Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(Above) 125cc w inner Keith Turpin . (Below) Danny Storbeck (19) and Rick Ryan. (Above) Johnson (5) leads Ward (1), Johnny O'Mara (3), and the pack in the final . (Below) Erik Kehoe (8) and Ricky Ryan (Kehoe's left) get the jump in a heat race . . could hear R icky beh ind m e," said Bailey. " I sure di dn 't need a p it board to tell me I had to stay o n th e gas." Semis Yamaha riders Mark Murphy a n d Jo Jo Kell er ea rned a spot i n th e mai n event by ru n n ing 1-2 i n th e first sem i. T h e pa ir held those spots from start to fin ish. A multi -ri der p il e-up i n th e fir st tu rn took away th e cha nces o f man y in sem i two , but Kawasa ki rider Alan King stayed clear of th e wreck to wi n a nd transfer. Multi- tim e Ca nadia n champ Ross Pederson d ropped into th e second slo t to make it to th e main even t. Last Chance Qualifier H o n da -mo un ted Tom Carson won the ba ttl e of a tt rition in the consi a nd was th e 2 1st and fin al ri der to earn a berth in th e ma in. Dean Mor son h ad h is Kawasa ki in the lead , bu t tu m bled through a rough section. Scooter Stafford h ad h is Yamaha a t th e point, bu t lat er pull ed out o f th e race afte r smashi ng h is ch in o n th e ha ndlebars over th e ba ck stre tch tr iple jump. At th at point Carson outra n Suzu ki rider J eff Hicks to th e checkered flag . Main T h o ugh most o f th e top ri ders were in fa vor of th e Ro n Crandall -designed track, mo st o f the main event turned o u t to be a n o-pass si tua tio n . " It 's a g rea t track if yo u' re in th e lead," rema r ked Ba iley as he li ned up to race, " bu t it'll be h ard to p a ss if yo u're a ny whe re but o u t front. The wa y th e track is now yo u just have to go as fast as yo u ca n right down the m idd le. " . After the p ack thread~ . through J th e 'Wid e ri~ht-han'd£irs t tu rri, 'ii wa s J ohnson leading Bail ey, O 'Ma ra , Ward , Bo wen , Lech ien an d Dym ond . G lov er was a vic ti m of th e fir st tu rn , an d had to beg in hi s cha lle nge from dead last. T he lead group q uickly p u lled away from th e p ack th roug h th e nu m erous doubl e j umps sec tions. A fast and long tri pl e jum p was bu ilt into th e bac k straigh t, a nd ride rs who cleared it flew th rough the ai r over 200 feet . Those wi th ta lent - a nd co urage - soon sta rte d to p ut a gap o n th e field. J ohnso n a nd Ba iley broke free o f everyone else five lap s into the race, but at th a t poi nt Bailey didn 't seem to be pus hing Johnson. " It was team strategy to get th e H onda riders o ut fro nt, " sa id Bailey, " bu t it might hav e cost me th e win. I shou ld ha ve closed in o n R ick ea rl ier th an I did." ' Yard wa s soon into th e groove a nd on th e m o ve. H e picked o ff O 'M a ra a nd pushed toward th e lea ders, m o ving wi thin striki ng ra n ge o f Ba iley, but never qu ite a ble to set up a pass. Bowen a lso ha d an "on " nigh t and found a line arou nd O 'M ara to ta ke fourth . Near th e m idpoint in th e race, la p p ed riders started to become a fa cto r. " So me times th e lappers we re m o ving over for m e, a n d oth er times th ey wer e makin g it easy for David," sa id J ohnson. " I think th a t in the lo ng ru n I got through traffi c a bit faster th an David , but there were tim es h e was gettin g real close." Ba iley, as Johnson well knew, was getting close. The 1983 Supercross Champion put it a ll on th e line when , the:white £lag ' cam e 0 t. a na m im: icked J ohnson 's every m ove. At the ch eckered flag j u mp o n ly the len g th of a m o torcycl e sepa ra ted th e two , but it was J ohnson's race. T he EI Ca jon, Cal ifornia nati ve had do ne it again. " I think I h ave a good formula for win n ing races," sa id J ohnson. " H o n da, (mechanic) Bria n Lunn is a nd me! I got a lot of the ri ff-raff ou t of m y life this yea r, a n d I' ve found th at religion has been a big h el p . God ga ve m e a gift (a n a bility to ride a m otorcycle) a nd I'm not going to waste it." "If I wo uld ha ve stayed closer and pressured hi m sooner 1 mig h t have had a better chance," sai d Ba iley. " R ick was ridi ng we ll enough th a t it wo u ld have ta ken a few tricky mo ved to get by . 1 shou Id ha ve tr ied to get by over that lo ng trip le j u m p earlier in th e race. Secon d is great (Bailey is second in the ser ies) but winn ing is wha t i t's a ll abou t." Ward fi nis hed thi rd , bu t was so u nh app y with h is fin ish th at he d idn 't co me to th e winners circle a fte r the race. Bowen ma inta in ed fo r a credible fo u rt h place. The main event ran 12 minutes a nd six secon ds, a relatively short period o f tim e, but n o t by th e sta ndards o f a supercross racer. " T we nty laps is a long time, espe cia lly wh en yo u have to co ncen tra te on every jump, li ne a nd turn . I'v e fin ally learned ho w to keep it a ll togeth er a nd go fast th e who le way," sai d J o hnso n . 125cc Pro-Am Despite a handicap which wou ld have sidel ined m,m y rac ers , local rider Keith Turpin overcame th e odds to wi n the 125cc P ro- Am main event: • . " I tr ied to clear th e tri pl e jump in p ract ice a nd hi t my throat" o n th e ba rs," sa id T u rp in. "I've been sp ittin g up blood all ni ght a nd it's hard to swa llow, but since 1 could still brea th e o ka y I decided to race. I g uess it pa id o ff because I won th e main !" India na ride r Mark Mel ton grabbed the p oin t off th e start of the mai n , wi th Turpin in tow . Within a few lap s Turpi n set up a p ass o ver th e fin ish line j u m p, th en found a n in side line to take th e lead. Turpin found some run n ing room a fter that a nd bui lt up a safety cush io n whi le Mel ton fought off the charges o f Kawasak i speeds ter R o n n ie T ichen or. T urpin showed the style o f an u pc om in g P ro by ridi ng fla wlessly lap a fter la p , fina lly taki ng th e checkered flag with a victory fist flying hi gh. Melton h eld o ff Tichenor fo r thi rd, wh ile Pro-Am star Rodney Barr locked in to fourth. . • Results I 250 MAIN: 1. Ridt J oh nson (Hon); 2. David Bailey lHon): 3. Jaff W ard (Kaw): 4. Kait h Bowen (Yam); 5. Johnny O'Mara (Hon ): 6. Ron Lachi en (Kaw); 7. M icky Dymo nd lHon ): B. Rick Ryan (Kaw): 9. Dann y Storbeck (Yam); 10 . Erik Kahoe (Suz); I 1.Jim Holl ey (Yam); 12. Billy Liles (Kaw)); 13. A.J . Whit ing (SUl): 14. Ross Pederso n (Yam); 15. Ma'" M urph y (Yam); 16 . Tom Carson; 17. M ike Healey (SUl); lB. JoJo Keller (Yam): 19. A lan King lKaw ); 20 . Guy Cooper IHon). 125 PRO-AM: 1. Keit h Turp in (Hon); 2. Mark Mel ton (Han); 3 . Ronn ie Tichenor (Kaw) ; 4 . Rodney Barr (Kaw) ; 6. M icha el .Jcnes: 6. M ark Crozier (Han); 7. Jeffe ry Class; B. Billy Whitl ey (Yam); 9. Roben Hayes; 10. Barry carste n; 11. Tim Bri ll ; 12 . Tom M an in; 13. Dan Newe ll ; 14 . Terry Tinney (Kaw); 15. Joh n Greaves; 16. Jason Upsh aw: 17. Brian MeEI· roy (Yam); 1B. Don Hudson ; 19. Mike Roth (Yam); 20 . Lance Newsome. 250 POINTS STANDINGS (OFFICIAL): 1. Rick Jo hnson (139); 2. David Bail ey (119); 3. Jeff Ward (1 14); 4.JohnnyO·Ma ra (105 t 5. Keith Bowen (96); 6. BrocGlove r (SSt 7. (Tie) J im Holl ey/ Ron Lachien (681; 9 . (Toe) M icIcY OymondIRick Ryan (59). ,., " I..

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