Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Kelly Getz leads Randy Jobnson while winning the Bike BaIT! Hare Scramble Series finale aboard' an air-coo'-d Can-Am. Gefz tops Bike Barn HS Series finale By Merle Acord MORRISON, IL, JUNE I Kelly Getz, riding a· Bike Barn 250cc aucooled Can-Am, blitzed 15 2.5-mile laps for his third overall win in the last race of the Bike Barn's four-race hare scramble series. Getz, seemingly immune to the oppressive humidity, turned faster lap times in the final 30 minutes of the two-hour event and came within 12 seconds ef lapping second overall Larry Bergquist at the final barrel check-through. "I didn't want to push too hard at the stan," said Getz, "but I knew (Jeff) Fredette was back there and I didn't know how close he was so I pushed a ltitle hard in the second hour, but man, I was tired." Fredette's factory-backed KDX200 fired -first off the line from the deadengine stan and Fredette led the Experts over a freshly mowed alfalfa field in the only high-speed section of the course. The Expens bunched into the hard leU-hand turn leading to a rough, rolling, hilly pasture overgrown with bluegrass and wild oats. The bluegrass was still slick and Fredette overcooked a corner and went d.o,,:n,.t.j1k~I}g,fell.o~ .x,'!.wasf\k.i riller ... Larry Bergquist with him and dropping to 15th. Fredette, fighting his way through traffic, closed to third behind Randy Johnson and Getz by the second lap. Fredette moved into second overall on the founh lap and despite losing seconds on each lap to the frontrunning Getz, extended his lead over the other Expens. With 45 minutes left in the race, Fredette had two problems: The humidity was sapping his energy and his bike's disc rear brake had gone away. . "It was so tight (on the woods trails) that I needed a trials bike;" . said Fredette after the race. "I had to change gearing, I was way too tall. I though we would have some high speed stuff. Not so." Bergquist, riding a Tuf-Racing KDX200, took over the second slot from Fredette on the next-to-Iast lap and the pair went into the final check less than a bikelength apart. Bergquist, who received his high school Kawasaki's "Lone Kawboy" Jeff Fredette chases Mark McCrimmons during the Bike Bam Hare Scramble. Fredette finished third. diploma Saturday night prior to the race, displayed that he had also learned something about pacing during a two hour hare scramble. ''I'm not 100% yet, " said Bergq uist in reference to his recent bout with mono and his race strategy. "So I just wanted to ride a quick pace and stay out of trouble. I caught Fredette back in the woods somewhere and when he waved me by, I was sure I had the 200cc class won if I could just finish." KTM rider Dave Edsal won the 250cc class but there was nothing certain about it as he spent the afternoon dicing with another KTM pilot, Earl Heider. Glen Fuegen, Open class winner, might not have been able to see the second-place man Ray Cosgrove but he could hear him. Cosgrove lost the expansion chamber off his YZ465 Yamaha. Even the trees would vibrate when Cosgrove rode by. Fuegen, eight points down in the overall series standing behind Ron Whipple at the stan of the final race, needed today's 'a'ce and Whipple had to finish fourth or less for Fuegen to win the series jacket. Whipple had the hard-l uck story of the series: As he was unloading his YZ465 Yamaha from the three-rail trai ler he mashed a finger on his left hand. He wrapped the finger rightly and rode the race but a big-bore machine on tight trails with a huning hand made it a long afternoon. Whipple finished sixth. If it was a long afternoon for Roben Mitchell, overall B winner, he dic;liJ.'t show it. Mitchell, riding a KDX200 Kawasaki from Honda. World in Princeton, Illinois, expected a challenge from Phil Banks, manager of' Honda World on a SOOcc Honda. Banks cut back on the pace after the . -~'- first hour and settled for second in the Open class behind Can-Am rider Scott Leverton. Leverton also took class honors for tbe series. Mike Britt, a 15-year·old sleeper from Rockford riding only 1Iis third event this season, took overall in the Mini class. Tom Sharp hoIeshot the dead-engine start, but it was no surprise when the odds on favorite to win, Bergquist was first through the barrels. Bergquist continued to pull away from the field but after four laps, feeling the effect of the oppres· sive humidity, began to slow. Britt had already picked up the pace and took over the lead and at the {inal check had a substantial lead over the second-place man Jason Kauzlarich. Promoter Bill Gusse announced at trophy presentation that next year's Bike Bam Hare Scrambles Series would be e~panded to six races. • Results OVERALL EX: Kellv Getz (C-A). OVERALL B: Robert Mitchell (Kaw). OVERALL MINI: Mike Britt (Vam). 200 A: 1. Larry Bergquist (Kaw); 2. .Jeff F r - . (Kaw); 3. Raridy Johnson (C-A). 2S0A: 1. Dave Edsel (KTM); 2. Earl Heider (KTM); 3. Gary Gibbs (C-AI. OPEN A: 1. Glen Fuegen (Yam): 2. Rav Cosgrove (Vam); 3. Mark McCrimmons (Hus). SR: 1. Rod Gormev (C-A); 2. Layton Erickaon (Hus); 3. Paul'Fisher (Yam). 200 B: 1. Steve Sanders (Kaw); 2. Rusty Mills (C·A); 3. Jon Gries (Kaw). 25OB: 1. Scott Laverton (C-A); 2. Phil Bank(Han); 3. .Jeff Gross (Hus). MINI: 1. Jason Kauzlarich (Kawl; 2. David Berg· quist(Kaw); 3. Tom Sharp (Yam). 200 A: 1. Mike Munther (C-A); 2. Dan Fargen (Yam); 3, Larry Bergquist (Kaw). 250 A: 1. Kellv Getz (C-A); 2. Dave Edsel (KTM); 3. Earl Heider (KTM). OPEN: 1. Glen Fuegen IVem); 2. Mark McCrimmon (Hus); 3. Ron Whipple (YamI. SR: 1. Rod Gormey (C-A); 2. Paul Fisher (Vaml; 3. Ron George (Kaw). 200 B: 1. Robert Mitchell (Kawl; 2. Jamie N... (Kaw); 3. Rusty Mills (C-A). OPEN B: 1. Scott laYerton (C·A); 2. Gregory Guthrie (Han); 3. John Kabqhn (Hon). MINI: 1. David Bergquist (Kaw); 2. Chris G-sle (K~w~ 3. T!"" S~a'P.lYam).

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