Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

........ Beta 's Scott Head continues his winning ways - this time it was the Donner Ski Ranch trial in Norden, California. Kip Webb took second. American Danny Chandler (5 1) chases David Thorpe. Thorpe maintains a 15-point lead over Malherbe going into t he final 500Cc round at Switzerland. 46 h is 250 cc World Ch amp ion ship agains t a ll odds. Fren chman J ack y Virn o nd, riding th e So na uto Yamaha. entered th e final ro u nd a t Goldbach 12 point s clea r o f KTM 's defen ding cha mpion - su re ly a n adva ntage. Both men look ed decep tively ca lm a nd re la xed befo re th e first mot o , bu t wh il e a blazin g su n fi na lly blessed a 250cc GP. th e Fren ch favor ite fai led to shine. A desp erat e first mo to sta rt around a rap id . sweepi ng track whic h a lmos t denied p assing meant J acky had it a ll to do. Kin iga dner ga ted in sevent h spot. but a mud- pl astered Vim ond lay buried in 22nd pl ace o n a da ngero us ly-wa tered circuit. While Kin igadn er powered through to a safe and sa tisfyin g seco nd p lace beh i n d Du tch m an Gert -J a n van Doorn after 20 mi nutes. Vimond had strugg led to reach l -lth spot. T hat 12-p oint adv a ntage sud de n ly looked as fragile as th e Fren chma n 's progress . After 10 more minutes. Vim o nd was sti ll j us t o ne p lace hi gh er. a t th e wrong end of a hi gh -speed co nvo y headed by Belg ian Marc Velk en eers. And for the ne xt 15 m inu tes. Vim ond co u ld fin d no wa y past J ack y Westdo rp's proro type 1986 Ho nd a. Then. with two la ps 10 go, Belg ian Westdo rp cras hed , leavin g Vim o nd ta ntalizin gl y short o f the wildl y-ch eered German du o o f Ro lan d Diepl od a nd Aloi s Ni edermayer. Kin ig a dn er , look in g co n fident, led the titl e cha se for th e first lim e all year - by on ly one point - a fter fin ishi ng seco nd behi nd van Doo rn . Vim ond co u ld on ly mus ter a 12th p lace finis h. Dane Sor en Mortensen follo wed Kin igadner thro ugh to reco rd h is best fin ish o f th e season . Mortensen usu all y co m es a long wa y fro m a lo usy sta rt . ..It 's completely di fferent a t th e front ." h e sa id. " Everyth in g feels so much . well . not easier. but more co m fortab le." The track was co nt rasting ly bak ed ha rd . slick a nd d us tv as th e field lin ed up for mo to lWO. Brit Kevin Froud was determ in ed 10 mak e th e ho lesho t (a s h e had don e in mot o two ), a nd Vimond co u ld have do ne wit h thi n king likewi se. An eager Froud bu rst u p th e insi de. fo rgot th e first t urn a nd too k virtu a lly th e ent ire pack o ff th e track. Sw ed e Ander s Eriksson . Diepo ld , J or gen Nil sson an d Kini gadner took adva ntage o f th e barn door Fround had o pe ned whi le a pi le-up o n th e nex t exit to th e lon g first bend wrecked th e ho pes of van Doorn, Morten sen . Fren chmen Yann ig Ker vel la and Patrick Fura , and Velken eers. Froud la y eig h th. Michele Rina ldi 121h an d Vim ond un lu ck y 131h after the pack sorted itself ou t. The front four broke clear in a n exciting baili e wh ich Diep o ld , 10 roar s of German ap p ro val, fin all y won. BUI whil e Rinaldi found th e ince nt ive to burst throu gh an d p ressur e Kini gadner, Vim ond, look ing inc reas ingly ragged a fter an ini tia l su rge. g ra d ua ll y lo st grou nd a n d hea rt . After a h a lf h o u r, Kin ig ad n er. looki ng secu re. began to relax a nd Rin aldi explod ed throug h to seco nd p lace. Fro u d mearu irn e hu ng in bravely behind Maurizio Do lce a nd J a ck y West d o r p . with Am eri ca n Don n ie Ca nt al oupi, An dy Nich olls a n d Leif N ik la sso n furt h er ba ck. Cantaloupi lat er crashed and Nicholls fell twice before p u lli ng o u t. Froud . find in g a seco n d wind , p us he d pa st Do lce a n d h ounded Westdorp until a last-lap slip cost him 12th. " I didn 't th ink I wa s ti red until I tried 10 p ick rhe bike up, " sa id Froud. Up front, th e p rom isi ng Diepold re c eive d g re a t wel com e o n h is maid en GP mot o victorv, T h e fin ish in g stra igh t, h ow ever , had sudde n ly swo lle n with delerio us Aus tr ia n fans, most wa ving banners and bo ttles of beer. Wi th th e Iirst five - Diepold. Rina ld i. Peter J ohansson , Drechs el a nd Eri ksson - sa felv home. th ere foll ow ed a hushed , expecta nt pause before Kin igad ner - a ll si x feet o f him - appeared over th e hor izo n, a rms a lo ft. 10 a deafenin g rece p tio n. Heinz simply rode into th e cro wd . Thev hauled h im o ff th e KT;\1 a nd both man a nd ma chine were su bmerg ed ben eath a n a mazing. heaving mass of bodi es a nd banners. Event uall y. they dug th eir cha mpi on OUI a n d hoi sted him sho u lde r hi g h. Un noticed, Vim ond thr eaded hi s wa y qui et ly aro u nd th e mass o f excirerne m. For h im , a nd for Fran ce. th eir day of g lory mu st wai t as lea st a no ther year. • Results 1ST. MOTO : 1. Ge rt · J a n va n Doorn (Hon); 2. Hein z Kin ig adn er (KTM); 3. Soren M ort en sen (Kaw); 4 . Michele Rin aldi ISul); 5. Ander s Eriksson (Yam) ; 6. M arc Velk en eers (Ma i); 7 . Arno Dr ec hsel (KTMI; 8. Yan nig Kerva tl a (Honl ; 9 . M au r izio Dol ce (Ho n ); 10 . Roland Oiep old (Kaw) ; 1 1. Al ois Nied erma yer (Hus ); 12 . J acky Vimond (VarnI ; 13. Peter Ha ns son (Hu s); 14 . Patrick Fur a (Hon); 15 . Ja cky W estd orp (Honl. 2ND MOTO: 1. Oiepald; 2. Rina ldi; 3. Peter Johansson (Hon); 4 . Dresch sel; 5 . Erik sson; 6. Kinigadner; 7. V im on d; 8 . Han sson; 9 . Jean-Claude Laquaye; 10 . Jorgen Nilsson (Hus); 1 1. Westdorp; 12. Dolce; 13. Kevin Froud (Yam); 14. Zdenek Spacek (Kaw); 15 . Kervella . FINAL POINT STANDINGS: t . Kinigadner 1291); 2. V imond (289); 3 . van Doorn (25 6 ); 4 . Rinaldi (239); 5. Drechsel (210); 6. Nilsson (1881 7. Erik; sson (1591 8. Kervella (124); 9. v eteeeee rs (112); ; 10 . Mortensen (11 1). Head cleans up Donner Hypoxia trial By Tim Walker NO RDEN . CA, AUG. II Scott H ead continues his domina tio n of trials in North Am erica - his only losses have been against Europeans this pa st year. The two-time National Champi on resides a t Donner Sk i Ranch during th e su m me r - th e site o r todav 's even t a nd th e NAT CI AMA two -da y Nati onal o n Au gust 24-25 a nd he defin itel y has th e h ome-court advantage. Going for hi s first Ca lifornia sta le tirl e, Head looks like a su re win ne r. Com petitors score sta le cha m pion ship poi n ts in the Ma sters, Ama teur, Novice a nd Sen io r Ama teu r/ Novice (for riders over 35) classes. T h is was round on e o f th e ATA/ P ITS fourevent series ; th ere will be o ne more tria l in n orthern Ca liforn ia a nd lWO . in so u thern. In th e Masters th ere wa s a tight ba il ie for th ird betw een Tonv Leduc a n d Neil Belvo ir. Promax ' ~ Leduc sq uea ked by Belvoir 66 1 068. Twentytwo points in from of third was Kip Webb (Moo re a nd Sons) who dropped 44 p oints. SCOIl Head ca rded three points on eac h o f th e three loops to win with ease . Improving in th e Expert class. Hi larv Mu scatel] sco red h is seco nd win in a row . Th e Fantic rider won by 14 poin ts, Steve Gal breath pl aced seco nd with 79. si x m or e th an third place Ba rry Low ery. G a lbreath and hi s bro th er Howard a re in ch arge o f sectio n selectio n for th e u p-com in g Na tional. Scori ng th e o nly win for th e so ut hland was H yfer Products' T im Walker. Mounted o n a Montesa 242. Walker dropped 13 for a winn in g mar gin o f 2 1; th ere was a close baule for seco nd between Ken Dodge a nd Robin Crockell .1 984 Novice Cham p Dod ge carded 34 points. three better than Crockell. for seco nd . Ken Led uc ro de a n ew Yamaha to th e No vice win. Leduc's closest co mpetition ca me from Mall H ead . SCOll Ro se edged Paul Whittle for th ird by o ne. 31-32. T h e Novice a nd Ama teur sec tio ns p rov ed 10 be o n th e easy side for a sla te cha m p ions hi p ro u nd. In th e Senior di visions, th e Novi ce class wa s a close ca ll while th e Am ateurs was a run a wav. Even with a co u p le o f months of f hi s Bultaco , T o m C u lle n ea rne d th e win with a score o f 17. Sectio n One's Bob Mill er wa s three p oints back; a five on th e th ird loop wa s a major factor on hi s sco re. Dropping 24 marks wa s th e Senior terror Ed Alari, Results MSTRS: 1. Scon Head (Beta) 9; 2. Kip Webb (8et a) 44 ; 3. Tony Leduc (Yaml 66; 4. Neil Balvo ir (Yam) 68; 5. Cliva Belvo ir (Yam) EX: 1. Hilary Muscatell (Fan) 65; 2. Steve Gelbreath (Yam) 79; 3. Barry Lowery (Fenl B5. AM: 1. Tim Welker (Mon ) 13; 2. Ken Dodge (Yam) 34; 3. Robin Crocken (Yam) 37 . NOV: 1. Ken Leduc (Yam) 37; 2. M an Head 16; 3. n. Scott Rose 3 1 . NOV B: t , All en Sine (Yam) 11; 2. Scon Meye r (KTM) 12. SR NOV: 1. Tom Cullen IBull17; 2. Bob Miller (Fan) 20; 3. Ed Ala ri 24 . SR AM : 1. Ted Gansberger (Yam) 5; 2. Jo hn Husma nn (Beta) 14; 3. Ken Marecek (YamI 27. Strong strikes at Hannegan By Clay Light BELLINGHAM , WA. AUG. IO Seattle's Kirk Strong struck three tim es at Bellingham 's Hannegan Speedway during the AMA quarter-mile flat track anio n. Stro ng won th e sta r-studd ed O pen Expert m ain hut had so ur lu ck in th e 250cc Expert ma in in wh ich h e h ol ds th e poi nts lead. In th e 12-lap m oney ma in . Stro ng's Yam aha threw a cha in en ding h is ni ght a nd g iving Yamaha rid er Doug Cough try th e win . Ran ce Barclay (Hon) and Terry Kenis (Yam) look seco nd an d th ird . The T ro p hy Dash es saw Strong (Hon) , Ryan Fish er (H- D) a nd Mike Kearney (Yam) fighti ng for th e one trophy spot in th e Open Dash with St rong taking th e laurel s. S tro ng also won th e 250cc T rophy Dash . beating Kertis and Coughtry. In th e Over 30 T rophy Dash. th ere was a three-way swa p fest between Dan Stanley (Yam ). J ohn Engelecke (H on) a nd Sq u ire Tornasie (T ri), Sta n ley hea l th em both a nd th en stormed back to wi n th e ma in even t o ver T orn asie a nd T om L indquist (Ya m) . One o f th e lar gest classes wa s th e 250cc B class wh ere th e ma in win went to Suzu ki rid er Bill \\'elch o Welch was h ounded by SIeve McCauley (Ya m) a n d C hr is Hum phre y through out th e ra ce. Stro ng . Fisher. Rooki e Expert Brian McG on igal . T omas iea nd David Fare m ade up th e front runners a t th e staging of th e Open Expert money race in wh at was yet a nother "Strong sh ow ing." Stro ng va u lte d h is 600cc into the lead wi th Fis he r a nd McG oni ga l sh u ffl ing for pos itio ns . Also jockeying for top spots were Kearney (Yam) . S teve Li ebrand t (Ya m) a n d Mike Buds chadt (Tri). U p front it wa s Strong, Fish er and McG onigal. Strong look the win and first-place p ayoff with Fish er finishing seco n d in a rar e ap peara nce o ver loca ls McGoni gal, Kearney. Tomasi e a nd Li ebrandt. Results OPEN EX: 1. Kirk Strong (Hon); 2. Rvan FiSher

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