Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126773
Accel Musclebike Spark. Plugs with unique U-Groove design Aa:el r.bc feIlI"Ire Spark Plug!; were developed specilicaDy for biF perimnance moton:yde applications. . An aJI.copper center elecbode fJves the widest possible beat range while the UQoove ground eledrode prorootes iaIt, ~ alIDbustion. The ~ )'eIIow Sft) jnmIap pevaJ1s IaIbow:t at peak RfM and Io8d, and spedalll!IIIs Ie' r,eM!Ilin~~ engines. C:::W Kevin Schwentz flew on Teem Good Times' FJ600; (below) Nigel Gele on Teem Bertels H-D's Evolution-engined Herley. By the end of the sixth hour, darkness was seuling upon the field. The Kerker/Emgo/Arai/Maxi-Bore/MXFox/Cam 2/Dunlop-sponsored Team Hammer effort had accumulated 210 laps to tbe point, six laps ahead of the competition. Teams employed different strategies for handling darkness: Team Hammer divided its riders into day and nigfll crews, with those with night experience (AJdana/Paulk/O'Keonedy) handling the night section. Others used riders with extensive Willow experience to do the bulk of the night riding (WeigIlLockhart/Ferodo/ Dunlop/Arai-sponsored Quester/ Sullivan's night riding was done primarily by Mitchell and Crowell; "We're the night riders," said Mitchell), and others used the whole crew. Willow Springs has no lighting to speak of; the motorcycles made all the light for the night section, aided by reflective tape purchased by Team Hammer and paid for by a number of teams. And there were a number of stories to cOl)1e out of the semi-moonlit night. Team Hammer had a couple of burnt-ot.t lights and a flat from tire. But they continued to increase their lead; "Look at Aldana - it's dark, he's burnt out one light and he's still doing 1:39s," said a Team Hammer member about 10:00 p.m. Team Good Times had problems, because they were running too much lighting for the bike's electrical system. "We had three lights and it was too mucb. They were going dim and we tbought we were going b(jnd," said Brothers. "Finally they blacked out and I was off the course trying to get back to the pits and I fell imo a ditch It knocked off one of the lights and that solved our problem." ForTeamA.P.E.'s Frank Mazur, the night meant a journey of another kind. "I was going through tum two and all of a sudden I thought it was really slippery. Then another rider passed me and I saw his headlight beam. Then I realized that he was on the course and I was completely off it, out in the dirt!" said Mazur later. Other riders reported problems wi th rabbits crossing the track, and there was a reported near collision with an owl. Just past the halfway point, hour 13, Team Hammer had stretched its led to 17lapi>Dver the runner-up, now Team Satyr, 437-420. As a result of the lighting problems Team Good Times was another four laps back at 416. Honda Gardena had amassed 413 laps; Quester/Sullivan 41 I. Leading the second wave, so to speak, was the Yamaha FJ6000fTeam America (Donald Parker/ Tom Hayner/John Glover/John Thornton/ Mike Johnson/Kai Brown) with 399 laps, 10 more than the on-going battle between Team White Whale and the Suzuki of Team Works Racing (Rich. ard KahnlTodd Griswold/Gary Dion/Mike Reynolds.) Two teams were completely out of the race: Team Thunder was unable to cure its cooling problems with its VFlOOOF SuperbiKe, and Team Shannon Racing parked their Honda with a blown engine. Through Uledawn hour Team Good Times made up time; quickly getting back on the same lap with Team Satyr, and they were making a race of it until the 18th hour, when they ran off course, dinged a rim and started a slow leak in the front tire. . By the end of 18 hours Hammer's lead was 22 laps after covering 608. Team Satyr was two laps ahead of Team Good Times, 586-584, with Honda of Gardena and Quester/Sullivan four and six laps further back, respectively. The race for first had long since been over, and Team Hammer strategy fi~- THE ALL NEW MONTESA ENDUROS. AT LAST, A REASONABLE ALTERNATIVE. The Montesa 250 and 360 H7 Enduros offer European quaJ~y and handling at a price that even the Japanese can't match. Features include Marzocchi Piffero forks, be-lor gas shocks, Pirelli tires. Moloplat ignition. and exceptional powerbands for serious enduro work. Incredibly, ~ ~ both machines list for under $2000. See your Montesa dealer soon for complete information. MONTESA Cosmopo6tan Motors Inc. 301 Jacksonville ReL . . . Hatboro, PA 19040 ~ (215) 672-9100 ~ COBRA EXHAUST Cal TONY NICOSIA At (800) 821-1205 To Place Order Only Or (415) 657-3B64 (415) 656-B275 For Technical Information HOT BIKE ENGINEERING .4432-E Enterprise. F.....ont. CA 94683 .. V,~li1Jt//.~ , ffi ~'i'IJ\/\ I BUNBHINE n -...'''. O".~ 7 Dey. 11-7W_dey•. 10·6 Sat.• Sun. Macarcyc.. larger . Ace ••• or ••• Selection 1B314 Beach Blvd.. Huntington Beach. CA (714) B4.,-5300 Than Moat 5to_