Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

John Long (242) took the runner-up spot in the Pro Twins GP race while Doug Brauneck (46) f inished third. immy Adamo topped the Pro Twins Grand Prix race in Memphis aboard . is Team Leoni Ducati, barely keeping his title hopes alive. MA Pro Twins Road Race eries: Round 9 damo tops L.ong -n Memphis By Henny Ray Abrams EMPHIS, TN, AUG. 9 earn Leoni's Jimmy Adamo .ept his slim title hopes alive ith' a winning ride in the rand Prix portion of the Pro wins class, beating.John Long by 1.403 seconds wi th series poin ts eader Doug Brauneck third. Bri u urkington finished fourth with hris Carr fifth on his debut ride board "Lucifer's Hammer, " the arley Owner 's Group P ro T wi ns n try. . Brauneck nbw leads Adamo 121 to 02 with only the race at Sears Poin t emaining, Long is third in points with 89. For Adamo to take the title he must win the final race with Bra uneck finishing no better than 13th. With only 14th Grand P rix ntrants today, that seems unlikely. The title chase in the Modified roduction was decided today in Pete ohnson's favor . Johnson, aboard he Fast by Ferracci Cagiva, never eally had any competition -a n d reezed to the win. Alan H ippe lstea l ut his Yamaha Virago into second nd third was Blaine Paulus on a oto-Cuzzi, Adam was off to the early lead with rauneck, Long, and Turkington in ow when the race was red-flaged on he fourth lap, the result of a three.der crash two turns from the finish ine. Defending Modified Producion Champion Dean Joas, who'd een penalized a lap for jumping the tart, crashed in a separate incident nd was out for the day. Adamo led the restart and, by the seventh of 23 lap s, had five seconds on the Long-Brauneck dual with Carr and Turkington farther back. Roger Reima n , David Keiffer and Kurt Liebmann followed with Johnson ninth overall and first in class . The order for the Modified Production class wou ld change little to the end with Johnson winning easily followed by Hippensteal, Pau lus and John Stapleton taking over fifth from Stan Friduss late in the race. "I tried to establish an interval and maintain it, " Johnson explained, "But I couldn't do it because of the heal. I had a misfire and we don't know where it came from so I was running hot in turn one and making it up in the back." Adamo was cruising through traffic to the win. He lapped sixthplace Kurt Liebmann on the 19th lap, a lap after Long had made his final move into second place. Long would finish about five seconds ahead of Brauneck who was 13th ahead of Turkington and Carr. "I just decided with five laps to go to make my move," Long said. He continued, "You can't believe how hot it is out there. It's marginal how you can concentrate. Like most of the riders I'm tucked in behind the oil cooler which is blowing 200 degree heat into my face;" Long's Harris-framed 750cc Pantah is sponsored by Michelin , Shoei, Speedy Gonzales, and Flying Tigers. . Bra uneck, on the Dr. Joh n's MOlOGuzzi said, " I couldn' t afford to go 100%, because if I crashed I cou ld lose the championship. J ohn was riding real well and my bike was surging from the heal. As soon as it started surging, I backed it off." Adamo wanted to dedicate this win to his grandfater, " Gra mpy, because he doesn't feel so well." Neither did Adamo aft er the race. " The heat was definitely a problem. If I had to I could have gone faster but my pit crew was slowing me down. Once I got 10 seconds I kept it pretty even. " Adamo thanked Reno Leoni, Arai, Michelin, and Tsubaki for their help on hi s 900 SS Ducati.e Results GRAND PRIX: 1. James Adam o (Duel; 2. J ohn Long (Duel; 3. Doug Brauneck (M-G); 4 . Brin Turk ington (YamI; 5. Chris Carr (H· D); 6. Dave Keiffe r (Due); 7. Kurt Liebmenn (Due); 8. Roger Reiman (H-D); 9 . Sherry Fr iduss (M ·G); 10. Hilton Van Staden (Duel. MOD PROD: 1. Pet er Johnson (Cag); 2. Al an Hippensteal (Yaml; 3. Lane Paulus (M- G); 4. Joh n • Stapleton (M- G); 5. Stan Fridus s (M-G ); 6. Robert Ronchen o (H-D); 7. Robert Hart man (Yam); 8. Robert Steinbugler (M ·G ); 9. Thomas Sharp (H-D); 10. Dean Joas (Yam). AMA PRO TWINS GRAND PRIX POINT STAND· INGS: 1. Doug Breun eck 1 118); 2. James Ad amo (1021 3. J ohn Long 192);4. Russell Paulk (69 ); 5. ; 'David Keiff er (64 ); 6. Kurt Liebmann (53 ); 7. Roger Reiman (41); 8. Hilton Von Staden (31); 9. Sherry Fri duss (27); 10. Dale Quarterly (24). A MA PRO TWI NS MO DIFIED PRODUCTION POINT STANDINGS : 1. Peter J ohnson (100) ; 2. Blain e Paul us (73); 3 . John Stapelton (591; 4 . Thoma s Sharp (54); 5. A lan Hippensteal (531 6. ; Stan Friduss (48~ 7. Dean Joas (41); 8. Gerald Demon (341; 9. Chr is Helland (33); 10. Richard Mass (32). " M r. Supersport." Doug Polen. ' riding a 600cc Honda Hurricane. captured his seventh Supersport win i,:, eight outings. AMA/ESC Srakes SuperSlJ.ort Series: Round 8 - Polen takes . seventh win By Henny Ray Abrams MEMPHIS, T N, AU G. 9 For the seven th time in eigh t tries, Doug Pol en wo n the EBC Brakes Supersports final , th is time wi th a comfortable 25.076 second gap lo Greg Tysor in second place. Third went to Jamie Ja mes after a race long battle with Tysor, fourth-placed Britt Turkington, and Dave Sadowski in fifth . All 14 riders in the 17-lap, 30.1 mile final were Honda H urricane 6OO-mounted. Although Po len seemed unbeatable today, his task was made easier with the elimination of two top competitors. Tom Stevens, the only other rider to win a Supersports race this year was off at an Endurance race in Rockingham, North Carolina, and Donald Jacks, who won the second, and slower heat, crashed on the first lap, remounting to finish eighth. Polen had won the first hea t easily, beating James by 13.488 seconds with Turkington third. Jacks took the second heat, about 7.5 seconds slower' than Polen 's, but still 2.021 seconds a head of Continental's Tysor. Sadowski was third. Having suffered through the heat last week at Mid-Ohio a nd with the temperature hitting 98 degrees today,' Polen took the extreme measure of drilling enough holes in his leathers to make them look mo re like a pegboard. By the end of the first lap, he was clearly in command and the o n ly q uestion remaining would be his margin of victory. By the halfway point, he was close to 15 seconds in front runni ng low 1:131ap times. His times fell as the race progressed imo the mid 1:12s on lap 14 and the lo w 12s a lap later. H e appeared to be going fas ter as the race wore on. " I was really surprised that at the end of th e race I felt like I did when I started," he said in the winner's circle. " I kn ew th at if I set a good pace early on I cou ld coo l off. I drill ed some holes in my leathers and it really helped." With T ysor long gone, all attention was focused on the four rider battle for second. Tysor was second o n lap six, but J a mes took over on lap eight, Sadowski and Turkington were within striking distance wai ting (or a mistake. Tysor moved back into the runner-up spot five laps from the end and quickly opened up an advantage that would be over 2.5 seconds at the end. James was a solid third with fourth decided on the last lap when Turkington passed Sadowski. " I knew we had a brand new hard compound from just shipped over (rom Germany. and I knew that the Dunlop guys were using soft fronts. About three-quarters of the way th rough the race I knew they would have problems a nd that 's when I pulled away," Tysor said. "Drafting is everything out there. It 's really hard to pass. Bubba should do good (in the Superbike final) with his mi le experience." James thanked his sponsors Qu ick Sand and Gravel and added, " I've been through two years of ro ugh times, now I'm going to give them some good times. n ' • Results 1. Doug Polen (Hon); 2. Greg Tyser (Hon); 3. Jam ie J ames (Hon); 4. Britt Turkingt on (Honl; 5. David Sadowski (Hon); 6. Fritz Kling (Hon); 7. Doug Post en (Hon); 8. Dona ld J ack IHon); 9. Chr is D'a luisio (Honl; 10. Kenn eth St ephens (Hon); 11. Gary D'aluis io (Hon); 12. Jeffery Atwe ll (Hon); 13. M organ M urphy (Hon); 14 . Willia m Knon (Hon). 15

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