Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(Above) Alex Jorgensen (44) was second in his heat, ninth in the final; Billy Hemdon (19) didn't ' qualify: (Below) Chandler in the semi-final. t . (Above) Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey had a fierce fight for the road race heat win. (Below) Danny Chandler gives Lawson a push. / The last heat before the semi was made up of road racers. and up on the first row were Lawson and Rainey. . Taking the skills of both riders into accou nt, the stage was set for one of the most exciting races of the day. At the drop of the green flag, Lawson grabbed the holeshot, and Rainey srayed right with him. The remainder of the race saw the lead switch from corner to corner and lap to lap. On lap four, both riders were so close that Lawson reached over to tap Rainey's shoulder in a high. speed front straight blitz. Then, on the following lap, Rainey returned the compliment, tapping Lawson"s shoulder as thev ripped down' the front straight as they passed the stan/finish line at about 120 mph. It was the kind of racing which brings a crowd to its' feet; the few spectators present were delighted. The last lap of the heat was literally a bar-banger as both riders bumped each other all the way to the checkered flag. Rainey was the winner by the narrowest of margins over Lawson. A very distant third was j eH Haney. Transferring to the semi were Don Greene (Yam), Earl RoioH (Kaw), Kevin Monahan (KTM), Kerry Bryant (Han) and RoJf Biland (Hus). Semi-final Before the n'ex t event on the'schedule, there was plenty of work to be done. The Team Yamaha mechanics removed rear wheels to replace brake shoes which had faded from the abuse suffered in the qualifying heats. Noting the successes of Glover, johnson, Rainey, Lawson and even privateer Mike Baker, there was a feeling of confidence in the Yamaha ranks. At the start of the semi, Chandler got the holeshor. Howerton was nearby as the pack dove into the first turn; Carlqvist, Foreman and Green were also among the front runners. The firSt laps had Chandler two or three seconds ahead of Howerton as the privateer-mounted factory Honda rider showed off hiSToad racing skills as he pitched the CR500 into the corners, tires chirping all the way. But Howerton wasn't dozing as he began a careful approach to his rival, shaving off seconds here and there until Chandler was in grasp. By the fourth lap, Howerton was chasing Chandler for the lead and began making attempts to snatch the top ,spot for himself. Going into the last lap, both riders were side by side in some places, then the Kawasaki got by Chandler as they passed through a chicane before the finish. In the final yards before they reached the finish line, Howerton was only half a bikelength ahead of Chandler, and that's how they finished. Carlqvist was third, thus making the final. Carr scored fourth. ormally, this would have made Carr a spectator for the final, but circumstances made it possible for him to get in. Final Half of the 12-rider field was made up of motocrossers, the rest was almost evenly split between road racers and dirt trackers. But the festivities were. delayed for several minutes when the gearbox on Lawson's YZ broke on the warm-up lap; Chandler gave Lawson a push back to the pits. Yamaha mechanics tried in vain to fix the YZ while the rest of the field rode around near the grid area to keep their tires from cooling oH, It was finally determined that Lawson wouldn't make it, and Can was put in his place. The start saw a very fast field leave the line, and going into the first turn at the end of the long starting siraight, it was Howerton by a wheel ahead of Glover, johnson, Carlqvist, Baker, Chandler and Ward. A couple turns later johnson was taking the lead, but only by a short distance, over Howerton and Glover. For the first half of the race, Howerton maintained constant pressure on johnson, mainly on the pavement section of the course w here the traction and passing were best. Not very far back was Glover, closely followed by Chandler. Further behind were Ward and Carlqvist. Rainey, who had gotten a decent start, was fading back due to loose motor mounts and a broken steering damper. Howerton inched away from Glover on lap six, then passed johnson, using the chicane pass maneuver that he'd used earlier on Chandler. From that point on, it was just a matter of seeing and wondering if the aging factory rider could stay ahead of the youthful superstars. The finish was an absolute screamer as both Howerton and Johnson rode wide open for the checkered flag, with Glover in tow, Even during the last hundred yards, many still wondered whether or not johnson or Glover could pull. it off and pass. Howerton, but the Kawasaki rioer had his moves worked out well and was able to hold oH his rivals. Kent Howerton won the Superbikers for the [irst time since 1979, making him the second two-time winner since Steve Wise won it in 1980 and '81. After johnson, Glover claimed third, Chandler was fourth, Ward fifth and Carlqvist sixth. Baker was first' dirt tracker 'wi th seventh, and Rainey was first (and last) road racer atll th overall. "Overall, I thought we were real equal," commented Howerton about his competition after the race. "I think my only advantage was the chicane, because as long as I could be a certain distance behind (whoever was in front) I just wouldn't shut a£[; I could accelerate out of it really hard. I waS also making up time (in turn one), and then I got out in front, I wasn't sure if I was going to hold it. I went just as fast as the bike would go," • Results , O-LAP FINAL: 1. Kent Howerton (Kaw); 2. Aick Johnson (Yam); 3. Broe Glover (Yam); 4. Danny Chand"er (Hon);.5, JettWard(Kaw); 6. Hakon Carlqvist (Yam); 7. Mike Baker (Yam): 8. Mickey Fay (W. AI; 9. Alex Jorgensen (W-AI; 10, Chris Carr (W-A); '1. Wayne Aainey (Varni; 12. Jeff Haney (Han), 7

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