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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126614
(Top left) Fritz Kadlec leads winner Terry Cunningham out of a corner. (Top right) Open Intent class winner Wally Wilson. (Above) Veterans Jack Penton (left) and Dick Burleson d uel . AMA One Day Qualifier Series: Round 5 Athens One Day steamrolled by Cunningham By Raymond M. McCoy ATHENS, OH, APR. 18 Husqvarna's T erry Cunningham turned on the juice to post bes t individual score in the Ohio round of the ISDE Qualifier Series. Cunningham's 1089 point score provided him wi th a 28 point (seco nds) margin over Kaw asa ki 's Fr ill . Ka d Iec, w h 0 ll;lr ne d In a I. I 17 . p o int tall y, 'This was Cunn ing- ·22 ha m 's seco nd straigh t top score and wi n in the 250cc Intent cla ss. Kadl ec took secon d in th a t class in th e Athens M.C. sponsored event . Dick Burleso n , back in action after a short layo ff to let a broken bone in his left foot heal, took the 175cc Intent win . Burleso n bu m p ed up th e disp lacement o f h is l 25cc H usq varn a to 175cc u sin a kit he has been devel- oping as part of his R&D wor k w!t h H usky. Burl eson a lso posted the thi rd best overa ll score at 1124. Ka wasa ki 's Jack Pent on tu rn ed in an 1129 poin t ride to to p the 125cc Intent ra n ks while H usqvarna ri der Wally Wi lso n was five poi nts back a t 11 34 for th e fift h best sco re an d th e O pen Intent win. Ra nd y Mast in , aboard a Hon da, ended Can-Am rider Bob Pea rce's winning strea k in th e 4-stroke Intent class. T he hosting At he ns M.C. used a three 100 course which had the gas SlOpS and the special test area organized a ll a rou nd th e club's grounds. The first riders were out at 7 a.m. a nd wer e quickl y a t the first grass track test. J a ck Penton , the sixth rider o u t, turned in th e third fa stest time for the test on h is one-tw a -five . Burleson and I 25cc Intent class rid er Mik e Melton turn ed in identical scor es for a tie at secon d fastest. Cunningham let it be known he was in a winning mood with a bli stering ride to put him in co m ma nd from th a t point o n. More than a few riders went down in quick fashion as th e tra ck su rface wa s rapidly ch u rned into mud in many sectio ns . Loop o ne wa s 40.8 mil es in len g h t with th e seco nd loop being 49.1 miles long. The th ird loop wa s o n th e trail used for loop o ne, onl y in revers e direction. Most riders hit th eir ga s SlOpS with tim e 10 sp are for mai ntenan ce. The seco nd gras s track test ca me after the second gas. Team Ma ico's ma nager Dick France saw the efforts o f both Frank Stacy and Ray Cosgrove come to a halt. Stacy ret ired after reinjuring the shoulder he had banged up in th e Tenn essee round. "The accident happened when I began to push myself after I got a flat o n the trail between chec ks Iour and five," said Sta cy. " T he trail dropped into a creek bottom and that's when I went down. I was so st iff when I got to the gas stop I could hardly use the clutch." Cosgrove sp lit the seam on his exhaust pipe. He ran the grass tra ck, bu t wa s losin g so much power he decided not 10 continue. Man y riders bettered their first times on th e test, but Cun ningha m had to . do it the hard way . "Everyone was saying 10 h it th e creek jump hard, " said Cunni ngham, "so as I approached it I was reall y movi ng. Unforrunarel y.I hesitat ed j ust a bi t, ca using m e 10 land on the opposite bank ins tea d of past it a n d I went down h ard ." Cu nningham still tu rn ed in a run five seco nds faster th an hi s fir st 10 reta in co mmand of th e in d ivid ua l scoring. T h e win in th e 125cc Intent class was go ing down 10 th e final (MX) test as Penton gai ned three points o n Melton leaving Melton a slim four point (seco nd) adva n tage. The fina l test, run MX style, would be four laps o n the 1.2 mile co urse. Penton, Melton and Burleson were a mo n g the ride rs in hea t on e. Pen ton grabbed th e lead on the dead-engine start, but as the field ca me to a long, steep downhill midway th ro ugh lap one it was Bu rl eso n in the lead. T wo laps la te r Penton was back in front aft er stuffing it underneath Burleso n in a tight turn. Melton's chances of wi nning th e 125cc class came 10 an end wh en the engi ne seized . Pent o n won the rnoto and the 125cc class. Melton wa s slow ed, but not enough 10 drop him from second. "We o ld m en were just cruising, " said Penton of hi s bailie with Burleson. Burleson sa id, "Jack made a good m ove 10 pa ss me and I was playing it a bit safe. I a lm ost ca ug h t him at th e finish." Cunningham had to chase Kadlec for the lead in the second heat. O n the second lap Cunningham made his move just off th e down hill. H e took th e lead, th e win and, with the fastest tim e, th e best individual score . Kadl ec fin ished six seconds back. " I could ca tch Fri tz in th e co rners and I th ough t I wo u ld hit h im several times beca use h e wo u ld n early stop an d th en mo tor me o n th e st ra ig h ts. I knew I had to pass h im o n the down h ill," said C u n ni ngha m. Husqv a rn a 's Mark H yde, who had been hol d in g the lead in th e O pen Intent class th rough ou t th e day, sa w his chance for a win evapora te wh en he broke h is bike's cha in . Wa lly Wilso n grabbed the opport u ni ty for th e" wi n. Results 125cc I: t . Jack Pen ton (KawI 1129; 2. Mika Me l ton (Hu.1 1188; 3. Ala n line (KTM) 1248. . 17 5cc I: 1. Dick Burl eso n IHus) 1 124; 2. Jo hn Fero (SUl) 1242 ; 3 . Joseph Korzencki (Suzl I 248; 4. Rand y Kline (YamI 12 63; 5 . bock Elkin s (C· AI 12B7 . 250CC I: 1. Terry Cunning ham (Hu s) 1089; 2. Fr itz Kadlec (Kaw) 1 117; 3 . Drew Smith lKaw) 1135; 4. Sten Lojak (Hus) 1143; 5. Kevin Hin e' (Hu.) 1159; 6. Jeff Rus sell (Hus l 1184; 7. Bill Berrath tKTM) 11B5; B. Ray MU"llena.t (HusI1 186; 9. Gray leonerd (Husj 1188; 10 . Rod Bush (KTM) 1197 . OPEN I: 1. Wa lly Wi lson IHu.) 1134; 2. Tom Buckle. (KTM I1141 ; 3 . Kevin laVoie (KTM I 114 7; 4. Tim Hopey (SW M) 1169; 5. Joe loJak (Husl l 1B6. 4 -STROKE I: 1. Randy M a..in IHon11 3 59; 2. Bob Pearce IC· A) 2248. 2DDcc A ; 1. Gr eg Koontz (Yam) 600; 2. Denny Mea ns (Hon I6 17 . 250cc A ; 1. Scon Ford (Ma il 555; 2. Han. Raide l (KTM I 5 5B; 3. Ramsay Simmons IKTM) 742; 4. John Ste indler (Yam) 943; 5 . Thomas Sterg ill (HusI 13 2B. OPEN A : 1. Tim Shepard (Yam) 5n; 2. Jeffrey An thony (KTM ) 6B7; 3. Gregg Harless (Hon)751 ; 4. Denni. M itchell (Yam) 769; 5. Larry Wayne (Yam) 2417. 125cc B: 1. Ray Mason IKTMI26B3; 2. Bob Ell ion (KTMI2809. 2DDcc B; 1. Robert Wilson (Yaml 780; 2. Joan Kalleker fC-All 037; 3. Rom McCune (Honll 807; 4. Harry Hopes (Honl 2547; 5. Windel Hale (KTM ) 252 1. 25Dcc B: 1. Ken M in'eer (KTM ) 1295; 2. Dennis Welser IKTM- 1436; 3. Roneld Morni"ll (Husl 1881; 4. John Deakins IM ai) 2069; 5. Ri<:hard Bell (Yam) 2472. OPEN B: 1. David Gillian (HonI 12B; 2. Deen Har · vey (Hus) 63B; 3 . John Fracke lton (Hon l B59 ; 4. David Geisle r (Yaml 1717; 5. Mark Hunt (Hon) 21n. SR; 1. Donald Har less (Hon) 1063; 2 . Gary Miller (YamI1217; 3 . Fred Henoley (HUI ) 2904. SUPER SR: Herb Leppel mei r lKTMl 2094.