Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

..... .... 0.. < Johnny O'Mara leaps off Banzai Hill at the start of the first 125cc moto followed by Mark Barnett (1), Jim Gibson (8), George Holland (44). AMA 125/250cc National Championship Motocross Series: Rounds 2-2 Barnett, Glover ace Saddleback pack By Mark Kariya Photos by Mike Klinger and Karel Kramer ORANGE, CA , APR. 4 Suzuki's Mark Barnett matched his showing ,.' a week ago at Hangtown - where he went 2-1 for the 125cc class win - to move a step closer to what he hopes will be another AMA 125cc National MX title. In th e other half of the Coors/Yamaha National at Saddleback Park, Brae Glover got it together for 10 h is first win of the year by winning both 250cc motos aboard hi s Jon Ro sensticl-tuned fa ctory Yamaha OW57 . H onda 's Johnny O'Ma ra won th e firs t 125cc moto after Barnell momen tarily sta lled h is bike a bo ut 10 m in ut es fro m the chec kers. However , after tai ling Barnell in th e seco nd mote's ea rly going. he faded 10 an eventua l fourth due 10 th e effects of a bout with the flu a co u p le da ys prior 10 the race. Still, it ea rn ed him second overall. Th ird went to Yamaha 's Bob Hannah who wa s a d istant third in th e fir st moto, The seco nd ro und sa w him ge l OU I of th e gale well. H e pa ssed .a'Mara for seco nd aft er th e IO-m inule ma rk a n d held steady th e rest of th e race th ere. Yamaha Pro S up po rt rider Rick J ohnson ro ok runner-u p overa ll honors in the 250s. A bad start a nd a cra sh in th e fir st rnoto left him well downfi eld - back around 271h - bUI he sped up through th e pa ck 10 finish fifth . He rode 10 a distant second in th e final rnoto o f th e d ay an d kept his series points lead. Scott Burnworth mad e i t a Yamaha sweep of th e top three as h e ca rded a 4-3 da y for third 10 best Suzuki 's Warren Reid. fourth with a 3-4. Preliminaries Wilh 78 total 125s a nd 90 250s, accord ing 10 an AMA o fficia l. quali eyin g rnotos a nd co nsola tio n races were req u ired. T he to p 12 in eac h 125cc q ualifier a nd th e top 13 in eac h 250cc qualifier gOI d irect tra nsfers 10 the Na tiona l starting gales. T he top six in th e 125cc co nsy a nd the to p fo u r in th e 250cc cons y a lso got transfer s. O range Co un ty Cycle Yamaha rider Mike Beier took th e lead in th e first 125cc qual ifier on lap one and never lost it, tak ing th e checkers a fter five laps ahead of Kawasaki su p port rider R ick Maki and Yam aha sup port rid er Erik Kehoe. A way s back in fourth wa s HP/RoosI Factory Suzuki rid er Gary Dircks followed closely by KalGard Suzuki-mounted Russ Wa ge· man. RPM Yamaha rider Doug Jackson saw nothing bUI cl ear tra ck in from of him the entire seco n d qualifier. Suzuki-mounted Mike Preston spent th e last three laps a few feel in arrears with Heisser Racing Suzuki rider Chris Heisser moving 10 third on the la st lap, ed g i n g OUI Rosamond Suzuki-mounted Roger Hensley and Kawasaki su p port rid er Kyle Landrum . Yam aha support rider Chris H oward look th e lead in th e co nsy o n th e seco nd la p a n d ma rch ed away [rom th e pack. Ea rl y leader Rick y Arnold held seco nd o n hi s Suzuki followed by Yamaha-mounted T racy Mcintyre. Eric H all on a Yamaha, a nd Honda riders John Drury a nd Kirk Dillon. A red n ag n egated Suzuki support rider Clint Hardick's holeshot in the firs t 250cc qualifier. On the restart, Carlos Serrano look his Roost Factory Suzuki 10 th e head of the pa ck, Maico's Ed Arnet and Kawasaki's Tom Benolkin right behind. Benolkin flew pa st Arnet then look Serrano over th e double downhill jumps a nd was gone [or th e rest of the race . Serrano jumped off th e back of hi s bike a t th e doubles (the scene of man y crashes during th e day ) a lap lat er , sell ing things up [or even tua l seco nd -p lacer, Yamaha Pro Support rider J eH J ennings. Hardick , Arn et an d Yamaha su pport rider Jim Anderso n foll owed . J ammin ' U.S.A. Kawa saki pi lot Will y Sim ons jumped into th e seco nd qual ifier lead , bUI his lime th ere lasted onl y 10 th e doubles. By so me mi racl e, h e saved a front-wh eel-f irst, ha ndstand landin g . Though he wobbled into th e banners and los t posilion. h e d idn 't ta ke th e big ea t. Team Montoya Suzuki-mounted Robert Rei singer look the lead bUI surrendered it 10 even tual winner Juan Benavidez on a Yamaha. Suzuki privateer Dav id McClain was second followed by Yamaha-mounted Craig Gormley, Reisinger and Mike Shoemaker on a Honda. Suzuki Canada's Ross Pederson came OUI of th e pack 10 walk away with th e 250cc co n sy. Cooper's Cycl e Kawasaki rider Guy Cooper claimed second ' with LOP Honda-mounted Bobby Handy a nd Woody Carlson on a Yamaha gelling th e las I transfers. 1 25cc National Johnny O 'M ara led th e ch arge 10 th e first tum with Mark Barnell coming up stro ng on th e o u tside . Hon da's J im G ib son a nd Su zuki's G eorge H olland were a lso up th ere as th e pack pl ummeted o ff Banzai H ill. Barnell was ted lillie ti me passing O'Ma ra , ge tting a dri ve up the big

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