Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126758
David Bailey took over the top spot during the third lap after teammate Bob Hannah crashed while leading. Rick Johnson finished second. AHA Grand National Championship HX Series: Round 2 Baile)' best on the beach By Tom Kolnowski DAYTONA BEACH, FL, MAR. \0 With both arms raised, Team Honda's David Bailey crossed the finish line in style for the win in the Daytona Supercross. Bailey's teammate, Bob "Hurricane" Hannah, led Bailey through the first three laps in the 12-lap final event, but a crash left Hannah on the DNF list and Bailey paced the 22 remaining laps for his first Supercross victory of the season. Team Yamaha's Rick Johnson finished second, literally inches in front of Honda's Johnny O'Mara. Johnson worked past O'Mara in a whooped section on the final lap, but O'Mara was determined to win back second place before the finish line. In a sideby-side finale, the referee's decision for the position went to a jubilant johnson. Kawasaki's jeff Ward came out on top of Suzuki's Mark Barnell in a battle over fourth. The event also served as the opening round in the AMA Triple Crown of Supercross Series. With his win, Bailey pulls out of a tie with Ward and takes the point lead in the Grand National Championship Series, and also gets an early point lead in the AMA Supercross title chase. Heats The format for AMA Supercross events reverts back to that used prior to 1983, with the top seven riders from each of four heat races transferring directly to the final event, and the eighth through 17th place riders going to the semis. Out of the pair of semis, the top four transfer to the final, with another four positions available in the Last Chance Qualifier. With the top riders going straight to the final f.rolO the heats, the semis were filled almost entirely with double and triple digit-numbered riders. Quarter-finals are not run in this format. As the pack maneuvered through the first corner in the opening heat, Hannah immediately jumped to a lead over Bailey, Johnson and A.]. Whiting. After the first of six laps, Hannah continued his charge and had moved ahead to a three-second lead over Bailey, with Johnson dropping a bit off the race in third. On the final lap, Rick Johnson slipped past Johnny O'Mara and crossed the finish line just inches ahead of the "O'Show" for second. On lap three, johnson tightened the gap on Bailey, and the duo began to move closer to leader Hannah. Whiting held fourth, several seconds ahead of the battle for fifth between Jeff Surwall and Ross Peder on. Lap four belonged to Hannah. as Bailey and Johnson kept up their dice for second. Into lap five, Bailey was able to pull outa bit of a cushion on Johnson, with Whiting and Pederson wheel-to-wheel back in fourth. With the roar of the crowd behind him, the "Hurricane" sailed past the checkered flag for the win over Bailey, Johnson and Pederson, with Whiting coming in for fifth. The start of the second heatLUrned out as a toss-up between Mark Barnett and johnny O'Mara. Barnett broke the deadlock on the first tabletop jump and moved out to a two bikelength lead over O'Mara, with Floridians John Reinholt and Kenny Keylon trailing in third and fourth, respectively. On lap two, O'Mara tightened up the difference and took up a po ition less than a bikelength behind leader Barnetl. O'Mara got a better flight over the flext set of jumps and sailed past Barnett for the lead. A quarter lap 0[£ the pace, Keylon passed Reinholt to lock up third and began to pull away. jim Holley held fifth behind Reinholt. O'Mara, who was recording some of the longest jumps from the elevated parts of the course, moved out to a five-second lead over Barnett by the end of lap four, with Keylon keeping a distant third over Reinholt and Holley. Into lap five, O'Mara continued to pull away from Barnett, and kept that charge up through the final lap to net the win by a margin of eight seconds over Barnett. Keylon, Reinholt and Holley kept their respective positions to round out the top five. Team Tamm's Alan King, who had put on a good charge in the early laps, found himself eliminated from action after breaking a rear wheel - a malady which struck many other riders on the rough course. "I guess 1 landed too hard off that tabletop jump," King said. "Finishing I9th means I'm donefor theday. Theguys with the factory machinery seem to have much less of a problem with wheels than those of us running production bikes." Kent Howerton and Broc Glover led the rest of the pack in the start of the third heat, as Ron Lechien, Greg Mayo and Denny Bentley followed through the dusty starting area and onto the course. Glover passed Howerton less than a half lap into the contest and began to stretch out a . lead. Glover continued to run away from Howerton on lap two, but Lechien was charging in third and rapidly closing the gap. Once into the whooped section which lined the main grandstands, Lechien made his move and sailed cleanly past Howerton to capture second. Bentley held fourth over Louisiana-based Scooter Stafford. On lap four, Glover jetted to a more comfortable lead over Lechien, with Howerton falling off the pace but retaining third over Bentley and Stafford. Lechien began to trim Glover's lead in the final laps, however, but his charge turned out to be not quite enough. Glover came through with the win by a slim three bike lengths ahead of Lechien. Howerton finished third, with Bentley' and Stafford far off the pace to place fourth and fifth. In the final heat, Jeff Ward led Rodney Smith, Billy Liles, Tom Carson and Rick Ryan through the long starting area. The order stayed the same through the first full lap,then