(Clockwise from above) Jay Beach and Robert Crabbe in the first Expert
heat. Keith Ulicki (73) in traffic during a qualifying heat. Ulicki was the
week's big winner. Pete Hames (87R) won the Junior half mile in better
time tf:lan the Experts.
Ulicki kicks offat Sturgis
Regional HM
By Tom O'Neil
"
Photos by Richard Creed and O'Neil
STURGIS; SD, AUG. 15
Keith Ulicki won the Western AMA Regional
Championship half mile held during Sturgis'
Black Hills Classic week, beating 16 other
18 Expert riders.
Ulicki actually just barely
made it to the finals as he
placed sixth " the first qualiin
fying heat, which was won by
hard-charging Jay Beach from nearby
Rapid City. Defending Champion "
Bob Crabbe won the other qualifying
heat.
Beach posted the top time trial of
the day , 25.345, for a speed of 71 mph
for the lap. He also was coming off a
win in a IS-lap Expert event on Saturday, so it seemed he would be a top
contender for Sunday's title. However, mechanical problems caused
him to fade in th e final , and he finished last among the 12 qualifiers.
Meanwhile, it wasn't that easy for
the Sl-year-old Ulicki, who won the
race in 1977. Crabbe held the lead
over Frank Word III with just a few
laps to go . Ulicki caught Word on the
lith lap, passed Crabbe on "th e 13th
lap, and held off Crabbe's challenges
to take the checkered flag.
Word held on for third, David
Durelle was fourth, and Steve Monger
was fifth. Eleven of the 12 finalists ,
including the top seven finishers,
rode Harley-Davidsons.
The time for Ulicki was 6:40.91.
The best IS-lap time of the day actuall y was registered by Junior winner
Pete Hames who posted 6:35.46 on
his Harley-Davidson.
Thirty-five Junior riders competed
for the Western Regional Champion(Continued to page 36)
