Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Bob ....... 11001 hoIcIa.1Im ..-gin over KrIe BIgelow 1&41. G08t . . . . . 1201. o.r.I Shultz 11418nd o.v. Coupe 11741_ they he8d for the first tum. AMA Supercross 'Serles: Rounds 8-9 Hannah, Barnett sizzle Silverdome By Tom Mueller PONTIAC, MI, APR. 25-26 Team Yamaha's Bob Hannah returned to winning Supercross form on Saturday, and Team Suzuki's Mark Barnett st!"etched his series point lead with a win on Sunday in the Toyota Truck Supercross doubleheader at the Pontiac Silverdome. b h . Fo.r H ~nna, It was a n~w egmDlng m Supercross racmg, as. 12 he hadn't scored a Supeicn... win since 1979 when he cleaned up both nights in Pontiac. The Hurricane was visibly moved by the victory as tears welled up in his eyes in winner's circle. Kent Howenon had kept his works Suzuki in the hunt early in the race, but Hannah worked by and was gone, Howerton, still weakened by a recent bacterial infection, added a twisted knee to his problems caused by a practice crash during the week. Third place finisher and current Supercross Champ Mike Bell took his factory Yamaha to third despite a sore throat and chest cold that drained his stamina. On Sunday, Barnett gassed it up again fo~ his founh Supercross win this season with a perfect nde to the che~ers, Bell managed to keep Barnett ID sight and from there it was a ways back to Howenon, Barnett now has 222 points, 26 points up on Howerton with 196. Bell is at 180; Hannah and Suzuki's Darrell Shultz are tied at 146 for fourth. The track was described as fairly easy by top riders. John Savitski and Hannah were involved with track layout, and on Friday, Barnett also spent some time on a bulldozer, setting up some different jumps and turns. Rider attendance was a bit low with 67 riders entered for each day, but spectator attendance was good at a reponed 52,500 for Saturday and 29,507 on Sunday in the Pace/Delta promoted event. With the exception of Brae Glover imd Rick BUrgett of Team Yamaha, air-cooling was the way to go for the Japanese teams. Instead of variations in team machinery, the trend now is to keep all team riders on the same machine. "We're staying unified, this is a team effon," said Honda team manager Dave Arnold, Saturday Practice went off well, with riders trying different styles through the traction-providing Michigan turf. Barnett, Hannah and a few others were giving a lesson in short track riding, pitching it in some corners rather than squaring them off, A half hour delay was needed to cut down the Toyota Tower jump a bit, Back in the pits Barnett was getting a scraped-up arm taped by mechanic Jeff Clark. "My arm's really stiff. I wiped out on a rock while trail riding Wednesday. That stuff always happens when you go out playing," said Barnett. Darrell Shultz was taking it easy after practicing in pain. "My knee is really bad, it's shot," said Shultz, who has taken three Supercross wins this season. "I just had all the ligaments cut out. It's really painful, the lefthanders are murder." Qualifier one was all Barnett. Honda'sJim Gibson trailed, and Yamaha's Donnie Cantaloupi put a fast move on Rex Staten through lapped riders for third. Andy Stacy kept his Keystone KTM in front of Keystone teammate Jeff Hicks for the final transfer. Howenon put on the same show as Barnett in qualifier two. Mota-X Fox's David Bailey was a dOlle second through lap one, and almost looped it off the Toyota· Tower jump. Late in the race Brae Glover moved into second through some whoops on the outside edge. Suzuki's Denny Bentley ran a safe fourth and Maico's Mickey Kessler maintained a fifth. Yamaha supported Kris Bigelow pulled the finest holeshot of the weekend in qualifier three. Kawasaki's Goat Breker put a slingshot move on Yamaha-supponed Dave Hollis for second and then used the same corner to get by Bigelow for the lead. Bob Hannah came blasting up to second on his Keith McCany-"U'enched OW50,-but Breker held him off and took the win. Behind Hannah, Bigelow and Hollis was a closing Shultz in fifth. Honda's Donnie HallRD led qualifier four, but Mike Bell took a smooth path by to win. Suzuki's Marty Smith controlled third ahead of Kawa· saki's Warren Reid, and Honda's Johnny O'Mara displaced Kawasaki's.J.eff Ward for fifth. Canadian champ Ross Pederson headed semi one on his Kawasaki, and Rick Burgett got by Can-Am's Jim Holley for the second transfer, Holly going to the consolation. Semi two belonged to Maico's Alan King all the way. LOP's Steve Martin was ready to cruise in for second when Kawasaki's Tom Benolkin came in on him hard into a turn. Martin's bike squirted across the track and Benolkin went on to transfer. However, a meeting then occurred between AMA's Mike DiPrete, Kawasaki team manager Gary Mathers and Benolkin. The decision was then made to disqualify Benolkin for. an unsportsmanlike move, and third place rider in the semi, Arlo Englund, transferred to the main. ''I'm not disagreeing with being disqualified, because I'm not really that kind of rider and Steve and I are friends. He was just on the gas the same time I was. But if Hannah had done it to me it would have been called the best race move of the year," said Benolkin. Hicks and Gary Semics clashed in the consy and Semics won out for the final transfer to the 25 rider main event. Howerton was gone with the holeshot in the final with Hannah, Bigelow and Shultz close. Barnett and O'Mara were left in the first turn.' Soon Hannah made a move but slid out. The crowd was wild as Hannah kept his bike screaming and jumped back on, not losing position, Bell pushed into third with Shultz, Hansen, Burgett, Glov.er and Barnett clustered behind, On lap 10 Glover crashed hard off . Toyota Tower and was out while Barnett lost his rear brake cable after clashing with Shultz. Hannah was using power drifts through the tunnel, barely missing the wall, Then Bob turned a jump into a stuff move and pushed Howenon hign to

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