Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

The 410cc Produc:tIon runner-up MoonICoc:hrlIn V8m8h11 chII... the Open c.fe Suzuki of 0.-... RIIchIJ8ff Begnellit SIR'. wet Six-Hour encIw8nc:e 1'IIC8. SIR Six-Hour: Skiver scores In wet By Lane Campbell AUBURN, WA,JUNE 7 Bellevue Suzuki's number one GSllOO, piloted by Randy Skiver/ Bruce Lind/Brian Sutton and spitting occasionally from water in the carha, cruiJed aCJ'08 the ftnish four lap- ahead of the HisIop/Marinacci Honda (out of Burien Honda) to take the IeYenth annual Dealen Challenge six-hour road race at a rain-slowed speed of 65.62 mph. For Skiver, this makes four straight, as he's been on a winning team since 1978. Thiny-three bikes started in a light drizzle at 11:00 a.m., and 24 survived periods of solid downpour to ftnish under their own power six houn later. (Two othen pushed acrOll.) Skiver grabbed a IOlid lead from the flTlt lap, followed by Wayne Tanner on the Doyle/Tanner Suzuki sponsored by Bellevue Suzuki and Gene Meyer Imports. Then came a gap, then Ken Landrus (Totem Lake Kawasaki) on a 650 and joe Davis on a self-sponsored 1085cc Suzuki nose to tail, then another gap. Circulating in a fairly tight group were the TisdellCarrnan/Dunn Yamaha 1100 (Everett Yamaha), the DensIer/ Moore/Mayes Suzuki (Bellevue Suzuki), the Roosevelt/Constable Honda 750 (Seattle Honda), and the Peiroli/Haug/ Franklin Yamaha 550 Seca (Renton Yamaha/Milte Kenyon). rant 410cc Production bilte, early on, was the Scott Moon/Lee Cochran Yamaha (N.E.S.R.A.), lying about 12th on the ftnt lap. The eventual 410cc Production winner, Burien Honda's Vanskike/McDonald/LaForce 400. was running about spots back, and eYeDtuaI 600cc Cafe winnen Miles/ Crosby (Yam 55) started out well down in the pack. Paul Peiroli, whose team had made a last-minute daah to Renton for a Dunlop K18I front/Goodyear rain rear. worked his 550 Seca as high as fourth, possibly even third during the ftnt hour. Sliding down once on the back side of the coune, he remounted, pitted briefly, then returned to circulate as before, carving a ~ing entry into turns in seeming disdam for the slightly oily pavement. Asked how he remained glued to the road, he patted his middle and quipped, "Sometimes it belp- to weigh 200 pounds... Another early contender, Ken Landrus, low-sided his Kaw 650 in the entry to turn two in the first hour. but remounted and continued to chaJF. The Landrus/Smith team lost maybe me 64 two laps in the pits taping up loosened . controls - a delay they ftgure may have bumped them down to third . Open Cafe in the final standings. Rhys Howard (or was it Derrick Porter underneath the raingear?) took a horrendous-looking spill in front of the pits - JlOIIIIibly broke concentration and hydroplaned on lOme water accelerating onto the front straight, then tank-slapped and carwheeled to a stop just short of the finish line. He, too, made repain and continued on the Tonka Yamaha 400. More slide-outs and bail-offs occurred sporadically through the day, still with no injuries, and generally light damage to machinery. In 4IOcc Production, the Hogan/Dudley Yamaha sustained damage but continued after some pit work; N.E.S.R.A.'s Beste/ Otway Honda 400F got off into the grass at tum two and went flop, yet fmished strongly; Rickey Giles got out into the same grass on a 400 twin (Westside Honda) but stayed up and motored gently back onto the road, momentarily losing about three positions in the tight group he was with. In the 'l>igger classes, Northshore Suzuki's Fitch/Bagnall team GSII00 began to develop Damp Ignition Syndrome during the S:eCond hour and eventually retired. The Hislop/Zalud Open Production 750 Honda (Burien Honda) spent an hour in the ptis for a ticklish gasket change, then eventually retired for good. The Roosevelt/Constable Honda (Seattle Honda) pulled off the track dead-stick shortly after 5 p.m. Tacoma Kawasaki's Ittoer/Brady/ justus 650 Kaw crashed, restarted and finished. ~ it all, Skiver motored steadily. cliclting off lap after lap at 1:59 plus/minus a tick or two. Shortly after 1 p.m. he traded off to Bruce Lind just as the rain began to fall in earnest. Said Lind, "The first time around, I sat up for turn one and my face shield just went white." Lind fought the visibility problem for only a few Iape, but fmaIly had to hand off to Bnan Sutton while he worked on his helmet. The Doyle/ Tanner team ftgured they might have briefly inherited the lead on the extra pit stop, but unofftcial results released at 80 and go-lap distances showed the number one bike still in the lead, Doyle/ Tanner second, Hislop/Marinacci third (fint Open Prod), and Davis/ Phillips fourth. . Sutton protected his team's lead while Lind IOlved the visor-fogging by ripping out lOme foam liner so it could breathe. Then Lind remounted and rode until about 4 p.m., handing the bilte back to Skiver. The leaden continued to average 1:59 to 2: Ol! as the track fO.t genuinely wet_ A slick situation began to develop at the apex of tum nine, where comer workers had dumped cement dust on a prior oil spill. The rain turned the chalky mixture to slick mud, and the bikes spreak it wider and wider coming through. Riders reported that if you tried to lean at all through that spot, the front end just went away. The Peiroli/Haug/Franklin bike crashed twice there and kept running: Steve Schader crashed just ahead of Bruce Lind, who skittered through unscathed. The Schader/Robinson team went on to fmish third 600cc Cafe behind Pieroli/Haug/Franklin. (Class winnen Miles and Crosby also picked up lOme scuff marks IOmewhere. ) Meanwhile, quietly, so quietly, Pat Marinacci had taken over the wellmuftled 900 Honda and started lapping into the 1:57 range as the rain slackened and the traction improved. By lap 150, the unofficial standings had him second ahead of Doyle/Tanner, with 600cc Cafe winnen Miles/Crosby fourth. The final hour saw some dry patches appear. The Landrus/Smith Kaw (which was laps down) briefly passed Skiver around 4:55, provolr.ing Randy into replying with a series of I :54 laps, even as the GSlloo began to go off its feed sporadically, due to water sloshing in the float bowls. Skiver finished some four lap- ahead of second-place Marinacci (Open Prod class winner), and six laps ahead of third overall (600 Cafe winner) Miles/Crosby, who in tum were on the same lap with fourth overall cash winnen Davis/Phillips (who also pocketed some cumshaw for second Open Cafe). During the final hour, minutes after a last rider change, Wayne Tanner slid down in the tum nine slick, putting a permanent bevel in his Suzuki's side cue with 156 lap- complete, still good for fourth Open Cafe as the bilte took the checker with a slight leg assist. The Segale/Westphalen/ Harruff Honda 750 finished similarly after taki~g late race crash damage. The Vanskike/McDonald/LaForce Honda 400 quietly took 410cc Production honon, ftnishing 162 laps for an average of 60.75 mph (less than 5 mph off the outright winner's pace in the wet), with Moon/Cochran still two laps in arrean after a late-race charge. Race starter Steve Riley offered to lay money he'd cast a shadow when he strode out to wave the checken. Sure enough, by race's end the clouds broke, and the winnen quaffed champagne in slanting afternoon sunlight. Maddening, what? Results _idt 0VE1IAlL: 1. Rondy ~illnJc:e l.indIBriwn SutD1 lSuzl 175 IIpo; 2. Cleude Hiolop/PM _ _ tHonI 171; 3. Rondy Crooby IVom!l•. OPEN CAfE: 1. ~/lJndISutDllSuzl: 2. o.vioI PhiIipo lSuzl: 3. KIn lM1druIIGIry SmilII ...... OPEN PlIOO: 1. Hi1IIap/M8I tHonI: 2. Guo Oonzlorllany _ _ ~ lSuzl; 3. IIriIn BIonglt8dfTom F...-.nt~IVom!. eoo CAfE: 1. IoIIIoo/Cnlobf 1K8wI; 2. Poul _ i.... s_ HeugIDoIe _ IV_~ 3. s_ ~ I Chrio _IVom!. 410 PlIOO: 1. Gordio v.noIdIca'Dow Mc:Oc8ti Kur1 UFon:e lHon~ 2. Scan _ _ CocInn IV_I; 3. Gory~ M8cOougIlI tHonI. Knight Mba CrossUpMXwins By Suanne light BEND, OR, JUNE 14 It was another superb day of racing at Cross-Up Raceway deep in the heart of central Oregon. The clouds that brought rain the night before burned off making for the best race yet in the summer motocross series. For joe Knight (Yam) of Port1aDd. his long trek paid off as be tota1Iy demolished the 250cc Pro clus with a 1-1-1 triple moto blitz in close racing action. Corey Graves (Suz) led all three of his· 125cc junior/Intermediate motos and was the only other rider to go 1-1-1. Graves looked good in each of his three 15·minute motos holding off last race's 125cc winner Terry Shine (Yamaha Store) and Brad Dahlen (Bend Suz). Graves pulled exceptionally fine holeshots and led from the gate in front of the largest race of the day. Shine looked as though he would reel Graves in, but dropped off the pace and settled for second and second overall with his 2-2-2 over Dahlen's 45-5. The best race of the day would definitely have to be the combined Pro at 10 riders strong. At the drop of the flag, Knight (Yam) and Clay Light (Yamhill Yam) dueled their way to the front of the pack followed by Roger Norris (450 Hus), Mike Holbrook (Suz Spons Center) and Richard Earle (DG/ Cycle Country Hon) on a 125. Knight and Light began to dice,' but Knight went inside on lap two as Light stalled while leading a freight train of riden and dropped back into the dust moving Holbrook into second. Holbrook caught and displaced the Portland speedster and began to open a gap between himself and Knight, who was riding like a madman and took advantage of Holbrook's misfortune when the Suzuki rider slid out in the loamy sand. Knight now had a comfortable lead built up and was looking like a tornado destroying any berm that would challenge his rear wheel. jon Clement (Yam of Redmond) made a mid-moto charge and moved into second. Riden fell every lap and Clement had gone from Jut to second and was now challenging Knight for the lead. john Ayen (Yam of LaPine) also rode at the back of the pack and seemed content passing downed ride.n to hold on to third while Holbrook ftnished fourth, Earle ftfth followed by former teammate Light who was battling a flat front tire. Seventh went to Norris. Second time ou.t, Light put the power to the ground and roosted away on his LOP ride with Knight, Holbrook, Norris, Keith Engstrom (Bend Suz) and Earle holding down top positions. Knight tucked by Light in nearly the same spot, only this time it was a lap later, and headed up the pack of radical riding Pros. Earle moved his water-pumper into third behind Light and the stage was set for some heavy dicing which never materialized as the two Salem riden went into a one-line comer, and when the dust cleared, Ea.rle had moved to second thanks to a Itamilr.aze move that left Light dazed but not out of the action. Holbrook moved by Earle but couldn't catch the fleeing Knight. Earle took third spot with Norris fourth, Light ftfth while Engstrom and Clement followed. Moto three had Knight (who else?) take the holeshot, ruining Light's perfect holeshot record of eight of eight, and blitzed quickly away, leaving a dice open between Clement, Holbrook, Earle and Light who were all glued to one another as if they were permabonded together. Earle was making smooth moves and inherited third when Holbrook went over the bars. Broiled but back in rhythm, Holbrook now had to deal with a trio of riden consisting of Light, Norris and Ayen who were carving their way through the dust to the front. Ayen

• Cover