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/126793
'Team Honda's David Bailey finished second in the heat race and the main. He's second in points, but a fuN 43 points behind,O'""ara. the hospital for X-rays where a hairline fracture was detected in one of his feet, putting him out for the night and probably the rest of the series. Heats Ronnie Lechien took his first supercross victory in almost a year at the next-to-Iast Insport round in Oakland, California. Insport/Wrangler SUpercross series: Round 14 Lechien" Bailey, Johnson ace Oakland By Rex Reese OAKLAND, CA, OCT, 20 Team Honda's Ron Lechien finally scored a big one by winning the next-to:last round of , the Insport/Wrangler Supercross Series at Oakland's Alameda County Coliseum, with teammate David Bailey second and Yamaha's Ricky Johnson third. The season had been one of "close but no cigar" for the 6 l7-year-old 1983 Rookie of the Year until tonight, a supercross victory almost a year from his first-ever stadium win last season. The Miller High Life-sponsored event saw Lechien ride smoothly and confidently to the winner's circle, a sharp contrast to the month before at Sacramento when he crashed in the main event. Second-placer Bailey gained more ground on series leader Johnny O'Mara in the overall points standings when the O'Show finished sixth for the evening. Johnson's third, followed by Yamaha teammate Broc Glover, and Suzuki's Scott Burnworth in fifth, prevented Honda from making another top three sweep. Oakland's track had been designed by former Pro motocrosser John Savitski and was described as a "thinker's track." Riders had ample opportunity in several sections for passing, but there were other parts which would take a number of competitors down for the count. Among the victims was Bob Hannah, who crashed hard in practice going over a set of jumps. Hannah was taken to The starting line for the first heat had O'Mara, Lechien, Burnworth, George Holland, and first-time Pro racers, Bader Manneh and Eddie Warren. Both riders are part of Kawasaki's Team Green support program, and Insport granted both formerm!nibike stars a special one-day Pro license. Manneh and Warren would go on to produce credible performances. Privateer,Eric Hall (Hon) shot his way into the first turn but w.asquickly overtaken by O'Mara, with Warren making his way into third. Lechien got past Warren and Hall to hook second. b'Show soon generated a commanding lead, with Lechien a distant second, and some serious barbanging was going on for third between Suzuki's Burnworth and Holland. Both riders, on virtually stock 1984 RM250s, were almost bar-tobar for the eight-lap heat. When O'Mara crossed the finish line, he was followed a few seconds later by Lechien, then Burnworth and HoIland. Manneh and Warren finished fifth and sixth, to go to the first semi. Husky's Micky Dymond made the cut for the semi in seventh after Don Turk (Hon) slid out. Heat two pitted Bailey against Glover, who was mounted on a 1985 production Yamaha YZ250; also present was Kawasaki's Billy Liles, Yamaha's Keith Bowen (also on an '85 YZ), and privateer Warren Reid. Glover quickly grabbed the lead and put himself out of reach for secondplace rider Bailey. Way in back was Liles, who remounted after a first turn pile-up. Before the heat was half over, Reid bailed over some whoops, tweaking his bike in the first of two nasty getoffs. Li les began making steady progress through traffic, and.when it was all over, finished fifth to make it into the semi. Glover was the winner, with Bailey second and Bowen third. Eric Eaton (Hon) ran fourth, ahead of Liles, Jeff Frisz (Hon) and Eric Mashbir (Hon) for direct placing in the semi. Heat three had Johnson get the holeshot, followed by Danny Storbeck (Yam) and Kent Howerton; Mark Barnett was a first turn casualty. Jim Holley was in fourth behind Storbeck after working up through heavy traffic; Barnett rode hard to· make it into the top seven for a semi-final start, then became even more frantic after stalling his bike in a plrner. Towards the end of the heat. Barnett made it past Holley to take fourth. Johnson took the checkered flag ahead of Howerton and Storbeck. Holley was fifth, with Russ Wageman (Yam) and Dave Coupe (Hon) sixth and seventh. Jeff Ward dominated the fourth heat, followed by Alan King and Rick Ryan. Goat Breker got caught in rraffic and finished fourth, while Jeff Hicksl (Hon) slid .back to fifth. Privateers Pete Snorteland (Yam) and Allen Semar (Yam) earned their way into the serrti with sixth- and seventhplace finishes. Quarter-finals Don Turk was in control of the first quarter-final event after being in constant battle with Eric Hall (Hon) earlier in the heat. Turk strung out a good lead over Hall and remained un threatened for the eight-lap race. Hall was left with the job of staving off Brett Cahors (Hon) for second. Fourth behind Cahors was Scott .Johnson (Yam). In this race, Reid made his second and final crash' of the night, just before the start/finish line, and called it quits. Quarter-final two was another battie of the privateers. Jim Dauth (Hon) was first into the first turn, followed by Jim Anderson (Yam) and Craig Canoy (Hon). Canoy slipped by Dauth soon after, as did Anderson; Larry Dashiell (Hon) also got by Dauth to take fourth. Canoy ran into a little trouble going over some whoops, giving Anderson the opportunity to snatch the lead. Anderson went on to win the event, followed by Canoy. Brian Manley (Hon) and Dauth. Semi-finals ' The first semi-final was rounded out with O'Mara, Lechien, Burnworth, Holland, and Manneh and Warren. Glover and Bailey, along with Liles, made this race as exciting as a main, but this was just a preliminary. Burnworth was on the gas as he grabbed the holeshot ahead of Glover and Lechien; O'Mara was in fourth. Bailey got a bad start and ran back in traffic. Glover passed Burnworth and proceeded to run away with the win. Lechien put the heat to the Suzuki rider in turn one to take the second spot in the pack. From that point on, Lechien made his drive on the leader, who was only three or four bikelengths ahead. Bailey rode WFO to make up for his poor start, and by the halfway mark was up to seventh behind Bowen. The checkered flag flew for Glover, with Lechien st~1I