Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Feet up and on the gasl That's Terry Poovey (18) and Randy Goss (1) doing their thing on Wednesday night. Ohio's Don Estep picked up Tuesday night's win. 16 Virginian Rusty Rogers topped the Novices on Monday night. limestone track which was rull.ing heavily in the exits to the turns. Herndon took the second semi over New Yorker Fran Brown and Tom Maitland after Goss went down at the halfway point. Poovey couldn't pull any breath.ing room, but till took the third semi over Gary SCOll and Dan Ingram. And the fourth, and final, semi went to COll Drake with Sammy weet second and Mertens third. The final's first start was red-flagged when Mertens wem down in the first corner and was run over by Brow. Both made the re-start, but this time Sweet went down in about the same spot and was slow to get up. The starter didn't like the way the field got off the line on the fourth start and sent the anxious SCOll Drake and Fran Brown to the penalty line. During the final re-start Poovey' mechani s came to the line to change a sprocket and were waved off by Ephrem, who thought that Poovey had to ask for time to make repairs. The rulebook, however, states that all riders get eight minutes after a re-start withoutask.ing and, if needed, could ask for two more minute. After four motorcycle policeman came in the stad.ium anticipating trouble, Poovey was allowed to race and race he did. After Herndon jumped into the lead, Poovey put on a show for the near capacity crowd by pressing Herndon in every corner looking for an opening. Gary SCOll was holding off Filice in third with Sammy Sweet fifth and Mertens sixth. Poovey's persistence paid off with a well-timed pass inside Herndon entering turn three late in the race. "I'd drift up and he'd come under me," said Herndon. "I tried to lean down on him, but he had me," the Nava/Jack Sisemore/Jemco Pipessponsored rider added. Poovey stayed in front, Herndon held onto second, KK Motorcycle Supply- ponsored SCOll put in hi best finish of the series in th.ird, and Filice bounced to fourth ahead of Sweet. "We were doing busines out there tonight," an obviously elated Oll said. Of the night's happenings, Poovey said, "( worked too hard on the motorcycle and tried too hard, to get screwed." - Results 1. Terry Poo....y (H-D); 2. Billy Herndon (Hon); .3. Gary Scott (H-D); 4. Jim Filice (H-D); 5. Sammy Sweet fe·A); 6. Fran Brown (H-D); 7. Dan Ingram (W-R); 8. Garth 8row (Han); 9. Mark Hartley (Hon); 10. Scott Drake (Han); 1 1. Tom Maitland (Han); , 2. Tim Mertens (Han). Wednesday Texan Terry Poovey continued his mastery of the Memorial tadium hon tra k with a wire-to-wire win on the first of fOUl' nights of Expert/Junior racing. The ShoeilJack Sisemore/EGF Rac.ing Harley-Davidson 500cc four-stroke single rider got the holes hot and held off a late charge from Grand National Champion Randy Goss and his factory HarleyDavidson 500 ingle to take the win and move up in the Daytona Din Track erie point standings. Third went to Oklahoma's Ronnie Jone on the Megacycle Cams/ hoei-spon ored Honda 500 single. For Jones the race marked his return to the track where he suffered a badl y broken leg last year. The crowd count wa up as the Experts came to race, but. ti 11, the stands weren't sold out. There were 136 rider from 28 state and Canada represented and Poovey was out to prove that Texas produces the best short track riders with an easy first heat win. Subsequent heats were won by Goss, Steve Morehead, Tim Mertens, Jim Filice, Garth Brow, Ronnie Jones and Charlie Orr. Filice's heat win was the fastest. The first semi was intimidating with nine National numbers and one rookie. Belleville, Illinois' Mertens wired it, taking Mall Rozowicz and Sammy Sweet into the final with him. Fa t heat winner Filice, got off to a bad tart and couldn't force his way past Sweet and into the final, and parked his Harley Owner's Groupsponsored, Eddie Adk.ins-tuned Harley single for the night. Poovey won the second semi comfortably over Jones with Will Davis moving up to finish third from a fifth place tart. The third, and fastest semi, was all Goss as he pulled easily away from Roger Durkee and Fran Brown. Garth "Gonzo" Brow bested teve Morehead in the final semi with a fast closing Dan Ingram taking the final d.irect transfer to the 12-lap main event. The final was filled by II 'ational number holders and one rookie Expert with no Juniors making the event. Poovey got the holeshot and tried to pull away, but Gos tuck right to him. Jones and Menens followed with Morehead' and Brow next. Goss pressed Poovey on the inside, but couldn't find the way around him. So in the closing laps he went high in turns one and two, hoping to drive past, but the effort failed. "I could see I wasn't going to get him so I tried going high," said Goss. "Normally you steer it with the back end in that corner and go around one rut and inside the next one coming out of the corner. And in turn three I'd normally run it in deeper, but with someone ahead of you it's impossible. " Jone was all alone in third, well behind th'e leaders, yet well in front of fourth placed Mertens. "I didn't have the combination to. win tonight," Jones began. "We changed gearing and it worked better in the semi than in the final, but the start is so important here and I didn't get off the line in front." Poovey crossed the finish line on the rear wheel with Goss only about 10 yards back and Jones well back in third ahead of Mertens and Morehead. A beaming Poovey came in from his victory lap, held the checkered flag over his head and said, "It sure feels good; I haven't won in a long time." • Results 1. Terry Poovey (H-D); 2. Randy Goss (H-D); 3. Ronnie Jones(Hon); 4. Tim Mertens (Han); 5. Steve Morehead (H-D); 6. Dan Ingram (H-D); 7. Fran Brown (H-D); 8. Garth Brow(Hon); 9. Sammy Sweet (Han); 10. Matt ROlowicz (H-O); 11. William Davis (C-A); 12. Roger Durkee (Hon). Tuesday The racing gOt hOller on Tuesday night with second year pro Donald, E tep taking the win in an accidentmarred Novice/Juniorfinal. Ohioan Estep rode a Smitty's H-D-sponsored Ron Woods Rotax 500 ingle_ Brad Furlong was the top-placed Novice with a second place performance and third went to Phillip Vignerio, like Furlong, Can-Am mounted. Four of the 12-man (eight Junior and four Novice) field were involved in accidents, mo tly in the heavily rutted ex.it to turn four. Along with the top 40 Novices from the previous night, 70 Juniors howed up to race and Furlong was the winner of the fir t of eight heats. 'California's Chris Carr LOok the econd and fastest heat, with Oavid Miller, Duane Duvall, Estep, Frank Sanchez, Vignerio, and Jeff Jenkins al 0 taking heat wins. Carr also took the first semi, Furlong the second one, Miller the third, and the fourth and fastest went to Estep. Estep led Carr and Sanchez off the line with Furlong and Vignerio pursu.ing at the start of the main event. Carr took himself out of the race with a spill in turn two, but remounted and continued. Estep was in total control and the only que tion was his margin of victory. While Estep did his thing out front, driving into the corners deep and squaring them off while the other hugged the groove, Furlongwas a comfortable econd with Sanchez battling Vignerio and Miller for third. On the ninth lap Sanchez and Miller tangled at the start/finish line with both going down heavily. Vignerio moved into second with Furlong third and Randy Hunt moving into founh. A lap later, however, Hunt lost control coming onto the front straightaway and cra hed, alone, into the wall in about the same spot as Miller and Sanchez. Furlong moved into second behind Estep on the last lap to lOp Vignerio with Chad Felicio moving into fourth ahead of Mark Dukes. • Results 1. Don Estep (W-R); 2. 8rad Furlong (C-A); 3. Phillip Vignerio (C-A); 4. Chad Felicio (W-R); 5. Mark Dukes (Yam); 6. Jeff Jenkins (C-AI; 7. Chris Carr (W-R); 8. Stephen Flach (W-R); 9. Duane Duvall (W-R); 10. Randy Hun. (Hon); 11. Frank Sanchez (Han); 12. David Miller (Han). Monday Rusty Rogers of Richmond, Virginia, opened Cycle Week's racing at Memorial Stadium with a flag-toflag win in the Novice short track program on Monday night. Rogers took his Cycleland-sponsored water-cooled Suzuk.i 250 single to the fastest heat and semi wins on his way to the final and added the win here to his victories at the previous day's Barberville half mile and Friday's hort track in Tampa. Four-stroke500cc singles dominated the rest of the l2-man final with second placed Mike tauffer on a Honda and third place finisher Jeff Jenkins on a Yamaha. After a series of elimination heats, the scratch heats began promptly at8 p.m. with Stauffer taking the win. The following seven heats were won by Paul Fortunato, Rogers, Les Washbon, Brad Furlong, Je(f Jenkins, Lee Leville, and Donald Myers with five of the six riders in each heat advancing to the four eight-lap, tenman semis. The semis began with Rogers taking the flag-to-flag win and and advancing to the pole for the final along with second placed Stauffer and Mark Dukes. Fortunato took the second semi and Keith Gregoire and Don Myers made it to the final from this semi. The third semi was Washbon's with John Gladwill and Recil Hart advancing and the fourth was won by Jeff Jenkins and the final two rider into the l2-man main were Brad Furlong and John Carter. The stands were less than a third full, but that didn't dampen the enthu iasm of the 12 riders (rom eight states as they set off in the feature event. As is the custom at Memorial Stadium, the man who reaches the first corner first i usually the winner and Rogers got there fir t. Behind him was Stauffer and Jenkins was third and the order didn't change. Rogers protected h is place on the narrow groove and gradually pulled out a lead and won by about 30-yards with a grandstand wheelie. Behind him, Stauffer kept econd, but Jenkins was handed third, after losing it, when Furlong retired late in the race. Fourth went to Les Wash bon with Don Myers fifth. • Results 1. Rusty Rogers (Suz); 2. Mike Stauffer (Han); 3. Jeff Jenkins (Yam); 4. Les Washbon (Han); 5. Donald Myers (Yam); 6. John Carter (Hon); 7. Recil Hart (C-A); 8. Keith Gregoire (Hon); 9. Brad Furlong (C-A); 10. Paul Fortuna,o (Hon); 1 1. John Gladwill (Hon); 12. Mark Dukes (Vam).

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