Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

..... < c-r l-t 0. (Top) Dirt tracker Mike Minnig won 750cc Production at ARRA. while fellow flat tracker Bubba Shobert (above middle/1 67) took 600cc Production. (Above) Dennis Smith was the co-winner of the ARRA endurance race, . Dirt track invasion atARRA WilowRR By Lori Tyson , ROSAMOND , CA. APR. 4 Team Kawasaki dirt tracker Mike Minnig showed up.with a new GPz750 and went out in the 750 and Open Box Stock race at the American Road Racing Association's Willow Springs meet a nd showed 'em how the dirt trackers do it, This was Mike's first road race . but a la Wayge Rainey. he had some help from Keith Code's Cal ifornia Superbike School. Mike put on a super show as he battled Seaweed Kawasaki 's Earl RoloH. Minnig held the lead. followed closely by Roloff, until th e very last lap when Roloff caught him to take the win. Behind the leaders there was quite a duel between Open class competitor Bill Kinney and 750cc rider Brian Stulbaum. Kinney crossed first to win the Open class with Stulbaum taking third in his class. In the Production race it was Minnig and Roloff again going at it. But this time Roloff was on his Open class Eddie Lawson Replica with Minnig on his 750 Box Stocker. Roloff grabbed the lead from Minnig on the third lap but just couldn't shake him. In the end. Roloff crossed first. but Minnig'. with impressive I:42 lap times. still won his class easil y. In th e money rac e. 500 a nd Open GP. Mike Krolich grabbed th e lead and held onto it until lap four wh en j eH Stanl ey (o n th e Warland Engiv. neerin g su perbike) sn atch ed it aw ay to tak e th e first place money. T hird overa ll went to Wh itn ey Blackeslee on hi s Moriwaki GPz550. Krol ock wa s at it again in 750 a nd Open Super Street. th is tim e di cing with Open class rider Kevin Bracken. Bra cken led th e first lap. but then Mik e took over to lead th e next three. with Bracken right on his tail. Bracken regaine d th e lead on th e fifth lap and held it to cros s th e lin e first. Third overa ll went to Robbie Radel . on his Virgin Bull Cocktail Mixes Kawasaki. who took second in his class. In the 600-900cc and Open Fourstroke GP race. it was Radel's turn to fight it out with Bracken. Radel had the lead until lap four when Bracken was able [0 pass going into [urn one. Radel didn 't give up. [hough. as he stuck with Bracken to the end but had to settle for the second place trophy. With I:44 lap times. Whitney Blakeslee took another first pl ace in 600cc Super Street. and gave " the incredible power of the Moriwaki motor" th e cr edit. Another dirt tracker . Bubba Shobert. was in second place until the third lap when he dropped behind Steve Reynosia. Shobert then went on to battle Bailey Morgan and Walter Nitta for third. with Morgan taking it, In 450cc Super Street. Kenny Stack fought against Howard Monise, jay Tanner and jim Collins over the first place spot. By the fourth lap. Stack had widened his lead and left the other three dueling for second. In the end Monise took home the second place trophy. followed by Tanner in third. Monise grabbed an early lead in 450cc Production and held it to win by a wide margin. The real race was for second as jeH Braucht and Clint Whitehouse went at it the entire ra te. Braucht took the checkers first by the end of the six-Iapper. There were two 125cc GP races run. and the same bike with -two different riders won both. In the first . Richard Lovell was the pilot and diced with Tom DeWitt before taking the win. In the second race. Dann y Coe, on the same machine. fought Len Gambo for th e trophy. with Danny taking it. In third place Tom DeWitt and jeff Braucht (on a borrowed bike) went at it. with DeWitt getting the trophy. There were four riders vieing for the number one spot in the 250cc Production/Formula Four race . As Scott Waters. Don Nelson. Dan Diaz and jeH Kratka diced. it was anyone's guess as to who would win . But on the last lap, Kratka slid off the track and out of the race. Don Nelson took the overall win with Waters holding number two overall to take the Formula Four win. Diaz took third overall and second 25Occ. While ARRA starter Glenn Hobbs took an easy win in the Classics race . Chris Scott and David Breetwor fought over second. Scott. on a 750cc class machine, took the checkers with Breerwor, on an Open classer, setding for third. Be sure not to miss the next ARRA race. which will be the Silver Cup Race May 2 at Riverside. Results , 450 PROD: 1. Howlrd ,M onioe (ylml; 2. Jeff Braucht (Yam~; 3. Clinton Whitehouse ('(am). 125 GP RACE 1; 1. Richerd lcMIlilHon t. 2. Tom DeWin IHon); 3. Mlny Anderson (Honl. 500 GP; 1. Rob DeWin (yam); 2. Robbie Radel IKawt. 3. Gaorge Harvey (Suli. OPEN GP: 1. Jeff Stanley IKlw); 2. Mike Krol ick (Kaw t. 3. Wh imey Blakeslee (Kl w ). 450 BOX STOCK; 1. Perry Stein (Hont. 2. John Thornton (Yem); 3 . Paul Banitch (Yam). 600 BOX STOCK: 1. Jack Knox (Yam); 2. Morgsn Bailey IKawt. 3. Willy Sarli IKaw). 750 SUPER STREET 1. M ika Krolick (Kaw l; 2. : RobINeRadel (Kaw); 3. Denny Fryer (Han). OPEN SUEPRSTREET 1. Kevin Bracken (Due); 2. : Rye Hefley (Han); 3. Kev in Warkentin (Kaw). 500 GP: 1. Tarry Maves IKaw). 100 GP; 1. Dustv Behrman IHon). FORMULA FOUR: 1. Scan Waters IC·A); 2. Mike Gallaghar (Ylm). 250 PROD; 1. Don Nelson (C-A); 2. Dan Dial IVl m). VINTAGE: 1. David Fioralli (BSA);.2. Mark Johnson IAer). CLASSIC I: 1. Chris Scan (Nor). CLASSIC II: 1. Glenn Hobbs INor); 2. David Breetwor IBSAI; 3. Greg Phillipi 1M-G). 450 SUPERSTREET 1. Ken Stack (Yam); 2. How: ard Monise (Yam); 3 . Jay Tanner (Yam) . 600 SUPERSTREET: 1. Whitney Blakeslee IKlwl; 2. Steve Reynasis (Han); 3. Morgsn Bailey IKaw). 750 BOX STOCK: 1. Earl Roloff (Kawl; 2. Mike M innig (Kaw): 3. Brisn Stulbaum (Han). OPEN BOX STOCK; 1. Bill Kinney (Sull; 2. Fred Moore ISuzl; 3. Myron Kitchen tSuz) . 125 GP RACE 2: 1. Danny Coo (Han): 2. Len Gamba (Han); 3. Tom DeWin (Han). 200 GP: 1. Scan Waters IC·A); 2. Alex Sardo (Yam). 250 SUPER STREET 1. Don Nelson IC·A) . : 600 FOUR-STROKE GP: 1. Rick Miller (Honl; 2. Kennie Buchanan IKaw); 3 . James Dickinson (Han) . 900 FOUR·STROKE GP: 1. Kevin Bracken IDuc); 2. RobINeRedeIIKaw); 3. Rye Hafley IHon). OPEN FOUR-STROKE GP: 1. Glenn Hobbs (Nor); 2. Jim Collins IKawl; 3. Chris Scon INor). 600 PROD: 1. Bubba ShobertIKlw); 2. Jack Knox (Yam); 3. Robert Anson (Kiwi. 750 PROD: 1. Mike Minnig (Kawt. 2. Brian Stulbaum (Hon); 3. Joe Bruton (Kaw), OPEN PROD: 1. Earl Roloff (Kaw); 2. Bill Kinney (SUlt. 3. Fred Moore (SU1). Steward/Smith snagARRA Willow endurance RR By Lori Tyson ROSAMOND. CA, APR. 3 It was a one-two victory for Team Cycle Tune in the American Road Racing Association's four-hour endurance race at Willow Springs. with the ' team of Dennis Smith and Chris Steward taking the win. fo llowed by john Ulrich and Bill Maddocks. The Smith /Steward team was mounted on an 1150cc Suzuki equipped with a Yoshimura motor and cam and a Bassani pipe. The second place machine was a stock Suzuki with a Bassani pipe-, Smith /Steward led all of their 1:45 laps. with the exception of the very first which was led by Terry Statum/ jerry Clint. Statum/Cline crashed out of the race at the one hour mark. The only problem Smith/Steward had all day was that their seat latch kept opening. and they had to make a few unscheduled pit stops to lock it back down. Smith rode consistent I:37 lap times all day with Steward doing 1:37.5s. The second place team of Ulrich/ Maddocks tried to keep times in the 1:38-1 :40 range. Maddocks had an exciting habit of leaving the pits on one wheel and sometimes carrying it nearly to the first turn. Team Racers Supply - Rick Mitchell, Tom Hayner. Steve Sowden and Dennis Kemp - held third until the three-hour mark of the race when their bike spit a shim . and they had to drop out. leaving Trevor Dunn/Chuck Pace to take third in the Open class. The tea m with the quickest pit stopswas the second place 600cc team of jeH Braucht/Marty Anderson with 17-second gas and rider changes. The award for persistence should go to the northern California team of Kent Thomas/Randy Fettas. After drawing pole position. their rider rnisshifted and dropped back in the field. vA few minutes after that, the

• Cover