Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

. . Johnny O'Mara (9) holds off Mark Barnett. O'Mara went 1-2 for the 126cc win. Barnett went 3- 1 for second; he fell early in ,t he second moto. IZS/sooee NatloDal CbaDiploDSblp MX Serles: ROuDds SiS O'Mara, Breker nail New York • ~.ns By Tom Mueller CENTER LISL,E, NY, JUNE 27 Honda's ' Johnny O'Mara and Kawasaki's Goat Breker didn't let a rock-strewn and demanding course get in the way of their 125 and 500cc overall wins, respectively, in the Pepsi-Cola National rounds at Broome-Tioga Sports Center. O'Mara ran to 1-2 moto finishes after giving way to Suzu- 8 ki's Mark Barnett in moto two. Breker left no doubt that he's ready for the second half of the series with his 1-1 performance. Barnett was second overall in the 125cc class and now holds a 13 point lead over O'Mara in the 125cc standings. Honda's Jim Gibson, third overall for the day, moved into third in the standings, 38 points back from O'Mara. Yamaha's Mike Bell was second overall in the 500cc class with a 4;2, . despite having problems with his tender right knee. Knee problems once again plagued Honda's Darrell Shultz, the 500cc points leader. "Shu" rode to a painful seventh in rnoto two after taking second in moto one. He was fifth overall for the day. Broome-Tioga offered the same scenic hillside course as in previous years, with the same course composition-hard, rough and rocky. A new steep uphill with an off-camber turn cut into it was added which took riders to the high section of the track. Promoters Mario Masciarelli and Jack Skutnik blended topsoil and sand into the track to help with dust control. Though wet and slick in practice, the course soon dried out and left choice of lines a crucial decision. "You brake hard into the turns, your fork compresses, and the rocks and bumps hit your pipe. It 's murder," said Bell as he had a smashed exhaust - pipe replaced on his OW. Sunny skies, temperatures in the SOs and an estimated crowd of 4,000 made for an exciting National event, run under the direction of AMA referee Rick Titone and crew. 125cc National The 125cc class had been on interim break for almost two months, and it was almost like the start of a new season. O'Mara returned from his winning 125cc GP ride in Switzerland and began working with tuner Jim. Felt on a completely different RC works bike. Barnett cleared the cows off his 'Bl practice track in Alabama and put in long hours on his works "theory' bike," put together by tuner Jeff Clark, using the same theories which went into Barnett's supercross bike. Kawasaki came to New York with a -high-power update of their works 125 for Jeff Ward, and,Yamaha had gone over and updated parts on Bob Hannah's factory bike. . O'Mara and Ward showed the way, all the way, in moto one. The pair left traffic behind off the line and began a dice to the finish. Barnett got away near last after he was involved in a turn two pile-up. He was then stopped on the steep uphill by a downed rider and had to head for the woods enduro style - to get around. On lap three Ward took the lead with O'Mara close behind. Gibson, Suzuki supported Gary Denton, Roost Factory's Gary Dircks on a Suzuki and Brian Myerscough, on a Honda support bike, were next. Ward looked over his shoulder'a nd got a look at O'Mara, who closed the gap on the straights, then retook the lead a few laps later. The fastest rider on the track was Barnett, who showed a National Champion's capabilities by cutting to third by mid-race. Where others let off, Barnett didn't, he made the course look smooth while others fought through the rough sections. By the time Barnett was in third, - O'Mara and Ward's frenzied dice had carried them 32 seconds out front. Gibson retained fourth with Denton, Hannah and Holland 5-6-7. Myerscough locked into eighth followed by New Yorker Tom Rice on a Yamaha. The race went into -the final laps with O'Mara and Ward fighting through lapped riders, getting showered with small pebbles en route. At the checkered flag O'Mara held by a few bikelengths for the win. Barnett was third, Gibson was back in fourth, and Hannah and Holland worked past Denton to set up the 5-6-7 finishes. Eighth went to Myerscough, who returned to the Nationals after a season-long lay-off. Ward and O'Mara were joined by

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