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/126788
Flyin' Fred Merteel won epin et Willow. (Belowl We. Cooley (341Ieed. Merteel end Sem McDoneld eerly in the first Superbike segment. Jim Vreeke (31 leed. McMurter, McDoneld, Pietri end Roloff. (Below) McMurter eheed of Hempton, Oliver, Pietri, segment one. AltA Superbike Championship Series: Round JJ Merkel whips out Willow win By John Ulrich ROSAMOND, CA, SEPT. 16ยท The record books will show that American. Honda's Fred Merkel won his 10th career Superbike race, winning both 40-mile, 54kilometer legs of the Budweiser/Kerker 100. The official results will list Wes Cooley and the Yoshimura GS750 Suzuki as second both times, with Sam MeDon- 10 nald and his VF750F Honda Superbike third. A story could be written that told of Merkel's courageous ride and victory despite suffering severe pain from the wrist he broke at Sears Point on August 25 and had pinned in time for the September 2 race at Brainerd; the saine story could tell of Merkel's mental anguish upon learning that his grandmother, who came down from northern California to watch Merkel race, had been rushed to the hospital with abdominal pains and faced imminent surgery. (She was operated on successfully as Merkel raced.) But there's a story behind Merkel and Cooley; there's a story behind McDonald, who finished first privateer on his Larry Kano-tuned Inter- ceplOr. Make that story three stories, the stories of Jim Vreeke and Scott Gray and two exhaust system companies gone to war. It started before the races, when Supertrapp ran an advertisement announcing the Supertrapp Challenge, offering a chance on a free trip tCY Daytona 1985 to anybody who filled out a results form showing the top privateer finishers and what type of exhaust system they used. As Supertrapp tolq it, riders using their pipes - including Dale Quanerley and Rich Oliver - would dominate the Kerker-sponsored race. That, predictably, didn't sit well with Kerker chief Dick Raczuk, and the company signed up Reuben McMurter and Roberto Pietri literally days belore the event. "They told me that if I beat the Supertrapp guys they'd give me a lot of money," McMurter said before the race. It looked liked Kerker would have its way and that McMurter and Pietri would beat Oliver and Quarterley. As it turned out, Pietri had suspension problems, Quarterley's bike blew up in practice, Oliver's bike blew up in the second segment, and the top privateer with an aftermarket exhaust system was Vreeke, who used an Ontario Moto Tech system on his mostly-stock-engined GPz750 (performance modifications were limited to head porting and the installation of the pipe and Keihin carbs). Vreeke finished founh overall; McMurter was fifth and Scott Gray sixth. Gray's bike shouldn't have even been close, being a 1980 GS750 Suzuki with stock pistons and Edco head work. It's got carbs and a pipe on it, and wide wire wheels carrying its slicks. Gray, 23, owns Healdsburg Cycles in Healdsburg, California, and didn't race at all last year after winning a couple of AFM championships in 1982. He came out of financially-induced retirement in time for the Sears Point race and ran well before stopping with a flat front tire, and decided to haul the Suzuki borrowed from Jack Redmond down to Willow for another shot at the big time. It was quite a shot. "It's kind of a rude awakening to read about all these guys in the magazines and then find out you can run with them," said Redmond, who made his startling discovery in a heat race at Sears Point by racing with McDonald. Gray's bike was hopelessly underpowered, a problem Gray dealt with by running it in deeper, charging harder, being more aggressive. Merkel won the first heat race for starting position, leaping out front as Cooley struggled with a bad start. Cooley quickly moved up from sixth, passing the battling McMurter and Oliver; Cooley couldn't catch Merkel, and Oliver, although getting close out in turn eight, could not pass McMurter. McDonald won the second heat, a three-lap sprint after a red-f1ag-eaused restart. The red flag flew just after Pietri passed McDonald to lead; in the restart Vreeke and Gray both beat Pietri. Carry Andrew and Dennis Fryer collided and aashed in turn three to cause the red flag, one bike laying in the track. It was Andrew's debut on his new Interceptor superbike; because it was damaged, he restarted on his older Kawasaki GPz750 and officials didn't seem to mind. Merkel led the start of the final, still in front as the pack thundered around the top of the course, through uphill/downhill turns three, four and five. Vreeke was second, Cooley third and McDonald founh. Gray was dead last. Cooley drafted past Merkel on the straight, going deeper into turn one, and the race was on. Merkel repassed two laps later on a short straight between turns seven and eight; Coo: ley passed Merkel around turn eight, and every time Cooley took the lead the crowd at the top of the hill cheered, urging on what they perceived as being the underdog. Meanwhile, Vreeke continued to hold off McDonald, whose bike was much faster, the pair turning I:32s, Vreeke making up in the sweepers what he lost on the straighter sections. Behind them, McMurter, Pietri, Terry Hampton and Oliver were strung together, a four-part snake wrestling itself around the course. Pietri passed McMurter just as Gray caught up toOliver. McDonald passed Vreeke. Cooley and Merkel changed positions twice a lap at this point, Merkel having a horsepower advantage, Cooley gaining and making up ground in turn eight" and turn nine and into turn one. Vreeke hung close to McDonald but couldn't get back by; nine seconds behind Vreeke, McMurter had repassed Pietri and Gray pressured Hampton, having already gotten by Oliver. Gray's bike must have been five mph slower in top speed than the Hondas of Pietri and McMuner, but that didn't stop Gray from passing both of them for fifth. Pietri faded to