Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

l-o It) ..0 Jeff Johnson (37) had a good weekend, with a first, a second, and a third in Expert racing. (Below) Frank Garcia (Z89) won Sunday's Novice main. 5 .... fr CJ) (Above) David Durelle won both Expert half miles. (Below) Dan MeDonnell was also a double-half-mile winner, in the Juniors. Durrelle doubles in Black Hills Classic By Richard Creed/Meade County Times-Tribune STURGIS, SD, AUG. 10-12 Minnesota rider David Durrelle claimed a pair of wins as the Jackpine Gypsies hosted .half mile and short track racing as part of the annual Black Hills Rally. Fellow Expert jeff Johnson, from California, had a successful weekend as well as he claimed the Junior/Expert short track and then finished 20 second and third in the two half miles. Pro racing began Friday night with the Novice shon track. Jace Carter, aboard a Suzuki, topped all riders in the 15-lap main event with a time of 3;31.758. Carter, of Windsor, California, kept his wheels in front of second-place Curtis Cannon and third-place rider, Dean James. Carter's win is somewhat unusual in that he rode a Suzuki lO the winne.r's circle. Carter was the only Suzuki rider to post .... win all weekend. As a special attraction following the regular races, speedway"Specialist Pat Cain, challenged the short trackers to a five-lap match race. Answering the challenge was Curtis Cannon, who had qualified fastest in the semis. Although pressed by Cai n in the first lap or two, Cannon took an easy win as the speedway rider failed to find traction on the slick quarter-mile ovaL Johnson of Rialto, California, powered his Honda to the Saturday night win in the combined Junior/ Expert shon track race. Following Johnson in second and third place were Mark Key and Barry Pelkey. Once again, Pat Cain aboard his alky-burning Jawa .s~w..y biker losJ Q4t. • • .. ... .... • t • ., This time out, it was main event winner Johnson taking the checkered flag as Cain fell between turns three and four. But, while he was rolling, Cain ooked good, taking the lead from Johnson atone point. But, once again', the shon track surface proved lO be the undoing o£ the southern Caljfornian. Durelle won the Expen £inal race Saturday and backed it up with another viclOry Sunday despite a rear tire that went flat on the £inal lap. Johnson, also aboard a Harley, £inished second to Durelle Saturday, but a£lerwinning the shon track Saturday night, he crashed in his heat Sunday, restaned, won his heat, but could do no better than third behind Arney Wick in the final race. Junior class rider Dan McDonnell lOok the weekend hal£ mile wins over second-place man, Monte Hill, both riders were aboard Harleys. Cunis Cannon showed his Friday. night finish was no £1 uke by acing the rest of the Novice class with a hal£ mile win Saturday afternoon. Cannon held off Mike Macedo and Bugsy Booth for the win. Unfonunately, Cannon couldn't repeat his winning ways on Sunday as Frank Garcia got the holeshot to turn one in the final and it was all over but the shouting. Garcia led every lap of the Novice final, while Cannon got past Booth into fOl,lnh place temporarily on laps six and seven, but dropped back to finish fifth at the flag. Commentary: You say you came for the races? Are you ever a minority. Too bad. A lot of local folks bust their rears lO put on a good show of Novice, Junior, and Expen short track races, hal£ mile races, amateur shon track races, amateur hillclimbs, and road lOurs. And what do they get for all this work, for which they have probably taken their vacation for? Why they get what every hard working enthusiasts gets. Another day older and deeper in debt. It ain't fair. At the bars, at the city-owned liquor store, at the counhouse, at the Main Street vendors, money flows so fast aQd J1,ITi9~ IJ)at,i~ all, but floods the • to- . . . . . . . . , 4 ' ..... banks. But, at the races;they all moan about ticket prices and think that the J ackpiRe Gypsies and the Black Hills Motor Classic group are making a killing financially. They wish that it were so. The only killing that's going on is the race programs are gelling clobbered. For instance, spectator auendance and rider entries were down again this year. On Friday night, only 22 riders signed up for the shon . track. It was only marginally beller for Saturday night's Junior/Expen race (30 ridets), whith is usually one of the best-auended o£ all rally events. It's too bad, but the groups involved seem unable to stop the steady decline in racing they are witnessing. You would think that with over 25,000 motorcyclists in town there would be a lot o£ interest in racing. Not so. Someone once said o£ Daytona, "The Harley riders go to the bars, and the rice burners go lO the races." And Sturgis is de£initely a Harley event. Compljcating this year's race programs was a group o£ AMA hotshots sent in to show the yokels how to stage a race o£ficially. Good grief! Spare us from of£icial officials! • Results SUNDAY EX: 1. OevidOur"Ie(H-DI;2.ArneyWICk(H-o~ 3. Jeff Johnoon {H-D); 4. ICeIly lArttin (H-O): 5. Todd Giesed< fBSA~ 6. Gregg Wegenknecht (H· D); 7. Mark Giboon (H-D); 8. Mark Lenher.. (H-DI: 9. Mike Sullivan (Tri); 10. Robert Conwey (H-O~ 11. 8

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