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/84161
e aware 'finish line first, that is Alright, boys, you gotta' , wait your turn - COrky and Springer line up in order of f in ish, left; Dave Sehl (16) making Mike Kidd work for his heat win, center; and for the champion, it's good to be on top of the heap again, above right. shattered the less-than-hour-old 10 lap ' record in a green Iigh t to checkered flag dash. . Semi two saw pole sitter Jay Ridgeway moved back to the penalty line and Steve Droste pull the holeshot. What followed was a wing-ding of a race as Mert Lawwill chased Droste for two laps and then found himself chasing both Ridgeway and Droste. J ay had come off the .penalty line strong, swooping by Droste and Lawwill in rums 1-2 at the beginning of the third go-arou nd. Mert got by Droste on the fourth lap and then passed Ridgeway on the sixth lap. Ridgeway had informed one and all that 'his Bill Kennedy Triumph had "more horsepower than we did at Louisville" where he finished tenth in the National. Traveling partner and wrench, Bubba Pattman, quickly added, "Sure hope she doesn't have a short fuse, though." She did. Ridgeway dropped out on the ninth lap and Mert was home free and in the National. Trophy Race The 12 lap consolation race belonged start to finish to Steve Droste. .Polesitter Steve Freeman, who had turned in an outstanding ride in the first semi, accidentally hit the kill button on his XR at the start and the button stuc k in the off position. "It took me a couple laps to figure out what was wrong," said an obviously disappointed Freeman, Prior to the day's program, who finished dead last. Although Droste was never headed, he was certainly pressured by both eventual runnerup Gene Romero and Mike Eades. By the ninth lap Droste pulled away from Romero and further dices dropped Eades to sixth at the finish with Brent Lowe, Chuck Palmgren and Greg Sassaman taking positions 3-4-5. National Polesit ter Scott Drake chose the outside for the one row start, the first rider to do so all evening. Drake, who hails from Xenia, Ohio, is acknowledged as one of the best starters in the business and he backed up that reputation by once again pulling the holeshot on the 14 man field. (The first start attempt was aborted when Doug Sehl and Billy over-anticipated and were placed on the penalty line.) Drake rode the high line around the Harrington half mile, a move that had worked throughout the evening: but failed to payoff in the National as Kee ner stayed down on the groove and went under fo r the lead on the fourth lap. Behind Keener and Drake at that time the order was Lawwill, Springsteen, Dave Sehl, Gary Scott, Eves, Kidd, and Boody. Both Gary Scott and Kenny Roberts had gotten bad star ts with Roberts' due to the fac t that "I start in third gear which requires me to shift up two gears from neutral when the yellow light comes on. Sometimes I'm just getting it into third when the light flashes." Scott said, "I got a bad start and then had to wait for traffic to settle down before 1 could start to really move." Scott moved the most as he took over fifth on the fifth lap fro m Mert Lawwill, who was dropping back due to an engine that "went on one cylinder an d a , tire that just wasn't sticking." Lawwill retired from the race on the 11th lap with the order reading Keener, Springsteen, Drake, Gary Scott, Sehl, Hank Scott, Eves, Roberts, Kidd, Boody, Schaeffer. Dough Sehl and Cummings. Springsteen closed on Keener and Schaeffer Corky was seen. on several consecutive laps giving a move-back wave with his left hand to Jay as the pair raced down the backstraight in close formation. Light comedy at fast speeds. The final laps saw Corky open up a slim margin over Jay, which Springer later blamed on th e fact th at he "slipped off the groove. Damn, I s~e~ to be having ,that pro blem lately." , •With Keener and Springsteen firmly holding on to the top two positions, attention turned to Gary Scott's attempts to get by Drake. He finally succeeded on theIast lap as did Dave Seh!. Keener, Springsteen, Scott, Sehl and Drake made it a 1-2-3-4-5 sweep by Harley with Hank Scott and his Yamaha in sixth ahead of Kenny Roberts. The winner's circle activities were -defmi tely of a happy nature, even more so than usual. due to the presence of Corky Keener. Corky always lights up any gathering he joins and it was the fifth National winner's circle that he has occupie d at the highest poin t on the victor's stand. Havin g dispelled the my th that he can only ride cushion tracks, Corky st atedthat he had "ridden the race where I wanted to ride it and how 1 wanted to ride it an d that was that. This track was bread and butter for my buddy Jay and me. We're moving up and with two half miles and a mile coming up, we're gonna keep on moving up." Since Corky only rides dirt events, thus Mr. Dirt, it was assumed he'd skip the following week's Loudon National road race, so he was asked what he planned to do. "I'm going fishing. Gonna take a holiday." • Results 20 LAPS NATIONAL: 1. Co rk y K een er (H-D). 2. Jay Spr in gsteen W .Dl' 3. Gary Scali (H,Dj' 4. Dave Seh l H·D. 5. Scali Drake (H-O • 6 . Hank Scott ( am). 7. Kenny Ro ber ts (Yam). 8. B ill Eves IH-O). 9. Ted Boody (1-1·0) . 10. BlII y Schaef er (Va m). 11 . Mike K ldd (H-D). 12. Tom Cummln~s 11-1-0). 13. Doug Sehl (H·C). 14.. Mert Lawwil l H:D). T ime : 8 :5 3.883. EXPERT T ROPHY RACE: 1. Steve Oroste ~ Steve Morehead (H-O). 8 . Eddie Wirth (H-O ). 9 . Rick Hocking (HoOD). 10 . Steve Freeman • Time: 5 :28. 844. (H-D). HoOD . 4. Chuck Palmgren H· D). 5. Gregg ssaman (H-D). 6. Mike -Ol ' 2. Gene Romero (H-D~ 3. Bren t Lowe des (H-O ). 7. 9