Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

M ike laRocco (559) leads Jeff Frisz in the first 125cc Pro moto. laRocco went on to win, but fell and dropped out of contention in moto two. Brad Bolton (984) and Bob Sorenson battle for the lead in the first 500cc A moto. Sorenson finished the day second overall behind Mike Stahlman . LaRocco an d Kevin Fol ey hugged th e inside. H annah , charging from th e ou tside was sq ueezed o u t a t th e first hill a nd sta rt ed aft er the p ack from first gear in last pl ace. " I blew the start and nobody let off," Hannah ex p lai ned. " T h a t chai n link fen ce was staring m e in th e face." Frisz and LoRocco du eled for two laps before LaRocco c h a lle nged again a n d to o k th e lead for good. Hannah burned th e track, moving from la st 10 18th to eig h t an d fina lly to th ird o n la p six. The Suzuki sta r used up' three la ps work ing on Frisz a nd sn II faced an 18-second defici t beh ind LaRocco. Fri sz pulled off wi th san d in his eyes a nd John Reinholt locked in to th ird. O n th e white flag lap H ann ah closed it 10 th ree seco nds on the leader a nd wi th a few tu rns 10 go tried to j ump by Yam aha 's cha rger. LaRocco showed rem arkabl e m a tu rity under su ch awsome str ess a nd saved th e win with tough riding. H e sa id lat er , " I kn ew H annah was clos e and it rallied me. I tried n ot to think abo ut w ho wa s back th ere and go t over it." H annah added, " I didn 't ex pect him to ride th e sand so well. These kid s today are too much ." H annah re ver sed ro les w i th LaRocco in th e fin al , dominating a ll th e wa y, with LaRocco back in th e back and charging up. Reinholt held off Kevin Fol ey, Randy McCann, Alan Andrew a nd Steve Martin in th e runner-up spot, LaRocco slid by Reinbolt on lap four, b ut Hann ah was relentless an d did not relinquish his immen se lead. Hannah took th e checkered flag a nd was mobbed b y well wis he rs as h e tri ed to leave th e track. He said later, " It was a lot eas ier ( with a good sta rt in th e seco nd 1 moto." Gainesville winner Fred Andrews, su fferin g with a back injury, was six th overall and said, " Doc Medsker is helping me, but my back gave m e a lot of trouble today." Schmidt Suzuki-backed Reinholt said, aftef r his third place finish , "The tra ck wa s as rough a s it ever gets today bu t I h ung in th ere. Wa s H a nna h going o r what?" McCann ' ro de hi s Kawasaki 10 fourth o vera ll a head o f Fol ey 's Cagiva. Amateur T u f/ Ka wasa ki/ Sco u USA/ PJ -Isponsored J ohn Kitsch an d VP E/ Boy esen R a c i n g -sp o n so red Fred Vertucci scored th e day's only double wins. Kitsch copped 125 and 250cc A awards a nd Vertucci swep t four 'Sen ior and P lus 25 rnotos. Tom's C ycl e Center 's Tom Bra g g beat a n nou ncer Erv Braun in a Super Senior tiebreak er. . In th e open ing 125ccA bout Kitsch roosted J ay Mann a nd th e Becking to n brothers, J eff and David , for a domina ting wi n. Kitsch said la ter, " I have had a so re th roat th is week a n d didn ' t ex pect 10 do so well." Mann and Ch ris Marl in hea ded th e seco nd sta rt, with Kitsch tak ing temporary co ntro l on la p th ree. J eff . Beckin gt on described hi s eventu a l wi n, saying " I was right on J ohn a nd kep t th e front wh eel up a nd passed him up th e hil l. " In 250cc A action Beckin gton 's Gear/La Rocco Cycle H onda passed Mann a nd h eld o ff J on McCab e for th e first m or o win. In rnoto two , Beck ingron e n doed a n d Kitsch fended o ff McCabe for hi s seco nd win. In th e first 500 cc m oto Keith J ohnson dis lo cated h is shou ld er while leading and left a sensa tiona l three way Iinish between Bradley Bolton, Bob So ren so n a n d J ohn Am erman. Cahill 's Yam aha /P.C. Prinrink-backed Bolton sa id, " J o h n and Bob got by me, b u t I wanted th e win bad. The track was wide toda y but I fought for it an d won." In th e final , Mike Stahlman put hi s Support Yamaha in h yperdrive to run down Soren son an d th en Bolton 10 ea rn the overall. In th e B di visi on Yam ah amounted Eri c McLear d iced with Grayson Goodman, J eromy Buehhl and Mike Bro wn fo r t h e l25cc troph y. T eam Green Ka wa saki 's Gen e Naumec topped J ohn Ch oate in th e 250cc moto, Eric Yarnell upset 500cc seri es leader Rick Perry and Dean Dyess a fter [)an Crawford wa s penalized a lap for backing away from th e sta rti n g gate. Yarnell said, " I got a good start a nd just tri ed to hold on 10 th e bars." In th e large 250cc C class, Beach Sportcycle's Support T eam riders Don Math ieson a n d David Indiver i swept both mOlOS. . Youth div ision racing saw Kenny Yoho dial in hi s third 65cc win , with To~y H a ynes winning pis first 85cc 7-11 class. Brian Sw ink roll ed to his eigh th 85cc 12-15 series m ot o win. It was David Beckington 's turn in 125cc ac tio n as th e Michigan H onda rider topped mot o wi n n ers Swi nk a nd McLear. • Jay Mann (16). shown here leading the 250cc A class. won the 125cc Pro class and also took a pair of thirds in 125 and 250cc A action . Results 125 PRO: 1. Jay Mann (Kaw); 2. Keith Bowen (Kaw); 3. Keith Turpin (SUl ); 4 . John Kitsch (Kaw); 5. Brian McEl roy (Cog). 250 PRO: 1. Bob Hannah (SUl); 2. M ike laRocco (Yarn] : 3. J oh n Reinholt (SUl); 4 . Randy M cCann (Kaw); 5. Kevi n Foley (Cag). OPEN PRO: 1. JoJo Kell er (Honl; 2. Jon M cCabe (Hon ); 3. Jim Kapita n (Hon); 4 . Mike Spear (Kaw ); 5. Chuck We inberg (Kaw ). 125 A: 1. John Kitsch (Kaw); 2. J eff Beckington J (Hon ); 3. Jay Man n (Kaw) . 250 A : 1. John Kit sch (Kaw ); 2. Jon McCab e (Hon ); 3. Jay Ma nn (Kaw l. 500 A: 1. Mike Stahlman (Yam); 2. Bob Soren son (KTM); 3. Mike Rot h (Yam). 12 5 R: 1. Eric McLear ( Y a m ~; 2. Gr ayson , Goodm an (Yam); 3. Jeromy BuehI IKaw ). 250 B: 1. Gene Naumec (Kaw ); 2. M ike Jo nes (Hon); 3. Jo hn Choate (Hon ). OPEN NOV: 1. Keith Varnell (Kaw); 2. Dean Dyess (Kaw); 3. Rick Perry (Yam). 657-11 : 1. Kenny Voho (Kaw); 2. Scott Julian (Kaw): 3. Jarratt Tippi ng (Kaw) . 857-11: 1. Tonv Hayn es (Vam); 2. Kenny Voho (Vam); 3. Jason Sybert (Hon). B5 12· 15: 1. Br ian Sw ink (Kawl; 2. Jeff Curry ISul); 3. Darry l Voung blood (Kaw) . YTH: 1. David Beckingt on (Hon); 2. M ike Brown IKaw); 3. Eric McLear (Yam). PLUS 25 : 1. Fred Vert ucci (Kaw) ; 2. Al an Crum (Kaw ); 3. Keri n Seidl (Vam). SR: 1. Fred Ven ucci (Kaw ); 2. David Indiv eri (Vam); 3. Donald Leddy (Vam). S/ SR: 1. Thomas Bragg (Hon); 2. Kenn eth Brow n • (Yam); 3. Paul Lesson (SUl). 125 B 0 - 1: 1. Andy Davis (SUl); 2. Sandro Ghezzi (Hon); 3. Preston Tyson (Kaw) . 125 C 0 -2 : 1. J.J. Slagle (Hon); 2. Ryan Dean (Kaw); 3. Richard Nadon (Vam). 250 C: 1. Don M at hieson (Yam); 2. David Indivari (Vam); 3. Mi ke Wit shaw (Kaw).

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