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/126951
Mike McDonnell holds the checkered flag after claiming the Pro-Am final victory on his Harley-Davidson. Jay Skidmore took second. Darrell Davis piloted his Rotax mount to the Junior final victory over Steve Aseltine. Kris Kiser and Craig Howard. Wiseco/Specfro Daytona Df Series: Round 4 Farris aces Busch HM By Henny Ray Abrams BARBERVILLE, FL, MAR. I Maryland's Rodney Farris closed with a flourish, passing Texan Terry Poovey on the final lap, to win the Expert main event of the rain-delayed Busch Half Mile at Volusia County Speedway. Finishing third in the JJ&B Promotionssponsored event was Ted B~y. After four rounds of the eightround $10,000 Daytona Din Track Series, Farris trails Steve Morehead by 16 points, 44 to 60, with Dan Ingram third at 30. Morehead Eailed to make the Expert main and Ingram finished 11th. The racing, scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m., actually started after 7:30 p.m. because oE intermitlent showers which changed the track surface from the previous ni~hl. The program was .delay~d tw~ce due to two separateacadents In which the nder had to be evacuated by medieal helicopter. In a Junior heat race Thomas Ikey oE Newark, Ohio, Eell exiting the heavily-rutted turn two. His head was unavoidably run over by Bill Newkirk tearing the Eaceshield off oE Ikey's Eull Eacehelmel. The racing was delayed over an hour while Ikey was Elown out and a grader groomed turns one and two. In the second accident, Michael Barber oE St. Petersburg, Florida, fell coming onto the front straightaway on the eighth lapof the Pro-Am main event; Barber broke an arm and ribs. The race was declared official after seven laps with Mike McDonnell taking the win over Jay Skidmore and Timothy Lorce. Darrell Davis of Bremerton, Washington, beat his travelling panner, Steve Aseltine of Spokane, in the Junior final with Kris Kiser third. Experts who failed to make the main event had two other chances for payoffs in the Expert Band C main events. Jon Cornwell beat Sammy Sweet and George Roeder Jr. in the Expert B main event. All three were Harley-mounted as were the top three in the Expert C main event, Randy Texter, Brian Bonesteel and Pete Hames. Six heats and two semis reduced the 42-rider Pro-Am field to 12 for the main event with Mike McDonnell on the pole with the fastest semi win. McDonnell, in only his third professional race, led briefly before giving up the front spot to Skidmore. Timothy Lorce was a c1ose.t.hird with Mark Van Housen and Rick Sawdey battling for a distant fourth. "He was riding lower than I was," McDonnell said. "He was coming out a little too tight. I rounded off the comer and it worked better and I got back by him." He was holding the lead when the race was red-Elagged on the eighth lap due to the Barber accident, and was declared the victor. "Harry Lillie built the bike and my mom and dad, Linda ana John McDonnell, helped me out along with my four brothers," the Tracy, California, resident said. The 53 Juniors also had to get through six heats and two semis to get into the main with Darrell Davis taking the outside pole position with the fastest semi win. Davis got the holeshot and quickly put pace between himself and Aseltine. Kiser was a close third with James Harrell fourth ahead of Craig. Howard and Bryan Villella. By the halfway flags Davis' lead was close to 30 yards with A el tine holding the same distance on Kiser. Howard and . Harrell held their spots in fourth and fifth. As the race wore on Davis wore down and Aseltine dosed visibly. Time, however, was on Davis' side and when the checkered flag fell he still held a 10-yard lead with Aseltine taking second. As the pair hit tum one on the cool-down lap Kiser crossed the line in third and as he did Howard and Harrell were exiting turn four with Howard holding onto fourth. "I could see he was getting tired," Asel tine said after the race. "I could have caught him if I could have seen him, but I ripped off all of my tearoffs on the first lap and couldn't see. He rode a great race; he always does." Asel tine listed his sponsors as Cougar Gulch Distilling of Spokane along with Trev Deeley H-D, Team Panther, Castrol. Shoei, and BBRP. "That's for Brian Billings who built the bike." Davis admitted he was fatiguing. "I was sort of getting tired. I started running a different line. I thought it would be faster, but it wasn't so I went back to myoId line." After time-tria Iing, the top three Experts from the four heats would transfer to the 12-rider main event. Riders four through six went on to the B event and the seventh through ninth finishers went on to the C final event. Shoo-sponsored Terry Poovey convincingly won the fi.J:st heat with a large gap over Ronnie Jones and Steve Eklund. Dave Durelle led the second heat early before getting passed by eventual winner Brian Atherton and second place Ted Boody. Rodney Farris stayed low on the rutted clay track to lead every lap of the third heat with Rob Crabbe and Dan Ingram also advancing. to the main. The final heat went to Tim Mertens with Chris Carr, riding with three pins in his healing left hand, second and Don Estep third. Fast-heat winner Farris chose the low pole, but the holeshot went to Poovey with Atherton second and Farris third. Mertens, who just re-