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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126525
WInner Moreh• • geta a handahaka, runner-up Jay Springatean geta alWig of champagne, and Gary Scott oblervea the winner'. circle Jublllltlon.
bliahed a winning margin while
Parker, Kidd and Brow dueled.
Parker and Kidd had a side-by-side
battle on the groove in tum three on
the final lap, and Kidd won with Brow
also getting by Parker.
With the light rain continuing to
fall, the fourth heat was brought to the
line. Scott Pearson got the holeshot,
but his ride and the race ended in tum
four on the fmt lap. Pearson unloaded,
nearly taking Terry Poovey \'{ith him
and the red flag came out.
Pearson's crew began to put new
pipes on Scott's XR'150.. While that
was going on Poovey came up to Pear~ and said, "Wow, 1 nearly ate it
bad trying not to hit you." Pearson
smiled, shook Poovey's hand and said,
"Thanks for r&Dt hitting mel"
Pearson's crew hustled, but their
speedy switch of pipes wasn't really
needed because the rain increaied and
the program was called off.
Practice on Sunday afternoon soon
turned the track into a blue, one-line
groove affair with lap times considerably lower than the previous day.
The fourth heat came to the line,
and it was Hanit Scott into the lead immediately, followed by Poovey, Billy
Schaeffer and Scott Pearson.
The red flag came out on the fifth
lap when Shane Parrish crashed on the
back atraiIbt after getting out of shape
coming out of tum two. Parrish was
up and OK and ready to go at it again.
Scott again took the lead off of the
single-file restart but once again the
red flag came out. This time it was
Charlie Roberta who unloaded in a
crash that saw his bike catch fire. Firemen were on the scene immediately
and both Roberta and his bike were
OK, but out ofthe race.
Yet another start saw Scott once
more back in front, only this time he
was closely challenged by Poovey and
Schaeffer. They finished in that order
with Pearson sent to a semi with a
founh place finish.
Semis
The first semi came off the line with
second row starter Jeff Haney on the
Honda 750 blasting through the front
row before the flash of the green hit
the eyes of the rest of the field. That
brought out a red flag, sent Haney to
the penalty line, and prompted a grinning Jerry Griffith, Honda's man in
charge of its dirt track effort, to quip,
"Well, he triedY"
Pete Grant repeated his heat race
holeshot, but it was Ricky Graham in
front on the second lap, and Graham
went on to win and pick up the single
National advancement opportunity.
. Scott Drake, Jay Beach, Jackie Mitchell
and Ricky Campbell finished 2-8-4-5.
The second semi finally got going
after all but total chaos developed
after a botched start that sent Sal
Hoffman, Steve Oort, Chuck Springsteen and Shane Parrish to the penalty
line. Parker called for referee Charlie
Watson to send Scott Pearson back as
well, but only a lengthy delay that had
the crowd stomping their feet and
Watson pulling out a black flag
followed. What he intended to do with
the black flag remains unknown as he
shrugged his shoulders and motioned
to the starter to get the show on the
road.
Once it hit the road it hit it hard, as
Pearson and Parker banged off each
other all the way into tum one.
Pearson won the war and went down
the back straight in front of Parker
and Bubba Shobert. The trio ran
wheel-to-wheel for eight laps until
Parker slipped off the groove in tums
5-4 on the white flag lap. The checkered flag saw Pearson in front and advancing to the National, followed by
Shobert, Tim Mertens and Jimmy
Filice.
Trophy Race
Five minutes or so prior to the start
of the "consolation" race, Mert Lawwill came up to Filice and said, "Sorry,
Jimbo but we're going to pull out. The
engine is making a bad rattling noise."
But when the field lined up, there was
Filice waiting for his bike. A mechanic
pushed it out and said, "Men said you
can run it as hard you want to." And
Filice ran it hard enough to win after
he had been smothered back in the
pack on the initial start that was called
after Rob Crabbe crashed in tum two.
The restart saw Filice take the lead
away from Tim Mertens on the second
lap and hold it all the way. Parker,
Drake, Shobert and Mertens followed
across the line.
When questioned about his earlier
intent to pull out, Lawwill said, "The
tappets had loosened up and we just
tightned them up and let him run.
Jim said it was really shaking at the
end, though'"
National
The new rule that allows riders to
choose any starting position they like
(in order of heat race finishing positions and times) brought comic relief
to the frustrating program. Doug Sehl
brought a broom out to sweep a line
for Terry Poovey. That prompted
Gary Scott to go to Bill Boyce, the
AMA director of dirt track racing, and
say, "I want my line swept too." When
Boyce replied, "I don't have time to
sweep every line," Sehl said, ''I'll lend
'em my broom." The broom was
carried off and the field lined up with
Springsteen on the pole - the groove.
With everyone realizing that the
man who got to tum one first would be
all but impossible to pass, the start was
a furious one, and it was Hank Scott
and Steve Morehead who arrived at
tum one first.
Scott and Morehead ran nose-to-tail
lap after lap with the the field at times
closing right up on Morehead's rear
wheel. Position swapping was going on
despite the groove and doing the most
passing was Jay Springsteen. Springer
had come around on the first lap in
seventh position, but he picked off
riders one by one until he moved into
fourth behind Gary Scott.
The 15th lap had onlookers focusing
their attention on Hanit Scott as his
rear wheel appeared to be hopping.
Two laps later Hank, runner-up in
the 1980 Winston Pro Series, was out
of the race. The axle nut on his XR750
had stripped, and his wheel was
flopping around.
That left Morehead in the lead and
within two laps he had opened up a
winning margin over the Gary Scotti
Jay Springsteen battle. Springer got by
Scott on the last lap and the winner's
circle cast was set: Morehead, Springsteen and Gary Scott.
Behind the front three across the
finish line was Ted Boody, who had
worked his way up from as low as
eighth on the 11th lap. Defending
champ Randy Goss had also turned in
a strong ride to finish fifth.
Mike Kidd was the only other rider
besides Haplr. Scott to drop out of the
race, retiring on the 12th lap when a
piston let go.
Morehead got off his bike, pulled
off his helmet and jumped into the air,
clicking his heels together. "Two in a
row! I'm .beginning to love this placeI"
said Morehead after he showt=d photographers. "I blew my bike up last week
and borrowed Tommy Duma's bike
from Harley-Davidson of Warren, Ohio.
Tommy's out for six to eight weeks
with ligament damage in his knee. 1
want to thank everybody who
helped me do it again at Harrington."
Results
•
NATlONAL: 1. S_ Mor_ _ CIH)I; 2. J8y
SptingstMn C1H)13. G-v Scon (H·Ot; 4. Tod Boody CH01; 5. "-"'v GaM IIH)I; 6. Terry F'ocMP/ IH-O); 7. WiIie
C_CIH)I; 6. Bily ~ IIH»); 9. Ridly Gtahom
1H-0); 10. Scott Penon CIH)}; 11. Ronnie JonIo 11H)1:
12. Gerth Brow (H-O); 13. _
Scott CH-O); 14. Mike
KIcld IH-O).
TROPHY RACE: 1. Jim Ali.,. (H-O); 2. 8ubbo
Shoo.! CIH)I; 3. Scott _
(IH»); 4. Scott DnII