Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

'~~ ' ~~~ ~~~ I~:=;:.\:,:·o:.;;tb~~~C.:ii'~:~i~A:'~.1:'::ih~~~~~~~~~~tl:~·~li~~'i':'~~~ e Benedum takes GP · a t PRRO spring opener By Kris Aaron-Benedum PHOENIX, AZ, JAN. 17 The first P R RO road race of .. 28 th l 9 8 2 season was held under e sunny Arizona skies, the kind that make you glad y o u ' re on a motorcycle, with temperatures in th e high 60s. The balmy desert a trnosphere made it almost worth gelling out 0 I bed at 5 a.m. on a S un d ay morning! At th e riders' meeting, P R RO director Mike McChargue made it clear that a sorting-out of race personnel to assist with the details of fiel di n g 40 to 60 riders wa s defini tely needed. Last-minute roundu ps of corner workers and scori ng personne I d 0 not rna ke for a trou b lefree race day. McCharg ue scheduled a n inpu t meeting for Feb. 10_ Wi th logistics and administra tive problems out ofthe way, racing began in earnest. It became apparent during the first heat of GP and Box Stock bikes that New Yea r's resolutions against DNFs were being broken left and right In the GP class, #10 plateholder jerry Cline, having just recovered from injuries sustained during the November race, glided to a discouraging halt on lap three when his Suzuki 1100 suddenl y refused to run on fumes. It was a long push back into the pits a nd not th e wa y an y racer likes to start out th e season . Especiall y since 'he had handil y grabbed th e lead at the start. HOI on Cline's oioes was PR RO number one rider Norm Ben edum mounted o n Street Machine's 550 Honda. Ben edum and the Street Mach ine team are a cla ssic exa m p le of friendl y co m petitio n. Even th ough their rider Eugene Coward h as been in right co nte ntion with Benedum over th e past year and a half, they o ffered the Honda as a GP ride when Benedum 's Suzu ki cra n k ca me up DOA . With Cline out of th e running th e H onda look over first but wa s dogged for th e rema in ing seven laps by Mik e Willi ams (I OOO Su z). Brin gin g up th e pack was Brian O 'N eill on his batter ed 350 Yamaha. Nothing slows tha t 350 do wn. O 'Neill oversho t tu rn one and visi ted the weeds but he qui ckl y recovered and was right back o n th e track a n d making u p for lost seco nds. In Box Stoc k Pat Palmer o n a 450 Suzuki jumped o u t ah ead of the pack with a healthy lead . New rider Mik e Noall OUI of Cycle Care Center riding a 550 Seca took a stro n g second, and Eri c Anderson , a no ther new rider , o n a rowdy lillie KTM 360 gave th em a ll fits . A piston seizure on lap three put Palmer into a mild low-side, turning the lead over to Noall and taking Palmer out of racing for the rem ainder of th e day. Back for the seco nd of four heats, Cline went out to do bailie in the Super Street class with a refi lled tank • and made up for any ear lier humi lia tion by gra bbing a com fortab le two' I d W ' II' .d d secon d Iea. CI me e I lams, n er Ted Gabbert on his Suzuki 750 and j ac k Ca sto on a 750 S eca, Th e secon d wave of smaller displacement bik es were led by Eugene Coward on the Honda th at h ad just finished winn ing the first GP heat. Coward's Honda is the product of high -zoo t tinkering and top-notch craftsmanship on the part of Gino Coward, owner of St reet Machines (and Eu gen e's Eugene's fa th er ) a n d Dick S uarez, super-wren c h f ro m \ "ves t ern Honda in Scottsdal e. Never ones 10 be stym ied by a lill ie thing like a blown oil sea l during th e GP h eat , Coward a nd Sua rez sim p ly su per-g lued a new seal in place. Th ey - stuffed in a rag on ge nera l prin ciples, su per-g lued th e cases together a nd sent th e 550 o u t to win its seco nd heat. Learning a few tri cks from Eugene was new rider .Jeff Anderson on a Honda 500. Will ie Adams. PRRO rider number two. moved on to a n ew (an d cheaper) bik e an d prove d to be t h e terror o f t h e I 410 class on hi s RD 350. Adams and his mechanics provided the bike with a goodly amount of yank, but it was Willie's ridi ng styl e that put him into first p lace and righ t up o n Coward's rear wheel by the sixt h lap! Beca use PRRO uses a motocrosstype scori ng all bik es m ust run two heats to win. By the time the second heat of G P came around, top riders Williams, Cline, O'Neill and Benedum knew it was all riding on what they could do for the next 10 laps. They go t orr the line in just that order. On turn three Benedum moved up to third place with Williams holding on to first and Cline determ ined to cause him trouble. Cline grabbed first on lap two a n d Williams took it right back on lap three. Also during lap three, Cline went into a nasty wobble a nd di scovered that one tir e had modified itself into a slick. He h eld on through th e seventh lap in a tight bailie for th e lead w ith Willia ms and Benedum. In lap seven Ben edum pulled th e Honda, ren amed Tea m Su per-G lue , into first. William s was ri ght on h is tail but Cline dropped into th ird. courtesy of th e co rd whi ch wa s rnak in g a guest appearance throu gh hi s "slick." Th e Box Stock ers were being led around by 550 riders Noall and new rider Mik e Fuss o n a GP z. Kevin El li011 on his Kawasaki 400 was gi vin g 10 laps of ra cing lessons to a no ther new rider, Ken Baer, o n a Yamaha 400. In th e fina l h eat of th e da y. Adams sta lle d o n th e lin e an d gOI orr to a sor ry dead last. Pa tien ce. ex perie nce a nd a willingn ess to inflict roa d ra sh o n h is kn ees he lped h im m ov e smooth ly up th rough the pack. C line. rid in g with a n ew set of tires. fi na lly mad e u p for th e day's disappoi ntmen t. H e h eld a h ealth v seven -seco n d lead ove r Will iam s a nd the rest o f th e pa ck. Wh en th e chec kered flag came OU I Adams h ad easi lv wo n hi s cl ass a nd wa s tire to tir e ~'i l h Co wa rd. who took o ver th e lead a t the sta rt a n d n ever ca me cl ose to givin g it up. Not a bad run for a littl e 350 a nd th e Super-Glue Express! ft,~~M~\S 410: 1. Kevin Elli ott (Kaw 4001 2. Ken Baer (4 00 : Vam). 55~~.0: 1. M ike Noall (550 Seca); 2. Mike Fuas (GPz SUPER STREET I~~a~tillie Adams 13 50 Vam): 2. Doug Seitz 550: 1. Eugene Cow a, d 1550 Hon); 2.JeHAnderson 1500 Hon). 750: 1. Ted Gabbert (Suz 750l; 2. Jack Casto (Seca 75 0): 3. Greg Schmid l1750 KawO. 75 0: 1. Ted Gabbert (Suz 7501: 2. Jack Casto (Seca 750); 3. Greg Schm idt (750 Kaw l. OPEN: 1. M ike W ill iams (1000 S uzl: 2. Jerry Cli ne (I 100 Suzl. GRA N PRIX: 1. Norm Benedum (55 0 Hon). 2. M ikeWili iams (1000 Suz): 3. MickFrewlVam 250). Gormley roosts DeAnza Pro gang By Kit Palmer SUNNYM EAD, CA, j AN . 17 Yamaha of Indio's Craig Gonnley (Yam) swep t both motos in the 250cc Pro class at last week's AMA MX t D A C· I P k a e nza yc e ar. Cormley's closest competitor was Suzuki of Riverside's Dave Pettigrew (Suz) who took a 2-2 score to capture second. The well-prepared Doug Hall track took on a major face -lift giving racers a new challenge to conquer. Gormley, who had no p roblems conquering the new or old sections, rocketed into the lead in the first moto ahead of Pettigrew, Expert-classed Ken Campbell and john Mazzacane (Suz) . It wasn't long before Gorm ley had stretched his lead to a comfortable . Y h d G ma rgm. ama a-mounte reg Taylor began to make his move, taking the third spot on the second lap. The rea l battle began to brew between the two Suzuki of Riverside riders Campbell and Mazzacane. In th e ea rly goings Mazzacane had slipped by Campbell, and then developed a sligh t lead . Ha lfway thr ough the race Campbell began to reel in Mazzacane. The two engaged in a one-on -one duel for the lead. Mazzacane managed to hold back the hard charging Campbell but gave in with only two laps remaining. Gormley went on to take the easy win followed by Pettigrew and Taylor, while Campbell took the Expert win inches ahead of Mazzacane. The start of moto two saw Gormley grab the early lead with Pettigrew, Pat Weber (Suz) and Fred Nichols in pursuit. Nash overtook Nichols when he dropped out of contention on the third lap. He then started to put pressure on Weber. Weber held back Nichols for a few laps but Nichols snuck by, taking over th ird. Weber came bac k two laps later to regain his stolen position. From there things only got worse for Weber as both Nichols and Taylor slipped by towards the end of the race . Like the previous moto Gormley cont inued to victory followed by Pett igrew, Taylor and Nichols . In the Expert race it was Campbell who grabbed a comfortable second moto lead in front of Mazzacane. Mazzacane began his long come -frombehind drive to reel in Campbell only a few laps from the finish. Mazzacane's second mota win gave him the victory over Campbell. The largest class of the day. with 17 riders. was the 125cc Beginner class. At the start of moto one it was the clu tch work of john Stroud (Suz) that captured the holeshot in front of Steve Ness (Suz). Alan Hurwit (Suz) and T iberio Esparza (Yam) . Half-way through the race Ness managed to sneak past th e leader. Stroud stayed close to the new leader but Ness held on to take the win. Hurwit held on to third while Esparza took fourth . When the pack of 125s rounded the first tum at the start of moto two it was Hurwi t who held the lead followed by Ness, Scott Delameter (Yam) and jow Provenghi (Yam) . Hurwit's lead on ly lasted two laps before he dropped out on the third lap . Ness then inherited the lead. Esparza bega n to make his bid and took over second within three laps. Ness went on to take the win and overall just ahead of Esparza an d Delarneter . Results PEE WEE: t . Mark Hoopingarner IItj); 2. Christopher Moore (Suzl. J R CVC: 1. Buddy Antu_ (Vaml; 2. Adam Atzg ..ald IVam). MINI BEG: 1. Bryan Ptvitt (Vam); 2. David Tanghe lYaml; 3. PatGunllWfon lYam). MINI NOV: 1. Mike Fitzgerald (Varni; 2. Torry SzucakolYaml; 3. Ow,on Hoopingarner IKaw). 125 BEG: r. Stove Ness ISuzl;' 2. Tiberio Esparza lYaml; 3. Scott Delameter IVomI. 125 NOV: 1. Mark Woedeman (Suzl; 2. Jim German lYomI;3. DenniaSeneiIISuz ). 125 INT: 1. Taylor Marcell lYam); 2. Jim Pearson I~~~. ~~~I1ISUZ); 2. CharlooOotorday ISuzl. IH~f~~ =, ~htistonaen (Hon); 2. Tim Krehbiel 250 NOV: 1. Colin RyanlYamI ;2. MarkMontgomory (Kaw); 3. CaI S~ lSuzl. ~1~;=r~~';,"~2is'~:'fcJ:c::,~ (Suzl. 250 PRO:1. Craig GormIeylYam); 2. OlMd Pettigr.... ISuzl; 3. GrogTaylor lYaml. OPE BEG: t . Ron Rog..a IHon); 2. Errol Led\<: N IY~Fi~'~iW:'Je;::~~i:')jyam); 2. Jeff Woedemln lYomI;3. Grog Roberg lYam). OPEN INT: 1. Ron Lawson ISuzl; 2. Rick Granl (Mai· . 3. Ar1hurCleve< lYam). OPEN PRO: 1. Eddie Michetti ISuzl; 2. Bill Pelt> lYam). VETS EX: 1. Chuck Minert IHonl; 2. Gary Willison; l . Ed Michetti IMail. VET INT: 1. Tom Sowyer lYam); 2. William Clire IH~ilj~i~~ ~~~(~~~~'(HUal; 2. D.J. Kokos IHus); 3. Tim Jonea(Vam). Gambetta, Simons take AMEMX wins By Laura Richard VALENCIA, CA, JAN. 10 The American Motocross E n terprises opened their 1982 raci ng season a t Indian Dunes o n the I n terna tio nal course tod ay. Yamaha of Goleta sponsored Mark Garnbeua was able to put together back-to-hack wins for the day in the Open Pro race. The win s didn 't co me easy for the strong riding Gambetta. Rou nd one sa w Kolbe Honda sponsored Steve Ra wso n jumping into the lead with Garnbetta taking over second p lace and third being filled by Sunshine Yamaha rider Erin Buskerk. Ra wson was able to hold onto the lead until lap II when he stalled his bike going into one of the corn ers giving the lead 10 Garnbeua. Ra wson had to settle for seco nd with Bur kirk taking third . Round two saw Gambeua jump into th e lead followed by Buskirk and Suzuki o f Ventura sponsored Bra n d j o h n so n. The 250cc Pro class saw Brand j ohnson laking back to back wins. In round o ne j ohnson took th e holeshot a nd th e lead foll owed by Orin Buski rk and Crossroads Suzuki m ounted jim Sendl eba ch . j ohnson was a ble to hold orr Buskirk to tak e the win. Round IWO again saw j ohnson take th e lead followed by Buskirk and Kolbe H onda m ounted T om Webb. j ohnson was abl e to take th e win and overall for th e da y with second going to Buskirk a nd th e third slot being £iIled by Webb. The 125cc Pro class saw Simi Cycle 's jim Simons (Yam) tak ing back-toback wins for the da y. Suzuki of Ventura sponsored Lance johnson was able to put together back-to-bark wins in th e 125cc junior class with second place going to Suzuki mounted Bernard Lehn and th ird being filled by Kawasaki of Goleta rider Mike Knapp. In the I25cc Intermediate class Bill Moo re sponsored Andy Ellis took back-to-hack wins wi th seco nd goi ng to Yamaha of Goleta rider Dave Moore and third to Suzuki mo unted SCOll Marrison. In the 250cc junior class it was Ro bert Pugmire taking his Honda to a double win wit h second go ing to Yamaha of Goleta rider Lee johnson and third being £iIled by Suzuki mounted Dan Fitzgerald. The 250cc Int erm edia te class saw Kal-Gard sponsored Ra ndy Li ie

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