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/126532
Terry Kizer (top) w .. much happier attar wrapping up the Funny Bike crown at the Swnm.netlonela. Teny Vance lebove left) contemplatee the but way to win number n1ne.lAbove rtght) MIke Guerre Ieeda J ..~I Mingeis. Vance, Kizer Terry-ize Summernafionals By Greg Guarinello ENGLISHTOWN, NJ,JULY 18·19 The Pro Stock field at the NHRA Summernationals at Madison Township Raceway Park saw Suzuki's Terry Vance 16 cop his ninth straight NMRA/NHRA Pro Stock class win. The first crown of the season was awarded as Funny Bike rider Terry Kizer sewed up that title before a huge crowd on hand over the weekend for the dual car/bike meet. It was wonh the price of admission just to watch the incredible struggle during qualifying in the quickest Funny Bike field ever. On his second qualifying attempt Terry Kizer. riding the Mo Parsons owned. MTC Engineering, Mr. Turbo sponsored Kawasaki, amazed the packed house with a 7.99 second pass. The Kizer crew thought that that would hold up for low ET but were stunned when seconds later Jon Baugh, aboard the Orient Express Kawasaki. traveled down the quaner mile in 7.89 seconds. This set Baugh up with a chance to earn extra National Championship points if he could back up this subrecord clocking. The last round of qualifying got under way at 9:53 p.m. with about twenty riders looking for a last chance to better their positions before the strict 10 p.m. curfew was enforced. On the next to last pass of the evening Kizer wrestled the number one qualifying position away from Baugh when he also ran a sub· record 7.848. This left both riders awaiting Sunday's eliminations to determine just who could back up the record. The other Funny Bike riders were not leaving each other much slack as the field got tighter and tighter with every pass. Amazingly the bump spot fell to an 8.40 as Ken Landwher made it into the program by a scant .06 second edge over Ray Price. Price never got a chance to make the final round of qualifications as a blower shaft pulled out of his supercharger during his burnout. Eliminations got underway with Kizer taking onJim Yodock aboard his 980cc Suzuki. Kizer left first taking an 8.018 second. 168.85 mph win over Yodock's slowing 8.431148.76 run. Next up were a pair of Funny Bike newcomers as Steve Lukos took on Bob Lytton. The two 'Kawasakis left together, but Lukos developed a motor problem and coasted most of the way to the finish line. This left Lytton to advance to the semi. The biggest shock of the first round came next as Baugh was unable to attempt to back up his record. When Jon pulled into the burnout area to face Ken Blackburn, a detent spring in his automatic transmission broke allowing the shift drum to spin at will into two gears at once. Blackburn took the Bill Hahn owned Kawasaki to an 8.239/165.63 solo pass. Closing out the round was Funny Bike record holder Vince Santangelo, sponsored by Murdoch Racing Ent., going against the Campus Kawasaki of Ken Landwher. Santangelo got a perfect stan and put daylight between him and Landwber from the very beginning. Vince motored on for the win with an 8.15/166.05. Landwber, realizing that he was beat, clicked off. Kizer opened up the semis by making easy pickings of the Lytton machine. Kizer ran an 8.092/168.53 to Lytton's 8.605/151.00. On the other side of the ladder Vince Santangelo was fighting his way into the finals with a 8.199/165.44 win over Blackburn's 8.37/160.14. The final pitted Santangelo's injected, nitro· burning, sit·up Kawa· saki Funny Bike against Kizer's injected, alcohol· burning, lay·down turbocharged Kawasaki. Santangelo left first, but Kizer rolled on the thunder in mid-range and was able to pass Santangelo for his first MRA/ NHRA title. Kizer ran a 7.93/167.91 (not good enough to back up his record 7.848 pass) to Santangelo's 8.149/ 167.91. Terry Vance went into the Summernationals with an eight race NMRA Pro Stock win streak on the line. Eliminations opened with Vance besting the popular "Pizza John" Mafaro - Vance running an 8.941/ 148.02 to Mafaro's 9.146/142.40. Bob Carpenter was to have faced the Suzuki of Ron Turner on the next round, but Turner had broken his mount and would be unable to repair' it in time for eliminations. First alternate Jay Doyle would have been insened into the field but after not qualifying he decided to return home. Second alternate Joe Folgore would run Bob Carpenter. Folgore's good luck ended there as Carpenter strapped a winning 8.995/146.81 pass on Folgore. Next up were Kawasaki rider "Superbike Mike" Keyte and John Sachs. Keyte took a good green light and added to his lead down the quaner mile running an 8.981/150.00 to Sachs' losing 9.356/143.31. Randy Mason scored the only upset of the round when he put a holeshot on Steve Tanaglia. Mason ran a slower 9.124/143.54 to Tanaglia's 9.094/144.92, but his holeshot afforded him the win. The semis opened up with Vance taking a squeaker over Carpenter. Bob had taken a slight staning line advan· tage, but could not hold off the charging Vance. Terry took the win with an 8.973/148.51 to Carpenter's 9.026/145.86. The biggest upset ofthe race came on the next pass when Mason put together a holeshot with Keyte's getting out of shape off the line to add it all up to a spot in the final round. Mason ran a 9.181/141.73. The finals pitted Suzuki rider Vance against Kawasaki-mounted Mason. When the light turned green Mason moved a tick ahead of Vance. but Terry made up the ground almost immediately. Once Vance hit third gear the outcome was no longer in doubt. To Mason's credit his 9.113/143.76 was by far his best ever run. Though it was not good enough to defeat Vance's 8.9'1 second run, Mason proved that he does thrive on pressure. - World Championship250ccMXS......: Round 9 Guerra on the move in West GermanGP By Jack Burnlcle BAUERN, WEST GERMANY ,JULY 5 American Mike Guerra collected his second successive third overall placing in the West German round of the 250cc World Championships. By doing so, the Husqvarna factory rider moves into a challenging sixth place in the points table, just two points shy of fifth. The likelihood of reigning 250cc champ Georges Jobe wrapping up his second GP title in America looms large after his overall win at Bauern. Second place on the winner's rostrum behind Suzuki's 20-year·old superstar went once again to Britain's Neil Hudson on the works Yamaha. Hudson could ill afford the ten points he lost to Jobe in this round, especially with only the U.S., Russian and Dutch rounds left in the championship. Hudson set fastest practice time, ahead of lively teammate Dave Watson and Jobe, and was confident of victory, but an appalling start ruined his first moto chances on a flat, smooth track where passing was difficult. He stormed bravely through from 22nd place, however, as early leader Jean-Paul Mingels on a Yamaha succumbed to Maico's hardcharging German veteran Hans Maisch andJobe. With two-thirds of the race run, Hudson snatched fifth from Guerra, only to slide off almost immediately and have to settle for sixth. Watson's race hopes had died when his front wheel was whipped from beneath him. A funher crash put him out after six hard laps. The second moto was headed until halfway by Puch's Heinz Kinigadner, but just after being passed by Jobe the tall Austrian spun off on a sharp incline and wrecked his clutch trying to restan. Hudson hurtled by to take up the pursuit of his great rival, but could not close the five second gap as their searing speed left third place Guerra almost a minute behind at the flag. Watson was spectacularly thrown from the track in a fint lap collision, but climbed back aboard the factory Yamaha and motored furiously through the pack to reach a heroic ninth place while first race victor Maisch went out with a flat front tire when holding the same position. Results 1st MOTO: 1. Mon. M.loch (Mai); 2. Georgeo Jobo (Suzl; 3. J.n-Poul Mlngei. (V.m): 4. Soren Maner-> (!CTM): 5. Mlk. Gu..... THUll; 8. Nell H..-n !Yoml: 7. HIiN Kinig8d_ (Puc); 8. Fritz Kobel. (Han): 9. Roll Diel1onboch (Han): 10. K_ V.n dor Von (!CTMI. 2nd MOTO: 1. Jobo: 2. H..-n: 3. G.......; 4. M8gnuo Nyboro (KTMI: 5. Von dor Von: 8. Potric:k Furo (HUll; 7. _ : 8. V110m Tolman (Suz); 9. DlMd WIlIOn !Yom): 10. Dimilor I\ongIlov (HUll. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS: 1. JobI (221); 2. Hudoon (188): 3. Von dor Von 11 09); 4. ~ 175): 5. Kinigocltw (86): 8. Guorro l83l: 7. .-...cIaIde ~ l82l: 8. WllIOnl4Ol: 9. fW1geIoY 1351; 10. Moillii_' 133).