Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(Top) J i m Gibson (8), Scott Burnworth (19) and Barnett wait for Saturday's start. (Above) Donnie Hansen and Dave Arnold discuss strategy. (Bel ow ) Halftime entertainment included a tug of war between mechanics and locals. The mechanics lost. 8 His veteran teammate, Reid , closed on him in the last ha lf of the race a nd took second with Hannah third and Alan Ki n g, a nother Suzuki teamster , fourth. Tom Benolkin headed the first semi from start 10 finish, despite almost losing it in the early going when he tried 10 clear three whoops instead of the usual two, and bent the bike over and styled as he hit the fini sh lin e jump to receive. the checkers. Blown fork seals squirted . oil on his front brake disc, diminishing performance of both forks and brake, and necessitating a quick fork leg swap after the finish. Yamaha Pro Support rider jeff Hicks a nd Honda Support rider Larry Wosick battled for second throughout the first half of the semi befo re Wosick got by. Suzuki Support rider Clint H ard ick ended up wi th second on the fina l lap, tho ugh. Burnworth had no competi tion in the second semi, spending his time clicking orr the laps in front . Bill Li les bounced pas t H o n da Support rider J oJo Kell er on la p seven for a transfer. Kenn y Keylo n put it 10 'em in the consy for the last transfer followed by WR W Racing Yamaha rider Da rren R ho ten and Yamaha Pro Support rider Eric McKenna. Final Barnett, Glover and Hansen led the way through the first tu rn , but Glover emerged the lea der as they completed their first lap followed by R eid , Bu rn wo rt h , Ward, Gibson , Martin and Hannah. Ward scooted around Burn wort h the next time around a nd fell in behind Reid . Wh en Rei d went dow n in turn o ne after hi s fro n t en d wash ed o u t, he was u p in fourth. Barn ell lost grou nd o n la p six w hen h is hand hi t the ba rs as h e lean ed into a left-b a n der before th e mecha nics' a rea a nd th en flew into the ha ybal es. He wa s q uickly u p a n d goi ng aga in, tho ugh, a nd bega n to ca tch back up 10 H ansen , who was closi ng o n Gl ov er. Barn ell sa w h is chance 10 repass Hansen o n la p 12 and to ok it. " H e passed me over that camelback," Hansen said. "He got a better drive out of the corner." Glov er, wh o h ad s ta rte d out stro ng ly, no w had Barnell a nd H ansen righ t be h ind with Ward keepin g an eye o n things a short di stance back. " I rode a littl e 100 co nserva ti vely," G lover exp la i ne d later. " I wasn' t a ttack in g some o f th e turns as h a rd as I was in m y hea t race, o r in practi ce eve n." Two laps later, Barnell kept it na il ed over a series o f whoo ps, h it the outside of th e turn a nd o u t-j u m ped G lov er a t th e fi nish j u m p. "Usua lly I was g oi ng a bo u t fourth (gea r), and that time I just sh ifted up one more a n d pulled h im into the co rner." Barnett said later . " I th ink he ex pec ted it. H e we nt 10 cut insi de o f m e, and we were j ust eve n a ll the way up to that d ouble-up. I h ad more m o m entu m going u p a n d passed him. Fro m th ere o n i t was p re t ty easy; I pull ed o u t about four seconds, a nd after th a t it was keeping a good pace, enough to stay a head ." Barnell stayed co m fo rta bly clear o f th e brawl beh ind h im i n vo lv ing G lover, H ansen a nd Wa rd . Gl over m anaged to j ust keep seco nd, but H ansen was trying. " It was hard 10 ge t b y," H a nsen claimed. " I co ul d n't get by G lover. He slowed m e up a little bi t. Then I made a co u p le of m istakes. Wa rd b u mped me o ut o f a turn so he got by me. T hat was a b ummer." It a lso gave Ward t hird pl ace as they too k th e wh it e flag, leaving H a nse n with not enough time to regr o u p and repass. " I could see the leaders up front so I started charging for 'em," said Wa rd afterward. "I thin k I could've got Broc if we had o ne more lap, but I was ha p p y where I finished. I didn 't really let 'em get away; I knew I could keep up with them , but Ba rnell was going really strong. It was so hard to pass ou t here; you had to go almost twice as hard in corners to pass a guy, and nobody goes almost as fast as Barnell goes into co rners . So if you pass him, you're going damn fast." Bu rn wo rt h rode in for fifth over Gibson , Ha n na h and Ellis. Denny Bentley came out on top of a tight skirmish involving O 'Mara a nd R ick Joh nson which went do wn to th e checkers. " Mark rode a Iit tl e ha rd er , and he had th e will to wi n," G lo ver said. "I've got to get that back to m e. It helps o ut doi ng this good before a Na tional (the 125/ 25Occ opener at H a n g to w n on Ma r. 28). " I 'm ha p p y." he said before correc ti ng h i mself. ''I'm semi -happy. I co u ld be o ne happier," he said with a grin. Barnell 's d o uble wins ga ve h im a dou ble boost of m om en tum that he ho pes will carryover 10 next week 's opening Na tional. "Looking forward 10 125s now," he said though tfully. " Big p ump going." And if h isto ry repeats itself there, Ba rn ell cou ld stay pumped for q uite a wh ile. • Results FRIDAY : 1. Mark Barn ett (Suz); 2. Donnie Hansen (Hon); 3 . Wa rren Reid (Suz); 4 . Ji m Gibson (Hon); 5 . Bob Hanna h (Yam): 6. SCott Burnworth (Yam): 7. Johnny , C 'Mara (Hon); 8 . Goat Breke" (Kaw); 9 . Broc Glove r (Yam); 10 . Kenn y Keylo n (Han); 11. Kem Howenon (S uz); 12. Tom Ben olkin (Kawt ; 13 . David Bailey (Hon) : 14 . Chuc k Sun (Hon): 15 . J immy Ell is (Hon): 16. Rick Johnson (Yam): 17 . Dan ConWlly(Kaw): lB. Jeff Ward (Kaw). SATURDAY: 1. Mark Barnen (SUI); 2. Broc Glover (Yam); 3. Jeff Wa rd IKaw); 4 . Donnie Hansen (Hon); 5 . Scon Burnwonh (Yam) ; 6 . Jim Gibson (Han) ; 7 . Bob Henn ah (Yaml: 8 . J immy Ellis (Hon) ; 9. Denny Bentlev (Suzl; 10. Johnny O'Mar a (Hon); 11 . Rick Johnson (Yam ); 12 . Tom Benolkin(Kaw); 13 . Kent Howerton (Suz): 14. Alan King(Suz): 15. Gaorge HollandISuz); 16 . Steve Martin (lion): 1']. Clint Hardick (Suz): 1B. Kanny Kaylon (Hon ): 19 . Dan ConWllYIKaw): 20 . Bill Lile s (Kaw). AMA/WRANGl.ER SUPERCROSS SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. Donnia Hanson 1161): 2. Mark Bornatt (152): 3 . Bob Hannah (137): 4 . barrett Shultz ( 122 ): 5. Johnny O'Mara (109): 6. Jim Gib son (I04): 7 . Broc Glov ar (10 3): B. Wa"an Raid (BO): 9. Je ff Ward (75): 10 . Goat Beeker (55): 11. (TIE) Kant Howerton/Scott Burnworth (52): 13 . (TIE) Tom Benolkin /Chuck Sun (51); 15. David Baile y (50); 16 . Kenny Kaylon (4 2): 17 . Stave Martin (41 ); 1B. (TIE) Rick John son /La rry Wos ick (37); 20 . J immy Ellis (331.

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