Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

- ..... ..... 0.. < Even though Bob Hannah captured the holeshot in the main, Johnny O'Mara (5) was the leader two turns later. Insport/Wrangler Supercross Series: Round 6 Johnny '0' lassoes Dallas By Kit Palmer DALLAS, TX, APR. 14 Team Honda's Johnny O'Mara clearly dominated the sixth round of the Insport/Wrangler Supercross Series at the Cotton Bowl. "Everything went great," said 9'Mara after his victory. "I got an excellent start, made some time right away and that basically did it. I tried to ride smoothly and not make any mis£akes."' O'Mara's win gives him his largest points lead so far, an II-point advantage over Yamaha's Rick johnson. 243-232. johnson finished second in Dallas, but not without a fight. He had to recover from a poor s£art and spent the last few laps of the main event battling with Kawasaki's je(( Ward. Ward ended the night in third and now totals 217 for third in the standings. Qualifiers 8 Privateer Russ Wageman, aboard a Yamaha, holeshot the first qualifier ahead of Suzuki's Mark Barnett and O'Mara. However, Wageman's lead was short-lived and Barnett just cruised past, as did O'Mara. Barnett had a few seconds on O'Mara, but they didn't last long. O'Mara reeled in the lone Suzuki factory rider and passed him in a tight left-hander. O'Mara's teammate, Bob Hannah, had worked his way up to the front after a fair start and took over third at the halfway point in the eight-lap race. Behind Hannah ran his Hangtown nemesis, Yamaha's Keith Bowen. The order stayed put from there to the finish, with O'Mara winning by seven seconds. Team Tamm's je(( Hicks finished fifth. Yamaha teammates Broc Glover and johnson were favorites to win the second qualifier, but a first-turn pile-up left Jobnson in mid-pack and Glover al most dead last. Among tbose left upright, Suzuki L1pport rider Rick Ryan assumed the lead over Team Tamm's Jerry .. J Surber and factory Kawasaki rider Billy Liles. Liles quickly passed Surber and set out after Ryan, passing him at the end of the second lap. At the same time, johnson moved his production-based YZ into third, and then took over second a few turns later. Soon heand Liles were arguing over the lead. Liles tried every trick he knew to keep johnson at bay, and for three laps he did hold on to the lead. However, with two laps remaining, the leaders ran into lapped traffic and johnson saw his chance. Over a set of doubles, johnson soared past Liles while the Kawasaki pilot s£ayed close to the ground to avoid Ihe heavy traffic. johnson went on for Ihe win while Liles followed. Glover PUI in a fine ride, working his way up 10 third. Ryan and Honda-mounted Don Turk rounded OUI the lOp five. Ward forced his way into Ihe lead al the start of Ihe Ihird qualifier. However, while negolialing a long whoop section after the near 180degree firsl lurn, Ward cra hed and ended up pushing his bike 0(( the track. "(Kenny) Keylon landed on Ihe back of my seat and dragged me down,"' said Ward later. "Then my throttle stuck and I had 10 fix il before I could gel res£arted."' After IWO laps had gone by, Ward remounted his slighlly bent works bike and cruised around. Meanwhile, Honda's Ron Lechien was running al the head of Ihe pack, followed al a safe distance by Kawasaki's Goal Breker. Honda pilot Clint Hardick was cruising in Ihird. Lechien went on 10 develop a huge lead and was unchallenged for Ihe win. Breker, with an ailing knee, fell wilh only a few laps remaining. Hardick finished second as a result. Yamaha pilol Mark MurJ phy took fourth, followed by Fred Andrews. The final qualifier was all David Bailey's. After a second-place start behind Yamaha-mounted Rodney Smith, the factory Honda pilol chiseled OUI a large lead. Smith dropped back to sixth while a battle for second brewed between Yamaha·armed Jim Holley, Kawasaki's Kent Howerton and Team Tamm's Alan King, mounted on a Honda, The bailie was fierce, but Howerton edged past Holley for second with two laps left. Then King and Holley s£arted going al il handlebar 10 handlebar. King finally made a move stick on Holley, a passover a double jump. In the end it was Bailey, Howerton, King, Holley and Team Tamm's Chris Heisser. Quarter finals Suzuki Support rider George Hoiland captured the early lead in the firslquarter final, pursued by Hondamounted David McClain, Guy Cooper and Team Tamm's A.j. Whiling. Holland's lead extended while Whiting picked 0(( riders one by one until he was knocking on Holland's back door. With IWO turns remaining, Whiting SIU((ed it underneath Hoiland and took Ihe win. McClain took third followed by Yamaha-mounted Scooter Sta((ord and Cooper. 11 was all Ward's show in the second quarter final as he easily led s£art to finish. The Kawasaki rider extended his lead to 15 seconds on the second-place runner, Terry Tinnery on a Yamaha. Two other Yamaha riders, Danny Storbeck and Hunter Carothers, finished third and fourth ahead of Kawasaki rider Dennis Hawthorne. Semi finals The firsl semi was a Yamaha showdown between Glover and johnson. Glover grabbed the holeshOI followed by Hicks, Whiling, Holland, Barnell and O'Mara. Two laps into the race a pile-up took OUI Holland and sel Barnett back to mid-pack. A few lurns laler, Barnett endoed hard 0(( a jump, landing head first. Barnett was slow gelling up because of a concussion he received, and thaI put an end to his night. . (,,..;,,,,,) (r·~ _~:s Up front Glover enjoyed a comfortable lead, while johnson worked his way up from a poor start to control second by the end of lap three. AI Ihe same lime, O'Mara crashed and dropped to seventh. Johnson started to reel in Glover, and during the white flag lap, he was glued to the leader's fender. Johnson sluck his front wheel nexl 10 Glover's in every lurn, and with IWO lurns to go, he went for it. "Broc made a small mistake in the whoops and I managed 10 pull alongside him. Then he missed a shift and I gOI by. I got a lillie squirrely before the tabletop jump, then I almosl went down when my front wheel washed out. Then Broc made another mistake and I realized I had it made," said Johnson. "11 was a mailer of Broc making three mis£akes and me only making two. You'd think Broc and I are trying to kill each other out there, bUI when it comes to riding close, we give each other a lot of respect. " Johnson took the win over Glover, O'Mara, Holland and ~hiting. Bailey shol into Ihe lead of the second semi, towing along Lechien. Ward, Howerton and Hardick. While Bailey was running away from the pack, Lechien and Ward disputed second. Five laps into the race Ward started to hound Lechien, but the Honda rider wouldn't give in. Dur· ing one lap the IWO traded positions twice, and eventually Ward came Ihrough in sole control of the runner· up spot. At one point King folJowed in fourth, bUI his Honda suffered a lower-end seizure and pUI him OUI. Bailey sailed to the win over Ward, Lechien, Howerton and Holley. Consolation Liles had no problems topping the consolation race. leading start 10 finish. Wageman finished second ahead of Honda-mounted je(( Frisz. new Team Tamm member Eric Eaton, and David McClain, National Over 30,000 spectalors were on their feel as Ihe pack funneled through Ihe first turn at Ihe slart of the main. "Hurricane"' Hannah gOllhere first, bUI got stu((ed and was forced wide. O'Mara took the iniliative and the lead. By the end of the firsl lap O'Mara had five seconds on Hannah, bUI Hannah ran into more troubles during Ihe second lap and dropped back to fifth. Holley took over second, but he was being pressured by Glover and Bailey. t1 ",tJ flf(~~(l'

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