Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ 00 .-; Harley-Davidson rider Steve Morehead completely dominated the Jacksonville Ha" Mile, leading from start to finish in the Expert main. Wiseco Daytona Dirt Track Series: Round 5 Morehead- wins Jacksonville Half Mile By Dave Hoenig Photos by Flat Track Fotos JACKSONVILLE, FL, MAR. 2 Steve Morehead continued his domination of the Wiseco/Spectro Daytona Dirt Track Series by winning the rain delayed half mile at Jax Raceway. Morehead led every lap on his Tex Peel-built Harley. Canamo tof the res tan and held oITFarris dian Steve Aseltine held off and Pete Hames for the wI.n. R' I . I d B Atherton leftlituedoubt III the Pro~glOna. pomt ea .er ~yan Am final by quickly jumping imo VIllella m the Jumor fmal. thelead and even though the race was Kevin Atherton returned to the series red flagged on lap six when Ricky and celebrated his 16th birthday by Sawdey fell in turn four, Atherton running away with the Pro-Am race. had his Wood Rotax a full straightAction had been moved back to Monaway lead at the checkered flag. Rich day night after heavy mist and slick Foard, Eric Buckwalter, Mike McDontrack conditions halted Friday nell and Dave Reeves filled out the night'S program. Terry Poovey made top five. the most of it, as he took the $100 Aseltine moved to the from in the . posted by Cycle Ac;cessories for fast Junior final but couldn't shake Viltime turning a 21.28 second lap. lelia and Davis, as they switched Chris Carr rode his 600cc Harley to second and third around. Howard second fastest time at 21.37. was holding fourth and waiting for_ The 52 Pro-Am riders were put an opening that never came. Aseltine into seven scratch heats with wins rode a flawless race to win with Vilgoing to Mark Van Housen, Mike lelia, Davis and Howard leading Craig Estelle home. McDonnell, Atherton, Dave Camlin, Rich Foard, Steve Rasmussen and The Expert final was halted on lap Tom Daniele. one as Tim Mertens fell hard and With 37 Juniors on hand they had couldn't make the restart. Morehead six scratch heats. Kris Kiser, Brian once again pulled the perfect holeCaron, Jack Mayer, Aseltine, Bryan shot and charged into the lead. Dan Villella and John Resso were the Ingram came from row two into winners.' second place as Morehead pulled his The program then moved into the Harley to a big lead. Ingram held regular heats with the Pro-Ams out second umil lap five when Boody first. Atherton easily won the first took over. Ingram dropped back tq heat far ahead of a tight race for fifth then out on lap six. Boody held second between Foard, Van Housen down second until lap nine when his and Eric Prior. The second heat was a Honda expired. Farris then took up fight between Tom Daniele, Eric the chase of the fast disappearing Buckwalter and Mike McDonnell. A Morehead. Sweet and Poovey were close finish saw them in that order. close behind until lap 12 when PooVillella and Darell Davis dueled vey also dropped out. Pete Hames and Carr moved up to round out the over the first Junior heat with Villelia holding the charging Davis off. top five. • Results Aseltine, Resso an~ Craig How~rd put on a classIC race III the lastJumor PRO·AM: ,. Kevin Athenon (W·R); 2. Rich Foard heat with Aseltine pushing his Rotax IRtx): 3. Eric Buckwalter (H-D); 4. Mike. McDonnell back past Resso on the last lap (H·DI: S. Deve Reeves IW·R); 6. Enc Pnor (Han); 7. . . Steve Rasmussen (H-D); 8. Merk Ven Housen IC·AI; The first Expert heat was off next 9. Jeson Fletcher (Rtx); 10. Deve Camlin (W·RI'. with Morehead gelling an excellent JR: ,. Steve Aseltine (Rtx,l; 2. Bryan Villella (W·R); • • 3. Oarel! DaVIS (RIX); 4. Craig Howard (Rtxj: 5. CraIg start and runnmg away from Ted Estelle (H·D): 6. Merk Wyskiel (Honl: 7. Kris I(jser Boody, Sammy Sweet and Poovey. (Han); 8. John Resso (Hon); 9. Jeck Meyer (W-R): . Sherpless (C-A). Rod FarrIS h e Id th I d 'lilt h esecon d ' D ' ToddSteve Morehe.d(H-D); 2. Rod Ferris (Han); e ea EX: 1. Expert heat until Chris Evans unload3. Semmy Sweet (H-DI; 4. Pete Hemes (H-D); S~ ed exiting turn four and the race was Chns Corr (H-D); 6. Ronnoe Jon.. (Honl; 7. Sea." " Ca d h Adems (H-D). 8. BIlly Herndon (Hon). 9. W,ll DovOl red fl agg. Chru; rr rna e t e fH-D); 10. Terry Poovey (H-D). ed Darell Davis came away with the win during the first night of racing. Pro-Am/JunIor Short Track Davis, McDonnell fop Memorial ST opener By Henny Ray Abrams DA YTONA BEACH, FL, MAR. 4 Junior Darrell Davis and ProAm rider Mike McDonnell won their respective finals in a revised format on the first night of short track racing at Memorial Stadium. In previous years, the first and second year professionals raced together on the first night. But because the Pro-Am riders are limited to 500cc machines, lOOcc less than the Juniors, two separate programs were run. The 48 Juniors were put into eight six-rider, six-lap heats with the top three from each heat and the fourth fastestlrom the sixth fastest heats advancing to the semis. Te.rry Newman had the fastest heat win with Donny Harrell, Bill Newkirk, Scott Stump, Craig Estelle, Darell Davis, Dean Standish and Jack Mayer also taking heat wins. Newman was on the pole for the first of the three, 10-rider, eight-lap semis, but was sent back to the third row penalty line for jumping the start. Scott Stump got the holeshot with Steve Aseltine second and Willie McCoy third. Dave Cook held the last transfer spo.t from the heat into the main with Craig Howard fifth. Aseltine took over the lead on the sixth lap and quickly built up an insurmountable lead for the win. Stump was an unchallenged second with Howard moving up to third and McCoy fourth. Donnie Harrell led every inch of the second semi with the three riders behind him parading to the finish. They were, in order, Craig Estelle, Jack Mayer, and Kelly Bowlby_ Bill Newkirk was pressed all the way in the third semi by Davis, but held him off until the race was rednagged on the eighth lap when Dave Cook went down in turn one. Newkirk was given the' win, Davis held. second with Craig Howard third and Dave Lamb taking the final spot in the main. Davis knew the way to get into the winner's circle was to get into turn one first and that's what he did. Newkirk, Harrell and Aseltine ballled for second with Howard and Stump close behind. Using a higher line, Aseltine moved around Newkirk into second on the third lap and a lap later Ha,rell moved him back another spot with a pass underneath in turn three. At the halway point it was Davis, Aseltine, Harrell and Newkirk, with Howard holding off a persistenl Craig Estelle in fifth. On the white flag lap Estelle moved into fifth as Harrell hit the wall coming out of tum four without losing a place and the top six were set. "Everybody was running so close and at the same speed that you couldn't pass," Harrell said. "I thought I had him when I hit the wall at the end but I didn't want to let off. They just didn't make mistakes." Harrell is sponsored by Donny Harrell British Motorcycle World and Ron Wood with help from his friend "Pugsley." Second-placed Steve Aseltine said, "I was waiting for him to make a mistake and he didn't. The only place to ride in three and four is on the grass and I rode the outside down in one and two." Cougar Gulch Distilling/Trev Deeley H-D/BBRPsponsored Aseltine travels with the winner Davis. "I thought if I got the start I could hold on," ~on Wood/Shoei-sponsored Davis said. "I stayed low everywhere. I rode anywhere I could hook up." Forty-four Pro-Am riders were signed up and 40 would advam:e to the semis through the seven heat races. Kevin Atherton's was the fastest with Richard Foard, Jay Skidmore, Jay Bromley, Dan Powell, and Michael Rusden also taking wins. The first semi was red-flagged just past the halfway point and declared official with Richard Mitchell taking a close win over Atherton with Eric Prior half a straightaway behind and the same gap to Rusden. Mike McDonnell won the second semi start-to-finish. Foard ran second before falling in tum two on the fifth lap with Tom Daniele the benefactor. Bromley and Jason Fletcher took third and fourth, respectively. The third semi holeshot went to Brian Tillson, but Skidmore was quickly by and on to the victory. Tillson slid wide in turns one and two losing several spots. Mark Van Hausen pressed Skidmore, but settled for second, two bike lengths back. The 12rider main was filled out by David Wass and Danny Powell. McDonnell hi tturn one first in the main before getting bumped back to second by Skidmore later on the first lap. Atherton was third, Van Housen fourth, with Rusden fifth. On the third lap McDonnell took over the lead moving Skidmore into a scrap for second with Atherton and Van Housen. Ruden was a distant fifth. As soon as he took over the lead McDonnell was gone with Atherton taking over second at the halfway mark.. Van ~ousen moved past Skidmore and into third on the backstraight on the same lap with Rusden an unchallenged fifth. ~d with passing nearly impossible, that's how they finished. McDonnell said that he "Just wailed till he messed up. He (Skidmore) was getting sideways." He added that the Memorial Stadium surface was like his home track in Lodi, California. "It's Chris Carr's home track too, so that sort of helps me watching him race." McDonnell's Lillie Racing Ha!ley-Davidson gets additional sponsorship from McDonnell's parents and four brothers and Freddie's Speed &: Sport. . • Results PRO·AM: 1. Micheel McDonnell (H-D); 2. Kevin Athenon (W-R); 3. Merk Ven Hausen fC·A): 4. Jay Skidmroe (Hon); 6. Michoel Ruoden (Hon); 6. Jaoon Feltcher (Rtx); 7. Richord Mitchell (C-Al;. 8. Tom Doniele(W-R); 9. DovidWoo.(Hon); 10. Den_II (H·D); 11. Joe Bromley (H-D); 12. Eric Prior (Han). JR: ,. Dorrell Devi.(RllCl; 2. Steve Aoeltine(H-DI; 3. Donny Herrell (W-RI; 4. Williom _ i l t fMont 6. Creig e-Ie (H-D); 6. Croig Howard (Rtxt 7. Scatt Stump (H-D); 8. Jad< Meyer (Rtx); 9. Cony Sri.. (Rtx~ 10. Deve Lomb (Han); 11. Kelly (Rtxl; 12. Willie McCoy (Hanl. -..v

• Cover