Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

successful. Top privateer was Honda rider Larry Theobald at seventh. Slower motoT or no, Merkel cranked into the lead at the start or the second leg. Bettencourt, Pietri, McDonald, Rainey, privateer Honda rider Ricky Orlando and Cooley rollowed. As the normal patterns set in, Rainey was quickly up to second with Cooley to third by the third lap. The three were not changing positions as they had in the rirst contest, but running tight, consistent close-order drill. McDonald was again in rourth, but this time he was notleuing the leaders get away. By the 10th lap, as a mauer or fact, McDonald was still so involved he pushed Cooley back to third. One the next lap, McDonald was arguing second with Rainey. The argument might have continued, but starting the 12th lap, Merkel slid out in the high-speed rirst turn. Merkel, not seriously hurt, was up almost immefiately and walking back to the pits, put the AMA didn't see him and halted the race with the red flag just as McDonald had passed Rainey for lead. As far' as his crash, Merkel said, "The bike was running real hot, so I think some of the water was getting out. I lost the front end in my own water." The red flag also halted a great duel for seventh place between Honda rider Larry Shorts, BoTT Ducati ace Joey Mills, and Theobald. They were exchanging places with great vigor. Alter a somewhat controversial decision to restart the race with only five Laps remaining, Rainey and CooIe..y. ed the pack 0(£ the grid. But on that very first lap, McDonald crashed very-hard between turns five and six. He crashed so hard that his bike hit an-embrankment at the side of the course and bounced back, right over ~Iey's headl The red flag was out again, and the racing halted for the da~. '.;;~ was rollowing Wayne through a cOfP.er, and there was a rock on the tr I k that I never saw until it took out my rront wheel," said a somewhat dazed McDonald later, "After that I don't remember what happened." The scoring for the second leg rev,erted back 10 the 11th lap with R"iney in rirst followed by McDonald, COoley, Pietri, Beuencourt, Orlando, Shims, Mills and Theobald. The overall order was much the same with Rainey taking top prize over Cooley, McDonald, Pietri, Bette court, Shorts, Orlando, Theobald and Mills. Merkel was credited with a l6th in the second leg, and he finished 10th overall. I "The tires started to go away two or three laps past the haHway point in each race because or the heat," said Cooley, "but other than that no problems. Everything worked out realJy well. We wanted Wayne to win so I was holding back. " Results w..,... OVERAlL: 1. Rainey (le.wl 1-1: 2. W.. Cooley (K.w) 2·3; 3. SlIm McOo...1d lHon)4-2; 4. RQI!Ino Pietri (Hon) 5-4; 5. John _ " I H o n I 1-5; I. lMry Shorts (Hqn) 8-7; 7. Ricky arlendo (Hon) 10.1; 8. lMry Th_1d (HonI7-9; 9. Jrwy Millo (Due) 9-8; 10. Fr.ct Mer.... (Hon) 3-1 I; 11. hrnd Koegler IHonI13·11; 12. len G.rnbo fHonl 12=13; 13. Mlcheel WlIIi.rna lHonI 14-12; 14. L_Wikle (Hon, 2D-10; 15. o.nNoIenfSuzl1614;JI. <:arryAndr.wIK.w) 11·20; 17. Mickey F.., (Hon) 17·17; 18. Tet'ry Smum (Hon) 21·15; 19. _ Shelton (Kh¥lI9-18. AMASUP£R8lKE SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. W..,.,. R.i...y(I94); 2. Min B.ldwin(169~3. Fr.ct Merk.I(115); 4. SlIm McD_ldfl09); 5. John 11Mlenqourt (loe~ 6. R-.o Pi..ri 11 02); 7. W.. Cooley C/l5); 8. Rielly Orlendo (65); 9. Jrwy Mills (53); 10. Jimmy Adamo (44). Formula Two Renfrow rolls a10ng ROSAMOND, CA, SEPT. 18 Virginia's Randy Renfrow ran his successive win streak to three with a wire-to-wire win in the2o-lapFormula Two race. Renrrow, who clinched the F-2 title the week before at Kent, WashinglOn, made his Willow Springs debut and looked unstoppable. Renfrow, whose Yamaha is sponsored by Sure-Fire, Bi Star and Cycle Sport, jumped into an immediate lead. His task of winning the race was made easier when contenders Chris Steward and Tracy DeMuro ran 0(£ the track in turn three. Neither crashed, but neither made it back into the race. Behind Renfrow, the order set up immediately with Don Greene and Steve Reynosa running second and third, the onl y riders to keep Renfrow in sight. Behind them was aduo or Mark White and David Scott, and then more real estate back to the next runner. At the haHway point Renfrow had established a three-second lead, and be doubled that before the finish. Greene and Reynosa had no challenges to their positions. Smith and Scou held theirs, and the only social climber in the group was David Busby, who advanced from ninth in the early laps to finish sixth. Renfrow said of his win, "Wedidn't go as rast as we did in the heat race, but a lot of that was due to the wind. With the heat we were sliding around a lot - I mean a lot or Class C work. Keeping my laps consistent was the main thing, and I think with the exception or one or two laps, I ran I :~2s all day. It was a good race." 0(') 00 0') (Above) Jim Vreekelellds Scott Harmala (14)and Chris Steward (7) in the CSS race. (Below) Floridians Carl Padowitz (930) and Santiago Londono were tough all weekend. Results 2o.LAP FINAL: 1. ~ndy Renfrow (y.m); 2. Don G...... (y.m); 3. SIeve ~noA (y.m); 4. M.rk White (Y.m); 5. O..,id Scon IV.m); 6. O..,id Busby (Y.m); 7. Thoma Set. (y.m); 8. Fr.ct Thom.. (V.m); 9. Brv-n Chono (y.m); 10. Robe" DeWin (y.m); 11. Robe" Rodwlek (Y.m); 12. Eugene Brown (Y.ml; 13. David Dwyhalo (Y.m); 14. Kevin G.rd_ (Arstg). AMA FORMULA TWO SERIES 'POINT STAND· INGS: 1. R.ndy Renfrow (178); 2. O••id Emde (105); 3. Rhys Ho_rd(97); 4. Hugh Humble (83); 5. Don Greene (78); 6. O..,id Busby (64); 7. Chris Ste· _rd (57); 8. Rusty Sharp (55); 9. Tr.cy DeMuro (41); 10. O.niel Coe (35). CaMomia Superblke School Chalen". Vreeke vroomsto victory ROSAMOND, CA, SEPT. 18 Although there were several nationally known riders in the line-upofthe IO-lapCalifornia Superbike School Challenge, club racers dominated the event. Southern California star jim Vreeke led it all the way to claim the win, while Miami, Florida, rider Santiago Londono took second in photo finish over Scott Harmala. Vreeke, the brother of Motorcyclist magazine editor Ken Vreeke, pulled the lead right off the start. Harmala pulled into second, rollowed by Chris Steward. All the riders were on the CSS Kawasaki GPz550s, with lighter riders receiving lead weights to make the bikes as even as poSSible. In the following laps Steward moved 10 second with Harmala and Londono beginning their argument with a baule ror third. joey Mills led the pursuit. As Vreeke, who turned the fastest laps in praclice, built his lead to rive seconds by the halfway point, the Harmala/Londono ballie carried them past Steward to run 2-~. While Vreeke continued to maintain his rive-second advantage right to the checkered flag, the baule for second- went to the wire: Both riders came out or turn nine and on to the rront straight virtually dead even, and they were that way as they crossed the line. The scorers gave second to Londono, and Harmala had to seule for third. Behind the leaders Steward rinished rourth with fifth going 10 Randy Renrrow and sixth to Mills. David Emde, who had won the first two rounds or the three-race series, was an early DNF in this event. Results 10-LAP FINAL: 1. Jim Vreeke; 2. S.nlillllo londono; 3. SCon Harmele; 4. Chris Steward; 5. R.~ Renfrow; 6. Joev Mills; 7. Fr.nk M.zur; 8. chl9ck Aksl.nd; 9. Gene Brown. Amateur Poet ·to it in Super Street By Lori Tyson ROSAMOND, CA, SEPT. 17-18 "Not bad for a 16-year-old kid who stayed up .all night working on the bike," is the way Mark Thomas' dad described his son's win in the Grand Prix 4 class in the Amateur portion or the Budweiser Superbike Weekend at Willow Springs. Thomas, sponsored by Hypercyc1e, Lockhart, Kerker, Mitchell, Works Perrormance, Kal-Gard and Perrormance Machine, shot 10 an early lead in the 10-lap, 25-mile event closely pursued by Bob Reinen and the semiretired Rick Mitchell. By the halfway point of the race, Thomas had stretched his lead to a rew seconds over a really tough battle between Mitchell and Reinen. After a tight race it appeared that MircIretl . would- end up ah'ead"br Reinen, but Mitchell hadn't raced ror many moons and il started to show on the last lap. Mitchell started to fatigue and Reinen took advantage to go by and rinish second overall behind Thomas. "I couldn't have done it without Kaz Yoshima, who stayed up and hand built my pipe," stated Reinen after the race. Mitchell took third, went back to the pits and passed out £rom the heat. (He was OK a rew moments later.) jim Poet took his Kawasaki 550 GPz to the Lockhart Super Street win after a hard right with Florida riders Santiago Londono and Carl Padowill and local rider Clim Whitehouse. Poet's bike looked unlike any other GPz with the addition or a Katana 1000 rront end, an RG50o-type full rairing, Astra Lite wheels and many other specially made pans. Londono had led the rirst four laps of the 15-lap event followed closely by Padowill, Whitehouse, Poet and, on his boX-SlOCk GPz, Jim Vreeke. On the rifth lap Padowitz took the lead, but by the next lap Poet pulled out rront and proceeded to lengthen his lead each subsequent lap. The battle was still on (or second as Whitehouse, pilOlinR an RD400 Yamaha fought it out with the two men rro~ Florida. By the end or the race it was Poet by a pretty rair margin over Whitehouse, with Londono close behind in third. Results • PROD 1·2/GP1: 1. Mark Capell (Vam); 2. Jeff 8r.ucht (Vam); 3. 80b Cobb (Hon): 4. Alisn Scon (Hon). MOD 4·5/GP4: 1. M.rk Thom.. {K.wl; 2. Bob Reinen (HC?nl: 3. Rtck Mitchell (Kaw); 4. Rick Chique (Suzl; 5. Roell Chique (Suz); 6. Eric Allis"om. GP 2·3: 1. M.rk White (Vam); 2. Chuck Aksl.nd (Vam); 3. Ste.. Reyno.. (Hon); 4. Carl P.ctowitz; 5. Rick Chique (Suzl; 6. Doug Toland (K.w). LOCKHART SUPER STREET: 1. Jim Poet (K.w); 2. Clint Whitehouse (Yam); 3. Santiago Londono (KIwi: 4. Carl Padowiu (~); 5. Jim Ween (K_). CLASS 2; 1. M.rk C.pell (Y.m); 2. Bob Cobb (Y.m~ 3.'Jeff Br.ucI1t'(Y.m). . •.. • .•.• > II

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