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/126921
Randy Renfrow (96) wheelies his RS500 Honda while working his way toward the front early in the F-1 race; Larry Shorts (20) trails. lead within grasp; he went inside just as Renfrow swept across into the corner, flicking it in and riding his usual wider-entry line to that corner; Goodfellow, already leaned over and pushing hard, had a choice of trying to hit the brakes or just plain hitting Renfrow; Goodfellow braked, and crashed, Chivington just missing the sliding bike, which slid and caught and threw Goodfellow high into the air off the high-side. Renfrow gained enough breathing room there to hold off Chivington at the finish, by a margin of 1.572 seconds, although Chivington and his consistent 1:41 s and I:42s moved him closer to Renfrow's slow-as-youdare 1:41 s, I :42s, I :43s. Meanwhile, Knott, afler lap after lap of chasing Paulk and not getting past, finally did pass, and, once by, set out after Shorts, who was still riding alone, cushions ahead and behind, in third place. Larry Shorts, a hardluck, no-money, stock-bike-is-all-I'vegot privateer who usually doesn't get a sniff of the top 10, running third and under control in what probably will turn out to be the second-to-last AMA Formula One race ever held in the U.S. Knott and his RG500 gained rapidly on Shorts but couldn't catch him in the remainin,g laps; Paulk finished fiflh with Edgar Hinton on another almost-stock Suzuki GSXR750 sixth ahead of David Old's Honda RS500, Marco Greco"s Honda RS500, Mark Chin on another superbike and Dave Schlosser on yet another almost-stock Suzuki GSXR 750. Of the top 10 finishers, four rode near-stock Suzuki street bikes. "I just couldn't get the rear to hook up and it kept sliding and squirting out," said Renfrow in the pressroom after the finish. 'Tdidn't want to take any chances. I kept thinking, 'You can't fall down. You can't afford to fall down.' After Kork fell I started riding like I was in the rain. This whole weekend I haven't enjoyed much at all. All I thought about was J can't fall off, I can't mess up. All I could think of was a whole season, three years really, of effort." Renfrow turned to Chivington, and said "1£ you guys had cal,1ght and passed me, third would have paid 13 points. I would have let you go. "I wanted to win the race," Renfrow continued afler thanking main sponsor Burt Bigoney, tuner Ron Barrick and sponsors Dunlop, Starfire Racing, Shoei, Tsubaki, ND and Bel-Ray. "I tried to stay with Kork, but I:39s was as fast as I felt comfortable at. I thought ifI stayed with him 10llg enough ( could get the tire_to come in. I stayed with him for awhile and got into a couple of serious slides. I had to go into Atlanta wi th This was the margin of victory in F-1, Randy Renfrow leading almost· stock Suzuki GSXR750·mounted Dan Chivington through the last turns. Russ Paulk (60) and Boonie Knott (31) battled for fourth place on their Grand Prix bikes; Knott got it. Mid-Ohio track diagram -- _.-n_ enough points so even if Kork won and J got second I'd get the championship. He was looking good. My bike was sliding around and his was hooking up. It looked like a hopeless case. This weekend was a long season." "I can't believe it," said Shorts, who won an endurance race at MidOhio in 1985, and who thanked sponsors Metzeler, Precision Car Audio, Shoei and SuperTrapp. "I've never been in the winner's circle before and now here I am. I tried hard. I was close to Danny but I just couldn't catch him. This is great." Chivinglon thanked sponsors Michelin, Shoei, Cam 2, Tunstall Leathers, DID and \Viseco. • Larry Shorts (left) can't believe he's in the winner's circle with winner Randy Renfrow (center) and second·place Dan Chivington. Results FORMULA ONE: 1. Randy Renfrow (Hon): 2. Dan Chi.ington (Suz): 3. Larry Shorts (SUl): 4. William KnOll (Sull: 5. Russell Paulk (Hon): 6. Edgar Hinton (SUl); 7. Da.id Old (Honl: 8. Marco Greco (Hon): 9. Mark Chin (Honl: 10. Da.e Schlosser (SUl): 11. Dave Kieffer (Due); 12. Martin Morrison (SUl); 13. Mike Elmore (24); 14. Fred Giaimo (SUl). RACE DISTANCE: 25 laps. 60 miles. RACE TIME: 42 minutes. 20.78 seconds. AVERAGE SPEED: 85.037 mph. MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.572 seconds. FORMULA O~E POINT STANDINGS: 1. Rand;' Renfrow (123): 2. Kork 8allington (91); 3. Wayne Rainey (68): 4. Russell Paulk (57): 5. Gary Goodfellow (56): 6. Dan Chi.ington (42); 7. Dale Franklin (37): 8. Miles 8aldwin (35): 9. Marco Greco(31): 10. Steve Trioder (22).