Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

..... 00 ..... C') (Top IeftI JeffWMd got MCOnd In the 12kc NlItIonet _ hla 3-2 beet Johnny O'MIn'.Cabov.1eftJ 2-3. (Top right) Bob H.nneh copped. NCond In the 2IiOcc NlItIoneI, hoIda the ...... In the points. ~ right) Oery 8emlc. hIId • 6-4 fourth overeD In the'2IiOa. "My rear brake was sticking a bit and my gloves got very wet and slipped on the grips. Mark just wicked it up, but he's got some experience on me," said O'Mara. "I got the rear end loose, or 1 could have gotten O'Mara," said Ward. "Lapped riden started to balk me. One even tried to race me. " Gibson was riding with a t~ped right ankle, and caught it in a berm early in the race. "It's OK, it was just taped for prevention," said Gibson. Barnett did it again in mota two, from holeshot to finish. O'Mara almost looped it off a straightaway jump but had second. Ward took up third and Johnson and Cantaloupi were into it tor fourth. By the ZO-minute halfway point Barnett was gone with O'Mara holding Ward. Benolkin, Johnson and Bendey were back in traffic. Cantaloupi again pulled out with mechanical gremlins haunting his second moto ride. Barnett deviated from his usual safe style when he pulled a lightning·quick square·off move on a lapped rider. He put U seconds on the pack by the finish. Ward got it together and took O'Mara for second, putting seven seconds on him. Benolkin, Johnson, Burnworth and Bendey came acroas me line buried in lapped riden. Gibson crashed out and headed to the hoapital for stitches in his arm. "We (Barnett and tuner jeff Clark) made lIOIDe changes between motos and they worked," said Barnett. "I didn't like the rrack at fim because it crashed me out in the Trans-USA, but this time it was great," Sec NeIIoMI Howerton aDd Hannah started center·gate in mota one. After round· ing the uphill, Howerton was on his way, leading Hanam and Mota-X Fox's David Bailey. Hannah and Yamaha· supported Kris Bigelow were into it for fourth. By lap three, it was Howerton and Hansen out front with a long way to Hannah, who had taken Bigelow. Kawasaki's Warren Reid was on Bigelow for fourth. Bailey was back after a works silencer on his Kawasaki bogged the engine. Maico's Carlos Serrano, Yamaha's Rick Burgett, O'Neal's Gary Semics and Bailey were in a cluster. Serrano pitted and lost his position. By half way Hansen had closed the gap to four seconds to Howerton, but Kent pulled ahead again. The sun was out, deep benna had set up, and the grueling coune was demanding. The uphill section was choppy and sending many riden sideways. Howerton crossed the line for .an easy win with Hansen safe in second. Hannah and Reid matched up for a few laps and brought the crowd alive. Hannah took third over Reid by five feet. Sernics, Bigelow, Burgett and JoJo Keller, on a Suzuki two days old, rounded out the top eight. "It went so easy I could have run the motos back·to-back," said Howerton. "That's better than sitting around. The biggest problem was people trying to run into me. It wasn't intentional, though." "My goggles fogged on lap rwo. 1 pulled them off and had to ride the nst of the race that way," said HaIlIen. "It WD really hard to see. 1 didn't have problems with traffic, though." "It just wasn't one of my better rides," said Hannah. "1 just didn't have the drive. 1 rode like an old lady." "Bob got me on the last lap at the start uphill. We had a good r.ace going," said Reid.' Bailey took 10th behind Yamaha supported D'!ve Hollis. Bailey can· tended with a front brake lever that lost adjustment along with the silencer. problem. Mota two was the race of the day. A . series of fJm tum crashes stopped Reid, who started a half lap down. Maico's Eric Eaton got used for traction when his bike launched into the air up the start hill. Eaton later returned to the race. Hansen, Bailey and Bigelow took the top three spots. Howerton had been running a stable sixth when his front wheel cocked on the high section strai~ht, sending him high-side. From the bme Howerton left his bike to when he hit the ground, he turned into an acrobat. Kent went from a bounce on his shoulder to a roll and was up running, grabbing his bike and push starting it, re-entering the race 14th. Hannah was on the move, took Bailey for second, and went after Hansen. Howerton was proving himself a champion by going through riden where no one else would pass even through the delicate downhill section through the woods. He was soon past Bigelow and then smoked Bailey with a tight inside line on the uphill. Hansen and Hannah exchanged blows with Hannah taking the lead. The crowd was into the race, waving on their favorite. Howerton took Hansen and it was a Hurricane venus Rhinestone Cowboy batde for the win. Howerton skated into the mechanics' area and came down onto Hannah'. liM for the pas. After that Hannah lost his silencer, but held off HaDIeD for seCond. Semics and an on the gas Reid, Bigelow, Burgett and Keller followed. "It was pretty scary on top of that lUll when I crashed," said Howerton. "For a while I was' a little worreid about catching up, but 1 just gassed it. The soil today was perfect. "1 was trying to move over when 1 passed Bob, but it was burneY there. When 1 started to tum, my bike slid a Iitde bit. 1 wanted to give Hannah all the room I could because 1 don't want anybody saying 1 hit him." • Results 125 NATIONAl; 1. _ 8ImMl lSuzl 1·1; 2- .J.If (~ 3-2; 3. Johnny O'M0r8 (Honl 2-3; 4. Tom _(~ 7-4; 6. Riclt ~ IVeml5-6; 8. Scott _ IVeml U; 7. Donny IlonIe\IlSuzl 8-7; 8. Gory o.-..lSuzll1-!l; 9. Phil ...... IV_I lJ.11; 10. ChriI_ lSuzll 1).11; 11. Jim Giboon (Han) 4-.; 12_ Murphy IVemll8-10; 13. Rendy T_IVemlISo 13; 14. Erik ~ IVeml "'; 15. Todd 1"""IV..v 11).14; 18. Johnny S - (Han) ••9; 17. tW. Whiling IVeml 12··; 18. Don T.... (Suzl , ..,8; 19. ~'-'IV_) 17·18;20. ~Hond'IlSuzll4_ 2IiO NATIONAl; 1. Kent _ lSuzl 1·1; 2- Bob Honnoh IV_I 3-2; 3. Donnie ....... (Han) 2-3; 4. Gory lSurI !'r4; 6. _ AMI I~ 4-6; 8. Krio Bigolow IV..., U; 7. Riclt IlurgMt IVeml 7·7; 8. Jo Jo K_lSuzl N; 9. 0... _IVeml N; 10. 5 _ s.ma e.-v ~ IVemlISoII; 11. [).,,;d uc-Il1).18; 12.J.If Hiclta IV_) 14-13; 13. o-k Wedding (Huo!I314; 14. Ntay S10CY ~118-12; 16. " - _ uc-I ··10; 18. Ron T.... lSuzl 12·20; 17. Eric-. (Moil 11··; 18. K.ilh Oolorich IV_I ··16; 19. e.too s.r..o lMoil17·19;2O. Niclt C _ (Hon'··17. . 0 . - pIocing '"" ollllP 20. 125 NATlONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINT ST~ INGS: 1. _ 8ImMl 12001; 2. Jeff Word 1147); 3. Johnny 0--. 1138l; 4. Riclt ~ 11291; 5. Scolt _ 1121i~ 8. Jim Giboon 1118~ 7. T o m _ (102); B. Donny CIw1dlIr .1; 9. Donnie c.ntoIoupi l78l; 10. Donny f88l; 11. Gory 0.-.. tll6J; 12Phil ...... 1541; 13. Erik ~ l8Ol; 14. tW. WhilIng 146l; 16. Chrio _l43I; 18. !TIEl Mib _ _ Murphy 031; 18. C27l; 19. mEl Tom _ 'l24l.. Todd ••, e..m.v a - .... 2IiO NATlOHAI. CHAMPIONStIP POINT STAND- INGS: I, KenI _ 1197); 2- Bob Honnoh 1175~ 3. Donnie . - - 1142l; 4. W _ AMI 11241: 6. Gory s.ma (1041: 8. c..id - " (1031; 7. Ron T.... llI4I; 8. Riclt IlurgMt l83I: 9. Krio IIigoIow 181I; 10. LIny _ 611; 11. 0... _ M; 12- CTIEl Ron Sufl/ lMw-.JoJo_.,6. _ WedI*lg 141~ 18. ..... T_ _ 17. - . ,.".1331: ,.. /Ito, SIKy l32l: til. Wwvne ..... 12II; 2ll. CInI..- C2II. 9

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