Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

BrnnTucrw~~~~._T_~_&_ri_~_~_OO_d_l ~ ~ On his way to victory, Texan Terry Poo vey tracks through turn four at Daytona Municipal Stadium while runner-up Rod ney Farris tries to hook up . J unior class ri der Brian T illson scored the second of his three Da ytona Cycle Week wins at Municipal Stadium, topping Jason Fletcher this ti me out. Poovey, Tillson score "T hey were both getting into turn one better than me and hooking up better," he said. Beattie was fourth all the way with Scott Buchan taking fifth from Kris Kiser four laps from the end. Expert By H en n y Ray Abra ms DAnONA BEACH, FL, MAR. 8 exan Terry Poovey, one of the most dominant riders on th e Daytona short tracks for the last decade, returned to th e winner's circl e with a win in the AMA Budweiser/ Wiseco Regional Championship Short Track at Municipal Stadium. By virtue of hav ing the fastest semi win, Poovey set off from the pole position and held off a determined Rodney Farris for th e en tire 15 laps to take th e first round in th e Daytona Dirt Track Series . Ronni e Jon es finished third. " The track was pretty much the sam e all ni ght," Marioneaux Ra cing/ Dallas Honda/Shoei-sponsored Poovey said. " I had a line figured out early and everything worked OUL " As he had on Wednesda y night, Junior Brian Tillson won the Junior main, this tim e over Jason Fletcher and Clint Vahshol tz. Tillson took over the lead from Fletcher on the fourth of 12 laps an d was never challenged. The 56 Experts and 53 Juniors played to less than a half-full house despite the fact the weather was in the high 50s, in great contrast to last year 's wet and ch illy climate. T Junior The six six -lap Junior heats were won, in order, by Dave Duhaime, Kris Kiser, Tillson, Bill Newk irk , Sco tt Sehl, and Vahsho ltz, whose clocking of 2 minutes, 05.976 seconds was th e fastest of the group. . Vahsholtz came back to win the first of the three eight-lap semis. The top four would move to the main and joining Vahsholtzfrom the first would be Conrad Parshall, Kris Kiser , and Trace Poulson. The second semi would turn out to be the fastest with Tillson taking the win over Fletcher. Stephen Beattie was a distant third with Scott Buchan fourth. Tillson 's winning tim e of 2:48.286 was .33 seconds fast er than th e first sem i. Bill Newkirk went under David Reeves in turn three on th e fourth lap of the final semi and sped on to th e win. Reeves held second with Todd Kendig a race-long third and Paul Normandin earned the final spot in the main. The Junior main was green-lighted a t 10:30 p.m. with Fletcher wasting no tim e getting into turn one. Tillson and Vah sholtz were close behind trailed by Stephen Beattie and Kiser. Going down the back straight into turn three on the fourth lap Tillson went under Fletcher and th e race was essentially over. Fletcher tri ed to stay clo se, but with a clear track Tillson was untouchable and sp ed to his second win in two nigh ts. "I kn ew he was there the whole time," Fletcher said, " b u t he was dialed-in and flying." As the la ps wore on the race became something of a parad e wi th littl e passing. Vahsholtz was third the whole way and he knew why he couldn 't advance. The Expert heats got und erway with Will Davis taking the firs t one. Twotime Ocala short track winner Dan Ingram won the secon d heat with the other h ea t wins goi ng to Poovey, Farris, Jones , and Steve Aseltine . Ingram's was the fastest , his 2:03.518 close to 2.5 seconds faster than the fastest Junior heat. Ingram came back to take the first semi win, but it wasn 't easy. Ronn ie Jones pressed him the whole way , both making the low line work while Chris Carr was up on the edge of the cushion and Mike Hale even higher than Carr. Despite their tactics no one could move up and the top four of the first lap - Ingram, Jones, Carr and Hale - would cross the finish line in the same order for transfers into the 12rider main. The second semi was red-flagged when Tim Mertens crashed on the front straight at the end of lap one, sending Keith Day into the bales lining the wall. . On the second try the same two riders only made it to the first turn, this time taking Larry Peg ram and R o bert Lewis with them. The third start was clean and Poovey and Farris quickly sped away leaving Brian Vill ella and Chris Adams to fight for fourth. Poovey and Farris both ran deep into the corners, turned quickly, then squared offfor their drive down the straights. Their private battle too k them to the fastest of th e three eight-lap semi wins with Poovey winning in 2:45.091. Adams passed Villella on the fourth lap for third. First-heat winner Will Davis was the th ird semi winner, tho ugh Steve Aseltine did get close at the end. Veterans Steve Morehead and Steve Eklund were the last two to qualify for the final. The holeshot went to Poo vey with Farris, In gram and Jones chasing him out of turn two. By the end of the second la p the order of the to p three was Poovey, Farris, and J ones and it wo ul dn't change for the next 13 laps. As hard as they tried neither of the two runner-ups cou ld catch the q u ick Texan. Farris was even clipping the ' pylons on the inside of the track " We were changing the gearing a lo t," Gardner Racing-sponsored Farris said. " I was lighting up the motor too much and spinning down the straight, Tonight was experimental. We'll be ready for tomorrow night, " "They beat me off the line and that was it," Jones said. "It's a lot easier to look at a clear track. The ruts made it harder to pass. I got up close to R od ney a couple of times then I wobbled. " Jones is sponsored by Garvis Honda, Shoei, and Motorcycle Stuff. The track didn 't change much all night and neither did the placings. Aseltine spent the entire race successfull y holdi ng off Ingram for fourth place with a big gap back to Carr, who was well ahead of Eklund at the finish. CIt Resu lts J1l: J.Brian Till50n (W·R) ; 2. 1350n Fletcher (WR); 3. Clint Vah.holu (W-R); 4. Stephen Beattie (H. D); 5. Scott Buchan (H -D); 6. KriJ Kiser (RlX); 7. Conrad Parshall (W·R); 8. Todd Rendig (W·R); 9. David Reeve> (H oD); 10. Bill Newkirk (W-R); 11. Paul Normandin (H ·D); iz, Trace Polson (H· D). Time: .. min., 12.848 sec. EX: 1. T erry Poovey (H -D); 2. Rodney Farris (H D); s, Ronnie Jones (Ho n); 4. Dan Ingram (Hon); 5. SIeVe Aseltin e (H· D); 6. Chri. Carr (H ·D); 7. Sieve Eklund (Hon); 8. Will Davis (H ·D); 9. Mike Hale (W· R); 10. Chri. Evans (Ho n ); 11. SIeVe Morehead (H-D); 12. Bryan Villella (Ho n). Time: 5 mm., 10.939 sec.

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