Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ ~ it In :i: 0 Z ..J 0 '" ~ 0 ~ >- CD In 0 ~ 0 ~ 00 O"l J: lL ~ ~ C(') C'l >ro :;E (Above) Jeff Ward steals the holeshot at the start of the second 125cc moto. (Below) Ron Lechien leads Mark Bamett during 250cc action. David Bailey is unstoppable in the 500c class. Bailey kept on his winning ways winning both motos. while Broc Glover took second. AMA/Bel-Ray Grand National MX Championship Series: Round 6 Bailey scores Atlanta Six Flags victory By Tom Kolnowski ATLA TA, GA, MAY 13 Flanked by roller coasters at Atlanta's Six Flags Over Georgia "theme" park, Honda's David Bailey set off on a theme of his own and won both 500cc class motos over Yamaha's Brac Glover at the Kawasaki-sponsored National Motocross. After a runaway victory in mota one, Bailey was forced 8 to reel in a charging Glover in moto two. That he did, to win his eighth consecutive moto in the 500cc divisIOn. While Bailey's win could be considered "clean," teammate Ron Lechien came out on top of the 250cc class by default. After a decisive win by Lechien in the first 250cc moto·over Yamaha's Rick Johnson, Johnson was docked a full lap for taking a line outside the course markers and the results sheets showed him relegated to eighth. While Johnson bounced back to win moto two, Lechien's third behind Mark Barnett was good enough to net him the overall win. Billy Liles finished second overall via a 2-4 performance. In the 125cc ranks, Johnny O'Mara gave Honda a clean sweep for the day. Jeff Ward set off on a race of his own and handily won moto one over O'Mara, then appeared destined to do the same in moto two. With less than three laps left, Ward nearly passed out after a dirt clod became lodged in his throat and O'Mara, waiting in the wings seconds behind, easily motored around Ward to cop the moto win and overall. Bailey's win gives him a slightly larger edge over Ward in the Grand National MX Championship point chase, 253 to 246. O'Mara holds third with 211. With the price of admission to the theme park also good for spectating at the MX, the hillsides of the track, located on a tract of land adjacent to the park, were filled with spectators. Temperatures hovered in the mid-80s. 250cc As Kent Howerton and Ron Lechien led the pack through the high-speed, off-camber sweeper and onto the course, other riders were not having such a good time of it. "I came out running probably seventh," Rick Johnson said, "and a rider went down and Mark Barnett hit me. I dropped way back, then when I came to the next jump there were riders laying all over the place. I did a V-turn since there was no other way to get around the mess, and in doing so went outside of the banners. I got passed by four other riders." Johnson was later docked a lap for leaving the track. Howerton led through lap four, then Lechien left him in his wake and forged ahead. By this time, Billy Liles, Keith Bowen and Bob Hannah had pulled out of the pack and were engaged in a hot dice over third behind Howerton. Three laps later, Liles trailed Lechien, with Bowen and Hannah :;till in close company and Howerton knocked back to fifth. Into lap II, Lechien had a comfortable lead of 22 seconds, and Hannah had displaced Liles for second. Then on lap 12, Hannah became entangled in a length of course banners, which brought him to an abrupt halt on the first mound of a double jump. Liles narrowly missed Hannah as he crested the jump, but Bowen, who was running a close fourth, landed squarely on top of Hannah. "I slowed a bit and Bowen just bailed right on top of me," Hannah later said, his arm soaking in a bucket of ice. "There was no excuse for it - he was close, but not so close that he couldn't avoid hitting me. He landed on my right arm. I have had the worst of luck with Bowen this year." Hannah, visibly in a lot of pain, limped back to the pits after the incident, but not before having a few harsh words with Bowen. Bowen later remounted, blH had lost several positions during the mishap. "I thought he was going to make the jump," Bowen said, "but f landed right on him. Hannah had been double-jumping that spot all day, and there was nothing I could do to stop. Hannah was really upset, but it just happened." Lec'hien romped to the win, with Johnson working through the pack to finish what he thought was second. Liles copped third ahead of Howerton, Jeff Hicks and Bowen. ''I'm pretty upset," Johnson said after learning he was bumped back to eighth. "I guess taking a line for reasons of safety is not the thing to doI'll be ready for the second moto." Hannah opted to sit out the final moto, and instead went to visit a physician to check out his arm. "Bob probably could have ridden the last moto," said Honda team manager Dave Arnold, ' "but since he's not really in the point chase we decided it was better to play it safe." Lechien again throttled to the front of the pack in moto two, with Johnson and Barnett determined to make a three-way battle out of it. Liles, however, got spun around and recovlay it safe." Lechien again throttled to the front of the pack in moto two, while Johnson and Barnett argued dead last. "Johnson and I were having a good battle," Barnett said, "and I could tell we were gaining on Lechien." And by lap six, both John-, son and Barnett had worked past Lechien, leaving him behind as they continued their scuffle. By lap nine, Liles, who had been

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