Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

1 Ricky Johnson was looking good, but couldn't match Lechien's pace. Johnson leads the points by three with one round left. Beier. The field began to form a steady parade in the next few laps as Honda riders Guy Cooper and A.j. Whiting joined the top six. By the sixth lap. Ward was encountering lapped traffic. At the same juncture, O'Mara, who had passed Ryan for second, was faced with a nine-second deficit. Whiting had taken fourth from Beier, bUl to get to third he would have to be 14 seconds and then some faster than Ryan. Cooper was fifth ahead of Yamaha rider Rodney Smith. At the checkered the first three were as they were. With five laps left to go Cooper and Beier had demoted Whiting £rom founh to sixth. Suzuki pilot Gary Bowman had come from almost nowhere to occupy seventh ahead of Suzuki rider Doug Dubach, Smith and Honda-mounted Erik Kehoe. O'Mara knew that with only one round left he had to start making up points on Ward, and so it was that he muscled his way through turn one to take the lead. Whiting, Ward, Beier and Kehoe led the pursuit. Ward was second before two laps were complete, and Kehoe saw his hopes of a top placing go dim when he coasted 0[£ the track with mechanical ills before three laps were done. While O'Mara was putling distance on Ward and Ward the same on the pack, the pack behind them ran on the following order; Kehoe, Beier, Yamaha rider jim Anderson, Smith, Bowman and Cooper. A lap later Cooper bit it hard off a jump and was almost hit by a couple of riders in the heavy dust. He did remount and continue, however. The next four laps featured Bowman advancing from seventh to fifth and Mike Crane moving his Kawasaki into the top eight. With five laps remaining Ward began advancing on O'Mara and suddenly the O'Show's lead was less than two seconds. What followed was orne of the best racing of the day as Ward stuffed O'Mara for the lead in a corner, doing it moreas a warning as he knew O'Mara would repass over the next jump and he did. Ward took the lead on the next straight, and held it despite O'Mara's best efforts, even pulling a lillIe at the very end. The Kawasaki teamster took the checkered for his first sweep of the season. Behind them Kehoe finished thiJ'd ahead of Beier, Bowman and Ryan, whose strong ride at the end of the race to place sixth was overlooked with the Ward/O'Mara fight. Anderson finished seventh ahead of Smith, Dubach and Crane. Overa]) Ryan was third ahead of Beier, Kehoe and Bowman. "It was good to win both moLOS and get a lillIe extra point spread going into Washougal," said Ward, grasping a large steerhorn trophy. "I won the first moto, and then when I saw johnny in the second I decided to go for it. I've been winning the second .all the time and johnny knows it." Asked what it meant to him that his I-I and Bailey's 1-2 had tightened up the point spread in the AMA's Grand National MX Championship, Ward said, "It's nice but I'm not going LO worry about it. We're going for the l25cc National title. You can't control the other one. It would be different ifI was racing David Bailey." 500cc When a rider with a number one plate wins each moto it's usually good for a sweep of the class. Not so in the 500s this year. Bailey, wearing the blue and gold plate of the Wrangler Grand alional Champion, led Glover, wearing the yellow and black plate as the defending 500cc National Champ, Kawasaki's Goat Breker and Honda rider Mickey Kessler into the first turn. Bailey also led every lap of the first moLO. G lover never let off the pressure, but neither could he find a way past. Breker had a very lonely ride, soon well back of the leadingduoand well in front of a good ballle for fourth, fifth, etc. Micky Dymond, riding the factory Husky ingle-shocker, wem from seventh to founh in the first three laps with Kessler and Yamaha riders COll Manning and Mark Murphy running behind him. It was the last two laps before Bailey could break Glover's shadow, getting past four lapped riders in one swoop while the Yamaha rider was denied a clean pass and ended up having to use two corners and two straights. That was all the edge Bailey needed. Also late in the race was Manning's pass on Dymond LO take over fourth. .,. (Above) Jeff Ward looked down in the first moto, but it's doubtful he saw himself leading Johnny O'Mara on the last lap of moto two (below). Kessler was sixth, followed by Murphy, Yamaha rider Tim Coombs, Honda rider Terry Hubbsand Yamaha pilet Pete Snorteland. In the second moto Bailey again had his water-cooled works RC Honda to turn one first. Glover and Breker again followed, but in a steep section on the hillside Glover found a way around Bailey and took it. Behind the front three, Michael Larson and Kessler were leading the way with Hondas, with local favorites Terry Kyle and james Knupp running 6-7 on Yamahas. Manning, riding a Yamaha Support/Hi-Point/ SCOll Goggles-backed YZ, was eighth but on the move. Another solid rider, Dymond, crashed on the first lap and had his work cut out for him. Bailey stayed close to Glover for the first half of the race, but then, with the title safely in hand, apparently decided to cool it. As a result, Glover's lead soon stretched to about 30s seconds. Glover saw the checkered flag first for his first overall win of the '84 season. But Bailey saw something more important when he saw mechanic Cliff White's pit board on the last lap. 1l read: "500 Champ." Breker had another lonely ride in third. In a show to delight the Colorado crowd, Knupp nudged Larson out of fourth, where he was followed by Manning, Murphy, Dymond (a nice recovery), Snorteland and Ke sler. Manning's 4-6 gave him LOp privateer honors at fourth overall, ahead of Dymond, Murphy and noneland. "We changed the gearing between motos," said Glover, and it really helped a lot. Plus gelling out in £rOnt got me out of the dust which as really bad in the first moto, I know David didn't want to let me have the overall without a fight, but when you've got the championship ... " • Results 250: 1. Ron Lechien (Han) 1-1; 2. Rick Johnson (Vam) 2-2; 3. Billy Lilas (KawI3-3; 4. Kent Howenon IKaw) 5-4; 5. Alan King (Honl B-5; 6. Mark Barnell (SUl) 7-6; 7. Bob Hannah (Han) 4-10; B. SCOIl Burnwonh (SUl) 6·9; 9. Keith Bowen (Vam) 9· 7; 10. George Holland (SUl) 10-8; 11. Jim Holley (Vam) 13-11; 12. Jeff Hicks (Honl 12-12; 13. John Shey (Han) 15-13; 14. Tom Carson (Han) 14-15; 15. Russ Wageman (Yam) 16-14; 16. Scooter Stefford (Yam) 11-'; 17. David Molder (Han) 17-17; 18. Ted Holt (SUl) 21·16; 19. Bruce Gates (Hon) lB·19; 20. Kavin Foley (Vam) 37-1 B. 125; 1. Jeff Ward (Kaw) 1-1; 2. Johnny O'Mera (Han) 2-2; 3. Rick Ryan (SUl) 3-6; 4. Mike Beier (Yam) 5-4; 5. Erik Kehoe (Hon) 10-3; 6. Gary Bowman (SUl) 7-5; 7. Guy Cooper(Hon)4-13; B. Rodney Smith (Yam) 9-8; 9. Doug Dubach (SUl) 8-9; 10. Jim Anderson (Vam) 11-7; 11. Stacy Cook (Kaw) 12-12; 12. Michael Crane (Kaw) 15-10; 13. Jeff Frisz(Hon) 16-11; 14. A.J. Whiting (Hon) 6- '; 15. Choppy Blose (Kow) 14-14; 16. Fred Andrews (Hon) 17-15; 17. Donny Storbeck (Yam) 13-'; 18. Alan Samar (Yom) 20-16; 19. David Weak (Han) 19-17; 20. Mike Duncan (Kaw) '-18. 500; 1. Brae Glover (Vam) 2-1; 2. David Bailey (Han) 1-2; 3. Goat Broker (KowI3-3; 4. Scoll Monning (Voml4-6; 5. Micky Dymond (Hus) 5-8; 6. Mark Murphy(Yom)7-7; 7. Mickay Kassler (Hon)6-10; 8. Pate Snoneland (Vam) 10-9; 9. TIm Coombe (Yaml 8- 12; 10. Brell Cajors (Hon)ll-ll; 11. Mike Larson (Han) 18-5; 12. James Knupp (Yam) '-4; 13. Terry Kyle (Vam) 13-13; 14. Andy Stacy (Hus) 14-14; 15. David McClain (Han) 12-16; 16. Steve Burdelle (VamI15·15; 17. Terry Hobbs (Han) 9-'; 18. John Collins (Han) 17-19; 19. Don Turk (Han) 19-1 B; 20. Jon onner (Yam) 16-23. POINT STANDINGS 250: 1. Ricky Johnson (372); 2. Ron Lechien (369); 3. Billy Ules (332); 4. Alan King (275); 5. Mark Barnell (260); 6. Kent Howenon (2591; 7. Keith Bowen (2561; 8. Jim Hollay (192); 9. Jeff Hicks (175); 10. George Holland (160). 125: 1. Jeff Ward (432); 2. JohnnyO'Mara (414); 3. Mike Beiar (294); 4. A.J. Whiting (2631; 5. Erik Kehoe (236); 6. Jim Anderson (21 91; 7. Rick Ryan (171); 8. Guy Cooper (165); 9. Danny Storbeck (142); 10. Eric Hall (133). 500: 1. David Bailey (444); 2. Brae Glover (393); 3. Goat Breker (3431; 4. Mike Murphy (223); 5. Pete Snoneland (22): 6. (TIE) Mickey Kessler/Micky Dymond (205); 8.AndyStacy(1631; 9. David McClain (1511; 10. Kenny Keylon (141). AMA/EL-RAV GRAND NATIONAL MX CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. David Bai)ey (497); 2. Jeff Ward (487); 3. Johnny O'Mara (440); 4. Brae Glover (406); 5. Ricky Johnson (396); 6. Ron Lachien (387); 6. Billy Ules (367); 7. Goat Breker (343); B. Mark Barnell (304); 9. Mark Barnell (304); 10. Alan Kin 293. , f

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