Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

entireHoriaa facto ry feam~ fiad - ridde n at the Anaheim Supercross the night before, then flown or driven the 500 miles to Prairie City OHV Park. The effort paid off for the Honda crew as the big red wrecking crew ro lled over th e competition and topped all three Pro races. Johnny O'Mara won his fifth overall of the series, but teammate Danny Chandler broke O'Mara's perfect moto win streak when he reached the checkers first in moto one. Missing from the day's action was Yamaha's Bob Hannah who was leading the 250cc P ro class coining into the day's event. Ho nda stars Do n n ie Hansen and Jim Gibson traded moto wins, and Hansen is now tied with Hannah at 76 points while Gibson's overall win brings his points total to 69. Hi-Point Honda rider P h il Larson had been threatening to end Suzuki star Brad Lackey's win streak for the past three races and the young Bremerton, W A rider fin a ll y gave Honda their first vic tory in the 500cc class after two adrenalin packed motos. In 80cc Expert action, Suzuki rider Bruce Bunch dominated bothmotos by easily outdistancing a fierce battle for runner-up honors between Kawasaki rider Willie Surratt and Suzuki pilo t R ick Hemme. Surratt and Hemme trad ed finishing positions with Hemme getting the be tter finish in rou nd two to earn second overall. Yamaha rider Danny Storbeck finished fourth behind Surratt. Maico rider Jim O'Neal battled to the Vet Masters overall win despite competition from Wheelsmith Maico rider Alan O lson and Husky-mounted Buzz P resser. Presser earned second overall bra ggin g rights while O Iso n dropped to eighth with mechanical problems. 500cc Pro Larson blasted into the lead as the pack thundered up the Prairie City start hill with Lackey and Hondamounted Steve Banning tailing. By lap three, Larson and Lackey had pulled away from the field, and Lackey ' wa s pressuring hard for the lead. Lackey soon passed Larson for the front posi tion, but two turns tater the Honda was back in Iro nr . . Lackey regained the lead on the downhill, but Larson stayed close and moved back into the lead at the halfway point. A broken brake spring slowed Larson in the final few laps, and Lackey moved in front for keeps. Larson he ld onto second place as Maico rider Jerome Hieberger placed third ahead of a tight duel between KTM rider John Finkeldey and Maico-mourued Dave Coupe. Larson dialed in the second moto holeshot with Banning running second followed by Heiberger and Lackey. Lackey quick ly moved into second, and the front front- runners pulled away from the third-place battle. • With the spectators cheering on both riders, Lackey and Larson traded the lead several times in the closing laps. Larson managed to hold off Lackey 's last-lap charge, and another overall win went to the excited Honda camp. Heiberger's strong 3-3 score kept him in third place in the series points chase while Coupe picked up fourth -place money and Finkeldey finis hed fifth. 125cc Pro After one false start, the I 25cc Pros screamed onto the track with Danny Chandler leading the pack. Yamaha rider Erik Kehoe moved into second while R ick Ryan pushed his Suzuki to third and series leader O'Mara completed the first la p fou rth. --- ~ - -- O lan dl er openeda six-second lead ' before O'Mara berserked past Ryan and Kehoe and reeled in his team mate. O'Mara slipped past Chandler wi th two laps remaining in the rnoto, but Chandler charged back into t he lead when a lapped rider blocked O'Mara. , "The last la p was incredible," noted O'Mara later. "I had three different guys ge t in my wa y, and the last guy fell in front of me and just laid there." Chandler took the checkers first with O 'Mara second, Yamaha rider Ro n Lechien an inspired third, . R ya n fourth and Kehoe fifth : O'Mara nailed the second moto holeshot and proceeded to dance his production-based CRI25, with a trick Showa front end, to a 30-second lead at the checkers. Lechien and Chandler suffered from mid-pack starts but provided the specta tors with a dazzling' show of ridi ng talent as they charged through the pack to finish just inches apart, Lechien second and Chandler third. Chandler picked up the second- ' place share of the purse money behind O 'Mara while Lechien finished third, Ryan a well deserved fourth - a nd Honda rider Ron Turner an amazing come-from-behind fifth . ~ tN 00 (j) ...... o ...... • ~S" 250cc Pro Loca l Pro Rod Smith surprised everyone by powering his Suzuki to the first rnoto lead ahead of Hansen and Gibson. The Honda tea m sters soon outpaced Smith , and he dropped to third as Hansen and Gibson cruised into the lead . Honda support riders Larry Wosick and Jim Tarantino moved into fourth and fifth , displacing Smith near th e halfway mark. The finishing order, was set with Honda riders occupying the top four positions a nd Smith taking the checkers 'fifth . Hansen holeshot round two wi th Tarantino a close second, Smith third, G ibson and Wosick rounding ou t the top five at the completion of lap one. By lap five the order was Hansen, Tarantino, Wosick, Gibson and Smith. Tarantino continued to hold off Wosick and Gibson until his rear brake pivot broke. " The brake wou ld stick when 1 landed off jumps so I had to let Wosick and Gibson by," explained Tarantino after the race. Lapped riders caused the top four to bunch up nearmoto's end.Gibson took advantage of the traffic and slipped past Wosick and Hansen in a surprise move that carried him to the lead and the second moto win. "Jim was really moving!" noted Hansen later. Gibson's move gave h im the overall win with Hansen taking second and Wosick third. Tarantino h eld on to finish fourth , overall , and Smith went home with the fifth-place purse money . The battle will continue next week at Carlsbad then skip a week before going to Madera for the final race on -Fe br ua ry 21 where Hannah, Hansen and Gibson wi ll decide who will be the 1982 Gold en State Ser ie5 Champion. • Results 500 PRO: 1. Phil Larson (Han) ; 2. Brad Lackey (SUl); 3. Jerome Heiberger (Ma i); 4 . Dave Coupe (Mai); 5 , John Finkeldey (KTMI ; 6. Eric McKenna (Yam); 7. Randy Lash (Mai); 8, Kirk Spenc er (Yam); 9 . Mike Marquez (Hus) ; 10 . Alan Silhanek (Suz). 250 PRO: 1. Jim Gibson (Han); 2. Don nie Hansen (Hon) ; 3 . LarryWosick(Hon); 4 . Jim Tarantino(Hon); 5 . Rod Sm it h (Suz); 6 . Jim Anderse n (Yam); 7 . Juan Benavidez (Yam); 8. Scott Rebuc k (Han); 9. Scott Ma nni ng (Yam); 10 . Nick Cordova (Ho n). 12 5 PRO: 1. John ny O'M ara (Han); 2. DBnn y Chandler (Han); 3. Ron Lechien (yam); 4. Rick Ryan (Suz), 5. Ron Turner (Han); 6. Kenny Keylon IHon); 7 . Erik Kehoe (Yam) ; 8. Dan Turner (Suz); 9 . Dana W8xham (Suz); 10. Dan Diesso(Suz). VET MASTER: 1. Jim O'Nea l (Mai); 2. Buzz Preser (Hus); 3 . Steve Ferroni (Yam). VET INT: 1. Mike Middleton (Han) ; 2. Leon Price (Yam); 3 . Ron Cole (Mai). VET J R: 1. John Cook (Mai); 2. Dan Westerhaver (Hus); 3. Bob Rive rn bark (VarnI. M INI EX: 1. Br uce Bu nch (Suz); 2 . Rick Hemme . • (Su z); 3. Willie Sur ran (Kaw): ' •. ' ~ ", " ~ .. .. . WlSECO PISTON , INC. 72031_ Park Blvd . Mentor. OH 44060 (216) 961-6600 Gall Tol l-F.... Nationw=cep1 Ohio) 800-32 1-1364 ~ -1 368 ' In Ohio ca ll ToI I-F.... ----iiilIl . HONDA WEST New Honda MX-ATe Support Dealer S pecial Part. e Acce••ory Discount with purcha.e 01 any MX or ATe through all X982. Honda West 2401 Lincoln Blvd. Santa Monica. CA 90405 "Help Us B e Your A T C-MX H eadq uarters" (213) 392·9593 CABLE CARE your throttle KIT (~ Don't let ~_. freeze or ha.... up! 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