Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(Above) Formula Two winner Don Greene. (Below) Rich Oliver finished third behind Greene and Jeff Heino. Gene Church battled with Jimmy Adamo for most of the Battle of The Twins race. but Church prevailed on his Hartey-Davidson. 10 lop/jack and Son-sponsored McNellis, who was doing a great job of backing up his third place in the first heat race. Oliver was enjoying himself thoroughly on the tight track and by ~ap 14 had zapped McNellis. Although no one knew it at the time, the top three positions were set for the finish. McNellis later explained that he tired badly. "Put it down to cigarelles, " he said. ''I'm going to give it a hell of a shot at giving them up." The real excitement (or the rest of the race was the charge of David "Curly" Curtis, who had started from the back of the grid on his CT Aavon Ext/Shoei/ND/D.E. MachinalTunstall Leathers-sponsored Honda RS250. Curtis, determined to do well on his home track, had a wretched practice session Friday, running into the rear wheel of james Stephens' Honda and crashing in turn four. After repairing the bike, Curtis crashed again in turn four during his heat race on Saturday. By lap 21 of the final, he was on the back wheel of sixth-placed Himmelsbach, who was embroiled in a dice with john France. Key had also been involved in the fray, but dropped out with a locked up-crank. It took Curtis four tough laps to get by these two, but when he did he quickly broke clear and set off after McNellis who he claimed on lap 30, just two laps short of the finish. That sellied the top five positions, while Himmelbach claimed sixth with Lawrence Hanlon seventh and Brauneck eighth. Gary Gibson took ninth and Long 10th. Greene slowed only once during the race, when a back marker sprayed him with water. "I did a J: l51ap that time but I dropped back down to l2s after that, a pace I had sellied into once the H'onda guys wid me Randy was OUl," he said.. "It's great to do well here. Loudon has been a jinx track for me in the past. My best finish here before was a fourth." Heino was also pleased, "I rode three hours of the endurance race yesterday and that really helped me get into form, but I'm really tired now." It was only Oliver's founl1 Formula Two race, and his best r suit ever at Loudon. His only problem was a cracked pipe five laps from home, his third one of the weekend. Results . • FORMULA TWO: 1. Don Greene (Hon): 2. Jeff Heino (Hon); 3. Richard Oliver (Hon~; 4. Oavtd Curtis (Hon): 5. Chris MeNelli. (Vem); 6. Williem Him· melsbech (Vem); 7. Lewrenee Henion (Vem); 8. Doug 8reuneek (Yem); 9. Gery Gibson (Honl; 10. John Long (Hon); 11. Garry Griffith (Vim); 12. John France (Han); 13. Mike MePoyle tHon); 14. Micel Cholene (Hont; 15. Mike Sullivan (Hon); 16. James Bonner (Yam); 17. Oavid Roper (Mat); 18. Gordon Hademark (Honl; 19. Roben Mowson (Vim); 20. Alen Hippensteal (Vam). FORMULA TWO POINT STANDINGS; 1. Don Greene (87); 2. Randy Renfrow (52); 3. Rich Oliver (48); 4. James Stephens (35); 5. David Cunis/Jeff Heino (341; 7. John Long (28); 8. Ed Key (231; 9. Doug 8rauneek 123); 10. Gary Griffith (21). AMA Battle of The Twins: Round 5 Church wins BoTTwar By Bruce Newton Photo by Bruce Newton LOUDON, NH, JUNE 15 Gene Church and Jimmy Adamo staged their usual fight in the Battle of The Twins event at the Kawasaki Classic meeting at Bryar Motorsport Park with Church's Lucifer's Hammer Harley topping Adamo's Team Leoni Ducati. It was a close and exciting battle which had thousands of Harley fans in the stands screaming for more as Church took the victory by a mere two feet. At one stage in the 25-lap race, Church had opened up a solid lead on Adamo as he clicked off consistent 1:12s. At the midway point, however, the left foot peg began breaking away from the Harley Owner's Group/ Harley-Davidson Motor Company/ Dunlop-sponsored machine, allowing Adamo to close back in. -But that's all he could do and Church claimed the victory in 3D-minutes, 33.78 seconds for an average speed of 78.556 mph. In the Heavyweight Modified class, Paul Ziechang took his Marty O'Brian/ Paul's Cycle Works/VTwins of Syracuse/Yokahama-sponsored Moto Guzzi to a narrow win over the Shelly's Kitchen/RK BMW/ Team jersey and BMW of Bert Stuckert. Steve Lombardo scored the-victory in the Lightweight Modified class by' a lap ove.r John Stapleton. Church and Adamo lapped all but third-placed Grand Prix finisher Dale Quarterley on an Eagle Racing, Bimota DB-I. The Rockland, Massachusseus' rider could have been a contender for the outright win on his home track if not for an early incident which occured while he was leading. "I went through to turn six and it scraped and bent the shifter back into the exhaust," Quanerley explained later. Quarterley immediately piued, bent the shifter into place and reentered the race in 15th place. By lap 10, Quarterley was closing on the three-way dice for third place between Malcolme Tunstall (Bimota DB-I). Kurt Liebman (Ducati) ana Lightweight Modified flyer Peter johnson (Cagiva). Allention was momentarily shifted from Quarterley's charge when BMW pilot Dan Garneau crashed in turn eight. His BMW landed on its left cylinder, still running, and proceeded in a semi-circular path right across the racing line before finally coming to rest in the infield grass. A second later Church came by, narrowly missing a dramatic incident. The BMW was quickly wheeled away, and with the incident pUt aside Quarterley claimed johnson, Leibman and then Tunstall for third place, where he would stay for the rest of the race. Soon after, Adamo began closing again as Church encountered his footpeg problem. Church was obviously trying hard on the Harley, its tires sliding, the bike wallowing as he fought to maintain his lead. With five laps to go, Adamo was climbing all over the back of the Harley in his attempts to get by, but the IOOOcc motorcycle seemed to have a lillIe extra in a straight line. It wasn't until the second-to-Iast lap that Church could even begin to think about victory, when he gained a half-second on his opponent as they lapped the fierce Tunstall/Liebman dice (the hard-charging johnson had retired by this stage). Church "maintained his gap to the finish much to the delight of the fans. "That was a tough race," he said. "Once the left peg started breaking I had to take it easy and I also got into a couple of slides." "I had a strategy before the race to run second and push him and get past at the end, but we got in traffic and he got away. It was the wrong strategy. Then I tried to keep Church in sight," Adamo said. "A couple of times 111 traffic I dropped way back, but I came on at the end. I gave it everything I had but he had too much. I just couldn't get him. • Results BOTT: 1. Gene Church (H-D): 2. Jimmy Adamo (Duel; 3. Dele Ouanerlay (8im); 4. Maleolme Tun· stall (8im); 5. Kun Uebmann (Duel: 6. Paul liesehang (M-G~ 7. Bert Stucken (BMW); 8. Devid Kieffer (Due); 9. Dougla. Gros. (Due); 10. Charle. Sin (M-G); 11. Erno Lewi.(H-D); 12. Jonathon Oil· ligham (Duel: 13. Sherry FriduSl (M·G~ 14. Will Roeder (H·D); 15. Ivan Faroh (Due); 16. Steve Lom· bardo (Hon); 17. John Stapleton (M-G); 18. Jerry DeMott (M·GI; 19. John Novek IM·G); 20. Cherie. Wallace (8MW). GRAND PRIX: 1. Gene Church (H·D); 2. Jame. Adamo (Due); 3. Dale Ouarterlay (8im). HVWT. MOD: 1. Peul liesehang IM·G); 2. 8en Stucken (8MW); 3. Douglas GrOll (Due). LTWT. MOD. 1. Steve Lombardo (Hon); 2. John Stapleton (M-G); 3. Charle. Wellace (8MW). GRAND PRIX POINT STANDINGS: 1. Gene Church (79); 2. James Ademo (5B); 3. Devid Kieffer (49); 4. Malcolm Tunstall (43): 6. Iven Feroh (33); 6. Dale Ouanerly (24); 7. Steve Wentwonh 122); 8. John Williems(18); 9. Kun Liebmenn (16); 10. Dan Chi· vingtDn 111). H)/WT. MOD. POINT STANDINGS: 1. 8en Stuck· en (46); 2. Douglas Gros. (411; 3. Fred Eiker (40); 4. Chris Helland 138); 5. Gerard DeMott (34); 6. Sharon FriduSl 133); 7. Peul lielchang (32): 8. David Hesli (21); 9. Doneld Feverson (201; 10. (TIE) David McClurelWerd Rogers/Roben Stubbs (161. LTWT. MOD. POINT STANDINGS: 1. Deen Joas (56); 2. John Stapleton (41); 3. Kenneth Evan (33); 4. 8radford Joyce (27); 5. Chertes Wallece (27); 6. Peter Johnson (26); 7. Eric Ginn (24); 8. Steve Lom· bardo (20).9. Jame. McNulty (151; 10. (TIEL Paul Gellivan/Jame. McClean/Charles Leng (13).

• Cover