Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

! ada- Northern Californ ia-Northern Ne vada-Oreg on-W ashi ng t on-Idaho-Ut ah-A laska-Canada- Northern Cali f orn ia-Northern Nevada-Oregon-Washington-Idaho-Ut two sets of motos tra nsferred to the final moto , with the final rn o to score doubled. Under this syste m, racers ha d to go for it each race if they hoped to ma ke the fina l, the lowest score o f the th ree combined races de terminin g the wi nner. J on Mill er (Yam) squirted int o the lead in th e first moto of division one, followed by Jim O'Neal (Mai) a nd Ronnie Gibson (Hon). Riding smoot h and steady, Miller went unco ntested to th e win, fo llowed by O' Neal a nd Gi bson . In th e second rnoto, it was G ibson taking the hol eshot. Gibson wa nted Mi ll er to kn ow he meant business as well. Gi bson led all the laps as th e wh ite flag came out. Miller, not wi sh in g to take a back seat, jammed past Gi bson to ta ke the checkered fir st. Third went to Wheelsmi th Maico rider " Movin' Marv" Olson . As divisio n two of the Vets lined u p, spectators knew this wo u ld be a race . With former three-ti me 250cc Na tional MX C hampion Gary Jones a nd Wh eelsmith Mai co aces Al Olson an d Ra ndy Rodr igu ez in the sa me divisio n, this promised to be a hotly co n tested ma tch . Grabbing the holeshot was Rodrig uez followed by Ken Ratz lo ff (Mai ), Olson and Jones (H o n ). By lap two , Ol son an d Jones passed Ratzloff for second a nd third. Ro driguez stretched out a 20-second lead. Ol son and Jones, however, were havi n g a bat tle of their own. O n the last la p , Jones was rewarded for h is pe rsistence as he found a mo mentary wea k ness in Olson 's defense a nd charged by for second. As the gat e dropped for the second moto, it was J on es with the holeshot. Olson was in hot pursui t, as was Ra ndy Lew is and Rodriguez. By lap two , Rodrig u ez had passed Lewis and was making hi s presence known to the leaders. By lap threethe battle for the lea d became a th ree-way scra p . Rodriguez took advantage and sq u irted past Olson . Jones had to draw up on all h is National expertise to fend off Rodriguez and Olso n's persisten t cha rges. Not to be bea ten th is mo to, a de term in ed Jones stym ied their drive an d took th e ch eckers firs t. Secon d was Rodriguez, a n d third was a frustrated O lson . As the top Vets lined u p for the final event, m uch speculation was in the air . Wh o would wi n? O lson, J ones, Rodrigu ez or Miller? All fo ur me n had one th in g in mi n d as the ga te drop ped. Ol so n thun dered off th e li ne in the lead and wa s fla t out flyin g! In fact: J on es later sta ted , " O lso n was goi n g so fast, I thought he wasn 't go in g to stop and ma ke the tu rn s!" However , a sticking th ro tt le was ca usin g problem s fo r O lso n, a n d forced a mis ta ke that allowed both J ories and Rodriguez to slip by. J ones he ld th e lead but kn ew Rodriguez was th ere and wanted him badly. In order to win the overall, Rodrigu ez needed to bea t Jones, a nd bo th riders knew it. Jon es tr ied to pull aw ay , b u t Rodriguezclosed the gap. Feeling the p ressu re, Jon es glanced ov er his sh o u lder to see where Rodriguez was. Rodriguez was two seconds back a nd com ing on stro n g. As the wh ite flag ca me out Rodriguez was half a bi kelength back. O lso n was still in a very secure third, nursing his th ro ttle, o bviously di scontent at havi ng to drop back o u t of serious co n tention . J ones won th e moto by in ches. By combin in g th e scores of all rnotos, th e ove rall Vet finish was J ones, Rodriguez, Ol son and Miller. Re sults 1. Gary Jones (Hon); 2. Randy Rodriguez(M ai); 3. AI Olson (M ai); 4. Jon M iller (Yam); 5 . Ron nie Gibson (Hon); 6. Randy Lew is (Hus); 7 . Kurt Deitrich (Suz); 8. J im O'Neal (Ma i); 9. Jo hn White (Maio); 10. Paul St uen (Suz). Douglass, Payne persevere at Mammoth MX By Debbie Matthews MAMMOTH, CA, JUNE 26 Beau ty surrounded th e 15th An nual Ma m mo th Mountain Mo toc ross, as Women racers lined up to do ba tt le for su premacy at thi s p restigio us event. Unlike other events a t Mammoth, the Women's races were three sep a rate motos with the total finishes combined to determine the overall winner. Due to this sco ring system, spectators were treated to some of the best ra cing seen all weekend. In th e Pro classes, as predicted, battles were waged in the 125 and 250s. Grabbing the holeshot in moto one of the 125s was R&D Suzuki ride r Kim Douglass. Hot on her h eels , however, was Jammin ' USA-sponso red Mercedes Gon zalas , o n a Yamaha. By lap three , Mer cedes passed Douglass for the lead. Douglass pressed hard, regaining the lead several times , only to relinquish it once more to the persistent Gonzalas. Gonzalas held on to a two-second lead to take the checkers first , fol lowed by Douglass. Third went to Donna Gilio (Suz), as a pressing Karen Leitinger (Suz) fell trying to close the gap on Gilio. In moto two, Mercedes got the holeshot followed by Do ug lass and Leitinger. Once again, a battle waged between arch rivals Gonzalas and Douglass. Side by side, these two titans raced. Mercedes never ga ve an inch, however, an d it loo ked as though sh e would again win the moto. Douglass had other ideas, as she clung to Gonzalas ' rea r fender. On the last lap Douglass made a wild , daring move on the down h ill . Neither racer backed off, a nd both bikes were swapping radically. As they hit the bottom of the h ill, Douglass held it on a fraction longer and stuffed Conzalas in the berm. Douglass successfully held o ff Gonzalas' challenge a t the checkers. Third went to Leitinger, with fourt h to J an Murray three seconds back. In the 250cc Pro s, Barbara Spielman (Suz) took th e holeshot, fo llowed by Hi- P oi nt H o n da rider Dorene Payne, Suzuki-mounted Dede Cates and Debbie J a merson (Hon). By lap three, Payn e took the lead. Spielman tr ied to repass, but a flat tire caused her to cras h and reinjure her wrist. Cates was now in second, in her first Women's race in over a year. Third went to Jamerson. In moto two action , Pa yn e rode fast and smooth to win once again. Cates rode smooth and consistent to garner second p lace points. Spielman tr ied to ride bu t had ignition problems to go along with her injuries and DN F. T hird again went to Jamerson. As the Pros lined u p for the final moto, it was all on th e lin e for Kim and Mercedes . H owever, in the final moto all classes were run together. Three separate gat es would be gi ven. The riders were instructed that lap ped riders wou ld be a p roblem , but a ll riders would have to dea l with it, and some precautions were made. As the gate dropped for the final event all eyes were on Douglass a n d Gonzalas. Mercedes grabbed th e holeshot follo wed by Douglass. Daring ' passes were made by each, as spe ctators ran fro m corner to corner ch eerin g th em on. Aggressive riding was the rule as each wanted to win. Lapped riders beca me a factor as early as th e second lap. Bo th riders used any and all tricks to try and pull aw ay from the othe r. • On la p five, they ca me up on a lapped rider in the tightest ess section on th e track. To make matters wo rse, there was a downed ri der in th e section . With room for o n ly one bik e and four in th e area , all he ld their breath for th e outcome. Gonzalas and Douglass entered the co rn er toge ther, with a slight edge going to Gon zalas. Mercedes , foll ow ed th e lapped rider through th e turn, as Do u g la ss swung wide an d sq uared off th e corner , pa ssing all three riders at o nce. Douglass cl ipped a tree, al most falli n g , hit the berm in the next tight tu rn and was go ne. Meanwhi le, Gonzalas hit the rear ti re of the lapped ri der a nd fell. " W ith just three laps rema ini n g, Douglass had a secure lea d and h eld it to the fin ish . Gonzalas fin ish ed a well deserved but disap pointed second, as th ird went to G ilio. The 250cc order was again Payne a nd Cat es, fo llo wed th is time by Jean n ie Morgan. Results 125 PRO: 1. Kim Doug lass (Suz); 2. Mercedes Gonzalas (Yam); 3. Donna Gil io (Suz). INT: 1. Pam McDonald; 2. Kitty Mayf ield; 3. Nina Bevil acqua. BEG: 1. D. Leitner; 2. M . Kub at; 3. M . Krudwi g. 250 PRO: 1. Dorene Payne (Hon); 2. Dede Cate s (Suz); 3 . Jeannie Mo rgan (Hon). NOV: 1. Leah Arvizu; 2. Don na M it che ll; 3 . Dan ita Gibson. Edrington, Allen, 'Jones jar SIR " ht MX nig By Clay Light KENT , WA, JUNE 25 Kawasaki supported Logan Ed rington put his T acoma Kawasaki KX250 into the winner's circle tonigh t a t Seattle Interna tion a l Raceway in an exci ting 250cc Expert ra ce. Ji mmy Alle n wen t to the victory p od ium in th e 125cc Exp ert class, due to h is consistency, and . T om Jones did the same on his Sound Cycle H onda in th e O pen Expert class . .250cc Expert racing had Mark Ranz (Suz) come off th e line in the lead whil e Edrington , J a mes Wendt (Kaw) a nd J erry Callawa y (Ya m ) chased, but like in other outings could do little a t preventing Ranz from taking the' moto w in. Mo to two h ad it Edrington 's way fro m start to fin ish with T om Doughert y (Suz) in second and Ra nz side lined with a big DNF, putting Ca llaway in third a nd Wendt . close beh ind. The overa ll went to Edrington with his 2-1. In 125cc Ex p ert , Allen (Ya m) took th e lead wit h J erry Andrews (Su z) right th ere to give immedia te ch ase . Andrews couldn't work past the determ in ed rider, a nd the two fin ished in th at order wi th th ird to Brad Kesserling (Ya m). Second time it was Honda support rider David Fro em bling (H igh lan d Hon ) smoki ng to the lead. Fro em bling wan ted th e win bad a fter a first moto seventh and was n' t to be den ied . Second was Kurt H owland (Fede ral , Wa y Su z), wh o al so h ad a dismal first moto with a ninth. Third went to Allen, which was good forthe overall. Results OPEN PRO: 1. M ike Moritz (Hus); 2. Tom Peterso n (Yam). . 250 PRO: 1. Jay Looker (Suz); 2. Je ff Moore (Hon); 3. Todd Paulson (Suz). 125 PRO: 1. Ralph Dun lap (Suz); 2. Jayme Nickle (Yam); 3. Chuck Ensrud (Suz). OPEN EX: 1. Tom Jones (Hon); 2. Steve Bader (Suz); 3. J ames Burns (M ai). 250 EX: 1. Logan Edring t on (Kaw ); 2. Jerry Callaw ay (Yam); 3. James Wen dt (Kaw ). 125 EX: 1. J im Allen (Yam); 2. David Froemb ling (Hon); 3. Brad Kesser ling (Yam). PEEWEE C: 1. Rick Ricardi (Yam); 2. Aaron Wa ls berg (Yam); 3. Justin Young (Suz). PEEWEE B: 1. Tara Harrison (Yam); 2. Bor is Port noy (Suz); 3. Scott Fisher (Yam). MIN I C: I .JoeNultall; 2. Brad Thompson (Suz); 3. Bobby Johnson (Hon). MIN I B: 1. Derek Sma il (Yam); 2. John Sowards (Yam); 3. Jeff Brown (Suz). MIN I EX: 1. Scott Gr imm (Yam); 2. Tommy Judge (Yam); 3. Lee Johnson (Yam). 100 C: 1. Tony Fruzza (Yam); 2. Ron Westmorland (Yam). " 100 B: 1. Les Yocum (Suz); 2. Les Yocum (Suz); 3. Tom Sowards (Yam). 125 C: 1. Dan Earp (Suz); 2. Mi ke Vail (Kaw); 3. Kurt W ilson (Yam). . 125 B: 1. Kevi n Wes t er (Yam); 2. Brian Curt is; 3. M ike Wickham (Suz). 250 C: 1. Tom Sowards (C-A); 2. J eff Kramer (Suz); 3. Victor Ande rson (Hon). 250 B: 1. Tim McCoy (Yam); 2. Perry Punc hes (Yam); 3. Tom Mattioda (Suz). OPEN C: 1. Brian Love (Suz); 2. Ricky Alle n (C-A); 3. Glenn M ile s (Suz). OPEN B: 1. Kresto n Snow (Suz); 2. A llen Stafford; 3. Eddie Gonosorowk y (Hus). OT B: 1. Erv Thompso n (M ai); 2. Gen e Hanson; 3 . Carl McBurnett ISuz). OT A : 1. Ken Sha ndrow ; 2. Roger Cahr. OHG B: 1. Krest on Snow (Suz); 2. Den nis Kaiser (Hon); 3. W illi am Young (Suz). OHG A : 1. Richard Kelle y (M ai). Carr, Freitas fly at Hills Ferr-y ST By Bill Spencer NEWMAN , CA , JUNE 25 Chris Carr and Winkie Freitas shared th e limelight of Frida y n ight racin g at H ills Ferry Speedway's short tra ck wi n nin g both 80 an d 100cc Expert portions of the mini classes. Ste ve Mayfield co n tin ued to be the close com pe ti tion with Ronni e H a yes givi n g it a good show . Craig Johnson ro d e the 250cc Novice main just the way he did the . heat a nd persevered the best with good style over T ed Taylor. Craig rides wi th smooth lin es and precise moves tha t Ted is h avi ng so me trou - . bles with on h is mount. The two p u t on a great display of yo u ng tal ent and will be wo rth watching in th e future . Shaun Reyna has dialed in th is fast and very smooth surface and was lon g gone in 250cc Junior with a good start on loose Leroy whi le Larry Staggs held on for second over a hard charging Ku rt Ch andl er wh o got o ff las t along with Bri a n San sing. Reyna left the p ack while Sa ns i n g and Chandler fo u g ht throug h it wi th C han dler catching u p but unable to pass the Ang Rossi KX. Bruce Johnson and Chris Carr p u t on q u ite a 250cc Expert show wi th Joe Kn ight leadi ng out but succumbing to pressu re from the two. Carr had all the right lines on the Jorgy Can-Am with Johnson ni pping out Knight at the ch eckered. Rod Cahoon made it a n honest 500cc Novice win with Joe Martins doing likewise in th e Junior class. Dan ny McD on n ell ca me off wi th a 250cc Expert sky-grou nder moto to win Open Expert over Sco tt Nai l in a good dice. " • Results 100 EX: 1. Wi nkie Freit as (Yam); 2. Steve Ma yfield (Yam). 80 NOV/ JR: 1. Je ff Jac kson (Kaw ). 80 EX: 1. W ink ie Freitas (Hon). 125 JR1250 NOV: 1. Craig Johnson (Yam); 2. Ted Taylor (Hon). 250 JR: 1. Shaun Reyna (Yam); 2. Larry Staggs (Kaw ); 3. Kurt Chand ler (Kaw). 250 EX: 1. Chris Carr (C-A ); 2. Bruce Joh nson (Yam); 3. Joe Knight (Yam). 500 NOV: 1. Rod Cahoon (Yam). 500 JR : 1. Joe Ma rtins (Hon). 500 EX: 1. Dann y McDonnell (Hon); 2. Scott Nail (mai). 33

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