Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ ~ r- ao 0") I""""l ~ -.;j-I ~ Q.) ..0 Supercross Champion Jeff Ward (3 ) prepares to pas s Kawasaki rider Chris Coleman in the 2 5 0 c.c Expert c lass final. Ward took the win. S Q.) ;> 0 Z Kawasaki rider Eddie Warren had an easy time in the Open Expert d ivision during competit ion at Team Green's a n nua l Race of C hampions. Kawasaki's 11th Annual Race of ChamlJions Ward, Warren wail in Raceway Park ·MX By Rosanne Lukaitis Photos by Rene Kotopoulis ENGLISHTQWN, NJ, ocr. 17-18 Team Green factory riders Jeff Ward an d Eddie Warren hammered th e competition at Kawasaki's annual Race of Champions, held in Raceway Park. Ward collected top dollar in the 250cc Expert class while Warren defea ted al l corners in the O pe n Expert . . . division, Ka wasa ki rider Chris Coleman grabbed the lead when the gate fell at the start of the first 250cc Expert qualifier. Ward avoided a pileup a t the start which took out Team Green suppor~ rider Denny Stephenson, moved mto second over the plunge and set his sights on Col eman. T yson Vohland worked his way through traffic to ta~e over third. Ward quickl y passed Coleman and pulled away. Coleman held ontp seco nd whil e Vo~ land held h is ~~o ttle open, looking for an openmg, hoping that Co lman would make a mistake. Th~t mistake ca.me when Coleman fell in th e Unadilla section, and Voh la nd moved into second. Ward took the checkers, followed by Voh la nd and Colem a n , wh o remounted to finish third. Keith Johnson and. Da le Spangler rounded out th e top five, In the seco nd qualifier, John Coen grabbed th e hol eshot but quickl y relin q uish ed the lead to local favorite Mi ckey Kessler , who dominated the m ot o wh ile Coen faded fast . Johnny Thompson moved into secon~ with Honda-mounted Joe Waddington . banging at his back tire. Waddington passed Thompson for second a t th e bottom of th e pl unge, then Thompson went down hard with a broken cha in and dr opped o u t o f th e ra ce. Ke ssl er took th e c hec ke rs n in e secon ds a head o f Waddington. Carlo Coen finish ed th ird ahead o f Brian Carrol a nd Rich T a ylor. Ward nailed th e holeshot a nd ran aw ay with the lead in the fin al. H e flew over th e Montgomeryville Tripl es, put pl enty of di stance betw een himself a n d th e pack, and took the ch eckers with ease. Co leman moved into th e secon d spot and held it to the checkers, while Spangler finished th ird despite ra celo n g pressure from Kessler , who powered his Kawasaki from a bad start into fourth pl ace. Carlo Coen finished fifth. Yamaha-mounted Mike Jon es grabbed the hoIeshot when the big bore Experts left th e starting gate in the first O pen class m o to.bu t Warren soon pulled out in front a~d opened . Ho nda rid e r J o e Waddington stopped a Kawasaki sweep of the Expert c lasses at Raceway Park when he won the 125cc ra c e. up so m e space. T hom pson closed o n second-ru n ni ng J ones over th e tr ipl es, th en passed J ones on th e back sectio n of the trac k. Warr en co n tin ue d to pull away a n d J ones recla im ed seco nd wh en Th ompso n ' we nt- d own in th e U na dilla sectio n. Warren h eld hi s bi g lead to th e finish, J ones m otored home in second a nd a dice for third between Jim Kapitan a nd Kawasaki mounted Keith J oh nson ended with J ohn son edg i n g Kapitan. Dave McL ean finished fifth. Warren grabbed th e holeshot in the final and ran a carbon cop y of his first moto, eas ily powering to th e win and the overall. Following Warren out.of th e gate wer e Jones, Johnson , JoJo Keller and Troy Bradshaw. Kessl er suffered a terrible start and be~n to work hi s wa y through traffic, . Warren won the rnoto easily, and was followed home by Kessler and Jones. Overall, Warren topped J oh n son, Jones, Kessler and Kapitan. So me of th e best racing of th e day took place in th e th e 125cc Expert class, which was topped by Honda rider J oe Waddington. Marke Lachowicz grabbed the h ol esh o t in th e first 125cc qualifier, follow ed by Chris Col eman, Barry Carsten , Peter P h illips a nd T eam Green's Hen ry Dorschug. Coleman pressured La chowicz through the Unadilla sect ion, th en passed Lachowicz.on the back secti on of th e tra ck a nd powered away. Carsten followed th e duo home in third; Coen and Dorschug rounded ou t th e top five. J oe Ellington p u lled the holeshot in th e seco nd qualifier, followed by , Team Green su pport rider Denny Stephenson, Dal e Spangler . Waddington and Dave Antonucci. Stephen son moved into the lead by th e en d o f th e first lap a nd Waddington closed on secon d-run n ing Spangler o ver th e ro ckers. Waddington flew over th e steps, into the back section and down the p lun ge, th en cut on the inside to ma ke a p a ss stick o n Span g ler. Wad d ington the n took over th e lead when St ephenson 's bike bogged d own in th e U na d i lla sectio n . Spangler moved by Stephenson over th e rocky sectio n , and Carroll, who worked his wa y up through th e pack, passed Stephenson to take over th ird. Spangler edged Waddington for first pl ace right at the checkered flag and Carroll finished th ird, followed by Stephenson and Antonucci. In the l25 cc Expert final. Stephenson took the ho leshot and was followed into th e first tum by Tim Brill, Pete Hiche ns and Dorsch ug . By the second lap, however, Tyson Vohla nd moved into second and set his sights on Stephen son. Behind the two front runners, Waddington , Brill and Coleman flew side-by-side ov er the triples. Vohland passed Stephenson at the switchback after th e steps, then took the ch eckers ahead of Stephenson, Waddington, Coleman and Coen. Overalls went to Waddington , Coleman , Stephenson , Vohland a n d Coen. · • Results JR MINI : 1. Gary Douvill e (Kaw): 2. Carter Gurnan 3. Scott Ghid iu (Kaw). SR MINI A: .1. Da.. Vezek (Kawl; 2. Bruce Calken (Kaw ): 3. Junior Nadeau (Kawl. SR MINI B: 1. Billy Sinarold (Kaw); 2. Rodger ' Molnar (Kawl: 3. Dave Picerelle (Kaw ). SR MINI EX: 1. Jason Fowler (Kaw); 2. Jeff Vaglonsk i (Yam ~ 3. Doug Conrad (Kaw ). 80 : 1. Gary Douville (Kaw ): 2. Scoggins Berg (Kaw): 3. Keith Troccoli (Kaw ). 125 NOV A: 1. Dave Sager (Yam); 2. Eric Av iet (Han): 3. Mike M ichels (Kaw) . 125 NOV B: 1. Jim Lorenz (Kawl: 2. Mike Robonsky (Han); 3. John Bugavich (Yam). 125 AM : 1. Steve Herman (Kaw); 2. Gene IKaw~ Naumec (Kaw); 3 . Mark Patterson (Kaw) . 125 EX: 1. Joe Waddin gto n (Han); 2. Chris Col eman (Kawl; 3. Denny Stephenson (Kaw) . 250 NOV: 1. George Molnar (Kaw): 2. Bria n Cunn ingham (Yam); 3. Scon Lukaitis (Kaw). 250 AM : 1. Gene Naumec (Kaw ); 2. Tom Evegash (Kaw); 3. Ian O'Conn or (Kaw). 250 EX: 1. Jeff Ward (Kaw); 2. Chr is Coleman (Kaw): 3. M ickey Kessler (Kaw). OPEN AM : 1. Peter Jastremski (Han): 2. Jeff Weinberg (Han): 3. Mike Wass (Han). OPEN EX: 1. Ed Warr en (Kaw); 2. Keith Joh nson (Kaw); 3. Mika Jones (Kaw). AOV SR: 1. Eyuind Boyesen; 2. Bruce Stratto n (Yam); 3. J im Haddow (Han). ADV SR EX: 1. Bob Meeley: 2. Ja rret Neuby; 3. Br uce Dengler. SR AM : 1. Lee Rostien IVam~ 2. Ernest Holman (Han); 3. Dave Sim mon s (Kawl. 31

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