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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126635
(Above) David Caballaro (44Z) lead. Junior winner Doug Chandler (8Y) and Robert Lend. (Below) Noviea winner Frank Wi.ham. (Bottom) Morehead on the ga. in the south turn. (Above) Steve Morehead get. excited in the Gardena Gold Cup winner'. circle. (Below) Morehead and Ted Boody duke it out on the half mile. Morehead, Chandler, Wisham rule Ascot Gold Cup By Maureen Lee Photos by David Stroman GARDENA, CA , APR. 8 Top local rookie Pete Hames kept his winning streak going this evening, making it seven in a row when he won his heat . in the 11 th Gardena Gold Cup, but it was Ohio's Steve Morehead who. arriving like Caesar in Gaul, came, saw and conquered . Fastest Expert trialer was 40 Mik e Garrison with 22.29 on ' a soggy wet track. He had th e pole fir st hea t a nd he , Chris Cannon and Morehead all arrived in turn one together. Morehead got off in turn two, but was able to get up an d finish the rac e. Garrison hung onto fir st with no problems; he was definitel y having a better eveni n g th an last week when he fell twice. Mik e Inderbitz in passed Cannon , the th ree of them becoming the direct transfers with Emory Gray work- ing hard at catching Cannon . Second heat, Pet e Hames to re off into the lead w ith Keith Da y, now owner of a national number, righ t beh ind. For a while Tom McCullo u g h was with them , but Hames and Da y pulled away. This was th e fastest heat and ga ve Hames h is seventh straight Ascot season win. Could he go on to be fir st m an ever to win th e Gardena Gold Cup as a Novice, Jun ior and Expert? Ted Boody went to th e front of hea t three with Tim Mertens; Matt Rozow icz and Mike Minnig right on h im. Mertens had the h ard luck to get off in exactly the same spot Morehead had, and Eric Swanson d id an easy slide-out in the north turn. Boody came around to take Iirst.aecond was last year's top Junior from the east coast, Rozowicz, and Minnig became the last direct transfer. The sem i roll ed up to th e li ne a n d h ad a restart. Rod Sullivan shot out of th e pack on th e restart followed by Moreh ead, Mertens, Scott Podergois a n d Gray. A few laps down , Sullivan left th e door open, and Morehead , who had j u st . been su u ng there wai ti n g, went th ro ug h it. The riders ran fairl y tightl y for a while then shook apart with Morehead look ing so good his fans had him picked for th e big win. Mike Garrison chose the inside pole lineup for the Trophy Dash. then came Morehead, Mertens and Hames. Garrison led the charge, then Mertens, Morehead and Hames. Morehead was flat moving. £lying by Mertens as they took the white flag. then , with all the experience really showing, he sho t through turns three and four and beat Garrison to th e checkered £lag. Third was Mertens and fourth Hames. As the Gardena Gold Cup is a Gardena civ ic fun ction as well as motorcycle race, th e Motorsports Man of the Year was popular " Mr Ed " Ferro. four-time Ascot figureeight champion. He wa s gi ven his award from the Gardena Chamber of Commerce. Continuing on with the Expert main. Garrison again grabbed the lead, bu t Pet e H ames bl ew by in turn two. a n d a t th e en d of lap o ne they wer e runnin g H ames. T ed