown GARDENA,CA,APR.4 Mike Kidd directed his Roberts/Lawwill Racing Yamaha 500 around Scott Parker with nine laps remaining in the 25-lap TT National at Ascot Park, and for the second year in a row, took the first wave of the check· h k ere d f1 ag a~d ~ he, b 19gest c un ofj.C. AgaJaman s purse. "The only strategy I was us- 6 ing," responded Kidd to a question, "was that when Parker was ahead of me I knew he was going to tire out. But I didn't know when. And the flagman messed up and gave us 'five laps to go' when he meant 10. That's when I went ahead and passed Parker. I raced around and thought the white flag was going to come out any time, and then he gave us five more laps to go. My strategy worked, but I had to UR it a little too soon." Kidd also had to contend with ~ vibration call1ed I by a broken swingann bolt. Houston IT winner Steve Eklund also got around Parker before the finish to place second. With Jay Spring· steen not competing due to a hand injury that he incurred while trail riding in Michigan, Eklund gathered in a big jump in the point standin~ as he leads Springer, 47·56. Kidd moved up to third in the standin~ with 51. . Finishing fourth behind Parker's Tex Peel Harley-Davidson was Gary Scott and his venerable Triumph. Rod Spencer gave Maico iu fint AMA Grand National Championship poinu in recent memory with a fifth place rider on a 490 Mega 2 powered machine put together by Jerry Greer as a sportstnan IT bike project for Cycle News. Sprin~teen's absence was noticeable, but apparently not serious. "Jay was working out last weekend, out cow trailing, and he hit his hand against a tree. It's not broken, just bruised and swollen, with a jammed fmger and Itnuclt1e," said Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Dick O'Brien. O'Brien said that he expected Springer to race at next week's Sacramento Mile. It was not a good night for the Harley factory team. Grand National Champ Randy Goss had his problems and was unable to gain a slot in the National, finally settling for winning the Trophy Race. Time trials Only the truly sideways could have made an accurate prediction as to the fast qualifier. Dave Aldana rides few dirt track evenu these days, and for this race all he had was a stock-looking Yamaha YZ465 with dirt track tires and lowered suspension. But when the times were tallied, Aldana had earned the pole in the fint heat with a 47.52second lap. Northern California rider Buddy Robinson pushed his XR750 around the track to post a 47.62 and second fastest time. Roberts/Lawwill Racing Team riden Jim Filice, the Rooltie Expert, and Mike Kidd turned in the third and fourth fastest times. A surprise was Scott Peanon. The '80 Peoria IT winner waved off a time that would have put him in the 48rider field, and then turned in one that didn't. Heats Two of 1980's top riden were out of the race before the fint heat began. Hank Scott was unable to start due to mechanical troubles of unknown type, and Billy Labrie had his rear brake aseembly come apart during the warmup lap and was not allowed to ride when it couldn't be repaired in time. When heat one got underway, it immediately turned into a Mickey Fay af· fair, as the Roger Stanley-supported rider rode all 10 laps in the lead. Dave Aldana kept second spot warm from beginning to end, eventually falling back from Fay. Triumph rider John Gennai had third initially, but lost it to Rooltie Brett Barltman on a Rob Muzzy Honda 500. At the finish the fint-year Washington Expert took the final transfer to the National, and sent fourth place Bubba Shobert (Yam) and omen to the first semi. Macedo Construction-sponsored Rooltie Rich Amaiz set up housekeeping in the lead of the second heat. Wayne Rainey's XR750 and Team Honda's Freddie Spencer's XR500 fol· lowed. For the fint four laps Arnaiz pulled away in the lead while Spencer battled with Rainey. On the fifth lap, Spencer made his move and beat Rainey into the fint infield right· hander. The new order lasted for a few more laps while Rod Spencer worked the lone Maico into fourth. The eighth lap marked the drama. Arnaiz fell in the same comer where Freddie Spencer passed Rainey. His lead was enough that he was able to remount just behind them. He managed to get by Rainey on the last lap to finish second with Rod Spencer a closing fourth. The nouon of a helluva Rooltie of the Year battle upcoming between jim Filice and Amaiz was furthered when the fonner holeshot the third heat from his pole position. Brad Hunt, riding for Messler Performance, KRW, Castrol, Panther Frames, Norris Cams, Ard Engineering, et. aI., led the pursuit comprised of Terry Poovey, Gary Scott and Steve E1dund. Filice's lead lasted two laps before Hunt found a way by. A lap later Poovey found his way out of the front runnen by going down, and the top three were Hunt, Filice and Scott. Two laps later Scott used the power of his KK Supply/Sisemore Traveland Tri· umph to pass Filice's 500cc machine down the front straight of the Ascot half mile. The front running three, along with fourth place E1dund, closed up a bit on the eighth lap, but then settled into that order. It was the fastest 10 laps of the night. Steve -Morehead holeshot the final heat and led until Ricky Graham took over. But the race was red flagged mid· way through the second lap becaUR Oklahoma's Dave Bradley had fallen out on the oval during the first lap. With a

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