Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~------- ----------- . ~-.------ Honda;Yamaha and Suzuki engineS.' Other formidable rivals to Roper included former Manx Grand Prix winner. Geoff Johnson on a 500cc Manx Norton, leading UK classic specialists Richard Cutts (Matchless G50) and John Cronshaw (500cc BSA Gold Star special), and tough Irishman Steve Cull on a very quick 350cc Aermacchi. TT riders start in pairs at 10second intervals, so in effect they race against the clock rather than against one another. Roper started 20 seconds after Johnson and Cull, but by the Bungalow commentary point on the 2,000-foot climb up Snaefell mountain, some 30 miles out, he had passed them and was leading the race on the road as well as on a time basis. At the end of the first lap Roper thundered through the start/finish area in the suburbs of Douglas, the Island's biggest town, more than half a minute ahead of the second man, Irishman Sammy McClements on a 500cc Manx Norton. Incredibly, the challenge from the British riders, many oUhem with far more experience on the hard-to-Iearn circuit than Roper, never materialized. Feeling no pain from his injured wrist, and despite the treacherous rain showers, Roper averaged a hardcharging 97.21 mph on his second lap to maintain a 25.8 second lead over McClements. The Irishman eventually stopped on the final lap with engine trouble, and Dave Hughes ran out of gas while in fourth place. Cutts also had machine failure, and Cronshaw fell off his BSA. But even if these disasters hadn't befallen the British, Roper would still have won, he eased to 94.325 mph on his final lap, while Paul Barrett added to the Team Obsolete glory by pulling up from 10th on the opening lap to sixth at the finish. "The only problem now is, how do we top that?" asked an ebullient Iannucci. With his wife Sonia, he had flown to the Island to work long hours into the night maintaining the 25-year-old Matchless, which is a concoction of parts old and new. The chassis is basically a standard 1959 item, and a front twin-leadingshoe Fontana drum is retained to suit American vintage racing rules, which ban discs at the front end, whereas many of the British.entrants had the advantage of more modern braking. Original crankpins for the G50s are virtually unobtainable now, and modern pattern parts are proving troublesome and short-lived for the owners of these venerable classic machines. Iannucci has overcome the problem by installing German INA needle-rollers on the big-end and the drive-side main bearing. A six-speed gearbox is used, and a non-standard diaphragm clutch with a light action probably helped Roper's wrist in the island. Former Grand National Champion and Daytona 200 winner Dick Mann prepared the cylinder head, while the engine itse)[. was originally set up by top American tuner Al Gunter. With are-sited exhaust port, larger valves, a twinplug head and a slightly larger Amal GP carburetor, Iannucci claims his G50 is safe to 8,000 rpm, whereas most British owners limit revs to around 7.,250. The British may have considered Iannucci's claims about the machine to be a classic case of American b.s., but Roper .reckoned he wrung the engine consistently to eight-grand in the race, and it ran perfectIy. The Historic TT win was also a great reward for Team Obsolete's sponsors, Accessory Mart, the classic spares specialists; Castrol oils; and Bell helmets. Already, the irrepressible Iannucci is planning his 1985 assaillt on the TT. • f .-, > W ( ~ • " ~ ~ ..J l:l z ~ > a:: a:: ~ > CD en 0 t- o :I: ~ ao Cl. O"l ,.....; ~ ~ ...... ....... ;::s ~ JT Doherty (left) leads the cavalry of 27th-minute riders. (Right) Vince Hunt and Charles Weber rode XR Hondas in the Four-Stroke C class. Kemp cruises to Tuff E' Nuff win By Larry Langley SOLEDAD CYN, CA, JUNE 17 Honda-mounted Randy Kemp continued his recent domination of southern California enduro competition with his overall win at the United Enduro Association's annual (Not so) Tuff E' Nuff D-37 enduro. Duralube-sponsored Kemp rolled to his third consecutive win not by being the fastest rider (there were two other riders that posted faster special test scores), but by being fast and smart. His competition - Honda rider Rob Mesecher and Kawasaki-mounted Garner Palenske - ended up hitting one check early, damaging their scores. Both riders still finished in the top five overall, with Mesecher taking second. This was the UEA's first mountain enduro in several years, the first in the San Gabriel Mountains overlooking the Pasadena area. In fact, the idea to put on the enduro here came from club member Gary Dokter, a former member of the Pasadena M.C. who used to stage the famous 500mile Two Day Greenhorn Enduro in the same area. The idea was to stage a "mini" Greenhorn-type enduro and get out of the desert. After over a year's hard work - coordinating with numerous agencies such as the Forest Service, So. Calif. Edison, L.A. Sheriff's, Highway Patrol - with numerous obstacles to overcome, did the enduro finally come off. When the riders received their rider information packet in the mail, they were curious to find out what sort of "earnpground" the UEA had reserved for them as part of their entry fee. Early arrivals Friday found out when they pulled into the Robin's Nest Campground off of Soledad Canyon Road into a very different type area from what they were used to: Trees and a genuine lakel The UEA had paid for and reserved the entire campground for the enduro participants and the workers only. No motorcycle riding was allowed on Saturday, riders had 10 push their bikes to the sound and spark arrestor test and push them back to camp. Nice and peaceful - very relaxing. The lake was well used with an entirely different atmosphere present than the usual desert-type enduro setting. UEA policy last year was to tone down the "killer" D-37-type enduros and get back to basics. A fun ride that still took away points yet did not break body and bike. They were highly successful and their approach combined wi"th the mountain setting led to a sell out of their 500 rider limit. Since the enduro as a point-topoint event, UEA hauled the riders' gas to the gas stop a t the halfway point of the IOO-mile enduro. Pit crews had an easy freeway drive to the finish line at the parking lot ohhe Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Promptly at 8:01 Sunday morning, the first four riders fired their bikes up and proceeded up the fireroad for their journey to Pasadena. The course was about 70% fireroads, 10% paved roads and 20% trails. But some of the fireroads were challenging, especially at speed. The fastest special test was on a very tight, winding fireroad at 36 mph for approximately eight miles. The best score turned in was four points by Mesecher and Palanske, with Kemp just a tick back with a loss of five. This long section was tough due to its length and the fact that if. you made a mistake, over the side was a long way down, so most riders weren't hanging it out too much, especially since the dust was bad. With very little rain over the winter, the roads and trails were extremely dusty. One rider came into the checkpoint and muttered "What do they give for first place, new brakes or new forearms?" The UEA thoughtfully provided riders with a 10 minute reset to catch back up. The heat was a factor, in the low 90-degree range. At each water crossing, riders were stop- ping for a drink. Just to finish was their goal. They couldn't give up and ride back to camp like a normal enduro since their pit crews were waiting for them in Pasadena. Unofficial results have 370 out of the 500 starters finishing, a very high percentage for D-37 enduros. The top B rider to finish was a 200cc B class rider by the name of Tommy Veator (Hon) who finished 10th overall. The only Mini to enter was CRGs number one Mini Scott Jacobsen (Suz), who, at the halfway point, had a flat front tire, but still finished. Barbender M.e. 's Bill Herndon rode a stock XL350 to the enduro then got 40 miles out before hitting a rock and taking a side trip down a mountain. While unhurt, Herndon houred-out before he could get back on the trail, so he just rode on home. First C rider' was Bryar Holcomb (Hus) with just 12 points lost. Since Holcomb's score beat most of the B riders, he may find himself a B rider very soon. The Women were dominated by Dana Bell (Hus) again, who even had a handicap: She is seven months pregnant. . Smce the event was a point-topoint, all riders went the entire way which is a bit unusual for the C riders. They usually only go one loop, so they had a twice as long ride as they were used to. All fini~hers were rewarded with UEA's unique finisher cold cups instead of the usual finisher pins, a very pleasant end to a very unique enduro. Results OVERALL: 1. Ra ndy Kemp (Hon); 2. Rob Mesacher (Hon); 3. Vernon Gabbert (Hon); 4. Gamer Palenske (Kaw); 5. Grant Palenske (Hon); 6. Mike Haney (Vam); 7. Mike Gerrelt(Vam); 8. Kent Perkins (Hus); 9. Peter Hughes (Hus): 10. Tommy Veator (Hon~ OPEN A: 1. Rob Mesecher (Hon): 2. Peter Hughes (Hus); 3. Randy Daugherty (Hus). 4-STROKE A: 1. Vernon Gabbert (Hon); 2. Mike Haney (Vam); 3. Tonv Casaga (Hon). 200 A: 1. Garner Palenske (Kaw); 2. Todd johnson (Hus); 3. Mark cook (Kaw). SR A; 1. Harry Keast (Mai); 2. Ron Fry (Hon); 3. Morris Norman (Hus). OPEN 8: 1. Mike Wokal (Hon); 2. Skip Christy (KTM); 3. Lawrence Weber (Hon). 4-STROKE B; 1. Martin Blais(Hon); 2. Mike Ferro (Hon); 3. John Jacobsen (Hus). 250 B: 1. Chris Stapleton (KTM); 2. Tim Moora (Vam); 3. Steve Jensen (Suz). 200 B: 1. Tommy Veator (Hon); 2. Paul Eddy (Vam); 3. Steve Babeck (Hon). SR B: 1. Don Nelson (Mai); 2. Dennis Scammell (Kaw); 3. Joe Holmes (KTM). OPEN C: 1. Bryar Holcomb (Hus); 2. Rick Jaeger (Vam); 3. Dave Gordon (Hus). 250 C: 1. Steve Herman (KTM); 2. Dana Burkhart (Yam): 3. Bob Lornhorst (Yam). 200 c: 1. Bill Dennis (Yam); 2. Brian Dewald (Vam); 3. Ronald Silva (Vam). SR C: 1, Paul Freuend (Hus); 2. Pate Markese (Kaw); 3. Jeff Fort (Vam). WOMEN B: 1. Dana Bell (Hus): 2. Linda Adent (Hon); 3. Shauna Hopkins (Kaw). WOMEN C; 1. Kathy Labrum (Hon): 2. Susan Hardingberg (Vam). 4-STROKE C: 1. Ross Hoecker (Vam); 2. Richard Marcotta (Vam): 3. Bob Pawlak (Hon). 19

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