Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/143880
~ (I.) ..0. o .-..J U o (A bove) The new California State Cham p, Lance Kin g with coach Bruce Penhall . (Below) King f ollows J ohn Cook momentarily in the run -off rac e. ing reigns at California tate Speedway hampionship By Scott Daloisio SAN BERNAR DI NO , CA, SE PT . 10 Nineteen-year-old Lance King defeated J ohn Coo k in a run -off to beco me the 1982 Californ ia State Ch a m p ion a t john L a Do u ceu r 's Inlan d Mo torcycle.Speedway. Mike Bast (Justice Brothers / Pre-Fa b Jaw) got the even ing h - h d f d u ~ d erway w e!1 e e .eate MIke Curoso (RIvera Engin eering/ B&B Wes) and Alan Christia n (ST P / Su per Seer Godd) in event one. Cook (Bell / Hi-Point Wes) made it look easy in event two as he won by half a stra ig h ta wa y over Bobby chwa rtz (Bel-Ray/Bell J aw). King (O ff-Sh ore/jT Wes ), who was ridin g - World Cha m p ion Bruce Pen hall 's bi kes a n d h ad Penhall in h is pit as a coach, easil y won event th ree with Dave Sims (Michael's Lapida ry/Long Beach Sounders Godd) edgi ng Keith Chr isco (Windlord/Oakley Godd ) for sec o n d. Mike Faria (S h o ei/Co dy Products j a w ) closed out roun d one with a hard f?u~~t deci sion over Steve Lucero (S.u per.S:er/STP Wes): ' NorthernCah for~Ia s ~aul Orlandi (Hansen Mo tors / H I-Point Wes) and Shawn McConnell (Real Estate Services/Vans J aw ) were first out of the gate in race five but it was Cook blasting by for the lead in turn three on lap one. Cook again ran away from the pack for another big win with Chrisco slipping by Orlandi for second on the final bend. john Sandona (Super Seer /Esprit jaw) rode a Bill Cody-prepared machine to an upset victory in race six . King was first out of the gate with Sandona shooting through for th e lead in turn two. King kept the heat on th e wily · 28-yea r-o ld the entire distance but suffered his on ly setback on the nigh t when he fell one bikelen gth short at the line. .. ... .1.1 ~ ., • • (A bove) A lan Ch ristian inside of Dubb Ferrell and Bobby Schwartz. (Below) Keith Chrisco leads Mike Faria toward an eventual run-off. Faria stayed even with Co ok wit h another victory in even t seven . " Flyin' Mike" th en came up against Cook in race I O. Cook took the lead from th e number two slot and never looked back as h e won over Dubb Ferrell (Vera's/ArailST P jaw), who held off Faria for seco nd the entire di stance. Ch r isco outdistanced Sandon a in event II, with King closingout round three with a n easy victory in event 12. Cook and King me t in even t 15 wit h Co o k a head by one point. The race was red flagged on th e original start when Ch ristian and Cook tangled in tu rn two , sending Christian h a rd into th e wa ll. On the restart, Cook was first out of th e gate with King in hot pursui t. If Cook had lo oked over h is sh oulder ove r the firs t two laps he wo uld ha ve been nose to nose with King. They continued inches apart and finall y mad e contac t near the end of lap two. King, on th e inside , rode Cook out to th e wa ll on the back chute on lap three and emerged from turn fo ur wi th the lead. King stayed in front ove r th e fin al lap and p ulled into a tie for first aft er four rounds. Chri sco mad e it two wi ns in a row when he defeat ed Faria in event 16. The win also p u t the surp rising Costa Mesa resi den t into a tie for thi rd with Faria h ead in g into the fina l round. Kin g passed,McConnell on lap one and then hel d off a persis tent Faria to win race 17 an d close out his score at 14 p oints. Chrisco go t th e gate in event 18 bu t it was a de term ine d Bast getting by a n d running away from th e pack , forci n g " T he Chrisco Kid ," wh o fini shed second, into a runoff with Faria for third. Coo k easily won ... .,. I over Sandona an d Sims in th e fina l h eat , giving himself 14 points and setting up a sh ow down run-off with Kin g . Faria got th e gate over Chrisco in th e runoff for third . Chrisco p ulled even on th e back straightaway on th e first two laps with Faria sh u tti n g th e . door by th e ti me they hit turn three. Chrisco, trying th e inside, went hard into turn one on la p three a n d flew off h is machine, landing h eav il y on th e back of his head . The race was red-flagged and held u p for 15 mi nutes as a nec k brace was applied a nd Chrisco was removed via back board. Fortuna tely the popu lar -rider was lat er wa lking around the pits under his ow n p ower. Fin all y the time for th e big shootout arrived. Kin g, th e you ng Cradley H eat h star was o n th e pole wi th , Cook, th e ex-Ipswich star co mi n g from two. It was even o u t of the ga te wit h Cook lead in g into turn one an d King lead in g as they came out of tu rn two . Cook tried to get by King on th e outside bu t momentaril y bobbled on lap two, giving King a three 'bikelength lead which he never relinq uished. Kin g took the checkered flag waving to th e crow d as he beca me the sixth different wi n ner in the 15year hi story of th e California State Champ ionshi p . - Results 1. Lance King (Wes) 14 · ; 2. John Cook (W es) 14; . 3. M ike Faria (Jaw) 1 1": 4 . Keit h Chr isco (Godd) 1 1; 5. (TIE) M ike Bast (Jaw) / Bobby Schw artz (Jaw) 9; 7. John Sandona (Jaw ) B; 8. (TIE)Steve Lucero (W es)1 M ike Curoso (Wes) 7; 10 . (TIE) Gene W oods (Godd)1 Dave Sims (Godd)/ Dubb Ferrell (Jaw )/J im Fishback (Jaw); 14 . Shawn McConnell (Jaw ) 2; 15 . (TIE) A lan Chr ist ian (Godd)/Paul Orland i (Wes)/Rick M iller (Wes )/Dave DeTemple (Jaw ) 1. · - Tie broken by run-o~. t 1 .... . t. 'f a" I . I " .• • • 23