Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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00 0") Ascot winner Randy Goo 111 had to .... Harley-Davidson teem""te Jay Springsteen before he could teke a shot at the lead. AMA Grand National Championship/Winston Pro Series: Round seven Goss gets'em at Ascot Half Mile By Dale Brown Photos by Charles Morey and Brown GARDENA. CA. MAY 9 The fast line through the corners got lower as the race went on, and Grand National Champ Randy Goss maneuvered his factory HarleyDavidson into the lead with two laps remaining 6 to win the KRW Helmets-sponsored Ascot Spring Classic Na. If'l tlonal Ha Ml e. . Garth Brow was the pnvateer in a factory sandwich as he placed sec· ond in front of jay Springsteen. Spring· er's third, coupled with poinu leader Steve Eklund's seventh, gave Springer the poinu lead by one, 69·68. ~ike Kidd,.again astride a Ha~ley. ~av)(ison: f1ll1S~ed founh to stay ught the po1OU WIth 62. Gary Scott, who led the first half of the race, finished fifth in front of Scott Parker and Eklund. The three·way confrontation between Harley, Honda and Yamaha was post· poned when the two Roberu/Lawwill Racing Yamaha V.twins were parked 10 after practice due to handling problems. "We're trying IOIIle different handling geometries tonight." said Men Lawwill. "And what we tried is not working right. so we're just not going to run the bikes. " The Honda camp saw more success as jeff Haney qualified his NS750 third fastest. then finished third in his heat to transfer direedy to the National. the first time a Honda has ever made the field at a half mile National. Haney wound up 12th. Freddie S~er also ran up near the front in hu heat and semi, but failed to gain a transfer to the National. finishing third in his semi. He scratched from the Trophy Race. Attendance at the J.C. Agajanian· promoted event was near capacity. in fine spring weather. TIme trials Thole who saw jay Springsteen's absolute domination of the San joee Mile weren't surprised when he tumed in the fastest time. a 22.526 clocking on the Bill' Werner-tuned XR750. Sacramento Mile winner Alex jorgensen, riding the Sal Acosta·tuned Megacycle Cams/Hi-Point Racing Producu Harley was second fastest at 22.450. followed by jeff Haney's water· cooled Honda at 22.525. Gary Scott rounded out the heat race polesitten with a 22.574 lap on his KK Supplyl Sisemore Traveland Harley. A pair of Scotts. Scott Peanon and Scott Parker, qualified next fastest. Heetraces Steve Monger. hot at Ascot in recent got the jump on the first heat. But Springsteen was in the lead a lap later, and continued on to an uncontested win. Monger, sponsored by jim King Enterprises, Simpeon and Keener Harley.Davidson. lOOn found his posi- weeks. tion contested by the Shoei/Klotzl W"1IeC01 Alphabet/DelJorto/Ron Wood Harley of Ricky Graham. Graham took over second on the third lap and from there the positions were let. Wayne Rainey closed dramatically on Monger near the end. but came up shon. At 5:44.49. it was the fastest heat "of the night by three seconds. Continuing in his fast staning tradition, Scott Pearson pulled the second heat to the first tum with Ganh Brow and TIDl Mertens in his wake. PearIoo. sponsored by Ray Beck, Arai, Castrol. Interpan and Circle BeD Enterprises. and Brow. backed by Am. Klotz and Cummings H·D, ran 1·2 for the first four laps. Then Peanon bobbled badly in tum four. Though he didn't go down. Brow got by while Pearson wu wresding with the baD. About that time Steve Morehead. riding for Cydear, IlK Supply and Diamond Bill, palled Mertem. as did AlexjoigeD&en. On the eighth lap Mertens highsided hard in tum four. He did not immediately get up. bringing out the red flag. But then he got up. shook it off and walked away unhun. Since the race was over the halfway point. it was called official with Brow. Pearson and Morehead going into the National and jorgensen and Brad Hurst going to the fU'lt semi. Scott Parker and Randy GoA were battling for the third heat lead when Larry Legarra crashed into the tum three haybales. Legarra was taken to the hospital for an examination and later retumed, sponing a bandage on his right shoulder. On the restan, GoA and Parker resumed their battle. seldom more than a bikelength apan. Rickey Campbell held third initially, but 100t that position within two laps to jeff Haney. Midway through the 10 lap race. Wisecol