Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ C1J ..0 o .... u o (Top clockwise) Team Vamaha's Brae Glover didn't work up much ofa sweat on his way to victory before almost 17,000 fans. Jeff Hicks (H37) leads Vamaha's Warren Reid, who might wear a full-coverage helmet the next time out. Eddie Hicks beat the factory guys in the Mini Expert class. Trans-Cal Series: Round 2 Glover nabs CMC Trans-Cal Supercross win By Kit Palmer SACRAMENTO, CA, OCT. I The second round of Continental Motosports Club's Trans-Cal Series held at CalExpo in Sacramento, will go down in history as the first non-AMA sanctioned Supercross event ever held. And it probably won't be the last either. The Miller High Life/Diet Coke-sponsored event was 10 an overwhelming success; almost 17,000 spectaLOrs came out and viewed Yamaha's ace Broc Glover smoke the competition on his factory Yamaha. Xhe.race schedule started with the fii'st (if four heats, the the to four of each heat transfering directly to the main, while the rest of the riders transfered to the semi-finals. The top two of each semi transfered to the main and the remainders transfered to the last-chance qualifier, where only one rider had a chance for the main. Heats Honda-mounted Dave Cou ca - tured the holeshot at the start of the moto on one of the longest start straights of any motocross track. The 550-foot-long straight featured five stagered series of jumps which made the starts very tricky. Hot on coupe's rear fender was Jim Tarantino, also on a Honda. The two leaders quickly puIJed away from the rest of the field in a dog fight for the top spot. Coupe held back the So/Cal. rider for the next three laps until Tarantino snuck by the leader, but Coupe retaliated a few seconds later. A couple of turns later, Tarantino again slipped past Coupe, this time keeping the lead. Soon after, Coupe dropped back LO fifth. Local Suzuki rider Rick Ryan, made up for a poor start by placing second behind John Nelson on a Yamaha, but Ryan's rear wheel began to collapse, pUlling him back LO third. John Whelchel, who won the Open class last week on his Yamaha, overtook second with two laps remaining. Tarantino took the win followed by Whelchel, Ryan and Coupe. Glover jammed into the lead at the start of heat two ahead of Joey Schlag, Todd Harrel, both on Hondas, and Danny Turner on a Kawasaki. By the end of the first lap, Glover had already developed a six-second advantage over second. On the same lap, Harrel stuffed it by Schlag for second. Honda-mounted Mike Larson, after a fifth-place start, put himself into the third position. By the time the checkered appeared, Glover had doubled the distance over Harrel, Larsonand Mike Beier. The third heat was a showdown between Yamaha teammates Ron Lechien and Donnie Cantaloupi, also a local favorite. Cantaloupi grabbed the early lead with Lechien breathing heavily down his back. Yamaha-mounted Rodney Smith had a brief stay in second, but he quickly became a victim of Lechien by the end of lap one. Cantaloupi also fell prey to Lechien on the same lap. Cantaloupi stayed dose to Lechien, but the l6-year-old Lechien held on and took the win. Cantaloupi finished second. Jerry Brandt put his Yamaha into the lead at the start of the fourth heat, inches ahead of Team Tamm's Jeff Hicks, aboard an '84 production CR250 Honda. Yamaha's Warren Reid and Michael Fisher, also on a Yamaha, were in close pursuit. During the first go-around, Hicks and Reid slid past Brandt, and the two leaders put on an exciting dice for the lead. Throughout the moLO, the two rivals battled handlebar to handlebar, though Hicks would not give an inch to Reid. Reid eventually took the inch and a lot more as he took over the lead. Reid got the win followed by Hicks and Fisher. Semis Maico-mounted Eric Eaton took the early lead in the first semi, but he lost it to Dan Conway on the next lap. However, Conway crashed through th~ ,tQ1,lgh studd~-pumps ·section,- handing the lead 'cWeI 'to

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