Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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David Hand was the fastest rider of the weekend at Madison Square Garden's Arenacross. Hand won both days' main events. NYC Arenacross wins ·to Bias, Hand By Davey Coombs EW YORK, NY, FEB. 28-MAR. I Defending National Arenacross champ Mike Bias and David Hand each scored main event wins at the WorldSports/USHRA National Championship Arenacross double header in New York City's M a d' 1son Squ:;ue G ard ens. Answer/Sllkolene-sponsored, Honda-mounted Hand pulled down the Saturday night opener with a spectacular comefrom-behind effort that saw him overcome a poor start ~md !llate-race crash to pass leader Bnan Stanley on the white flag lapand go on to win. Hand narrowly missed a eekend sweep as he and Shoei/Scott/MJ USA-backed Bias went down to the wire in Sunday's finale with the defending champ outgunning the upstart by a bike length. Over 30,000 fans attended the double-header in the 16,000-seat downtown Marthattan complex. Bias opened the action Saturday with a comfortable qualifier win over Billy Abel, Hand and Jeff Glass. Abel is an ultra-technical stadium rider whose impressive consistency is only occasionally broken by almost phenomenal bursts of speed that either land him in first or on his head. He held Bias at bay in the Gardens until a string of lappers forced him off his line and back into second. Gear/Shoei/Beckley-backed Brian Stanley was next on top, leading Troy Graham and AXO/Acerbis/ Mercy Hospital's pavey Coombs in heat two compeutIon. Stanl~y was passed by Coombs four laps m and tailed the Hond.a rider until the leader got off bIg on the backstretch doubles with a hall a lap to go. New crs/'\"s Brian Carroll, Emery Anden, "no (,lan, m splJ rht> dlfference between Stanley and Coombs at the end. . After spotlight intros for the racers, Stanley nailed the final holeshot with Suzuki-mounted Anden, Abel, Coombs, and Smith/ Shoei/HRP's Glass in two. Bias was left behind, kicking over a dead engine after casing out on a speed bump. Hand wasted no time making up for his midpack start and on the first lap alone he recovered four spots. Frontrunning Stanley felt Hand pressing shortly after the new number two displaced then-runnerup Anden. But the leader stood his ground, and soon after the halfway mark Hand dropped his bike rounding a lapper. With the pressure off and Anden seemingly content with second, Stanley should have gotten away from the pack. But with just three laps left lappers found their way into the leader's lines and soon 1-2-3 were wheel-to-wheel. Anden pointed his Suzuki at Stanley in a slow lefthander to set up a pass, but before' he could close the door Hand was by on the inside. With the white flag flying Hand used the same routine to get around Stanley and steal an impressive win. After Stanley and Anden came a recovered Bias with Graham in the number five slot. With the stands nearly packed a~n for Sunday's finale, Bias scored hlS second heat win of the weekend over Labaus/Shoei/Kawasaki's Jeff Surwall, Hand, and Dave Antonucci. Carroll took heat two with a flag• to-flag ride up front over Stanley, Anden and Coombs. Like the night Aaron Bollinger picked uP the win in the first 126cc Pro moto at Muddy Creek MX. Bollinger finished second overall. before Stanley was the-first man into the first tum in the main, but this time Hand and Bias were right there on his fender. Carroll was next, followed by Anden, Graham, Surwall and Antonucci. Stanley, who splits time as West Virginia's fastest with Bias, is well overdue for an Arenacross win, and after the previous night's heartbreak he looked ready to score on Sunday. For six laps he maintained the top spot on the leaderboard as Hand matched Bias turn for tum. Suddenly Stanley found himseU down after his rear wheel caught the number two jump of the finish line doubles. Bias saw the daylight first and carved his way inside the fallen leader's bike to pass Hand as well. Hand wanted the Big Apple sweep badly, and he hounded Bias right down to the wire. But when the curtain fell it was still Bias by a bike length. After Hand came Graham, Surwall, Anden, and Abel. Results SATURDAY 1. David Hand (Hon); 2. Brian StlInlay (Hon~ 3. Emery AncIen (Suz~ 4. Mita Bias (Hon); 5. Troy Graham (Hon~ 6. Billy Abel fHon~ 7. Da"", Coombs (Hon); 8. Jeff SurwaU (Kaw); 9. Jeff Glass (Hon); 10. Brian Carroll (Kaw). SUNDAY 1. Mite Bias (Hon); 2. David Hand (Hon~ 3. Troy Graham (Hon~ 4. Jeff SurwaU (Kaw); 5. Emery Ancien (Suz); 6. Billy Abel (Hon); 7. Davey Coombs (Hon); 8. Jeff GlllSS (Hon); 9. David Antonucci (Kaw~ 10. Brian StlInley (Hon). Brown wins Muddy Creek MX By Sam R. Gammon BLOUNTVILLE, TN, MAR. I Brisk March winds and wet track conditions greeted racers Sunday, as they started the 1987 racing season. Muddy Creek's AMA-sanctioned '87 racing will also have a points championship spon-~ sored by Valvoline and Super Oil Company. Mike Brown started the season off in style as he won the I25cc and Senior Mini classes. Brown easily put his bike in the lead in both motos of the Senior Mini class taking the wi"ns. Tommy Owens· took twO seconds over James Parker. Brown came back on a 125 and put in an impressive ride to win both motos of the 125cc C clas for the overall. Scott Grubb passed Bill Lemka for second in the first moto, and finished third behind Chad Pitt in the second moto, which gave him second overall. Virginia rider Dwain Miller and Daniel Jones battled in the first moto of the I 25cc B class. Jones passed in the whoops on the last lap for the win. Miller charged out of the gate the second moto and flew 10 the win. Darren Wilson moved up through the pack to finish second. Miller took the oveJ1i1l and Jones took home second place trophy. Daryl Hyder holeshot the first moLO of the 250cc C class and led until Steve Litz moved into the lead. On the last lap, Jeff Schuler charged into the lead, taking the win from Litz. Hyder again look the holeshot in the second moto, but Tim Jennings was moving and took the lead on lap two. Once in front, Jennings easily cruised to the win. Litz finished second, which was good enough for the overall. Chris Shonridge dominated the first moto of the 250cc B class. Larry Harrison and Stephen Haupt battled for second with Harrison holding onto the position. Robert Campbell won the second moto, but Shortridge finished second, which gave him the overall. L & L Line-sponsored rider Steve Lady took home a big trophy and top points as he won the Senior Men's class. Lady won both motos for the overall and Danny Eller finished third in the first moLO and second in the second moto for second overall. North Carolina rider Jim Chester was the top money winner in the Pro division, taking home the overaJi wins in the 125 and 250cc Pro classes. Aaron Bollinger won the first 125cc moto over Chester and Eddie Branch, but Chester got revenge in the second moto as he took the win with Branch taking second over ,Bollinger. ' Both motos of the 250cc class was a duel between Chester and Gerald Greene. Both motos Chester got the early lead and Greene pushed, pulling alongside at times, but at the finish, Chester was in front both mOlOS for the wi ns. . With the cold weather and Daytona bike weel( going on. only two Open Pro riders were on the track. Chester wa allowed to ride under >