Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Ricky Orlando (12) stuffed John Bettencourt in a heat race. then crashed. Gene Church and the H.O.G. Harley-Davidson topped the Battle of the Twins. (Below) Dave Sadowski leads Richard Scoular in amateur action. passed in turn by New Zealander Richard Scoular and his Yamaha F]600. Scoular. easily recognizable in his glowing orange leathers, set out after Brubaker. Sadowski latched on to the rear wheel of Scoular's La Habra Yamaha. Brubaker lengthened his lead, and Ragle was in fourth, racing Allen Yarrow and his 600cc Yamaha Single. Ragle's engine started smoking and he pitted. Scoular and Sadowski continued a dog fight lap after lap, running side by side until Sadowski finally secured second place following a series of excellent passes and repasses. Bru baker looked relaxed even while setting a new class record, and won easily. Results 1. Todd Brubaker (Kow); 2. Doye Sodowski (Kow); 3. Richard SCoul.r (Vam). Ghadiri swe.eps amateur 750 By Roger Smith SONOMA, CA, MAY 19 frame, and all fell off or broke. The flopping reservoir got in the wheel spokes and was ripped off its line, the shock losing all its fI uid. Some of the shock oil landed on the engine and pipes, producing the smoke, and the Honda had no rear damping, turning into a two-stroke bronco. McDonald's retirement turned Glover and Steward's race for fourth place into a race for third. Glover passed Steward, then slowed as his bike started handling snangely in left turns. After the race Glover would discover that his machine's aluminum alloy Spondon frame had broken underneath the right front engine mount, producing the odd handling. Glover finished fourth, behind Steward. Greene was second, DeMuro first. Sommers was fifth, GTediting a wrong choice of tires with lap times that gradually slowed. In winning, DeMuro turned lots of I :50 and I :51 lap times. His fastest was 1:49.5. Results 1. Tracy DeMuro (Yam); 2. Don Greene (Yam); 3. Chris Sleword (Yom); 4. John Glover (Yom); 5. Joev Sommers (Yam~; 6. Dale Franklin (Yam); 7. Wayne Montoya (Vam); 8. Eric Kondo (Yam); 9. Kevin Gordner (RlX); 10. So",iogo Londono IYom). Church blasts BoTT By John Ulrich SONOMA, CA, MAY 20 "I hate this track," said Gene Church after practice for the Battle of the Twins race. "It's fun to ride on, but not to race on. Il's so rough, andhasa lotofbumps." Having said that, Church won the BoTT race on the Harley Owners Group/Surefire/Dunlop 10000c Harley-Davidson turned by Don Tilley ~d known as Lu<;i{~\H~er I .. i To win, Church had to beat threetime BoTT Champion Jimmy Adamo on Reno Leoni's 707cc Cagiva Pantah, and that's what he did. There was no doubt from the start that Church had the horsepower he needed, but at Sears Point, horsepower isn't everything. Church had whatever else it took, too, leading Adamo on the first lap, Adamo diving underneath in the last turn and pulling alongside, Church driving hard out of the corner to stay in front. Just in time to meet waving red flags, thrown when a rider in the amateur second wave spilled oil and crashed in turn two, taking another rider with him and causing a short delay: turn workers needed time to brush grease sweep over oil sneaks on the track. There was no delay in throwing the red flags, whicP were displayed at two locations on the track. The restart looked like a reprieve for Harry Klimmann, who couldn't get the Krauser MKM BMW to go into gear on the grid. It finally popped into first and Harry took off, way behind. Then came the red flag, and Klinzmann made it back to the grid. The restart was, well, a replay. Klinzmann couldn't get into gear, then got rolling and parked in half a lap with a broken transmission. Church led again into the last turn, Adamo trying to get underneath. Church led the early laps; Adamo then got by and led a few. The Pantah started popping and missing, Church regained the lead, and it was all Adamo could do to run with him, staying close. Later in the race the Pantah's miss gOI worse, and Adamo was left adrift, behind. The fastest 26-year-old Adamo went on the Pantah was 1:49; 22-year-old Church went as fast on the Harley. From the start of the race, Kevin Bracken, a 36-year-old engineer from Lo,s.j\9~eJ;',:i9.'tldltlUrd I)i~ ft.S."iq: 9~ Ducati 9OOSS, sponsored by Bracken/ Guest Racing, Woods Motor Shop, Redline Oil and C.R. Axtell. Bracken was never challenged, never caught and never bobbled. He was far, far in front of a battle for fourth that we'll get to in a minute. And Bracken was lapped by Church and Adamo: that's how far ahead their battle had taken them. Now, about that fourth-place tussel. The combatants were Frank Mazur on a MOlO Guzzi, Bracken's racing partner Tony Guest on another Ducati, Paul Vogel on a HarleyDavidson XLX fitted with two-intoone pipes and a Dell 'Orto carb, and Bud Riddl~ on a Yamaha XV920. All of them ran fourth at one time or another, passing and repassing and bobbling as one guy passed another and a third tried to stick in a wheel. In the end Riddle crossed the finish line fourth, but was docked a lap for jumping the start; that made him II th, and Vogel fourth, followed by Guest and Mazur. Church and Adamo and Bracken ran in the Grand Prix class; Vogel, Guest, Riddle and Mazur in Heavyweight Modifed. Brent Ross won the Stock class on a Yamaha XV920, and in doing so beat Lightweight Modified class winner Richard Winningstad and his Ducati Pantah. Results 1. Gene Church (H-D); 2. Jimmv Adomo (Cog); 3. Keyin Brocken (Due); 4. Poul Vogel (H-D); 5. Tonv GuestIDuc); 6. Fronk Mozur (M-D); 7. Steye Wiel

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