Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

eNOmERNheDATEUNEashington-'daho-Utah-A,aska-canada-Northe'n CalifO'nia-Northa..Nevada-O,egon-Washing,on-ldaho-Utah-A ; Open Pro main to put h imself - :U • Randy Skiver wheelies in S.I.R. rain. Skiver fast, Howard too slick at S.I.R. .By Bruce Scholten Photo by Martha YoungScholten KENT, WA, AUG. 29 Some of the hottest racing in quite a while wowed spectators at Seattle International Race.way today. A little rain toward 40 the end of the day spiced things up as Randy Skiver proved that, yes Virginia, he can do wheelies in the ra in" too . Rhys Howard came loaded for bear in Formula One; "we really want to ' beat him today," he said of Skiver. In the first heat, he pushed Ski ver to an ultra-low 1:29.7 on the 2.25 m ile track, but couldn't best him. When heat two rolled around, Howard nearly elected not to ride. It was raining . like crazy and he had nothing but slicks in the van. The class pays money though, so he decided to ride his $15,000 Eddie Lawson Replica' very carefully. Skiver switched to Goodyear DT-2 rain tires and his Bellevue Suzuki 1200 raised the wheel on the straights and looked like a di rt tracker in the tum two sweeper -full lock slides with a foot down -wow! ,J ust the way Skiver had cleaned up in the Bellingham flat 'track race the night before, he took first overall, ahead of Howard, and University Honda 's Brian Sutton. Tulsa, Oklahoma's GaryMcljon. aId turned some heads in two truly'excellent Formula Two races . Apparently on a reconnaissance mission before the Sept. 12 AMA National race here, he took his K & N/KalGard/Lectron TZ250J to victory in his first-ever heat race at S.I .R. It's no wonder he leads the AMA Formula Two series. Howard showed a bit of wheel hop going into tum 10, and trailed 200 feet at the flag, ahead of Mike Kenyon and Paul Peiroli, Howard led most of the second heat only by fighting McDonald with tooth and nail. It began to rain during lap three, but these two may have been too busy to notice. In the finest finish , of the day, McDonald tried to pass Howard on the outside as they entered the tum nine sweeper. Momentarily ahead, he then lagged as Howard got a better drive off the tum. The track was very slick now, but McDonald probed the other side of his rival, and damn near passed him in tum 10, just feet from -th e checkered. In a classic block, Howard drifted toward the outside, taking th e heat win and first overall. Kenyon managed third place money, over Mike Sullivan. Keith Pinkstaff (Wh eelsport GS1100) ran off with both heats in the Open class as Jeff Morrow eked out a second overall. Wayne Tanner followed Pinkstaff to the flag in the first race, but in the final race, Morrow passed Tanner in tum 10 on lap two and hung in there to the end. All three rode Suzuki GSlloos. Dick Burnham edged Larry Buck in the first 600cc Modified .Production/45Occrace, but got into a tum five tank slapper so bad in the second heat that he knocked a hole in his gas tank. Buck wound up with first overall, as he did in 450cc Production, ahead of Burnham and Wayne Tanner's surprising GS450. The California Superbike School attracted 80 new riders to S.I.R. during the two days before the race. Rich Lovell termed the sessions successful and said they plan to return next August. However, six Bell Star Professional helmets and seven sets of Vanson leathers were stolen. The leathers also have " L ockhart" sewn - on the arms. A substantial reward is offered toward their return. Results OPEN GP SINGLE : 1. Howard Pinkstaff (Yam); 2. Chr is M iyamoto (Hon); 3. J im Blake (Hon). 450 PROD: 1. Larry Buck (Hon); 2. Mike Sullivan (Yam); 3. Joe Rodgers (Suz). 600 PROD: 1. Bruce Beha l (Kaw) ; 2. Scott Moon (Kaw ); 3. Dave Roosevelt (Yam). OPEN PROD: r. Keith Pinkstaff (Kaw); 2. Jeff Morrow (Suz); 3. Wayne Tanner (Suz). 750 PROD: 1. Scon Moon (Kaw) ; 2. Chr is Phillips (Suz); 3. Greg Froberg (Hon). FORMULA 2 U : t. Rhys Howard (Yam); 2. Gary McDonald (Yam); 3. Mike Kenyon (Yam). 860 MpD PROD: r. Greg Froberg (Hon); 2. Sean .Phillips (Suz); 3. Oon Peters (Suz). OPEN MOD PROD: 1. Randy Skiver (Suz); 2. Keith Pinkstaff (Kaw) : 3. Kevin Fraser (Suz). FORMULA 1 U : t . Randy Skiver (Suz); 2. Rhys '; Howard (Kaw); 3. Brian Sunon (Han). 600 MOO PROD: 1. Lee Cochran (Yam); 2. Dave Roosevelt (Yam); 3. Bruce Behal (Kaw) . 450 MOO PROD: 1. Larry Buck (Hon); 2. Dick Burnham (Yam); 3. Wayne Tanner (Suz). . SUPERBIKE: 1. Brian Sunon (Hon); 2. Rhys Howard (Kaw); 3. Dan Bennan (Hon). Oliver, Blagg blast Junction City" By Clay Light JUNCTION CITY, OR, AUG. 28 AMA Expert Billy Oliver (Fred's Cycle City/Out Front Number Plates/Tri) took an excellent int o the winner's circle at Junction Cit y'SBenton-Lane three-eighths m ile flat track. Southern Oregon speedster Robbie Blagg (Maxima/Simpson/ Specialty Cycles/Yam) put thepack(s) to shame by taking the 250cc Pro main, the 250cc A main and the 125cc A main. Motocrosser Wayne Church (Eastside Kaw /BSA) looked good, taking the Open A main under the lights at one of Oregon's fastest tracks. Oliver made a sweep out of the . night, with the Pro heat race just being a piece of things to come, as he pelted the pack on his big 750 to take the win over Church. The trophy dash looked much the same, with Oliver grabbing the lead and motoring away from Church and Chuck Glender. Blagg was also on a roll and wasted very little time wrapping up th e 250cc Pro dash , the 250cc Sportsman dash and the 125cc also. The first main event of the evening was the Open Pro main, which thundered through the Willamette Valley as the sounds of the booming fourstrokes radiated from the line. Ol iver clocked in with a 21.05 second lap, and was looking to shave off a second in the main, but got caught sleep ing, which resulted in Church nabbing scratch honors over Marty Zirbel (Hon) , Steven Kendig (Tri ) and Olender. Oliver got by the foursome to take the lead on the third lap with Church in second until he was haybale bound . Zirbel took over second and followed Oliver to the flag. Kendig, Glender and Church rounded out the top five. The 250cc Pro main had Blagg smoke off the line over young Andy Dixon (Specialty Cycles/Bul) and Patrick McBride (McMinnville Yam) . Blagg could have made a romping of the race, but instead played with the pack, making it look all too easy with his wheelies and all , taking the win for his first of three. The Open A mairrsaw Church collect the lead over Zirbel , Glender and Kendig, all of whom made the Open Pro main and, without Oliver contesting, would knock themselves silly to -see who would come up with a win. Church stayed on two wheels this time and rode smooth to lead it all the way, uncontested until Zirbel made another late rally to pull within a wheel of Church. Church shut the door on Zirbel's advances for the win. Third went to Glender, who powered his 500 single across the line. The 125cc A main hadnumerous restarts. Clay Light (LOP/Super Seer/Bosch/Power Master/Out Front Number Plates/Suanne Ligh t/Yam) led off the first line over Blagg, but was red-flagged. On the second try Blagg blasted the pack with Light pushing, in fact pushing so hard that Blagg lost it , making for another retake. On the final take it was another Blagg runaway, the " Wh iz Kid " demolishing the field ahead of Light, who overshot the comer and took his tum at haybales galore. Blagg, needless to say, took an easy win to cap off his triple win of the night. The final race was the Mini A main which saw Dixon (Yam) come off the line like a rocket to waste the race over MXer Chuckie Standeford (Yam) . Standeford proved to be no match for the flat tracker, who convincingly stole the show and took the checkers for his domination of the main and the trophy dash to match. Results OPEN PRO: 1. Billy Oliver (Tri); 2. Marty Zirbel (Hon); 3. Steve Kendig (Tri). OPEN A: 1. Wevne Church (BSA); 2. Merty Zirbel (Han); 3. Chuck Glender (Hon). 250 PRO: 1. Robbie Blagg (Yam); 2. Andy Dixon ' (Bul); 3. Pat McBride (Yam). 250 A: 1. Robbie Blagg (Yam ); 2. Andy Dixon (Bul); 3. Pat McBride (Yam). 125 A : 1. Robbie Blagg (Yam); 2. Clay Light (Yam); 3. Chuck Glender (Yam). , MINI A : t . Andy Dixon (Yam); 2. Chuckie Stande· ford (yam). TROPHY DASHES , OPEN PRO: 1. Billy Oliver (Tri ). OPEN SPTSMN : t. Wayne Church (BSA). 250 PRO: t . Robbie Blegg (Yam), 250SPTSMN: 1. Robbie Blagg (Yaml , 125: Robbie Blegg (Yam). MINI: 1. Andy Dixo"! (Yam). Hursthotat$S,OOO TT Region'al . Championship final By Clay Light CLACKAMAS, OR, AUG. 27 The final round of the AMA Western Regional Championship Series, held at Sidewinders Clubgrounds, had $5000 on the line for grabs. Brad H urst (BlornIeld r/ P a n th er Frames /KR Wl O u t Front Number Plates/Triumph LTD) swooped up the majority of the cash with h is win in the Expert main event over rival Jeffrey Campbell, who was to be Hurst's on ly competitionof the night. The Junior main event was a classic 'seat edger. won by Scott Miller (T rak Tak/Out Front Number Plates/ Tri), beating Randy Green by a bikelength. Danny Bennett (N-D/BelRay /Out Front Number Plates/Bennett Lectron/Hon) smoked the Novice main event, winning over Gary Trull (Longview Kaw). Regional fast-time honors went to Campbell, who posted a blistering 14.77 to shake Sidewinders and put himself on the pole for the Expert . trophy dash. Hurst had a 14.87 for the second fastest time. with Don Dodge (15.07) and Frank Word III (15.11) filling up the four trophy dash openings. Miller put a 15.07 time to lead the Juniors and garner himself the choice spot on the line in his dash. The Novice Trophy Dash had it a Bennett affair all the way to home plate as the young rider wasted the trio to take the brass over a pursuing Jeff Harsha, who 'never letoff. The Junior dash went to Barry Pelkey (Simpson/Megacycle Cams/C-A) , after fighting off Green and Miller, who were pushing from behind all the way to the checkered. Hurst joined Bennett and Pelkey in the Trophy presentation by out-motoring Campbell , Frank Word and Don Dodge, with only Campbell offering challenge. With the races already an hour behind schedule, no break was taken and the Novice main was on the line imrnediatley after dashes. Mike Courtney (Lou Kinish Yam ) took the lead at the green light to lead the twelve rider main event, but as fate would have it , Courtney dropped back and let Bennett banzai into a lead that would never be taken away. Early in the race , Bennett opened up a five second lead over Harsha, who moved to second with Trull hounding closely to keep him alert and honest. A midpack shuffle was occuring between Ryan Fisher, Mike Lawrence and Californian Randy Blankenship; Fisher moved away from the argument in the later stages. Bennett took the checkered flag over Trull, who caught Harsha napping 10 feet from the finish for second, Harsha was third. Greg Gray fourth , and fifth was Lawrence. Christ Fitzhugh (Seattle Hon) led the stan of a 121ap Junior main event, getting a good drive on the field of 12

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