Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Mercedes Gonzalez (1 ) beat Vicky Jackson (3V) to w in the Expert class of the Discover Today's Women MX in Perris. Jackson f in ished second . Jeff Hagan captured both the Open GP and 750cc Super Street classes in AFM road racing at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma. behind and H opperstad following in th ird. On lap three, Hopperstad passed Lane, and set his sights on Orlando. As the two riders pulled away from the rest of the grid, it was evi dent that the track record of 1:02.25 was in jeopardy. Orlando was clocked first at 1:02.02, and wi th every circuit of the 1.1' mile track, the record kept dropping. Hopperstad stayed glued 10 Orlando's rear wheel, waiting for th e right moment to make hi s mov e. On lap 10, opportunity presented itself and Hopperstad was quick to take advantage. Orlando moved 10 th e outside of a lapped rider while Hopperstad dov e to th e inside and powered out of the comer in front. O n lap II, Hopperstad was officially clocked at 1:01.42 to set a new track record and went on to take the ba ck. Ingels raced wtih Reppert and Bast over the last t wo laps riding the outside line to pass Rep pert and was able to close in on So lis. Solis, with less than a lap left , didn't allow Ingels 10 get a wheel in on h im and held him off for the win. ' Bryan Barrett won the Division Two main by holding off the charging Char lie Venegas . Mark Squadrito was a ble 10 get around Harlan Bast Sr. for th e third position. Bill Zirkle ran aw ay with the Divis ion Three main. Gary Rossi too k second and Mik e Browne was third. Results win. . , "That wa s Iun! " excl a ime d a jubilan t Hopperstad after th e race. " R icky is a tough competitor. The track was in excell ent conditio n after last night's rain and everyt hing just worked perfe ct !" The Race of the Rockies is th e MRA 's version of California 's Formula USA, and is the feature race at each MRA meet. Private sponsorship for the class makes th e payoff the largest in Col orado road race history. . . Hopperstad's second win came in O p en Superbike where h e a n d Boulder Motorsports' rid er Geoff Cesma t o n his GXSR750 battled for seven of the eight laps before H opperstad was able 10 pull out front and take th e chec kered. Earl ier , Cesmat took a convincing win in 750cc Superbike, leading all eigh t lap s. .. Orlando dominated both th e 750cc Supersport a nd Open Supersp ort classes. His smoo th a nd consistent riding put him out front and in control of both events. The wins put Orlando solidly in th e MRA po ints lead in both classes as well as th e Suzuki point leader and top contingency mon ey winner. California rider Calv in Rayb orn III making his first visit to Colo rad o put on 'an impressive show in both 600 and 750cc Supersp ort. Starting in th e last grid position, he fin ished sixth in th e 600 and fourth in th e 750cc races . Results 4 50 S /BK : 1. Gre g Sm i th (Yam I; 2, John Hopperstad (Yam); 3. Dan Tur ner (Yam); 4, Steve Fish (Yam); 5. Chr is Gardner (Yam). 600 S/BK: 1. J .T. Terry (Hon): 2. Danny W alker (Hon ); 3 . Deit er Lane (Hon); 4 , Dan Turner (SUl); 5 , Tony Steng el (Yam). 750 S/BK: 1. Geoff Cesma t (SUl); 2. Don Hough (Yam); 3 , John Hopperstad (Yam); 4 , Ricky Orl an do (SOl); 5 , J ,T. Terry (Hon). OPEN S/BK: 1. Jo hn Hopperstad (Yam); 2. Geoff Cesmat (SUl); 3 . Aaron Turner (SUl): 4, Guy Clasen (SUl); 5 , M ike M angh am (SUl) , . . ROTR: 1. John Hopp er st ad (Yam ); 2. Ricky Orlando (SUl); 3 , Geoff Cesma t (SUl ); 4. Aaron Turner (SUl); 5. Deiter Lane (SUl ). 600 S/SPRT: 1. Deit er Lane (Hon); 2. Dan ny Wa lker (Hon); 3 . Ricky Orlando (SUl); 4. Dan Tu rner (SUl); 5 . Don Hough (Hon). 7 50 S/SPRT: 1. Ricky Or lando ( SUl~ 2. Deit er Lane (SOl); 3. Dan Turn er (SOl ); 4 . Cal Raybo rn III (Suz); 5 . Dan Elders (SUl). OPEN S/SPRT: 1. Ricky Orla ndo (SulI; 2. Gu iy Clasen (SulI; 3 , Dan Turn er (SUl) ; 4. Tim Va nName (SOl); 5. Dan Elders (SUl). F-CO: 1. Tony Steng el (Yam); 2. Keit h Kiyota (Hon); 3 . Greg Sm it h (Yam); 4. M erly n Pl um lee (Yam); 5. St eve Fish (Yam). . A M OPEN: 1. W ill iam M a r on ~y (SUl); 2. Pet e Hokenstad (Suz); 3 . Gene Lew is (Yam); 4. M ichael Hack ((SulI; 5 , Brad Hoffman (Yam). AM 600: 1. J im For in gto n (Yam ); 2. Tom Fishe r (Hon); 3 , Ken Pon er (Hon ); 4 , Tracy Jo nes (Yam); 5, Frank Lati m er (Yam ). . NOV OPEN: 1. M icha el Hack (SUl); 2. Peter carranea (SUl); 3. W ill iam M aron ey (SUl); 4. Brad Hoff man (Yam); 5 , Ken Donch (Yam ), NOV 600: 1. Tom Fishe r (Honl; 2. Frank Latimer (Yam); 3 , Tra cy J ones (Yam); 4, Chip Killi nen (Kaw); 5. Doug A llison (Hon). Bast best at Napa Speedway By R. C. Jones NAPA, CA, JUNE 4 Bart Bast celebrated his 21st birthday by winning his second Scratch main at Napa Speedway. Mike Solis, o n his Solis Racing-sponsored Weslake, held off a late charge by Eddie Ingels to tak e the victory in th e Handicap main event. Bast, sponsored by Bast Weldin~/ Sierra/Oakley/Brant Eng.lK&N Fil ters/Maier/ Arai /Tearn Trim, dr ew th e pole position, Jim Sisemore ga te two, John Houston three and Mike Dela cy gate four. Al th e gate Houston was th e qu ickest but Sisemore a nd Bast were even as th ey hit th e first turn. Coming out of two Bast took cont ro l, leaving Sisemo re to battle with Delacy for second. Delacy used. an outsid e run to get past Houston and tried th e sam e thi ng aga in st Sis em ore to battle with Delacy for second. Delacy used an o utside run to ge t past H ou ston and tried the same thing agai ns t Sisem ore but this tim e with no success. Bast was gone and celebrating for th e last two laps. Sisemore held o nto secon d with Houston getting past Delacy for third. Solis overcam e a restart to win the Handicap main event. Scott Yarbrough led the ra ce before ca using the red flag when he parked it in turn , three. Shawn Reppert went airborne . over Yarbrough 's bik e and wh en he came down he almost landed right side up and racing. On th e restart Solis was the leader and never loo ked SCRATCH: 1. Ban Bast (W es); 2. Jim Sisemo re (W es); 3 , John Houst on Jr. (Ja w); 4. M ike Delacy (Gdn ). HDCP: 1. M ike Solis (Wes); 2. Eddie Ing els (GM); 3 , Shawn Reppen (Wes); 4. Ban Bast (Wes) . O ~2 : 1. Bryan Barren (Jaw); 2. Charl ie Venegas (Jaw); 3 , Ma rk Squa drito (J aw); 4. Har lan Bast Sr . (Wes). 0 -3 : 1. Bill Zirkle (Wesl; 2. Gary Rossi (Jaw); 3 . M ike Browne (Wes); 4 . Steve M anynse (ja w) . Hagan, Rayborn top Sears Point RR By Vincent Strykers SONOMA, CA, JUNE 12 J eff Hagan, Calvin Rayborn III and Phil Kress were th e big winners at th e latest .AFM road racing extra vaganza at Sears Point R acew a y. Suzuki riders Hagan and Raybo rn both won two races while Kress took a first, a second, and a third on hi s Yam ah a. In th e second race of th e day, Hagan, riding his Suzuki in th e Open G P class, provided th e thrills with an as tonis hi ng recovery. In th e process of overtaking leader Kress o n lap two, H agan also caught th e first wa ve of Formula Two riders. But soo n after. taking th e lead ; Hagan momentaril y lost control and veered off the track in turn seven and was passed by a number of o ther rid ers. H agan later exp lai ned th at he had tro uble wi th his brakes before entering th e tu rn o n that lap. Unda u nted, H agan managed to , climb back into fourth place before a red flag sto pped the race, and was reschedul ed -Io r later i n th e . afternoon. Wh en H agan and Kress met fo r the seco nd tim e in O pen GP, th ey again lapped th e first-wave Formula Two machines and the battle turned into a test of' skill in riding through slo wer traffic. Hagan had proved his ability earlier in th e da y and did so once aga in, but, Kress. who also , negot iat ed th e heavy traffic adeptly, was not far behind wh en the leaders crossed the checkered flag. The 750cc Super Street competition featured 63 bikes (mostly Suzukis) . Haga n took th e lead from polesi tter Chris .Crew in the second ' turn of the firs t lap and by the fifth lap had built up a seven-second lead ov er second-place finish er Jim Jepsen . Kress, riding hi s Yamaha , too k third place. Perhaps the mo st exciting racing occu rred in the final event of the da y, a five-lap battle featuring Calvin Rayborn III, David Deveau a nd . Larry Fraser in the 600cc Prod uctio n. Rayborn, who captured first in th e 750cc Production class on a Suzuki, also took first in this event, but he and second-place finisher Deveau and third-place finisher Larry Fraser were dog-fighting throughout the thrill -packed race. The trio shu££1ed . positions and challenged each other at every turn. Results F-T OPEN: 1, Gordon ' Seim (Duc); 2. A n h ur Chabmer s (Ducl; 3 , Nich Hayman (Mogi. TW 65 0 : 1. Fra nk Daun ell (Kaw); 2. John Kir k (Hon); 3 . Roben Lom uscio (Hon). F·2: 1. Eric Kondo (Yam); 2. AI Sataverria (Yam); 3. Va nce Spr echt (Yam). F·TW 750: 1. Eric Swon sf igure (Nor); 2 , Paul Rasmussen (Due); 3. Craig Wi ll iam s (Duel. F-1 : 1, J eff Stern (SUl ); 2. M ichael Hunter (SUl); 3 . Eric Kondo (Yaml . F·4: 1. Kiyo Watanabe (Yam); 2. Eron Flory (Kaw); 3. Kevi n Corse (C-A). 250 PROD: 1, Jeff Leggin (Kaw); 2. Michael Earnest (Kaw) ; 3. Franc is M azur (Kaw) . 600 5 1S T: 1. J oe Brett W illi ams (Hon ); 2. Bob Va ngrin (Yam); 3. W alt er Nino (Hon). 4 50 5 1ST: 1. Steve Mandeville (Yam). 600 PROD: 1, Calv in Rayborn Jr . (SulI; 2. David Deveau (Suz); 3. Larry Fraser (Hon). 450 PROD: 1. Darr el Parker (Yam); 2, Dar rel , Clingerman (Yam); 3. Carole Le Gall (Yam). 250 5 1ST: 1. Kirk Hoeppner (Kaw l; 2. Michael Earnes t (Kaw); 3. J eff Leggin (Kaw), 750 PROD: 1. Calvin Rayborn J r. (SUl) ; 2. Bob Va ngr in (Suz); 3. J im Jepsen (Suz). OPEN GP: 1. Jeff Hagan (SUl); 2. Phil Kr ess (Yam); 3 . Denny Doheny (Yam), F-40: 1. Gordon Seim (Ducl ; 2 , Den ny Doherty (Yam ); 3. Randy Redmond (SUl) . 750 5 1ST: 1. J eff Hagan (SUl) ; 2, Jim Jepsen (SUl) ; 3, Ph il Kress (Yam). OPEN 5 1ST: 1. Phil Kress (Yam); 2. Ken Louket is (Suz); 3. Al astai r Nisbet (Suz). . VINT: 1. Andrew Saund ers (Tr i); 2. Edward Ojala (Duc); 3. Michael Montagnon (BSA ). OPEN PROD: 1. Ken Louketis (SUl) ; 2. Alastai r Nisbet (SUl ); 3 . John Robens (Yam ), Blackham doubles at Beaver Valley By Curt Baronio HOOKSTOW N, PA , J UNE 5 . Yam aha moun ted Daniel Blackh am won th e 125 and 250 expert classes at th e Pennsylvania Sta te Cham pi onship H are Scrambles. Both l25cc Expert motos belonged -to Blackham wh o put in almost a flawl ess ride. Blackham , was followed by Suzuki rider Emery And en , wh o had his sights set on Blackham

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