Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127192
Larry Ward chased Donny Schmit (9) in both 125cc motos before taking a 1-3 tally to the winner's circle. It was Ward's first National win. thing LO stand in the way of his ·first National win. At the halfway mark both Holland and Ward were able to push their . way around Schmit for second and third, respectively, forcing the Honda rider to settle into fourth. Soon after dropping back two positions Schmit also fell prey to Cooper and Davis and ended up in sixth. In the last half of the race things again intensified. Craig, Holland and Ward waged a full-on, threeman war for the lead with Holland managing to squeeze by Craig for the win. Ward finished a solid third ahead of Cooper, Davis, Schmit, Kehoe, Kiedrowski and LaRocco. 250cc In the first mota Jeff Ward put his Kawasaki into the early lead, trailed by Stanton, Danny Storbeck, Ron Lechien and John Dowd. Yamaha's Doug Dubach, who's known for his solid starts, tangled with another rider in the first turn and remained down on the track for five minutes before he was able to get up on his own power. While Dubach headed back LO the pits before returning to the race in an attempt to try to salvage some points, Lechien shoved his way around Storbeck and began challenging for the lead. Out from, Ward, Stanton and Lechien went at it for the first four laps until both Stamon and Lechien worked their way around Ward. Once into the lead, Stamon put a few seconds between himself and Lechien and set a fast pace. After a poor start, Hannah was on the gas and heading toward the leaders. On the sixth lap the veteran Suzuki rider moved into fifth behind Dowd where he stayed for nearly a hall a dozen laps. Hannah couldn't seem to find a way around the local rider, and the two battled side-by-side for several laps with Hannah banging bars with Dowd 0!1 more than one occasion. On the lIth lap Hannah finally displaced Dowd and set off after Ward. WithinafewminutesHannah found his way around the Kawasaki rider as did Suzuki-mounted Dowd. From there on things calmed down and Stanton stretched his lead before colle~ting tbe checkers ahead. of Lechlen, Hannah, Dowd and Shaun Kalas. The initial start of the second mota brought out the red flag after Stanton's gate didn't drop on time. Ward had the lead over Dowd and Hannah when the riders were called back into the starting area. Once underway Ward again nailed the perfect start to lead Lechien, Hannah, Kurt McMillen, Stanton, Dowd and Ronnie Tichenor into the first turn. A light rain that hindered the second 125 moto let up and track conditions, according to Stanton, were "as good as it gets." Back up front, Lechien soon. hammered his way around Ward. Ward, who had complained of lower back problems in the first mota kept the pressure on Lechien, but had to deal with pressure from Hannah. On the third lap things really started LO get wild. Ward and Hannah pulled within a few bike lengths of Lechien, and Hannah seemed eager to take over the lead. Unfortunately for Hannah he may have been LOa eager. A short time after catching the lead pair, Hannah tried to pass Ward at the end of a highspeed straight and went over the bars. "I had this line down that straight," said Hannah, "and 1 thought 1 was going to be able to pass him. We headed towards this jump. near the end, together, and my bike hit his. r wasn't on the ground, so 1 couldn't brake. 1 thought 1 took him out also. He was so sideways. I'm almost waiting for him to come over and punch me out," he added jokingly. "I thought 1 did it," said Ward referring to Hannah's get-off. "Actually 1 thought 1 should be the one to apologize, he's the one who ended up with the short end of the stick." However, as Hannah and his bike bounced on the ground, StanLOn almost went down as well. "Hannah's bike was coming at me," said the Honda rider, "and there was nothing 1 could do. 1 ran over his wheels, but r was able to pull away from it." With Hannah out of the picture, Stanton was in third ahead of Johnny O'Mara, Micky Dymond, Tichenor and Dowd. Stanton was on the move and passed Ward a lap after the Hannah incident, then moved in and passed Lechien and proceeded to open up a 20-second lead. Lechien soon dropped back behind Ward a short time after losing the lead. "My back's been bothering me the whole day," said Ward, "And in the rough sand, it's just too much. It hasn't been a very good day." Back in the pack a three-way battle for third was starting to shape up Mike Craig (59) led Damon Bradshaw (45) and George Holland (right) in the second 125cc moto. Holland passed them all for the moto win. .among Dymond, O'Mara and Lechien. The two riders began challenging Lechien for several laps before the Kawasaki rider fell back to lOth. A few laps later O'Mara ran into problems when his clutch let loose. ''I'm not sure what happened," said O'Mara. "Everything was fine until r came around this one turn and it just gave out. The lever felt as hard as a Harley (Davidson) to pull in, and the bike wouldn't go." With O'Mara and Lechien absem from the top five, Tichenor moved into fourth ahead of Dowd. Posi tions staved the same until the checkers where Stanton collected an easy win over Ward, Dymond, Tichenor, Dowd, Kalas and Dubach. - Results 125: 1. Larry Ward (Han) 1-3; 2. Donny Schmit (Han) 2-6; 3. Gaorga Holland (Han) 10-1; 4. Guy Cooper (Han) 5-4; 5. Mike laRocco (Yam) 3-9; 6. Mike Kiedrowski (Han) 4-8; 7. Ty Davis (Suz) 95; 8. Erik Kehoe (Suz) 12-7; 9. Michael Craig (Yam) 31 -2; 10. Damon 8radshaw (Yam) 6- 15; 1 1. Jeff Mati......ich (Kaw) 11 -14; 12. Carlo Caen (Suz) 818; 13. Jimmy Gaddis (Suz) 15-12; 14. Barry Corsten (Suz) 14-13; 15. Denny Stephenson (Kaw) 7-DNF; 16. Ed Morse (Han) 10-10; 17. Todd DeHoop (Suz) 40- 11;.18: Dale Spangler (Suz) 1321; 19. 8rian McElroy (Cog) 19·17; 20. William Dzialak (Han) 21 -16. 250: 1. Jeff Stanton (Han) 1-1; Jeff Ward (Kaw) 6-2; 3. John Dowd (Suz) 4-5; 4. Ron Lechien (Kaw) 2-10; 5. Ron Tichenor (Suz) 8-4; 6. Shaun Kalas (Yam) 5-6; 7. Kurt McMillen (Han) 13-8; 8. Micky Dymond (Yam) 37-3; 9. Bob Hannah (Suz) 3-33; 10. Frad Andrews (Han) 10- 13; 11. Dennis Hawthorn (Kaw) 11-15; 12. Doug Dubach (Yam) 39-7; l3. Johnny O'Mara (Suz) 7-31; 14. Jamel Kapitan 15-14; 15. Larry 8rooks (Han) 33-9; 16. Keith Bowen (Suz) 9-DNF; 17. Jeff Hicks (Han) 1912; 18. Don Grahn (Suz) 36- 11; 19. David Rudnicki (Suz) 14-19; 20. 1. Ross Pederson (Suz) 12-29. 125 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS: 1. Kiadrowski (154); 2.. Cooper (140); 3. Bradshaw (1 38); 4. Holland (1 37); 5. Schmit (1 29); 6. laROcco (117); 7. Ward (110); 8. Kehoe (106); 9. Davis (83). 10. Gaddis (76). 250 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS: 1. Stanton (191); 2. Ward (169); 3. Tichenor (120); 4. O'Mara (1 19); 5. Dubach (1 10); 6. Lechien (109); 7. Kalas (101); 8. Andrews (83); 9. Haw· thorne (82) 10. Storbeck (62). 9