Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

rJl ~ ~ ::!' <=: ::J ...J . ~ Z w a: a: -c LL. > al rJl co 0 0 - I- 00 :I: e, Q") ~ ~ C'J ...t:: u .... ro ~ (A bove} Series Champio n Phil Larso n (1) trail s brother M ike (73) during Open Pro action. Jim Tarant ino (bel ow) won t he 1 25cc title. Ru ss Wa geman (ab ove) cinched the CMC Go lden St at e Nation als 250cc Pro Cham pionship by po wering hi s YZ25 0 to a f ifth overall finish. CMC/Skoal Bandit Golden State Nationals: Round 7 Larsons dominate Quail Canyon closer By Farren Williams H UNGRY VALLEY, CA, MAR I . Phil Larson of Bremerton, Washington, (Yam , 2-1 ) fought off a fierce challenge from brother Mike (H o n, 1-2) to claim the 500cc overall win at the closing Pro round of the Golden Sta te Nationals MX , 28- ·S~tit'!>. held a t Q uailCat rvo n in I sou thern Ca liforn ia. L arson ~- -fi1Ti'S h-e-d -me-ser ies: w rm' .~ 06 ' Po in ts leader Wa geman ca me o u t po ints. to tak e the Co nti ne nta l Mo tosports Club GSN 500cc series tit le of th e gate in first p lace a t th e start o f over Ca lifornia's R uss Wa gem an th e first 250cc Pro race , wi th Mike Larson, Tarantino a nd Ca li forn ia n (Yam . 5-4), who closed th e series wit h Kevin All ma n (Ya rn) a ll push ing a t 470 points. h is rea r fen de r; the close co m pe titio n Mike powered to a I- I win in th e was ruled aca demic, however, whe n a 250cc Pro class, but the GSN 250cc red flag forced a restart a t th e end of championship went to Wageman th e first lap. H ol esh ot kin g Zahrt (Ya m , 3-5 ), who rode to si xth overa ll. lived u p to h is reputation wh en th e In the 125cc Pro ra ce, Ca lifornia's gate dropped th e seco nd tim e, but J im Tara nti no (Suz, 2- 1) cam e o u t on Wa gem a n reto ok th e lead a lmost top in a battl e with fellow Califorim media tely, saili ng past Zahrt with n ian Bobby Moore (Suz, 1-2), to wa lk a stylis h , m id a ir pass o n Quai l' s aw ay with th e ser ies ti tle. H onda seco nd down hil l. La rson powered by moun ted Kyle Lewis (1- 16) o f Ca liZahrt to tak e over seco nd p lace on lap forn ia wail th e ser ies 80cc Ex pert two , a nd Tara nti no dropped Zahrt to cha mp ionsh ip, desp ite a lat e-lap cras h fo urt h o n th e fo llow ing lap. Larson wh ile lead in g th e seco n d mot a . pressured Wagem an for two la ps be" Rocket" Rex Sta ten (Yam, -I-I ) fore m o tor in g by for the lea d o n lap co nti n ued hi s dom in ation o f th e Vet P ro div isio n, b ut h e h ad to figh t o ff four. T aranti no dropped Wageman stro ng cha lle nges fro m h ol esh ot kin g to third on lap six, sett ing up a Kenn y Zahrt (Hon, 2-3), a nd AT KLarson-Tarant in o-W agem a n freight mou nt ed Randy Rod rigu ez (4-2). With train th at lasted unt il th e checkered o ne race left in the Vet Pro series, fla g. Earl y leader Zah rt an d h is Kirk Benke-t u n ed C R250 , fi n is h ed th e Staten holds a comforta ble lea d over moto well back in eig ht h pl ace. Zah rt , w ho is locked into a close, seco nd-p lace bat tle with Rod riguez. Wagem an 's 250cc titl e a lmost went Ty Davis (H on , 3-3) nabbed th e u p in a cloud o f dus t wh en h e cras hed hol esh ot in th e firs t 125cc m ot o , wi th ha rd at th e top of th e h ill in turn one, Tara ntino ru nni ng a close seco nd, immed iat el y a fte r th e start o f the a nd Moore co mi ng o ut o f th e ga te in seco n d 250cc m ot o . Larson came o u t third pl ace. Moo re, knowing h e ha d o f th e ga te in firs t p lace a n d n ever to ta ke the win in order to stay in th e rel in q u ished h is lead, even th ough title hun t, m ot ored under T arantino Tara nti no p us hed him hard from for seco nd p lace on th e th ird lap , a nd seco nd spot for the full 12 laps. passed Davis for the lead o n lap four. Wagem an remou nted in dead last, Tara nt ino go t by a fadi ng Dav is on but worked h is way to fifth by the the fifth la p, bu t he co u ldn 't catch the checkers, savi ng not o n ly th e h eat, har d-cha rg ing Moore, w ho mainta in but a lso his cha m p ionsh ip. ed his adva ntage to the ch eckered T he La rso n brothers p u t on a thrilflag . Sha un Ka los (H on ) tra iled Davis ling di spla y o f two -wh eeled sibling across th e line in fourth p lace; J eff rivalry in both 500cc Pro m o tos, with Ma tia sevich (Kaw) took fifth . Mike co m ing o u t on to p in the first Da vis repeat ed h is ho lesh ot in th e race, and Phil taking th e honors and secon d 125cc m ot o , follo wed . by cinch ing th e 500cc GSN series title in Ta ra n ti no, a nd Gregory Wurster th e secon d event. (Kaw): Moore managed a medi ocre, A hot battle for first p lace de vemidpack sta rt . Ta rantino dropped loped between Ph il and Mike secon ds Davis to seco nd o n la p th ree: and by aft er th e ga te dropped in th e first th e fifth lap Moore had worked hi s mot o: Ph il gra bbed the ho lesho t with way th ro ugh traffi c a nd around Da vis. Mi ke fo llowin g cl osely. T he Larson Moo re ga ined o n Taran tino in th e duo ba nged bars in a lmost every late stages, but had to settle for seco nd co rner, a nd left the rest o f the pack p lace whe n h e co u ldn 't red in th e runn in g in th ei r dust. Phil managed S uzu ki rider. Davis finished third , to bloc k hi s H onda -mounted br other Mat iasevich finished fourth , a nd for th e first half of the race, but Mi ke Vince Warren (Yam) ro unded o ut th e • j?o t.by g h il's Y'1l11a}1"9lJ I ~ I? snt;n.to lOp five. €,: C) , I: I . E i t t' J • ;1 LJ ) tak e o ve r a lead h e wou ld h ol d J

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