Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

I went off a drop and hit a lake! It must've been five feet deep. The bike stopped dead, spat me over the handlebars and I went waterskiing on my back." Despite his aquatic maneuvers, Smith was still out in front of the field as he swept through home check but with the hard-charging Thompson just six seconds behind, there was no time to spare as he led the way into loop two . • Krause was just over a minute back in third overall, with .Team Husky's Garth Sweetland recovering from an early spill to work his way up to fourth. Cartwright was still out in front of the 250cc Division in fifth overall, with 250cc point leader Scott Morris and Husqvarna-mounted Daryl Folks not far behind. The l25cc lead was in the hands of Idaho's Miller, aboard a Honda, who had opened up more than five minutes on his nearest competition. Steve Pitts had a narrow lead over Veteran class rival Dan Dawson in the time-adjusted standings. The racers did battle with each other and with the 7000 foot elevation in loop two , which boasted 41 miles of fast-paced trails and challening, second-gear sand washes. Smith was pushing hard throughout the second loop, wringing every last ounce of power out of his big 430cc H usky in an attempt to open some distance between himself and the tenacious Thompson. Further back in the pack, Krause had run into . chain problems and a promising run by Morris was slowed by a fouled plug. As the fro ntrunners cleared the ha lfway point in the loop , local hotshot J oh n Bruckbauer, riding a Honda, la unched his bid for the lead from back in eighth overall and was soon climbing up through the ranks to dice it out with Cartwright for the number one position in the 250cc class. Smith still held the lead as he sprinted through the final 10 miles of sand wash and down the finishing chute to take the checkered flag. Thompson arrived just 47 seconds later to capture second overall, with Bruckbauer 's la te-in -the-race charge catapultin~ him into th ird overall (first 250) Just three m inutes behind Smith. "I could see him (Thompson) behind me the whole way after I crashed, so I was in a hurry," said Smith, who thanked Cagiva, Alpin estar, Golden.Spectro, Metzler, Arai, Gold Belt, F&L, Scott and H R P. "I don 't know how fast my bike will go but L had it there for a lot of the .. ~ ~ . r spNi X saturda~ cal E PO octob~r . I~I SPOIISORED AMA SANCT IONED BY EXECUTIVE LODGE The AMA Grand National Championship and ,Camel Pro Season FIN ALE SEE THE $17.500 l'N4~ I G:~' ! For Ticket Information Call Bass Tickets (916) 395-BASS or Howe A ve. Box Office (916) 920-1121 Or A vailable at the -Gete Race Night GATES OPEN 5:30 pm QUALIFIERS 6:30 pm . FIRST HEAT 8:00 pm race." "I didn't just fall off a turnip truck," said Thompson, who grabbed-the overall win at round six in Flagstaff, Arizona. T hompson now holds fou rt h p lace in the series point standings. "It was really dusty but a fun ride. I had no back brake for the whole last loop, but I still had a blast," said Thompson, who is backed by Ray Meyers Honda and Four Seasons Honda. "I'm from Den ver, which isn 't too far away, but I hadn 't ridden up here in my life. I liked the terrain. " Fellow Den ver i te Bru ckb a u er , w ho is spo nso red by Li ttleton Honda/Malcolm Smith/Smith Goggles, said the race was "just like a three-hour m otocross. "There was no time to m ess around. You had to be o n it a ll the time," said the winner of the 250cc 'class. " The competition was really good and it took me a long time to work my way up from a fourth row start. The course was fast, but it was challenging. This is my first National and I thought it was great. " RACING SPROCKETS 7075-T6 Hard anodized alloy makes the HARDENED "BLACKLOY"® rear sprockets the toughest sprockets money can buy. PROVE IT YOURSELF Out .wears all others GUARANTEED Any standard 7075-T6 sprocket can be at your dealers shop -in 3 days, they can get it fastest from SPROCKET -SPECIALISTS EVERY! TIME ON TIME Dobbl CA 95935 25

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