Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

mark, Orr's motor began to pop a nd smoke and Poovey in ched a wa y, but Orr didn 't let up. P oovey ga ined a lead o f three bikelen gths before O rr agai n sta rted closi ng th e ga p . Orr had a lmost closed o n Poovey whe n they a ttem p ted 10 lap Open Amateu r rider Trace Pol son in the ha irpin turn a t the infiel d exit. Wh ile O rr started 10 th e o uts ide , Poovey tried the ins ide a nd d id n 't q ui te make it. As Poo vey co ll ided wit h Pol son 's bac k wheel a nd went down , Pol son had 10 straigh ten o u t in th e turn . Orr went off th e end of th e track , but carne back o n to th e backstrai gh t with a full ha lf-l ap o n seco nd pl a ce, a n d five laps 10 go wi th a brok en pi pe , spe wi ng flames, while Poovey wa s trying to rc1ightthe fire in hi s engine. Orr did not kn ow Poovey ha d gone down, or wh ere the o ther riders behind him were, so he did not slow down ' til he'd taken th e checkers. Poovey got his Harley ba ck into actio n 10 finish in third p la ce behind Kidd. Results SHORT TRACK 50 : 1. Troy J enn ing s (Hon): 2. Billy Kenn edy (Yam); 3. David Fletcher (Yam). 60 : 1. Todd Wa y (Kaw) ; 2. Cory Watson (Hon); 3. Lee Mu ll ins (Hon). 80: 1. M ikeWeedin (Yam ); 2. Clayton HuIi IKaw ); 3. Derick Wh ite ner (Yam). 125: 1. Clayton Hull (Yam); 2. Jack Surber (Hon); 3. Derick Whi tener (Yam). 250: 1. Mike Hale (Yam); 2. Trace Polson (Hon); 3. Chad McCracken (Yam). OPEN AM : 1. Trace Polson IH·DI : 2. M ike Hale (H· D); 3. James Pyle (Hon). OPEN PRO: 1. Terry Poovey (H·O); 2. Gary Kidd (Hon); 3. Andy West IC·A) . IT STEEPLECHASE OPEN PRO: 1. Terry Poovey (H· D); 2. Charl ie Orr (Hon); 3. Gary Kidd (Hon). 50 : 1. David Fletcher (Yam ~ 2. Billy Kennedy (Yam); 3. Troy Jennings (Hoo). 60 : 1. Todd Way (Kaw); 2. Lee Mullins (Hon ); 3. Jerry Mullins (Han ). . 80: 1. Clayton Hull (Suz); 2. Derick Wh itener (KawO: 3. Kalem Young (Kaw). 125 : 1. Ed Meyer (Kaw); 2. Jack Surber (Kaw); 3. Brian Hill CHon). 250: 1. Shane Jo lly ( H on~ 2. James Harr is (Hon): 3. Kregg Bentley IHon). OPEN AM : 1. James Harr is (Yam): 2. David Thompson (Yam); 3. Trace Polson (H-D). OVER 30 : 1. Eddie McCoy (Honl : 2. Kirk Tyer (Yam): 3. George Galdeen (Hon). 25 ·LAP GRAND FINALE: 1. Charl ie Orr (Hon): 2. Gary Kidd (Hon): 3. Terry Poovey (Hon). AFM North holds season finale at Sears Point By Roger Smith SO NO MA, CA, OCT. 6 The last AFM North race o f the season at Sears Point was the site of a number of final battles for both AFM North and overall class cha m p io ns h ips. And 10 a dd a Iitt le exciteme nt , th e co u rse was rearra n ged - a n experimental chicane was added at the end of the front straight. But in the en d , due 10 th e a rca ne math of figuring out th e winner of the AF M's number one plate, th e gra nd prize seems 10 have been decided by who didn 't come 10 the race. T here are st ill two races at Willow Springs in th e AFM season and th e championships are decided by the best 12 finishes of th e yea r. Bu t Walt Niuo appears to have an unbeatabl e points lead in the chase for the number one plate. On race da y he was in New York for hi s sister 's wedding. Onl y two rider s a re close 10 him in points, one of which is Paul Van Zu yle, who is o u t for th e rest of th e season with injuries. So me pre-race intelligence let Nitro kn ow th at th e ot her rider, Earl Rol off wouldn 't make the trip to northern Cal ifornia. So Ni tro ca nce lled h is plane reser va tions a n d stayed for the wedding, confide n t th a t he ca n meet an y cha llenge from Rol off on hi s home track. The first race o f the day featured th e 450cc Stock Producti on class. T he class, domina ted by RZ.'l50s, was su bject to a ge nera l p rotest. T he entire cla ss was checked. T he Iirst-, seco nd- a nd fourth-place fin ish ers, a nd ma ny o thers, were d isqualified. Those di squa lified ha d a n a maz ing va riety o f exha us t modifications , a ll of which were illegal. In th e 750cc Stock Product ion class, Rich Ol iver rode o ne of Scott G ra y's street bikes, a n FZ750, while Sco tt started in the second wave, Open Stock Producti on , o n a FJ 1100. Shawn Leopold quickl y took th e lead in th e . 750cc race. Ol iver took a lap 10 so rt o ut a bo rrowed bike a n d a rain-sl ick tra ck , bu t he quickl y gra bbed seco nd place. By th e seco nd lap, Oliver was cha lle n ging Leopold as they cros sed sta n / fin ish side-by-side. Oliver made a pass in the carousel stick and ran away from Leopold. Leopold th en found himself busy dealing with a challe nge from Guy O utland. Ou tlan d foun d a way to get h is Ka wasa ki pa st Leopo ld afte r a two -la p dice, b u t by then. Oliver was far out o f sight. O u tla n d went on 'to a lonely secondp lace fin ish. Leopold succumbed to an a ttack from Scott Gray in th e fina l seconds of th e rac e 10 fini sh third in the 750s, but fourth overall. Vince Cost a and his Kaw asaki planted th emselves firmly in two class ch a m p io nsh ips with a pair o f run a way victories in th e 750cc Su perstree t a nd Formula One class. In th e ea rly stages o f th e Formula One ra ce, Don Bia va threat en ed th e lead, but Costa held fir st pl ace from flag 10 flag . Behind th e lead ers a kn ot of six riders ha u led for th ird. In th e en d. Mike J ohnson , o n S uzu ki si ngle, p ro ved most ade p t a t threadin g h is wa y throu gh th e traffi c a nd the new ch ica ne. Once free o f th e pa ck , he won a last-lap d rag race to th e fini sh lin e 10 edge o u t Biava. In the 75Occ Sl!pcrs trect event, Costa aga in won easi ly. The pa ir of victories locked u p th e class cha m pio ns h ips. T he win s a lso moved him past Rol off in th e overa ll sta nd ing s, a nd wit hi n possible stri ki ng distance o f Nitto, Results OPEN GP: 1. Scon Gray (Kaw ); 2. Denny Doherty (Kaw); 3. Ed Woo (Yam). I.!') 00 0") F-l : 1. V ince Costa (Kaw ); 2 . M ike Jo hn son (Suz): 3 . Don Siava (Yam ). F-2 : 1. Mark Sm ith (YamI; 2. Todd Hallmeyer (Hon); 3. Jo hn Parvis (Yam). F-4: 1. Chris Hughs (Hon); 2. J eff Leggin (Yam); 3. Lance Tilgh ma n (Yam ). F 5 : 1. M ike Johnson (Suz) ; 2. Jim Jepsen (Yam ); 3. James Lerer (yam). FT·750: 1. Er ic Swo nzligure (Nor ); 2. Steve Wickland (Hon); 3. Pat Ryan (Tri). FT-OPEN: 1. Dale Alexander (Duel; 2. Art Cham bers (Due); 3. Rick Weber (BMW). OPEN SS: 1. Rich Oliv er (Kaw l; 2. Denny Doherty (Kaw); 3. Kerry Bryan (Hon). 7 50 SS: 1. Vince Costa (Kaw); 2. Guy Outland (Kawl; 3. Don Biava (Yam). 600 SS: 1. Ed Ragle (Yam); 2.Jon Litsey(Yam); 3. Tom AQuino (Yam ). 4 50 SS: 1. Tom Chew(Yam); 2. Chr is Ma st (Yam); 3. M alcolm Hill (Yam). OPEN MOD PROD: 1. Rick Luikk onen (Yam); 2. M ilo Goldseger (Yam): 3. Dave Leng (Kaw). 750 MOD PROD: 1. Guy Out land (Kaw); 2. Pat Ryan (SUl ); 3. Shawn Leopold (Yam). 600 M OD PROD: 1. Jim Jepsen (Yam); 2. Tom Aq uino (Yam); 3. Ed Ragle (Yam). 450 M OD PROD; 1. Steve W ickland (Hon); 2. Jeff Hatfield (Yam); 3. Stu art Wilkin (Yam). 250 MOD PROD: 1. Greg Overman (C-A); 2. Dave M uener (C-A); 3. Mark Hansen (C-A). OPEN STK PROD: 1. Scon Gray (Yam); 2. Rick Uukkonen (Yam) ; 3 . M ilo Goldseger (Yam) . . 750 STK PROD: 1. Rich Ollver(Yam);2.GuyOutland (Kaw); 3. Shawn Leopold (Yam). 60DSTK PROD: 1. Jim Jepsen (Yam); 2. Ed Ragle (Vllm); 3 . Kevin Crowther (Vam ). 450 STK PROD: 1. Ray Carson (Yam); 2. Eanue Dee (Yam); 3. Bud Rodgers (Yam). YAMAHA RZ SERIES: 1. Malcolm Hill (Yam); 2. . Steven Murray (Yam); 3 . Larry Dum nage n (Yam ), . OVER 40 : 1. Art Chambers (Due); 2. Ray Straka (Yam); 3. Charles Logan. VINTAGE: 1. Kenneth Evan (Ducl; 2. Craig Mclean (Nor); 3. M ike Green (Due). 43

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