Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

NE"W V I D E O RELEASES Now Avail able Through Cycle News Video Theater the 13th Annual True Grits SOcc Fun Run drew a record number of entrants - 63 - bod es well for its future. The man behind the event, which is limited, more or less, to SOcc motorcycles, is Ben Cheatw ood, a longtime Am erican Honda employee who is currently on loan to the Acura div ision where he's been busy peddling mega-buck NSX sp orts cars to the likes of motocrosser Jeremy McGrath and road racers Scott Russell and Colin Edwards. The course that Cheatwood laid ou t this year started at Frank Cheek's T.W.O. (Two Wheels only) Campground and 74.4 miles later ended there. The run took riders from downtown (uptown?) Suches up and down the mountains, coming nea r but not going over Brasstown . Bald, at 4,784 feet the highest point in the Peach State . Sho w in g little if any m ercy fo r th e entrant's tiddler-sized bikes, Cheatwood's route sheet required a 38-mph average at the start and tha t changed just 2.4 miles out to 48 mph. At the 44-mile poi nt, the pace was dropped to 24 mph moun tain- clim bi ng ti me - a nd 3.2 miles la ter was upped to 48 mph, a pace req uired to the finish. Am on g the celebrity en tra nts in this year's True Gri t, which in the pa st has a ttracted the likes of mo torcycling legends like John Penton and Bob Hann ah, were WERA road race r Kurt Hall, 1969 Race of Champions winner AI Gaskil l, AIR's head of competition and last year's overall winner Roy Janson, artist Jeff Gundla ch, whose works have appeared on the cover of Cycle Neu» and American Motorcyclist magazi ne , and ESPN 2's Jeny Bernardo, who was on hand with a c a m e ra crew that taped the e ve n t for a Mot oWorld 2 show on "the Deuce." In add ition to promoting the AMA-sanction ed event, Cheatwood also supp lies many of the entrants with bikes from what is no doubt the world's largest collection of Honda M8-Ss. Why? "I don't mind doing all the work or lend ing people m y bi k es," Cheatwood sa id, "bec ause I get a kick out of seeing people pa y me to ride on public highways jus t to possibly p ick up a recycled trophy." " Poss ibly pick up a recycled trophy" reall y doesn 't apply in the case of the True Grits, seeing as how each and every entrant is invited to step up and pick the used trophy of his or her cho ice before the results are announced. Riders who actually have earned, or perhaps have even undeservedly been awarded a finishing pos ition o f merit by th e promoter, a re then gi ven an en graved strip to p lace on their trophy, a selfadhesive strip, of course. After it was announced that one of the Kurt Halls on han d - there were at least three entrants wearing road race lea thers wi th "Ha ll" across the back - had finished 10th in one class or another, and that th ree not too slim no r small riders, includ ing the Slay brothers who are big enough to play de fensive end for any NFL team, finis hed 1-2-3, Cheatwood called the Gra nd Grit Pooh Bah to the front . Serving in tha t honorable position and wearin g Cheatwood's son's high school grad uation ro b e, 1984 True G rits win ner Jack Mangus grabbed the microphone and with little if any fa nfa re announced that the overall winner was none oth er than Detroit-area Honda dealer and former pro dirt tracke r AI Gas kill. Che atwood presented Gaskill with a new pink Corv ette and a yellow tow truck - "To tow the Vette w ith if the car breaks d own" - both from Toys ' R Us. "What can I say," said a st unned Gaskill. Then refe rr in g to his senior s ta tus and th e heavyweight bo xing championship match that had taken place the evening before the ru n, he added. "Foreman and me, we did it." Cheatwood was asked if Gas kill's win was the res ult of insid er scoring that was pe rhaps infl uenced by the fact that Gaskili is a Honda de aler and that he gave the p rom oter a bag of goodies p rior to the event. " Absolutely not, although I must say AI's not the only Hond a dealer here today, bu t he is Ol the only one who gave me a present." Results 0 / A: AI Casldll (Hon). F/W: 1. Joe W.UJ'OllCh (Hon ); 2. Terry Sbly (Ha n); 3. Jerry Slay (Hon). L/W: 1. Rhond.1 Hu rt (Hon); 2. John N_ (yam); 3. Erv [)ai. ley (Hon); 4. Bec Ca nup (Yam); 5. Tri pp Almon (yam). ky M /W: 1. Quill Moling (Ya m); 2. ~ I( Autry (Hon ); 3. Butch Lieder (Hon); 4. Gary Owe n (Han); 5. David Ha milton (Yam). H /W: 1. Randy'ltOSl..-bro (Hon ); 2. Bob fule (Hon): 3. Todd Berg (Yam); 4. Terry Bailey (Yam) ; 5. Terry Dishroon (Ha n). VGT B": 1. Wi llia m Je ffre y Cha mpio n (Han); 2. Jeff Po tts (Hon): 3. lee New (Yam); 4. BiU jcrgreve (Yam); S. Ge ra ld Gr'1."E11 (Yam). WG AS: 1. Tim Lockwood (Hon); 2. Dick Ehlrid ge (Hon); 3. Roy Ja nson (Hon); 4. Jeff Gund lach (Hon); 5. John Wiser (Hon) . NONE; 1. Joe Azmon (Hon). CUTE &: CHU BBY: 1. Jerry Berna rdo (Hon) . SCREAMINGSTRA 1. Jim Soblin (Hon). 1'5; A /e COOLED: 1. Cary Drown (SK) . MOD SCUD:1. Leroy Powe ll (Hon) . YIN: 1. Krn Moling (Hon). IRONMAN: 1. GcoffH.ue1 (Ves). PROCRAST1NATE: 1. Tom Adams (Hon ). UNORlliOOOX; 1.Cr.Mi IUrrerd (lion). NERD: Andy Pilrim (Y.l m ). "1994 AMA CAMEL SUPERCROSS SERIES" Round #1 - CITRUS BOWL - ORLANDO, FLORIDA (#301E) The opening round of the 1994 AMA Camel Supercross Series showed promise as a rejuvenated field of factory supercross stars prepared to put a stop to the one-man freight train called Jeremy McGrath. Join over 36,000 Florida fans as they root for their favorites at Orlando's Citrus Bowl. All the top players showed up for the shootout, including Team Honda/1-800-COLLECT riders Jeff Stanton, Doug Henry and Steve Lamson, Team Yamaha's Jeff Emig and Mike Craig, Team Suzuki's Brian Swink and Team Kawasaki's Mike laRocco and Mike Kiedrowski. Catch the excitement in the 125cc class, too, as Team Suzuki's Ezra Lusk and Jimmy Button battle it out with newcomers Tim Ferry and Robby Reynard. 47 minutes from Motovideo. Round #2 • HOUSTON ASTRODOME - HOUSTON, TEXAS (#302E) Join over 37,000 frenzied fans inside the Houston Astrodome as Team Honda/1-800-COLLECT rider Jeremy McGrath overcomes a terrible start to win the race he described as "the hardest ever." Team Kawasaki's Mike LaRocco kept the pressure on McGrath as the two sliced their way through the pack on one of the best supercross tracks in years at the Astrodome. In the 125cc final, it was East vs. West as the trio of top Suzuki riders Ezra Lusk, Jimmy Button and Damon Huffman put on a big enough battle to whip up the Texas crowd. 47 minutes from Motovideo. Round #3 - ANAHEIM STADIUM - ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA (#303E) Shortly after the big earthquake took a bite out of Anaheim Stadium, the AMA Camel Supercross Series rolled into Southem Califomia as Jeremy McGrath was gettin'g ready to take another bite out of his competition: Jeremy's toughest competitor from the previous rounds had been Team Kawasaki's Mike laRocco, who cased his KX250 hard on an Anaheim triple jump and was forced out of contention. Join the party as over 43,000 SoCal supe rcross fans cheer on Team Honda/1- 800-COLL ECT rider Jeff Sta nton and Tea m Yamaha's Mike Craig as the keep the heat tumed up on Jeremy McGrath. Local Team Suzuki racer Damon Huffman provided some rock & roll of his own as he treated the crowd to an awesome display of talent in the 125cc class over Mexican national champion Pedro Gonzalez and Honda rider Craig Decker. 47 minutes from Motovideo. Round #4 - JACK MURPHY STADIUM - SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (#304E) Team Honda/1-800-COLLECT rider Jeremy McGrath amazed the crowd at Jack Murphy Stadium by winning a race no one expected him to win. How could this be? Jeremy was actually beaten in a head-to-head battle with Team Yamaha's Mike Craig during a semi after failing to transfer after crashing with another rider during his qualifier. On top of all this, McGrath was suffering from a severe head cold, and was having trouble breathing, let alone feeling well enough to race competitively. The 125cc final was one of the most exciting races you'll ever see, as Team Suzuki's Damon Huffman picked himself up from a first-tum crash to challenge Team SplitFire/Hot Wheels/Kawasaki rider Ryan Hughes for the win. The race to this finish is one of the most inspiring you'll ever see. 47 minutes from Motovideo.

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