Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

overall via a 2-3 tally, while Yamaha's Jeff Stanton settled for third with a 4-2 score. With on e round remaining in the 500cc series, Johnson holds a 23 point lead over Lechien, 231-208. Last year at Millville in the l25cc class, itwas the Donny Schmit show, and this year it was the Donny Schmit show - part two. For the second year in a row, the local favorite from Bloomington, Minnesota, claimed the overall win, but this year's victory came much harder for him. ' After a nail-biting, come-frombehind ride to win the second moto, Schmit said, "This win is a lot sweeter than last year's beca use 1 really had to work for it this time." One of the riders to give Schmit such' a hard time was team Honda's Guy Cooper, who, despite suffering an extremely hard get-off in the firs t mo to and a flat rear tire in the second, took second overall, edging H ol land's 3-6 tally. Both Schm it and Cooper moved up into second a nd third p lace in the point standings, d is pl aci n g Suzuki's Erik Kehoe to fourth. Kehoe was absent in Minnesota due to a back injury, which he suffered in Ohio. Heat and humidity were some of the elements that all the riders and the estimated 60oo-plus spectators had to withstand today, but the track was kept in prime condition by promoter Johnny Martin, who is a former hare scrambles National Champion and ISDE gold medalist. For winning both rnotos in the 500cc class , Johnson pocketed $1000 out of a $14,000 purse, while Schmit cashed in on $480 out of a $7340 125cc purse. 125cc National Forty-two riders lined the backwards-falling gate for the start of the first 30-minute-plus-two-Iap I25cc National moto, and as the pack roared out of ,the first turn, it was Schmit powering his Moto-X Fox! Arai Helmets /Scott USA-backed Suzuki into the lead followed by -Coo p er , Holland, Suzuki riders Jimmy Gaddis and Ronn ie Tichenor, Yamaha-mounted Larry Ward and Surf Laundry Detergentsponsored Jeff G lass. The race quickl y turned into a Schmit/Cooper duel for the lead as they pulled away from th e pack. But the dogfight only lasted four laps when Cooper tried to make a pass on Schmit, but ended up on his head in a spectacular, high-speed solo crash. " I tried to go underneath Donny but 1 highsided off a whoop a nd began swap ping," said Cooper. "It just threw me to the ground and 1 bounced and rolled. " Cooper was uninjured in th e' fall and remounted just as Holland roosted past, but two laps later, Cooper was back in second place, 15 .seconds behind Schmit. From this point on, the race was all Schmit's as he went on to take the win unchallenged. But a battle raged over third between Gaddis, Ward, Tichenor and Suzuki support rider Ty Davis . Despite crashing earlier in the race, Tichenor was on the gas and even tually motored into fourth before his Suzuki sputtered and died. "The reeds broke in half," said Tichenor, as he watched the rest of the race from the sidelines. By the end of the race, Davis had worked up to fourth , while recently crowned Amateur National Champion, Damon Bradshaw, riding a Yamaha, worked his way up from a so-so start to finish fifth. Suzuki rider Todd DeHoop had charged 00 00 0'> ...... Rick Johnson (1) and Ron Lechien (4 ) diced in the f irst 500cc moto. RJ pu lled ahead for the w in and 0 1 A. past Ward and Gaddis for sixth. Rounding out the top 10 were Larry Brooks, Kawasaki , and Jason Upshaw, Honda. The second moto was a wild affair with Holland taking the holeshot ahead of Schmit, Yamaha 's Mike Lakocco, Cooper, 'Bradsha w, Gaddis, Tichenor, Ward, DeHoop and Ups haw. However, after the first lap, Hoiland washed out and dropped to fourth , giving Schmit second. But two laps later it was Schmit's turn to crash, handing LaRocco the lead. Schmit held on to second, but crashed, again, two laps la ter and suddenly found himself in danger of losing the overa ll. He was fourth behind LaRocco, Cooper and Bradsh aw. Close behind Schmit was H olland, Tichenor and Ward. At th e halfway point it was a fourway battle for th e lead as Schmit began hi s drive to the front. He picked off Bradshaw, then Cooper, and then set his sights on LaRocco. At this point, Cooper got a rear flat and was passed by Tichenor. But all eyes were on Schmit, wh o was about five seconds off LaRocco's pace. But with four laps to go , LaRocco s u dden ly dropped hi s Yamaha in a turn. " I went into th e rut (berm) and 1 hit a rock th at knocked my front wh eel," said LaRocco, who had also crashed in the first moto and worked up from 28th to finish 11th. "I was pretty mad, and 1 couldn't believe 1 did that." However, LaRocco picked up his bike before Schmit could pass, but the fall ruined LaRocco's concentration, and he couldn't hold Schmit back any longer. Schmit shot into the lead, held on, and took the win. LaRocco grabbed second inches ahead of Tichenor. Fourth went to Bradshaw, while Cooper rounded out the top five. Sixth went to Holland, who was followed in by Upshaw, DeHoop, Davis and Gaddis. .. "I'm thrashed," said a thrilled Schmit. " He (LaRocco) was riding good. That had to be my best George Holland (3 ) finished third in the first 125cc moto, which was enough to clinch the National Championship 125cc MX Series t itle. National mo to ever; 1 had to work, but the fans were cheering me the whole way. It was great. " 500cc National Kawasaki's Mike Fisher took the early lead in the first 500cc moto but was passed by Lechien, Johnson and Ward before the la p was through. Two laps later, both Stanton and Honda's Jeff Leisk had also slipped past Fisher. ' This set the stage for the rest of the moto, as Lechien and Johnson led the way. A few bike lengths back in third, after bumping into Johnson during the first lap, was Ward. Johnson and his Moto-X Fox /Bell Helmets/Oakley-sponsored Honda chased Lechien for the next two laps before the two swapped p laces a couples of times while banging into each other at the same time. Once into th e lead, Johnson looked back at Lechien, yelled a few words and continued racing. ' From that point on Johnson pulled away, gaining ab out two seconds each lap on Lechien. As Johnson set the pace, Ward' was gaining on his teammate Lechien , 11

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