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/126795
Fred Merkel ran 200 miles on a practice day the week before the final
Superbike race of 1984, then won the race itself.
(Above) Both Erik Kehoe (41 ) and Jim Holley made it to the main. (Below)
O'Mara (5), Jeff Frisz ,(117) and Johnson dice.
AMA Superbike Champions~ip Series:
Final round
Merkel rolls on at
Daytona
By Gary Van Voorhis .
DAYTONA BEACH, FL, NOV. 4
Honda's Fred Merkel racked up his 10th win
in 13 series rounds at the final round of the
series, the 7th Annual Daytona Pro-Am.
Merkel and Sam McDonald staged a duel for
"Il was really hard to pass out
there," said O'Mara. "I had to ride
real aggressively. I was catching Ward
at the end but he had such a big lead,
there was nothing I could do. I came
here to clinch the championship, so a
second isn't so bad."
Miller Masters Challenge
About 15 minutes after the concl usion of the main, the Miller Masters
Challenge race was waved off.The
race was for 10 laps and included previous 1984 Supercross main event
winners, plus Canadian Supercross
Champion Ross Pederson, Rookie of
the Year Keith Bowen and three wild
card entrants: Billy Liles, Alan King
and A.J. Whiting.
Glover, wearing hot-pink pants
and heltnet, stole the holeshot inches
ahead o( O'Mara, Lechien and Ward.
After Ward came Barnett, but he was
passed by King after the first lap.
However, King crashed over the triple jumps handing fifth back to Barnetl. Glover was flying - heading
into the second lap, he had already
developed a huge lead. During the
third lap, O'Mara dropped his Honda
in a tight left turn surrendering the
second pot to Lechien. O'Mara recover~d close behind Lechien.
At this P9int, it was Glover way
out in from, then Lechien, O'Mara
and Ward all bunched up, then a
large distance behind came Barnell,
Liles. johnsOlh 1~.~'Y~n,. ~c;c!r:f~~'h
the lead through 15 of the 17
laps on DaytOJla International
Speedway's 3.56-mile course
before Merkel broke away and
Whiting and King.
As the race neared the end, Lechien,
O'Mara and Ward started to close in
on Glover. On the last lap, only a few
bikelengths separated Glover and
Lechien. At the end, however Glover'
managed to hold on and take the win
and a $30,000 check. Lechien took
second ahead of Ward, Barnett, Liles,
Bowen, johnson, Pederson, Whiting
and King.
''I'll definitely remember this one
my whole life," said Glover. "This
also makes up for my fifth in the
main." When asked why he switched
to pink pants and helmet between the
main and Miller Masters, he said,
"john Gregory (JT)asked me to wear
them during the main, but I said no
way. However, I said I would in the
Miller Masters. I would look pretty
silly if I didn't win."
•
Results
1. Jeff Ward (Kaw); 2. Johnny O'Mara (Hon); 3.
Rick Johnson (Yam); 4. Goat Breker IKaw); 5. Broc
Glover (Yam); 6. Eric Kehoe (Han); 7. A.J. Whiting
(Hon); B. Ron Lachien (Han); 9. David Bailey (Han);
10. Eric Eaton (Hon); 11. Ross Pederson (Suz); 12.
Scott Burnworth (Suz); , 3. Alan King (Hon); 14.
Keith Bowen (Yam); 15. Jeff Hicks (Hon); 16. Jim
Holley (Yam); 17. Jeff Frisz(Hon); lB. Mark Barnett
(Suz); 19. Billy Liles (Kaw); 20. Bader Manneh
IKaw).
FINAL POINT STANDINGS: ,. Johnny O'Mara
(591); 2. Rick Johnson (53B); 3. David Bailey (537);
4. Jeff Ward (516); 5. Ron Lechien (474); 6. Brae
Glover (444); 7. Mark Barnen (394): 8. Alan King
1349); 9. Billy Liles (301); , O. Goat Breker 1225).
MILLER MASTER CHALLENGE: ,. Broc Glover
(Yam); 2. Ron Lechien (Han); 3. Johnny O'Mara
(Han); 4. Jeff Ward (Kaw); 5. Mark Barnett (Suz): 6.
Billy Liles (Kaw); 7. Keith Bowen IYam); B. Rick
Johnson (Yam); 9. Ross Pederson (Suzl; 10. Alan
Kjt1ll.J!l\Op~) j. !'t!. "'~ili!lI/lH't'li'1 ro 11 i )
opened up a gap in the final laps.
Roberto Pietri finished third after a
strong ride from a back-of-the-grid
starting position. McDonald and
Pietri were also Honda-mounted.
Merkel, who had the series title
clinched going in, easily won his
qualifying heat on Saturday with
McDonald winning the second heal.
Merkel's time was nearly 10 seconds
faster in the four-lap sprint. Merkel's
heat saw Rueben McMuner involved
in a four-rider accident on the opening lap which left him facing a complete engine tear-down after sand got
sucked into the carburetors on his
Honda engine.
Pietri, initially running strong in
the second heat, had a rod bearing go
which left him and his crew to burn
the midnight oil while doing a complete engine rebuild. They were still
at it Sunday morning.
Merkel and McDonald engaged in
a lead-swapping duel right from the
start of the final. Ricky Orlando,
Terry Hampton, john Ashmead and
Rich Oliver joined in the [ray up
(ront in the opening laps before it
broke into a four-rider battle with
Merkel and McDonald leading
Orlando and Ashmead.
Oliver and Hampton were soon
joined by Dale Quarterley and jimmy
Adamo, while Pietri and McMurter
were steadily moving through the
pack. Quanerley's ride came to an
~~~ul1~tf.l,p~,r.j~~,.pl.~r I,Pfq':l~~P;!
before five laps were finished. On lap
six, gremlins in the transmission
struck McMurter and his day was over.
McDonald and Merkel gave the
fans - the largest turnout for a Daytona Pro-Am - their money's worth
with a display of high-speed drafting
and finesse through the infield. Merkel, with superior horsepower, probed
McDonald's defenses aU over the track
while the two traded the lead back
and forth. Orlando stayed relatively
close to the front-runners and got
company in the form of Pietri on lap
eight.
On lap II, Ashmead led Hampton,
Adamo and Oliver in a good battle
for fifth. Glenn Barry, PhiJlipe Kos- _
tezer, john Kocinski and Mike Harth
followed in a pack. Ashmead then
began to slip backwards and parked
his bike with two laps left to run.
Merkel began pUlling on pressure
in the closing laps, but McDonalq,
with a Tear tire that was slipping in
portions of the infield, kept up the
pace.
With less than two laps to go, Merkeltook over the lead for good with a
late-braking maneuver heading into
the chicane and used slower traffic to
block McDonald's attempt to draft
him. From there to the finish Merkel
.
was in total command.
McDonald cruised home in a safe
econd with Pielri, inching his way
forward on the ballie up from, able to
close to within four seconds at the
finish. Orlando wasn't challenged
for fourth, but the fight for fifth went
right to the finish with Hampton
taking Lhe nod by three bikelengths
o.v,e ~N!jCIlHq M~Sffl