Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

00 00 ~ ,...; Jeff Ward watched his mechanics change his f lat front tire in moto one, then walked away when he saw he would be two laps beh ind . Ron Lechien (4) and Jeff Leisk (7) battled in the first 500cc rnoto, then tangled early in moto two. Leisk charged back and was third overall. b u t J ohnson tr i m m ed that to nothing in three laps. . , Begi nning th e sixth circuit Stanton came up short - over a double jump, got ou t of shape and J oh nson was quickl y in the lead. Ward got by soon after, and the top th ree were set Leisk was char ging after his tangle with Leichien and methodiCall y work ed hi s wa y up to fourth , where he would fini sh . Following 'J ohnson, Ward, Stanton a nd Leisk to the finish line were Andrews, Watts and Dubach o nce again, while Lechien co uld only manage a ninth 3Iter struggling with a stu ck exhaus t . 'valve. J ohnson gave a lot of credi t to hi s mechanic, Brian Lunniss, and h is " secret" setup to help prevent flat s and keep him going. "I feel he's the best mechanic in the world, he's been around and I don't do anything witho ut him," said Johnson. . ~ 125cc _ Kehoe q u ickly sho t out into th e lead atthe start ofthe£irst I25cc mot o a fte r Suzuk i teamma te Ronni e Tichenor, who inched ahead go ing .into the first turn" cras hed. Kehoe was foll ow ed by H olland, Sch mit, Suzuki 's Todd DeHoop, Yamaha supported La rry Ward and Cooper. o " Holland locked up hi s brakes and I hit him and hi ghsided," Tichenor said. " There was o nly o ne person behind me whe n I got up." I Kehoe didn't waste any time p ulling away fro m Holla nd and had four seconds on him by lap two. DeHoo p fell on th e first lap whi le Ward moved by Schmit a nd into th ird. By lap three Kehoe contin ued to cruise o utfro n t whi le Ward slowly moved in on H oll and. Coo per began .to work on Schmit a nd eventuall y go t him to take over fou rth. Ward stayed righ t with H olland and easily -moved by on th e fifth lap when H oll and began to 'slow, Cooper was chargi ng and also go t H olland when he stopped to check hi s rear tire. " I th ought the tra ck was just slip pery," Holland said afterwards. " I rode for a couple of laps and was hanging right in there, I didn 't know I had a flat. Finally I stopped to look because I didn 't want to take a chance of cras hing." On th e seven th la p Holland stopped and th e Honda mechanics wen t to work and had him go in g in time to keep him from dropping a lap behind. By this tim e Kehoe had abo ut 10 seconds on Cooper, wh o had charged past Ward and con tinued to charge towards th e leader. Schmit held fourth over a battle betw een Mik e Jones, Larry Brooks and Barry Cars ten . Cooper continued to push towards Kehoe and was knocking at the door as th ey came up to lap H olland. By -this tim e Kehoe was slowi ng with a flat front tire and Cooper stuffed him in an uphill corner to take th e lead. Keh oe looked down at his fro nt tire and with just three la ps remaining, came by his mecha mc to show h im what happened. Ward still held third over Schmi t, wh ile J ones was clear of a bat tle between Brooks and Tichenor th at would last to th e end. Once out front Cooper scoo ted away and won easily. Kehoe co ntinued to slow and Ward got by on the last lap , then Schmit came up a nd sneaked by just before the finish. J ones finish ed fifth wh ile Broo ks was chased to the checkers by Tichenor. " I had a decent lead and sta rted pacin g myself," Kehoe said , "and theri I no ticed that I was start ing to miss my lines going int o the corne rs. My front end wou ld go straight and I co uld n't understand .wh at it was. I t wen t co m p letely Ilat, al m o st Donny Schmit was third overall in the 125cc class while George Holland lost points when he had to stop and change a rear flat in the first moto. , roll i n ~ o ff th e rim, ' a n d I wa s sla mm ing my knees down everywh ere so I had to back off so I wouldn't hurt myself." " All of a sudde n I looked up and there was Erik," said Schmit " I went for it and we diced to the last corne r a nd I ca ugh t him." " I kn ew th at I'd be fadi ng th e last coup le of laps, so I wanted to stretch it o u t a wa ys to psych Ward out a nd make it look like I had a cush ion," said Coo per expla ini ng his 'charge. " I didn't th ink I'd ca tch Kehoe, he had such a fast pace at th e beginning. Wh en I pass ed him he looked down , so a t th e time he had a flat. I don't kn ow wh en he got it, bu t he was losing quite a few seconds, so he'll be mad and on th e gas in th e next moto." ' Cooper ch ar ged to th e front at th e start of m o to two with Schm it, Kehoe, H oll and and J ones rig h t beh ind. 'Cooper q ui ckly o pened up a sm all cus hion on Schmit, wh ile H oll and passed Kehoe. Beh ind th em Jones, Tichenor and Ward battl ed for fifth. It too k Kehoe five laps to get on th e gas, but wh en he did he was o n a rage. First he stu ffed Holland for third th en quickl y moved in and displ aced Schmit. A lap later, the six th, Keh oe had reeled in .Coo per and too k the lead at the end of the go -around. Back in fifth Tichenor took co ntrol as J ones and Ward began to fall.off th e p ace. Coo per stayed with Keh oe for a few laps until Keh oe shook him on the ninth lap. A few laps lat er Cooper dumped it in the corner wh ere he took th e lead in th e first moto,. allo wing Schmi t to close in . Schmit stayed close . to th e fi n is h, bu t co uldn 't make a drive to get pas t. Kehoe easily too k th e win while Cooper came across second to cla im the overa ll victory. Sch mit was th ird over H oll and, and Tichenor claimed fi ft h a head o f Jo nes , DeHoop, Brooks, Ward and Dal e Spa ngler, • Results 500: 1. Rick Johnson (Han) 1-1; 2. J eff Stanton (Yam) 2-3; 3. J eff Leisk (Han) 3-4; 4. Fred Andrews (Han) 5-5; 5. Tommv Watts (Kaw ) 6-6; 6. Ron Lechien (Kaw) 4 -9; 7. Doug Dubach (YamI7-7; 8. Tom carson (Han) 8-8; 9. Jeff Ward (Kaw) 34 -2; lD. Kurt McMillen (Hon) " - l l ; 11. Andy Stacey (Kaw ) 14-13 ; 12. David Hand (Han) 15 -15 ; 13. Jeff Frisz (HOR) 9-33 ; 14 . Jim Holl ev (Yam) 35-10; 15. Gary Bronikowski (Han) 10-37 ; 16 . Jim Kapitan (16- 16; 17. RaV Somma (Han) 40 -12 ; 18. Billy Fran k (Yam) 12-22 ; 19. M ike Fish er (Kaw) 13-29; 20 . Jeff Hicks (Hon)31 -14 . 125: 1. Guy Cooper (Han) 1-2; 2. Erik Kehoe (Suz) 4-1; 3. Donny Schm it (Suz)3-3; 4. LarryWard (Yam) 2-9; S. M ike Jon es (Yam) 5·6 ; 6. Ronn ie Tich enor (Suz) 7·5 ; 7. Larry Brooks (Kaw) 6-8; 8. George Holland (Han) 13- 4;' 9. Barry Carste n (Yam) 1012; 10 . Rick Pinn ey (Honll 1- 11; 11. Dale Spangl er (Kaw ) 12- 10; 12. Todd DeHoop (Suz) 15-7; 13. Robert Hayes (SU2) 14-15 ; 14. M ike laRocco (Yam) 8-31 ; 15. Brian Carr ol (Kaw ) 17- 13; 16. Keith Bow en (Kaw) 9-32 ; 17. Jimmy Gaddis (Suz) 29 14; 18. Ma rk Kane 28 - 16; 19. Chris Coleman (Kaw) 16-36 ; 20 . Brian A ustin (Suz)31 -17 . POINT STAN DINGS 500 : 1. John son (93); 2. Stanto n (76 ); 3. Leisk (73); 4. Lechie n (72); 5. Ward (67); 6. Andrew s (63); 7. Watts (53); B. Carson (50); 9. Dubach (411; to . Holley (35). 125 : 1. Holl and (339); 2. Kehoe (30 2); 3. Schmit (2731; 4 . Cooper (267) ; 5. Brooks (214); 6. Ticheno r (20 1); 7. laRocco (179 ); 8. DeHoop (159); 9. Bow en (12 9); 10. Stecey Cook (89). 7

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