Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ ~ c( CD ;:) c( 0: w Ic( z > CD CIl 0 0 I- :z: ~ C1. 00 O"l ~ C\l ;>- ro ~ (Above) Todd CIImpbell (415) got.n e.rIy Ieed in 125cc Mod Pro lICtion. with P.ul Denis (4) trlIiling. (Below) Mike He.1ey .nd Eddie Hicks. (Above) Huley nailed down win. in the 83cc Stock Expert .nd 105ee el..... for Suzuki. (Below) Kyle Lewi. Ieed. Eddie Hick•. Healey, Hicks doubleNMA World Mini GP By Nate Rauba ORANGE, CA, APR. 13-15 Suzuki's Mike Healey and Yamaha's Eddie Hicks wrapped up a weekend of solid racing by each taking a pair of championships in the 13th annual National Motosports Association's/Kawasaki World Mini Grand Prix. Healey went home with the 83ee Stock Expert and I05ee class Championships and Hicks walked away with the 83cc Modified Expert and Race of Cham, pions crowns. Riders from all across the United States as well as Canada and Australia came to Saddleback to compete in the three day event. Over 75 motos were run and many classes required qualifying races to be run to narrow the field to 24 riders for the run-orrs. Scores from the qualifiers were added towards the overall. Race of Champions The Kawasaki Race of Champions featured 15 of the top riders from the NMA's various regions, each competing on identical slock KX80s for three motos. Each rider drew a number for the machine he 'would ride, and after each race the bikes were redis. . . As the riders rounded tum one of the first moto, Healey had the lead with Bob Moore and Brad Kadau in hot pursuit. Healey didn't seem to have any difficulty adapting to the Kawasaki and quickly put a few seconds on the rest of the pack. Larry Ward charged up and passed Kadau near the end of the first lap then went 10 work on Moore. As Healey continued to stretch his lead, a mad shuffle was going on for the positions behind him. Hicks moved into fourth by lap three and by the followingcircuit was dicing with Ward for third. Hicks tried the outside coming 0([ a hill and into a corner, but Ward held his ground. The two bumped once and Hicks was forced to go way to the outside of the turn. A lap later, Hicks cut underneath Ward in a tight right hander and then passed Moore shortly afterwards. With two laps to go, it was doubtful as to whether Hicks could make up the wide margin that '0 ed but he ve it all he had. Entering the final lap, Hicks pulled to within a few seconds of Healey, finally reeling the Suzuki pilot one turn before the finish. Healey had the drive down the straight, though, and held on for the win. Moto two belonged to Hicks as he led from start to finish. Healey was left at the first turn with a seized motor as Ward and Robert Naughton followed Hicks down the hill and throughout the entire moto to finish second and third. Back in fourth SCOll Brown, riding with an injured knee, did the best he could to fight orr the allacks of Moore but finally gave in at the half way point. holding on to finish fifth behind Moore. Hicks once again shot into the lead in the final molO, only this time Healey was hot on bis heels. Atthe end of a lap, Hicks began to open some distanceon Healey, who developed some bike problems and was busy fighting off Darren DeLoach and Ward. DeLoach tried 10 sneak underneath going into a turn but Healey slammed the door. The two made contact, and DeLoach's momentum carried him over the back of Healey's bike and onto the ground. At mid molO, Hicks held a comfortable lead over Healev, who was being challenged by Ward. A couple of laps later, Ward dropped back, relieving the pressure on Healey and allowing Moore to gain third. Going into the final lap, all Hicks had to do was stay upright and be would be champion. Just after getting the white flag, he gave everyone a scare by gelling out of shape after catching tbe lip of a jump wrong. A dab with his flailing foot upon landing helped to straigbten him out, and then he just cruised to the win. Healey came in a distant second in front of Moore, who captured second overall. Brad Kadau was fourth and ended up witb third overall. "I could've been rigbt with Eddie, but I lost horsepower because it kept misfiring," said Healey. Hicks on the other hand had no problems with his bikes. "It only took about three laps to get used to it," he said, also praising the Kawa- saki's horsepower but noting that it didn't handle as well as his Yamaha. 83cc Stock Expert It was Hicks and Healey one-two at the start ofthe final, buton the opening lap, Hicks went down and allowed the Kawasaki trio of Rick Simmet, Mike Kiedrowski and Mouse McCoy to get by. McCoy pressured Hicks for a while, but on the fourth lap, Hicks was gone for good also passing Simmet. Healey enjoyed a nice lead, but Hicks wasn't giving up and was on the gas. On the last lap, Hicks rapidly made up ground as Healey rode conservatively, but could only get to within a few bikelengths of the Suzuki pilot at the finish. McCoy came around in third ahead of Kied· rowski. 83cc Modified Expert One of the closest races on Sunday wasn't the final but the qualifier for 83cc Modified Expert class. Kyle Lewis (Kaw) pulled the holeshot just ahead of Hicks and Healey and tbe three were offto a race-long battle. As Healey dropped off the pace slightly, Hicks conti nued the chase and stayed glued to Lewis' rear fender. At one point Hicks moved into the lead, only 10 be repassed by Lewis a shon time later. The race came right down to the wire where the two crossed the line side by side. Lewis won by a very slim margin. Ronnie Tichenor (Kaw) flew to the front at the start of the final with Hicks, Healey and Charlie Sampson (Kaw) following. Hicks made it by on the first lap, but Healey couldn't work his way by the Kawasaki pilot. Healey's chances for a second win ended near the end of the third lap when his engine expired. Hicks went on uncontested for the win and overall, his first of the day. Lowell Thomson (Yam) moved in on Tichenor in the closing laps but couldn't get close enough to take second away. Tichenor was second overall and Larry Ward (Kaw) nailed down the third spot. 105cc Healey had the fast bike in th..

• Cover