Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

s e ..... co C) ..... ~ ~ CN .w lII) ~ = < '.- Jimmy Adamo smoked the Battle of the Twins face, wfapping up the title. Expert Ughtweight Filice breaks Lawson's string By Gary Van Voorhis LONG POND, PA, AUG. 16 Jimmy Filice put his throttle hand to work and broke Eddie Lawson's complete domination of the Expert Lightweight class at Pocono with a decisive victory. Lawson, the winner of all four of this year's previously run. Lightweight events, fol· lowed Filice home with Sam McDonald rounding out the three way celebration in winner's circle. The battle for fourth and fifth went right down to the final laps with Dave Busby and Randy Reufraw earning their positions in a nearly race-long multi-rider battle. Roberts-Lawwill Racing's Filice was one big grin in winner's circle, thanking the team, Wrangler, PJl and his tuner Bud Aksland for a job well down. "I had a couple of tough moments out there," said Filice. "The brakes were going away and I ran off ~he track in the chicane and nearly lost It. On the last lap. a slower rider tried to race with me and that was a bit scary." For Kawasaki's Lawson it was the end to a good season. 'Jimmy rode a good race," said Lawson. "He was on the gas. I rode as hard as I could." McDonald exploded off the line on start with Lawson coming on strong for the lead by the infield hairpin. McDonald and Filice powered by Lawson on the 5,000 foot back straight with Filice leading them into the chicane. Off the ~,OOO foot front ~wer straight the three rolled side- bySIde three abreast across the start/finish line with Lawson leading into tum one on the start of lap two. And this was just the beginning. The scene would be replayed again and again in a pass and repass drama through the first four laps. On the fifth of 18 laps McDonald fell off the pace allowing Filice and Lawson to pull away. Bill Himmelsbach and Bruce Maus were engaged in a battle for fourth while Jan Jolles and Dave Busby debated sixth. Filice, acknowledging Lawson's superiority in the infield, began to open up a bit of room on the straights so that he could hold his lead in the infield. There was a five rider battle going on for sixth following Filice, Lawson, McDonald, Maus and Himmelsbach which was led by Busby with Randy Reufraw coming on strong. By the 10th lap Filice had opened up a four second advantage over Lawson with McDonald a full 12 seconds behind second. Himmelsbach and Maus were keeping close quarters in their battle for fourth. Lawson had told Filice after the Saturday heat races that his bike wasn't fast enough. Filice enjoyed hearing that, even if it sounded like a psychological ploy. "Mine's a rocketship," said Filice. On lap 15 Lawson slowed considerably while Filice continued to open his lead margin. The next lap saw Lawson pick up the pace somewhat. Meanwhile Dave Busby was moving ever closer. The battle to the flag centered on Maus/Himmelsbach or Himmelsbach! Maus depending on the area of the track you were watching. On the final lap both Busby and Reufraw snuck past, leaving Himmelsbach and Maus to settle for sixth and seventh. Results UGHTWEIGHT EXPERT: 1. Jimmy Filice IVom); 2. Eddie I.JIwloon 1K8w); 3. Sam McDonold IVom); 4. Oovo Buoby (Voml; S. Rondy Roulrow IVom); 6. Bill Himmohoboch IVom); 7. Bruce Mous IVom); 8. Keith Kiyollt IVom); 9. Jon Jolloo IVom); 10. Stelle Boron IVom); 11. OllVid Reed IVom); 12. Jomoo Woolley IVom); 13: John Concklin IVom); 14. Hugh Dolage (Vom); 1S. Don Guglielmo (Vom); 16. Gory ~. IVom); 17. Gory Penfiold IVom); 18. Woyne ConoI. IVom); 19. John McNeoley IVom); 20. Mik. Landnlm IVom). TIME: 33 min., 14.869_. AVERAGE SPEED: 90.953 mph. Novice Merkel's persistence pays off By Gary Van Voorhis LONG POND, PA, AUG. 16 A never-give-up attitude for Fred Merkel paid off. Merkel, winner of the Laguna Seca Novice final, didn't let the pressure of Rod Crosby phase him even though the two ~ere wheel-to-wheel a good deal of the time. Second place finisher Crosby made only one mistake but that was running .off the. track in the closing laps and It cost him any chance of winning. Third went to David Howes, who was a challenger early on, but slipped off the pace. The winner's circle was a coast-to-coast affair with Merkel from California while Crosby is from Alabama and Howes hails from New Hampshire. "It was really scary out there." said Merkel. "I thought it would go to the Jimmy Rlice 11661 broke Edcfl8 Lawson's win streak on 2!iOs. flag. On one lap I looked back and Crosby was there. The next time I looked he wasn't. I figured I had it won from there." . "I just got on the brakes a bit too hard," said Crosby. "That was it." The opening lap of the final saw a seven rider freight train led by Crosby and Don Greene with Howes right there. The three traded the lead while the rest watched waiting for an opening. The trio soon pulled a bit of breathing room. On the fourth lap Merkel moved up to make it a four rider battle for the lead. Greene continued his frontrunning pace with only a .small space separating Crosby and Merkel. Howes dropped off the pace, and the rest of the field was strung out. The end of the seventh lap saw Greene leading Merkel by a bikelength into tum one while Crosby was about 10 lengths farther back. On the next l~p it w.as Crosby and Merkel holding tight WIth Greene nowhere in sight. Howes was now third. Crosby and Merkel played it sideby-side coming across the start/finish line on the end of lap nine. Howes continued creeping up on the leaders, but was 20 seconds behind. It was the same on the next lap. The 11th lap was the same story as Crosby and Merkel probed and prodded each other all over the track. Each was testing the other for a last lap run for victory. Merkel decided he didn't want to wait for the finish and tried to open up a gap. He led lap 12 with Crosby closing it up in the infield only to run off the track and lose precious seconds. Merkel pounced on the misfortune. Merkel had five seconds at the line beginning the last lap. Crosby cut that a bit in the infield. but Merkel stretched it on the back straight and wasn't pressured to the flag. Merkel thrust a fist into the air as he passed the grandstands and took the checkered flag. Crosby led Howes home. Results NOVICE: 1. Fred MorkolIVom); 2. Rod Cr-., (Voml' 3. DOYid _IVom); 4. Brion Poquetto IVom) S. c...i Muffley IVom); 6. Gerry Griffith IVom); 7. Tom _ m (Vom); B. Glen laRock IVom); 9. Don GoiglW IVom); 10. Joma Wr'llht IVom); 11. Gory lozzi IVom); 12. George Nolen IVom); 13. Joy Foley IVom); 14. Rich Rydon (Voml; 1S. DllVid ~ (Voml. TIME: 2B min.. 16.260 lI8CI. AVERAGE SPEED: 89.137 mph. Battle of the Twins Adamo makes it no contest By Gary Van Voorhis LONG POND, PA, AUG. 16 Jimmy Adamo took a clear-cut wi.n in the penultimate round of the Battle of the Twins National Championship Series and in doing so wrapped up the number one plate. John Long finished a distant second after David Emde dropped out two laps from the end. Hal Coleman took third. Adamo, aboard the Berliner/Reno Leoni Ducati, said his race strategy was "to open up about a 10 second lead early and then go on from there." He did exactly that. . Pole sitter Adamo blitzed the 44 rider field on the start with David Emde ~lling into ~d through the snaking Infield. Adamo Immediately stretched out a lead with Emde doing likewise. Malcolme Tunstall held third at the end of lap one with Hal Coleman and David Roper, both Harley-Davidsonmou,:!ted, rounding out the top five. With Adamo and Emde safely in front the battle moved to third with Coleman leading Tunstall by a slight margin. By the end of lap three of the 15 lap event Adamo held a six second lead over Emde who was a similar distance ahead of the battle for third. Coleman had established his superior~ty over Tunstall with John Long holdIDg down fifth. The sixth lap saw Long closing slightlyon Tunstall who was doing the same to Coleman. Adamo had stretched his lead to 10 seconds and was cooking. Long got by Tunstall at the startfinish line at the halfway point with Tunstall taking fourth back into tum one. The pair continued their battle while Coleman opened up a bit of space. The pair continued their battle with Long soon showing a burst of speed and swooping past Coleman on lap 11 for third. As the laps wound down Adamo held his pace. In second Emde could only watch as any chance of winning the Battle of the Twins National Championship Series title slipped from his grasp. Then things got worse as mechanical problems forced Emde into the pits with two laps to go. . Adamo had unofficially 60 seconds ID hand at the checkered flag while Long was a scant three seconds ahead of Coleman in third with Tunstall a close fourth. • Results BATILE OF THE TWINS: GP: 1. Jimmy Adorno (Due); 2. HoI Colomon (~O); 3. Molcotme Tunstoll 10uc); 4. Ed Mullineaux (Duel' S. Miko Duzick IDuei. ' EX MOD: 1. John Long (BMW); 2. Doug Lentz IDuel' 3. Wlnfried Hopp IDue); 4. Greg Richmond (M-G)' S: John SIIpieton tM-G). ' AM MOD: 1. Don Jouglord (Due)· 2. Doug Gtoeo (Duel; 3. Scott Brown (BMW); 4. E ' " Hise Ibue); S. Jool Colbno IDue). STOCK: 1. BlWt Stuckert (BMW); 2. CllVin llottIey IBMW); 3. Fritz Augustin IDue); 4. Modioon Cox (Due); S. DllVid Vendall IM-GI. TIME: 27 min.. 52.616_. AVERAGE SPEED: 90. 393 mph. 11

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