Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

·E E TS·::·': .: VN · .: ...: EdRedbv SCottRousSeau · . . to .511, but the lead was gone by halftrack. " I could see him out there, but I knew 1 was gonna catch him ," My ers said . "We took it a littl e easy with the clutch to make sure I wouldn't red-light, and I gained on him th e whole way d own." Myers' 7.67 / 174 .21 to 7.84 / 169.42 victory was his first at the Gatornationals since 1990, his first full season, when his final-round 7.69 mad e him the quickest ride r in Pro Stock. ~ Results PIS: Jo hn My ers (Suz ) 7.67 / 174 .21, d ef . Micha el Phi llips (Suz ) 7.84/169.42. . 1994 NHRA WINSTON POINTS STANDINGS (Aller 2 of 11 even ts): 1. David Schultz (1910); 2. John Myers (1856); 3. Russ N yberg (1452) ; 4. Michael P hillips (1438 ); 5. Hector Arana (1304); 6. John Sm ith (1048) ; 7. Jim Bernard (8-l8); 8. John Sachs (848); 9. Jamie Hoch baum (818); 10. Ron Ayers (744). Mike Brown (92) had another perfect weekend as he swept both motos In the 125 and 250cc A classes during round two of the AMA MegaSeries at Hidden Acres MX. (Below) John Myers (near) halted David Schultz's seven-race win streak and scored a fi nal-round victory over Michael Phillips during the Mac Tools Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. AMA Southeastern RegionalC'ship MegaSeries:Round 2 Brown goestwo for two at Hidden Acres By Barbar a Will iams Photo by Loren Williams KINGSPORT, TN, MAR. 24 ike Brown smashed the A classes, and Hid den Acres smashed its second en try record in a ro w w hen well over 400 riders from Alaba m a to nor th ern Vi rg ini a con ve rg ed on the im p roved track fo r round tw o of th e 1994 AMA Piz za Pl us Sou theastern Re g io nal MX Ch ampi ons h ip MegaSeries . "Ou r opener was over 350 rid ers," said Hidd en Acres' Roger Smith. "And this is the large st crowd we've ever had. We hope to send them ho me happ y about a great day of racing." Brown, backed b y Jim 's Mot orcycle Sal es, go t the best return fo r h is few hou rs of sleep on Saturday night. Brown notched fou rth in the 12Sec class at the Indianap olis round of the AMA Camel . Pro Su p ercr oss Series, then drove all night to make the H idden Acres race. Brown delivered both the 125 and 250cc A wins , pocketing $320 for his aftern oon fun . Brown's only serious challenge 'came w h en Ke vi n Wa lk er grabbed the holesh ot in the first 12Sec A moto . Walker led the pack for two lap s with Brown all over his fender, looking for an open ing. At the halfway mark, Brown powere d into th e lead on the ba ck stretch . Walker gave chase, but ha lf a lap later his YZ r olled to a stop in a cloud o f smoke and he could only wa tch glumly as Brown skip ped to the win. Brown prod uced h is usual holesh ot in moto tw o with Brad Strunk close at hand, then Sh ane Templeton. While Brown opened up a lead, Templeton, in third, was bu sy looking for a wa y to get a r ound Str u n k. Sha wn Schultz ran fourth. Halfway through the six-lap contes t, Schultz su rprised Tem pleton in a tum and took over third. As Schultz set his sights on Strunk, Templeton stru ggled to regain momentum. At the checkered flag Brown topped moto two ' and scored the overall win . He was followed in the overall stand ings by Strunk, Templeton, Schultz and Tim Hodock, resp ectively. . The 250cc A class was also a romp for Brown, as he blasted around the jumps, turns and whoops at Hidden Acres en route to 1-1 moto scores. Wa lker turned in consistent runner-up placings for second overall while Strunk's 3-3 score M NHRA WmstonD Racin Series:Round 2 rag Myers stops Schultz in Gainesville By Todd Veney GAINESVILLE, FL, MARCH 18-20 avid Schultz still has the NHRA Pro Stock po ints lead, but his historic, seven-race win streak is exactly that - hi story. John My er s, runner-up to Schultz for the 1993 NHRA Championship, defeated his rival in the Mac Tools Gatorna tionals semifinals and then overpowered fir st-time finalist Mi chael Phill ip s for h is fir st vict ory since the Springnationals in Columbus, Ohio, last Jun e. That was th e last time anyon e not named Schultz score d a w in - e ig h t e ven ts and 30 ro un d s a g o - w h en Schultz red-lighted by ju st four-thou sandths of a secon d in an in-the-ba g first-r ound rac e w it h Steve Johnson. Schultz' s foul aga inst Myers at the Gatomationals was by the sam e margin, .004 seconds, but th is time he likel y would have lost, anyway, because Myers wa s slightly quicker , a t 7.69/172.51 to 7.70/173.77. "I saw the red and knew 1 won, so when 1 had no high gear, it didn't mat ter . 1 think he (Schultz) red-lighted because he knew what we were running," said Myers, who came to know the other side of that story late last year, when Schultz's Sunoco Suzuki was dominating every stop on the NHRA /Winston tour. D Schultz concurred. "You could look at his performance here and see that it was time to do something, " he said of Myers, who was faster than everyone on George Bryce's Star Racing Suzuki after the opening qualifying session. "What happened . is 1came down a little too far in my clutch adjustm ent," said Schultz, who, for once, was without room to spare. Myers had trouble engag ing fif th gear agains t Schultz an d still ran a 7.69, which had him feeling confident abou t the final with Phill ips, the 25-year-old, Houston-based rider on H a r ry La r tigu e's GSXR. Phillips qua lified in the mid dle of the quick est field in Pro Stock history. Facing former Houston winner Ron Ayers, who qualified just one pos ition and .010 seconds behind him with a 7.74, Phillips got off the line in round one wi th a .044 reaction time and ed ged Aye rs' Mac Tools Su zuki, 7.75 / 167.53 to 7.79/ 171.03. He plunged into the 7.80s in the seco nd rou nd , but th at d id n ' t ma tter against su rprise pol e qualifier Hec to r Arana, who took off before the "Chris tma s tre e" was ac tiva ted . Phillips the n ran jus t 7.86/ 169 .49 in h is holes hot semifin al w in over Jeff Dewar (7.80/ 168.25). Myers wasn ' t ou t of the 7.60s all weekend. He qu ali fied second with a 7.615, jus t five-thousandths off Arana's record pace, and was the only racer consistently in the 7.6Os on Sunday. Myers pounded John Sachs by a full quarter of a second in the first round, 7.64/ 173.61 to 7.89/166.05 , and needed a 7.65/ 174.35 in the seco n d round to ed g e Smith's right-there 7.69/173.57. After the liberating semifinal win over Schultz, Myers found himsel f with an unheard-of .15-second cushi on on Phillips. In the final, Phillips did his job at the line and got the holeshot on Myers, .436 took third overall. Mike Nutter traded fourth-place moto finishes with Schultz, who finished fourth overall, while Templeton completed the top five. ~ Results so (4-6): 1. Michael Ridge (Yam); 2. Jorda n Oxley (Yam); 3. Blake Hom e (Yam); 4. Cory Stricklan d (Yam); 5. Jak e Pose y (Yam). SO (7-8) : 1. Step hen Martin (Ya m); 2. Rob Wood en (Ya m); 3. Chas e Jones (Ya m); 4. Ross Prui tt (Yam ); 5. Brand on Gree n (Yam). 65: 1. Joshua Sum mey (Kaw ); 2. C had Hampton (Kaw); 3. R. Joe y Games (Ka w); 4. Jeffrey Fields (Kaw ); 5. Ada m Wilson (Ha n). 80 BEG: 1. Neil Thompson (Ha n); 2. Tann e r Jones (Ya m) ; 3. C h r is Wi lli s (Kaw): 4. Aa r on Tho mp so n (Yam ); 5. Da ni el Tesh (Kaw ). JR MINI: 1. Jeff Gibson (Kaw); 2. Joshua Summey (Kaw); 3. Ben Riddle (Kaw): 4. Chad Ha mp ton (Kaw ); 5. Chris Willis (Ka w) . S R MINI, 1. Josh Sco tt (Kaw) ; 2. Pau l Jus tu s (Yam); 3. Brian H od ges (Ya m); 4. Jon Boy Monk (Ho n); 5. Hans Neel (Suz) . SCH BY: 1. Jon Boru ff (Han); 2. Scott McMill an (Ka w); 3. Brad Ed wards (Kaw) ; 4. Jeffery Ryan (Kaw); 5. Ben Rid dle (Kew ). • 115 A: 1. Mike Brown (Hon); 2. Brad Strunk (Suz); 3. Shan e Temple ton (Suz); 4. Shawn Schultz (Kaw ); 5. Tim Hodock (Yam ). 125 B, 1. Jimm y Briggs (Hon); 2. Jon Boru ff (Ho n); 3. Kris Sw an ey (Ho n); 4. Phill ip Myers (Kaw ); 5. Brian Tho rn burg (Yam). 115 C: 1. Kurt Sims (Kaw); 2. Roon ey Wise (Suz); 3. J us ti n Ma y (Ya m ); 4 . Eric Bu r rell (H a n); 5. Brad Ed wards (Kaw). 125 D: 1. Cla rk Car ter (Ha n ); 2. Joh n Thompson (H on ); 3. Dwa yn e Hom mel (Suz); 4. Sco tty Moyers (Kaw ); 5. Sco tt Dav is (Suz ). 250 A: 1. Mike Brown (H a n) ; 2. Kev in Wa lke r (Yam); 3. Brad Strunk (Suz); 4. Shawn Sch u ltz (Kaw ); 5. Sha ne Templeton (Suz). 250 B, 1. Kris Swaney (H on) ; 2. Jim my Briggs (Ho n); 3. Brian Thornburg (yam ); 4. Mike Keller (Han ); 5. Alan Anderson (Kaw). 250 C: 1. Kurt Sim s (Kaw); 2. A. Jamie McC oy (Yam); 3. John Cl en den en (Kaw) ; 4. Wes ley McC oy (Yam); 5. Billy Willia ms (Ka w). 250 D, 1. Bobby Russe ll (Ho n); 2. Anthon y Bridges (Hon); 3. Scott Davis (Suz) ; ~ . J. Travis Jennings (H on); 5. Mitch Clark (Hon). OPE N AM: 1. Chris Shortrid ge (Ha n); 2. Ron Jones (H o n); 3. Larry Sp ar ks (Ho n); 4. To ny Smith (H o n); 5. Robby Ne al (Ka w). . . 25+ A: 1. Sh a ne Templ eton (S uz); 2. C hr is Short rid ge (Han); 3. Rarr y Tapp (Suz); 4. Jay Ha yes (Hon ); 5. Timmy Bowman (Ha n). 25+ B, 1. Mike Keller (Ho n); 2. Larry Spa rks (Hon); 3. Jeff Dodgen (Ya m); 4. Darrell Baile y (Hon). 5. Ran d all Row e (Ha n). . n 15+ C: 1. A. Ja mie McCoy (Yam); 2. Joey Sing leton (H on); 3. Bobb y O us ley (Kaw ); 4. Jeff Leste r (Kaw); 5. Jim Coley (Yam). 30+ A: 1. Ron Jon es (Hon); 2. Timmy Bow man (H on); 3. Larry Ha rriso n (Suz ); 4. Randy Robe rts (Ho n). 30 + B: 1. Jeff Dodge n (Yam); 2. Joe Williams (S uz); 3. Brian Pa tterso n (Kaw); 4. Brad -Wilkerson (Yam) ; 5. Ron Nelson (Hon). 30 + C, 1. Rick Oxley (Hon); 2. Joey Sing leton (Hon); 3. Da vid Brow n (H on); 4. G. Allen (Ka w); 5. Roger Dav is (Ha n). 35+: 1. Ron Nelson (Han); 2. Cliff Ducker (Yam); 3. Robby Oye r (Suz ); 4. Mik e Powers (Yam ); 5. Hal Jarv is (H on). 40., 1. Brian Patte rso n (Kaw ); 2. Rick Oxley (Ho n); 3. Johnny G ib son (Ya m ); 4. Steve Rid dl e (Kaw); 5. Terrell Welborn (Suz ). 48+ : 1. Te rrell Welborn (Suz ); 2. Ted Sh ort ridg e (Suz) . UIL A M: 1. Jay Ha yes (H a n); 2. Cha d An de rso n (Ka w ); 3. Ton y Smith (Ho n ); 4. Jeff laFleur (Him) ; 5. Eric Burrell (Hon). 4-STRK: 1. Jeff laFleur (Ha n ); 2. Ste phen Tipton (Ho n); 3. Robby Oyer (Suz); 4. Mike Powers (Yam); 5. Ha l Ja rvis (Ho n). EN D R·N/ C: 1. Da v id Whi tso n (H a n ); 2. Br ia n Renfro (Han); 3. Cletis Gree ne (Han); 4. Tommy Hicks (Yam); 5. Rand y Ran d o lp h (Ho n) . Johnson takes five at Turlock orne Motocross By J.R. Canaguier TURLOCK, CA, MARCH19-20 t ' Micha el Johnson mad e a clean swee p of five grueling 20·minute mo tos to capture a we lldeserved ove rall win in the OrnG Expert class during the Ove r-The-Hill Gang National MX a t the Oatfield MX facility. The Oatfi eld track wa s groomed to per fection , but soo n becam e a gn ar ly battl efield for some of the fastest Vet rid ers in the state. john so n's victory was not exactly a runaway, for mota one began with a do gfight between johnson, Cra ig Christ ian and Mark Nason . As the thr ee exchan ged the lead severa l times, it was anyone's guess wh o would han g in there. But aro un d lap 10, john son made his final move to the front and cru ised in for the win. The rest of the motos were virtual repeats of the first, which pr ovid ed some of the best m ot ocross racing action anyone could ask for. The Intermedi ate class saw a couple of old masters put on a real show for the kids as Craig Schu ltz and Bob Hershey ran off and had a race of their own for two motos, Much to the relief of the rest of the class, neither of the senior citizens of motocross returned for Sunday's Intermediate motos, opting to conserve thei r energy for the

• Cover