Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126522
....... 00 (j) ....... em. (Topl Merty Smith (11). Broc Glover 161, Arlo Englund (15), Derrell Shultz (14) end Jim (30) ley into the flnt tum.1Above IeftI Runner-up Bob HltnMh IelIct. winner Kent Howerton during one of their acrepa. IAbove right! High flyln' D.,.. Shultz went 2-2 for HCOnd In the &OOcc 1'lIC8. AMA 250/500cc National Championship MX Series: Rounds 5/1 Howerton, Glover style at Southwick By Tom Mueller Photos by Joe Ziegler and Mueller SOlJ"TI{WICK, MA, MAY 17 Suzuki's Kent Howerton came out on top of another battle with Yamaha's Bob Hannah in the 250cc race, and Yamaha's Brock Glover dominated the season's first AMA 500cc National Championship MX Series at American Legion Post 338's MX facility. Howerton and Hannah went 6 at it again, both having a similar fall in moto one, but Kent pulled ahead each time to strach his moto win record to nine out of 10. Hannah went 2-2 for RCOnd overall with Moto·X Fox'sJoJo Keller looking strong on his home turf with a !I.!I score for third overall on his production Suzuki RM. LOP's Steve , , Manin took his production RM to founh overall with a 6-4. With three rounds remaining on the 250cc nlIter, Hannah'. chance at a title lessen, as he is now 28 poinu behind Howenon, 247 to 219. A moto win is wonh 25 poinu, so even if Howenon broke or crashed out in a moto and Hannah won, Howenon would still hold a three point edge. Honda's Don· nie Hansen was fifth overall for the day and is now third in the standings at 175. Three·time uSec National Cham· pion Brae Glover showed he can dial on an Open bike by posting a perfect 1-1 score in the SOOcc class. Glover kept to himself before the race, but when tuner Jon RORDStiel brought his 490cc OW-5l to the line Brae hopped on and outran Suzuki's Darrell Sbultz botb times out. Shultz claimed RCOnd overall with a pair of RCOnds with cur· rent 500cc champ Chuck Sun third overall with a 4-!I tally. Glover's team.· mate, current Supercross champ Mike Bell, put some heavy pl'el1lure on, but a crash in moto two sapped his strength. TmUon filled the air as 500cc com· petiton and mechanics soned through the last few wedta of intmR testing, compiling and soning info for final motor and suspension chanp. Sun, Shultz and a few others had been in the MassacbURtu area and had raced a local event the weekmd before. As time wound down and the fint moto approached, it was a period of mental preparation. "I've just been laying son of low," said Sun. "I rode up here last weekend to race because tbere's going to be a lot more competition this year. We'll just bave to see what happens. " Shultz had a bad knee and lack of training on his mind. "I can't even ride a bicycle the pain is so bad. I'm used to running five to seven miles day, but 1 can't even make it up the first hill. 1 guess I don't feel the pain when 1 race." Goat Breker was confident. "We've been testing all week. The bike's ready and so am I." MX !I!I8 is one of tbe finest outdoor motocross facilities in the United States. Eighty percent of the track is visible from tbe permanent bleachers on "The Top of the World" section. A cement Itaning pad is unique. From there riden round a right hander and head for the back section which indudes a power·on uphill through the woods. The course then re-enters the open area where almost Florida·like sand takes riden up one steep and sweeping hill through to the next. A1Io like Flor· ida, the COUJ'lle became choppy and rough. working havoc with even factory suspensions. The spirited crowd, estimated at 8,000, made the Face a happening. A constant drone filled the air during each race when hot racing let up. Saturday a cloudburst drencbed the track but the sand base soaked it up with no problem. Sunday dawned bright and sunny, in contrast to the in· clement weather conditions during the two previous Southwick Nationals. 2IiOcc National Wayne Boyer went out front in mota one but Howenon was soon in command on his Steve Paulos·tuned RH-250-81. Martin, Keystone's Jeff Hicks and local favorite Spencer Mor· rison trailed. By lap three. Howerton had seven seconds on Martin, but it wasn't long until a blitzing Hannah was RCODd. The crowd picked up iu roar as Hannab closed on Howenon and Kel· ler stuffed into third. Before the 20minute halfway point, Howenon and Hannah had !l5 seconds on the pack! Howenon was pulling ahead when his front wheel stuck and he fell. He was up instantly with tbe bike stil1 run· ning and kept the lead. Hannah was wild, passing lappen anywhere with