Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Clement tops Alvin MX By J .E. Hughes ALVIN, TX, J UNE 16 Mike Cl ement, riding a 1984 Yamaha 250, was able to overco me extre mely high temperature and some very stiff competition to co me o u t on top o f th e 250cc Pro class a t th e fourth round of th e 13th Annua l T exa s Series in Alv in , T exas. Fatigue pl ayed a big factor toda y as man y riders either crashed or faded out during th e 250cc P ro mot a . Lap times were a ro u nd o ne minute 40 seconds o n th e well p repared Al vin circuit, with eac h rnot o lastin g 10 laps. Kit Vick (Wi llo wbrook Yam ) pulled a clean get away a t th e sta rt o f th e first m o to and th en proceeded to p u ll away fro m th e p ack with hi s fast smooth style whi ch has ma de him a for ce to be reckoned with . Beh ind Vick was a wild pack of . 250cc Pro riders co nsisti ng of Mark Saxer (H ouse of Wh eels), Larry Hughes (Di rt T rac k) on a 1985 Husky, R on ni e Herrma n n (W ill o w broo k Yam ) and Rusty P ipes (Team Green ). Sax er was look in g good u ntil a tri p over th e bars on la p three left h im o u t for th e m o ta. P ipes th en m oved into second with Herrm ann th ird, Hughes fourth and Clem ent m akin g h is way u p from a bad start to fifth . Clem ent, in his th ird race th is year, th en got on th e gas a nd sta rted to pass every body in sight , fi rst Hughes the n H errma n n and finally Pi pes. By this time , Vick was way o u t in front a nd in com p le te co ntro l. C lement came acros s second a good d istance a head of P ipes a nd H errmann. Mo ta two proved to be th e real th riller of the day. Cl em ent lined up on th e ex tre me ins ide a n d sm oked everybody ou t o f th e h o le a n d th en lifted h is arm h alfway down th e starting lin e, waving goodbye to th e res t o f th e ride rs. And tha t's exactly w ha t he d id as h e led every lap from sta rt to fin ish . Vick gra bbed seco n d o ff th e sta rt a head o f j eff Arnold (Pasadena Kaw ), P ip es a n d H errm an n . Vick tried to sta y close to C leme nt in th e open ing laps but cra shed a nd wa s o u t for the da y. T h is moved Arn o ld up to secon d with P ipes in third . By th is time, th e o rd er wa s C leo rnen t ou t a lone in firs t, Arnol d a secure second , Herm ann third, Hughes fourth a nd th en P ipe s a nd fell ow Louisianan r ider, Mark Mesta yer (Han ). Things stayed fa irly ca lm to th e end o f the rnot o with Cl ement ta k ing th e big win a nd th e o vera ll. H errm ann put in a fin e rid e for 4-3 an d seco nd overa ll. Arno ld ca me arou n d in seco nd for th e m o ta , but a first mot a m iscu e left him sixt h overal l. P ipes a nd Mestay er made advancements aro u nd a tirin g H ug hes g ivin g P ipes a 3-4 and third o veral l. Mestayer finished th e da y 6-5 for fourth overall. Vick co m p letely swe p t bo th motos in 125cc Pro action as h e led every lap o f both motos, leavi ng the rest of th e field to d ice over seco n d. Mark Mestaver , on a bo rrowed Honda, was looking smooth on the sma ll bore m ount an d finished third each time o u t for seco nd overa ll. j eff Arnold , wh o rode all th ree Pro classes claimed third, whi le trying to a dj us t to hi s l25cc after riding an open bike just minutes before h is 125cc mota. San Antonio resid ent Keit h Simmons wa s th e on ly rid er to keep Vick in sight for a few laps during th e seco nd moto and fin a ll y ended up fourth ov era ll with a 5-2 mota score. T wo o f Texas ' most p ro m ising rid- ers sq uared of f toda y in th e 125cc Interm ed ia te class with Dal e Stor beck lead in g th e way . Storbeck o n a very fast D.M .C. prepared Kaw a saki hol esh ot bo th m ot os. In th e first mot a S tor beck took a rel ati vel y easy vi ctory wit h Sco tt Chesser (j ust ret urning to ra cing aft er breaking both wri sts) co m ing up fro m a p oor sta rt to fina lly fin ish seco nd ahead of Galvesto n H on da rider, Mark G erl off a nd ( Bra Sh o w ) P au l Chadwick. T h e second m ota wa s a bit di fferent. Looking so mewha t li ke a classic Bailey/Glo ver or Lechien / j ohnson shoot out, Storbeck o nce agai n gra bbed the start but th is time Chesser wa s h ot o n h is h eels. The two ride rs set o u t a way from th e p ack. S torbec k o pe ne d up a bo u t a three seco n d cus h ion o n Chesser in th e first few laps as th eir lap times wer e those eq u a l to 125cc Pro winner Vick 's. Bo th rid ers were rid in g fas t with o u t maki ng any m ist ak es. At ti mes, Chesser wo u ld pull n ext to Stor beck o n ly to h ave S to rbeck m ot or awa y do wn the fa st strai g h ts. T he d ice lasted a ll th e wa y to th e chec kers wi th Storbec k edging out Chesser by a bik elen g th . G er lo ff put a noth er strong ride fin ishin g third. Gary Goodfellow (99) leads Rueben McMurter in Superbike action at Westwood Raceway, while eventual winner Michel Mercier (11) follows. Results MtNI 60 : 1. Colin Edwards (Kaw); 2. Ross Dayher (Kaw); 3. Mi chael Cokes (Yam). M INI J R 80 : 1. Colin Edwards (Kaw); 2. Ross Dayher (Kaw ); 3. M ich ael Coker (Yam ). MIN I SR 80 : 1. Chad Mo ntero (Kaw); 2. Ste ve Hester (Kaw); 3. Matt Gibbs (Kaw). Mt NI STK 80 : 1. Chad Mo ntero (Kaw ); 2. M att Gibbs (Kaw~ 3. Steve Hester (Kaw ). 12 5 NOV; 1. Jimmy Brew er IKaw ); 2. Wa yne Box; 3. Kevin An th ony. 1251NT; 1. Dale Stort>ec (Kaw); 2. Scott Chesser k (Kaw); 3. M ark Gerloff (Han). 250 NOV: 1. Jim my Brewe r (Kaw); 2. Bubba Schultz (Yam); 3 . Chuck Basone (yam). 250 1 NT: 1. Ron Sussma n (Yam); 2. Mike M urr ay (Yam ~ 3. Shawn Clenen gee. OVER 30: 1. Frank Peebles; 2. Doug W ingo; 3. Jim Teague. OPEN INT: 1. Scott Bulsenyi (Yam); 2. Keith Bum gaht; 3. James Anderson . 125 PRO: 1. Kit Vi ck (Yam); 2. M ark M estayer (Han); 3. Jeff Arnold (Kaw ). 250 PRO; 1. M ike Clement (Yam); 2. Ronnie Her rmann (Yam); 3. Rusty Pipes IKaw). OPEN PRO: 1. Jeff Arnold (Kaw ); 2. Mark Mes· la yer (Hon ); 3 . Ronnie Prado (Yam ). Flores on top again at P.A.I.. By Mike Vancil SANTA CLAR A, CA, J ULY 12 Mr. Excitement didn 't di sapp oint anyone in four sterl ing rnoto victory rides to capture th e overa ll in th e l 25cc a nd 250cc P ro cl asses. Tonv Flores ha s been th e m o st co nsisten t So ut h Bay MXer Pro this season . In rnoro o ne o f th e 250cc Flores go t a fa ir sta rt beh ind ea rly leaders Da n n y Bol es (Ya m) a nd Eric Mashbir (H a n). Flo res got by Ma shbi r im m edia tely upon nego tia tin g th e firs t righ t hand co rn er and put a pa ss o n Bol es in th e seco nd rig h t h and co rner th at no one w ho wa s spec ta tin g would h av e though t p ossible. It appeared as if Flores paused co m ing to th e co rn er (as ina sh ut-off, braking ac tio n), a nd th en so did Bol es bu t Flores shot by w hil e ma ki ng a 90 0 turn, up hi g h , on th e ou tsid e lin e. Fro m th a t pass on, Flores n ever looked back. In th eir seco n d m o to it was Flores a ll the wa y with Mash bir tak in g th e runner-u p posit ion th e whole di sta nce. Bol es far ed better in th is event th an he did in th e first, gaining a third a nd a vo id in g a p o sitio n -eating sp ill th at ruined his h opes in th e fir st mota . In Am ateur action yo u ng jim Ricci pu t togethe r h is first-ever do u ble pair o f m ot a victories in th e l25cc Novice class di vision two. j im has shown m oments o f a bove-a verage a bi li ty a nd good co n centration on ly to mak e a cos tly mistak e to co me up with a seco nd. or worse - a DN F. In his fi rst mot a , he was a ble to h old th e thro ttl e o n a little lo ng er because of h is great ge ta way fro m th e sta rt ga te a nd key position into th e first co rner with a bo ut a three bikelength lead a head o f a w hole h orde o f Kaw a saki riders. Ricci 's Suzuk i was up to th e cha llen ge a nd was ca p italizing on th e p it signa ls from his dad. who is semi retired from th e Veteran Mast er cla ss. In mota two, Ricci 's Sun nyva le Suzuk i perfor me d faultlessl y again as h e powered into another lead from th e sta rt . Once again , th e n ex t four followin g rid ers were a ll KX-m ounted, but th e o rder a nd cas t o f characters had cha nged. In seco n d, and foll o win g Ricci to th e flag was G ar y McCl ella n d (Kaw ). Kanoa Rosad o (Kaw ) had a n eq ua lly successfu l even ing in th e 125cc Novice di vision o ne event by winn in g ea sily o ver eig h t o ther ride rs. Results PEE W EE 50 : 1. Chr isty Maste rson (Yam). PEE WEE 60 : 1. Randy Gates (Kaw); 2. Elton St eydin g (Yam ). . M INI 80 NOV 9· 11: 1. Brian Van M iddendor p (Han). MI NI80 NOV 12-16 ; I . J effRavenscralt (Kaw ); 2. Rust y Rust (Yam); 3. Ricky Solano (Han). M INI BOJR 12-16 : 1. Adam Fisher (Kaw l. M INI BO INT 12 -16 : 1. Steve Bonit a (Han). 125 NOV DIV 1: 1. Kanoa Rosado (Kaw); 2. Brian Hos ki n (Kaw ); 3 . Mark Jackson (Hon). 125 NOV DIV 2; 1. J im Ricci (Suz); 2. Gary McClella nd (Kaw ); 3. Ma rk Foley (Kaw). 12 5 JR : 1. Cha r les Soares (Suz); 2 . Tim Riggs (Yam); 3. David Rogers (Han). 125 INT; 1. Er ic Sandstr om (Kaw); 2. Wa de Cobern (Hon ). 125 PRO: 1. Tony Flores (Suzl. 250 NOV; 1. Greg Valenti (Yam); 2. Donald M en· denhall (Suz); 3. Jeff Rapett i (Han). 250JR: 1. Kenny Lane(Hon); 2. Bryan Sutt erl ield (Suz); 3. Loren Barr ett (Yam). 2501NT: 1. Tony Peixot o (Han). 250 PRO; 1. Tony Flores (Suz); 2. Eric Mash bir (Han). OPEN NOV: 1. Todd Reedy (Ma i); 2. J im M oore (Yam). OPEN JR; 1. Steve M ir aglia (Han); 2. Karl Von Ubm IKaw ). OPEN INT; 1. Art Kli ngbeil (Han). VET SPTSMN; 1. Tom Bena ich (Suz). VET INT: 1. Bubba Taylor (Han). VET MSTR: 1. Phil Gr ibna u (Yam); 2. M ike Lane (Han). OT INT: 1. Rich Lakely (KTM). OT M STR; 1. Duane Spence (Yam). Records fall at Westwood road race By Alice Macpherson WESTWOOD, B.C. CANADA, J ULY 6-7 T h e la p record at Westwood had stood at o ne m in ute, 10.8secon ds since 1975 when it was set b y fo rmer F -7 50 W orld Champion Steve Bak er on a fac to ry Yamaha. Alt hough many had go tten close, th e record had re ma ined . Bu t a ll th a t changed toda y whe n Mi les Baldwin broke th e record wi th a o ne m in u te, 9.3-second lap in th e Fo rmula O n e class. A crash in th a t class, a fter a n earlier win in th e Formula Two di vision. stop ped Ba ldw in from taking home th e double and it was Dal e Fra n klin on a T Z750 Yamaha taking th e Formu la One win . In the Formula Two race, Franklin wa s th e ea rly lead er but Ba ld win soo n got by and immedia tel y opened a lead over th e field. Third plac e wa s held by Alan Ingl is with Ken Botham a nd Pi erce Buck in a fierce ba ttl e for fo urth . Botharn event ua lly got the best o f the batt le as Buck was forced to retire with mech ani cal p ro blems . Bru ce Beh a l gra bbed th e ea rly lead i n the 600cc Ca fe class with Perr ie T u rner a nd G ar y Parish in tow. Steve Crevier, wh o ha s wo n every event in th is class a ll yea r, was forced to sta rt fro m th e back o f th e grid beca use of a DNF in h is hea t race. Crevier d idn 't wast e a ny ti m e in ga in ing grou nd as h e q uickly mo ved u p to fourth pl ace. H is race ended , ho wever, o n la p 12 wh en h e hit oi l a n d cra sh ed in tu rn two. Bo th Beh al a n d Turner ret ired with mech an ical problems and Par ish took advanta ge of th e situa tion to ta ke th e win with Ken Lal ond e finish ing second. Third p la ce went to junior rid er Bill j en kin s. Th e Superb ik e ra ce was a dog fight from th e green flag. Ken Stobbart took th e lead followed by Gary G oodfell ow a nd R ueben McM urt er. It wasn't lo n g , however , before Mich el Mercier a nd McMurter started to pu ll a way from th e rest of th e field whi le swapping th e lead co n tin ua lly Merci er sta lle d because of a la pped ri de r in th e h ai rp in a nd McMurt er stole first p la ce, bu t it was soon Mercier in th e to p slo t agai n. At the checkered it was Mercier , McMurter , G oodfell ow a n d Ken Stobbart roundin g o u t th e top four p laces. The 20-lap Formula One race got u nderway with Bal dwin ta ki n g the lea d followed by McMurter , Fran klin , Merci er a n d Goodfe llo w. Ba ld win cra shed in tu rn fo u r o n the fift h lap a nd h anded the lead 10 McM urter wit h Franklin in tow. Ba ldwin got th in g s ro ll ing agai n a nd p romptl y set th e new trac k record whi le trying to ca tch th e leaders. By the flag , Ba ldwin had gotten up to fifth place be- 29

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