Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126912
Above) Jimmy Adamo (26) and Gene Church lead the pack into turn 11 at the completion of the first lap. (Below left) Church's Harley lost 21 pounds, Jained a NASCAR exhaust and a five-speed since Daytona. (Below right) Rich Oliver (97) and Chris Crew battled for fourth overall early on. • aWe of The Twins Church hogs the glory ~y John Ulrich iONOMA, CA, MAY 17 Gene Church powered his Harley Owner's Group-sponsored, Don Tilley-tuned HarleyDavidson to victory in the 16-lap, 40-mile Battle of The Twins final at Sears Point nternational Raceway. Former JoTT Champion Jimmy Ada, ed no s early race chall~n~e turn nto a third-place fInish when is Ducati's battery came loose, and ohn Williams rode Dale Newton's ucati into second place. Church and Tilley came to Sears oint with a much-modified "Lucifr's Hammer," the potent lO00cc rand Prix class BaTT race bike. The engine had to come out after aytona," Ch urch said before the ceo "And everything had to come ff the bike. Don just decided that very pan that came off the bike was oing to be lighter when he put it ack on. even if the difference was st a few grams. He got the bike own from 410 pounds to 389 pounds, nd I lost 10 pounds since Daytona." Church also benefitted from a new ve·speed transmission put together y Tilley to replace the Harley fourd, and from an exhaust system bricated for Tilley by NASCAR echanics working for stock car racer Harry Gant. Churc~ reponed he could feel the difference In low-end pow~r (from the exhaust system change) In the seat of his pants, and his Harley was wheelying in the early part of the esses, unusual for any bike. Church led the first lap, with Adamo second, the two rapidly clear· ing away from the pack; Williams, Dale Quanerley on a new Eagle Racing-sponsored Bimota/Cagiva, Rich Oliver on the Bracken Engineering Ducati and Chris Crew on An Chambers' Ducati all raced for second place. Adamo passed Church on the second lap, then slowed as his bike chattered hard into a turn, shaking the bike's battery toose and momentarily disconnecting the ignition wire; Church motored past, and said later that he thought Adamo had lost power at that point. By the third lap, Williams had broken free and was gaining on Adamoand Church; Oliver, Quanerley and Crew were going at it, slUf· fing and dicing, both Quanerley and Crew sliding and straightening up at. the apex of turn II one lap when they unsuccessfully tried to cut underneath Oliver, one after the other. Crew was charging hard, on the wild side, trying desparately to get in front of and stay in front of Oliver and Quanerley; it was Crew's first AMA rac-e. Meanwhile, Church's lead held at two seconds for several laps, then grew as Adamo's bike's battery started jumping out again. On one lap as Church worked through lapped traffic, a guy on a Honda Hawk tried to outbrake Church into turn II, and some observers thought he'd manage to crash and take out Church, too, but he didn't, and Church motored away. Church and Adamo were turning lap times in the range of I:53 and I :54. Most of Williams' laps were I :56 and 1:57, and he fell behind Adamo. Church's lead grew from two seconds to four seconds; Oliver pulled out on Crew and Quanerley; Crew pulled off the track with a fried clutch and oil leaking on the reartire. Three laps from the finish, Adamo was way back from Church, having turned around in the seat and almost stopped to try to secure his battery once and for all. He didn't, and Williams gained and finally passed him to take second place. Oliver lost fourth place when his Ducati broke its crankshaft on the last lap.. "That was the hardest l61aps I ever ran," said Church after winning. "It was hot." Ambient temperature was about 80°. ..At least I got some points, and the engine is still running," Adamo said. "Now at least I'm in the hunt; I went away from Daytona without any poi n IS. .. ______ Fred Eiker used his Rennspon Moto Guzzi to top the Heavyweight Modified class, finishing fifth overall behind Quanerley, ahead of the Grand Prix class Ducati of Dr. David Kieffer and the second-in-Heavyweight· Modified BMW of Ward Rogers. Dean Joas and his Yamaha Visionbased race bike led the Lightweight Modified class for the [jrst 10 laps, running in the top 10 overall, until his bike's rear shock absorber blew. "I rode a Brahma bull for six laps and finished second," Joas said. Kenneth Evan and his Ducati finished first in the class at eighth overall, with Joas second·in-class and nimh overall. Mark Yarrow was 10th overall and third in Heavyweight modified on a Yamaha. - Flesults GRAND PRIX: 1. Gene Church (H-D~ 2. .John Williams (Due); 3. James Adamo (Due~ 4. Dale Quanerley (Bim); 5. David Kieffer (Due); 6. Ivan Faroh (Due); 7. Randolph Deeter (Yam~ 8. Rich Olivar (Due); 9. An Chambers (Due). HEAVYWEIGHT MODIFIED: 1. Fred Eiker (M-Gt 2. Ward Rodgers (BMW); 3. Mark Yauaw (Yam); 4. Tom Sharp (H-D); 5. Bud Riddla (Yam); 6. Sherry Friduss (M-G); 7. Richard Key (BMW); B. Bill Fennessy (Yam); 9. Thomas Moore (Due); 10. Chris Crew (Due). UGHlWEIGHT MODIRED: 1. Kenneth Evan (Duet 2. Dean Joas (yam); 3. Paul Gallivan (Tri); 4. SIeve Wickland (Hon); 5. David Gibbons (Yam); 6. Mark Wiesandanger (Norl; 7. Eric Ginn (Due~ 8. David Neal (Norl; 9. Lee SleinmelZ(No<); 10. Eric Swons.figure (Nor). RACE TIME: 30 minutes. 49.149 -.>nd RACE ~ANCE: 40 miles AVERAGE SPEED: 78.590 9