Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

00 O'i Cepecity crowd WlItChes • Mike KIdcIl72J geta the jump on the Netionel over O.-y Scott CS). J.,. SprIng. . . . C'L RIcky O...ham C411 end Wr,ne Rainey C80). AMA Grand National Championship/Winston Pro Series: Round six Springer. tops the Scotts in San Jose runaway By Dale Brown Photos by Charles Morey . SAN JOSE, CA, MAY 3 "It was so divinel" screamed Harley-Davidson's Jay Springsteen to the winner's circle crowd at the D.I.D/Daido San Jose Mile. Springer had just run away from the pack to take National win number 27. beating the Scott brothen. Gary and Hank, in the process. Springsteen needs' just two more National willi to tie the current leader, Kenny Roberts. His San Jose win marked mile victory number eight, tying him for the lead in that category with Bobby Hill. While Springer marched off to a lead of several seconds and Gary Scott ran much of the race in the runner·up position, Hank Scott had to come through the 'pack from a poor stan to claim third after a good battle with ~lriden. 8 Ricky Graham eventually finished founh, followed by Alex Jorgensen. Mike Kidd and Steve EItlund. EItlund retained the points lead. but Spring· steen moved to second ahead of Kidd, who rode a Harley-Davidson. The expected showdown at the Bob Barkhimer'promoted San Jose event between the Harleys, the Hondas and the new Yamahas failed to materialize, although all three were there. The Hondas of' Freddie Spencer and Jeff Haney had trouble all morning and failed to make the 48·rider cut. Kidd elected to ride Men Lawwill's HarleyDavidson illltead of the freshly· piecedtogether Yamaha, but Rookie Jimmy Filice took a slighdy more tested Viragobased machine and made it through time trials. Though Filice didn't make the National field, he ultimately chal· lenged for the lead in the Trophy Race before finishing third. "I think it was pretty good, all things considered," said Men Lawwill when asked about the Yamaha's debut.: "We had a few teething problems; the suspension we don't have totally worked out only becaux it's new and we don't know what to do, We'll have to change the power curve of the engine a little bit. These are all things we had to get out here and see in order to know exactly what to do. So it gives us a great Itan. I'm very encouraged." The optimism was not shared in the Honda camp. "We had all kinds of ' problems," said Jerry Griffith. "We were dragging the pipes going in the cornen, and we' have lOme heating problems; stuff we're going to have to work out. We're having an air leak. It's just a matter of working it all out. We had it worked out really good on the dyno, but these radiaton are different and they don't work as well as one on the pump." Time trials 'A near sell-out crowd was gathering on a fine spring day as riders took to the track for time trials. The track, tacky in practice, had dried out quite a bit and times were down over previous yean. A thorough watering just before the heats would leave it in good shape for the race, however. Ricky Graham survived a slide to' the fork stops in tum three to tum in the fastest lap, a 58.287-lIeCOnd clocking on the Ron Wood/Klotz/WiJeco/ Alphabet/Shoei/Dellorto/Sam's Mobil Harley-Davidson. The pole in the second heat went to Steve Eldund's Caarol/ Arai/Storme Winter Harley with a 58.558. Randy Gou put his Brent Thompson-tuned factory XR750 on the pole of the third heat, and Mike Kidd turned in the fourth fastest time. S~ and his Bill Werner·tuned bike were ftftb fastest. While the Harleys took the top spots. Filice qualified the Yamaha 26th fastest at 59.499. With the problems that the Hondas were having, Spencer wound up as second alternate to the field. H••ts Ricky Graham and Scott Pearson argued over the front spot as the flJ'lt heat got underway, but Springsteen settled the argument by the end of the fint lap. Once Springer was out front, it was adios until the checkered- flag nine laps later. With two National traDsfers still up for grabs. a four-rider battle for lIecOIId developed by lap four. Pearson, Graham, Gene Romero and Steve Morehead traded positions at the puling of every draft. Towards the end of the heat. Romero faded somewhat but Peanon. Graham. and Morehead were still hard at it. Going into the final lap Peanon was second in front of Graham and Morehead. But through the last two comers and the suh8equent drag race to the finish line, Graham and Cyclear/ Diamond Bill/KK Supply-sponsored Morehead got to the checkered flag a few milliseconds sooner. Pearson and Terry Poovey placed 4·5. Steve Eklund and Scott Parker jumped into the top rwo spots in the second heat. Once Gary Scott displaced Bubba Shoben from third, it became a threerider battle. and they ga~ up little to biblical heroes in use of the slingshot. Eklund and Scott did most of the lead· ing, but Parker moved from first to third to second to fint to etc., with regularity. Scott, sponsored by KK Supply and Sisemore Traveland, final· ly broke ahead on the last two laps to take the win. In the race off the founh tum, Wiseco/Klotz/H-D-sponsored Parller nosed ahead of EItlund. Shobert was fourth, followed by Ronnie Jones andJim Filice. A truly killer holeshot was turned in by Randy Gou at the stan of the third heat. Gou was never challenged for the lead, turning in 10 laps in five IeCOIlds less time than the second fastest beat. While Gou was out front, Wayne Rainey and Garth Brow traded poIitions only on lap 2-9. Fmally Brow, backed by Cummius H-D, Arai and Klotz, took the tlII)IlIer-up spot and left Ouis Artniaoog/Sandy Rainey/Connely Machine/H&H Worbhop-sponaored Rainey to the other National tranafer. After a good three-way battle. Rickey Campbell topped Joe Wilson and Danny Perkini for fourth. The fourth heat saw Mike Kidd, Hank Scott, Bill Labrie and Ted Boody out front before Rob Crabbe fell in tum one and the red flag came out. Crabbe walked away frotn the crash, and Hank Scott took the lead off the single-file reltan .. ·Kidd 'was

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