Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Western hotline ~ 00 0') Dody Tapia (1 tl took third place in the 126cc Beginner cia.. in the opening race at AME's new motocross trIIck in Palmdale. land's finest took their place on Jerry's freeway-wide starting gate. Both motos found the AME number-one plate holder Ken lahrt grabbing the holeshot; no doubt breaking the 55 limit as he crossed from the right into the 90 degree left-hander first tum. Hot in pursuit came a host of rainbow-colored machines including Honda's Larry Brooks, Pasadena Honda rider Edwin Arnet and Simi Honda's John Drury. Brooks found that his Honda worked anywhere he pointed it on the track. Brooks managed to follow Zoli Meszaros in clearing the jumps in mid-race to make his outside dive at the finish-line tum more spectacular. The order was Brooks, A111et and lahrt at the checker. Moto two of the 250cc Pros started just about as did number one. lahrt had recovered and blew everyone into the weeds for the holeshot. The other 16 bumped and bullied their way through the first tum and settled in for the chase. Again from mid-pack, Brooks overhauled the leader for first and was followed at the checker by Meszaros, Arnet, Zahrt and Mark Maynor. The payday belonged to Brooks, Arnet, lahrt and Bruce Maynor. In other exciting action, over 25 snarling Mini Pros, Intermediates and Juniors took to their newest track like hungry pups. KX-mounted Bobby Moore and Mouse McCoy showed the way to the other classes but were closely followed by Intermediate winner Shane Trittler, also green mounted. These three hooked up their machines to the loamy truck with such ease: it was no surprise their laps were only ticks off the 250cc Pro times. Lancaster's Sean Blanchard and Palmdale's Tom McGill showed the other boys they know how to ride the desert as they fought to welldeserved first and second in the Junior class. • Results 40 • PEE WEE JR: 1. Jered Whiteley (yem); 2. TrllYis Ilerrv (Y_t, 3. Jemie Welty (Yaml. PEE WEE EX: 1. JeffWillol>((aml: 2. Brad Schultz (Yam). JR CYCLE BEG: 1. Jeff Willoh (Kaw); 2. Brad Schultz (Kaw); 3. Joey Curtis (Kaw). JR CYCLE INT; 1. Jeaae Je..... (Kawl; 2. John S_(Kaw). JR CYClE EXP: 1. Ronnie DensIord (Hon). MINI BEG: 1. John Sha_ (KeW); 2. Jason Yoshida (Yam); 3. Richard Lima (Honl. MINI JR: 1. See Blanchard (Kaw); 2. Tom McGill (Kaw); 3. Jeff Orth (Yem). MIN INT: 1. Shane Trittler (Kawl; 2. Paul Vlach (Kaw). MINI EX: 1. Bob Moont (Kew); 2. Mou.. McCoy (Kaw). 125 BEG: 1. Jay Thill (Suz); 2. Troy Moore (Kaw); 3. Jody Tepia (Honl. 125 JR: 1. Tim Tellord (Hon); 2. Tom Holl (Kawl; 3. Jeff Mabery (Kaw). 1251NT: 1. Jeff Spencer (Hon); 2. William Surrett (Hon); 3. Bryan Nelson (Kaw). 125 PRO: 1. S _ Schmilz(Hon); 2. Jim Simons (Kawt, 3. Larry Brooks (Han).. 250 BEG: 1. Mike Dunlep (Hon); 2. DoMn Coury (Hont, 3. Larry Eriornon (Honl. 250 JR: 1. Brett Henry (Suz); 2. Rick Per.. (Hon); 3. Buckwheat Lang. 250 INT: 1. Eric Marnoch (Hont, 2. Ron Economu (Yim); 3. Mike Wet-. (Hon). 250 PRO: 1. Larry lIrooks (Han); 2. Ed Arnet (Hont, 3. Ken lahn (Hon). 500 BEG: 1. Todd Keams (Mai); 2. Rick Gibbs (Hont, 3. Mike Duncan (Kawl. 500 JR: 1. Armand Ponticelli (Hon); 2. Mike Hutton (Hon). 500 INT: 1. Eddia Hatch (Hont, 2. John lDwm (Han); 3. Nick Young (Honl. VET JR: 1. Danny Bolla (yaml. VET INT: 1. Joe Whibtley (Yam). VET EX: 1. Jeff Harrioll (Han); 2. Joe Brou...rd. Peterson tops DeAnza hllkllmb By Brenda Collier and Sandee Peterson SUNNYMEAD, CA, FEB. 26 DeAnza Cycle Park's monthly hillc1imb brought southern California's top hillc1imbers together to challenge a very dry, twisty and chopped up 600 feet of real estate. The dif£iculty of the hill was quite evident as only four riders mana$ed to scale the top and log legal urnes. Tom Kelly, Dave Turner, Dave Gestoso and Kerry Peterson made some fine rides over the top, wi th Peterson emerging victorious 10 five out of five classes on his American Honda Support bikes. Turner took home the Modified Stock-class win, with Ray Simmons claiming first Factory Stock and Robie Peterson taking the Mini class on his Honda. During the first round of competition, the hill began deteriorating rapidly after each rider made their run; it looked as though no one would see the top. Gestoso put that theory to rest immediately and proceeded to blast his Yamaha over the top and set the time to beat in the 500cc Exhibition class. Kelly backed Gestoso's stylish ride up with one of his own and took over fast time on his Number One Racing Maico. Peterson, still trying to adapt to his new Honda's, failed to top the hill in the first round but set the winning times in the Open Modified and Open Exhibition classes on his j.R.B. special. Turner held down the third-place slot in the 500cc Exhibition Class with a hill-topping ride on his O.K. manufacturing, Krause Racing, Bosch Spark Plugs-backed machine and high footage mark in the500ccModified Stock class. The final round of competition got underway with most riders feeling that the first round results would hold up, and the hill was too tough to be conquered again. Peterson made some adjustments to his bikes between rounds and then left little doubt in peoples' minds why he has Hillclimb109'S Number One plate. He backed his American Honda, Hi-Point, Tsu baki, Nippondenso, K.R.W., Works Performance-backed CR500 into the starting chute and roosted over the top in two consecutive runs to secure class wins in the 500cc Modified and 500cc Exhibition classes. Peterson then came back and took his Stock class CR500 to high mark and the class win with Carl Collier putting his new Kawasaki in the secondplace slot. Great second round performances were turned in by George Sauer, while taking second in the 500cc Modified Stock on his Burbank Yamaha machine, Carl Collier and Ed Ethridge placing second and third, respectively, in the 500cc Modified class and Steve Stith manhandling his Palmdale Harley Davidson machine into second-place Open Exhibition money. Adams aces at SRADeAnza grand prix By Jeannette Fisher SUNNYMEAD, CA, FEB. 26 DeAnza Cycle Park was the place to be as Southland Racing Association held its second Grand Prix of the year. The 250cc bikes started off the day's events with a roar as the biggest class of the day took off the start. Joe Padilla rounded lap one leading the pack, Greg Gountain, Craig Adams and Bart Rague were of the front runners behind Padilla. Adams pushed his way up front by lap two, and with Fountam still hanging in there for second, Rob Hall made his way up with Rague for the challenging positions. Adams held back the competition for the overall and Fountain held in for second. Rague aced Hall for third leaving Hall to settle for fourth. Todd Gibboney ran away with the Amateur win for Yamaha of Redlands, and Yamaha of Beaumont had a Novice winner, Ronnie King. Dan Smith came through top Beginner. Gordan Ward]r. of Ma1colm Smith Products showed he was the best rider on an open bike as he moved his Honda into an early lead and held back all challengers for the victory. Adams, stepping from a 250 to an open bike, tried for two wins but as the saying goes, "You can't win them all". Adams stayed close to Ward but claimed second at the checkered. Roger Hurd barely made off with the Amateur win, but he took home a well-earned first place as he let no other Amateur pass him. Top Novice and Beginner rides were Vince Skandunas and Kent Shuman.. The Vets +30 class lined up for the start, and as the green flag dropped, the riders made their way around the course that was starting to show some wear and tear from the bigger bikes. Danny Sanchez showed little trouble making his way around, and at the end of five laps, the good old black and white flag declared Sanchez the winner. Buster Lawrence, of Malcolm Smith ProduclS, took second. Peter Bryk followed in third, and he earned top 250 points.. John Francis made way with the 200cc class trophy. Holt, Peoples one/two at AMEDunes By Tom G.iffith VALENCIA, CA, FEB. 26 Kevin and Brian Peoples motored down to Indian Dunes from nearby Bakersfield and marched off with two secondplace trophies in today's American Motocross Enterprises action. Kevin, aboard his KX 80,. got tangled with the rear wheel and caused a red-flag restart, when he could not complete the parade lap after a liberal water· ing. Nursing a sore knee, Kevin got a fair start as the gate dropped for mow one. Taking the holeshot was Yamaha-mounted Mike Crosby. Crosby pulled pulled easily away from the field but was caught by both Kevin and Doug Huston on the last lap. First through third at the checker, Crosby knew he would be in for a battle in moto two. Sitting on the line for moto two, Peoples suggested he could take the Yamahas on the start and did exactly that. It was Peoples, Crosby and Huston up start hill and into tum one. But by lap two, Crosby got by Peoples and kept the lead to the checker. But this time, the intervals from first through third were close enough to cover all three with a large blanket. Taking I-I, 2-2, and 3-3 scores, Crosby, Peoples and Huston collected the brass. In the 125cc Jr. class, for only the fourth or fifth time, brother Brian Peoples missed his practice but was still good enough to battle for the lead with Tom Holt; both KX 125mounted. The Junior 125's have been getting more sane and Holt kept reminding himself of his recent injuries, and today being race one, the win was especially satisfying.. Tomorrow's stars, the mighty Pee Wees, fielded an outstanding field of pocket racers, as Jeff Willoh continued to show his ever improving style. Grabbing the holeshot for both motos, Willoh motored to a strong I-I score for first overall. None of the other nine riders were able to repeat their first moto finishes as they fought each other for the brass at the checker. Eddie Moraga tallied a 2-3 finish for

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