250 Expert

250 Expert

Spencer demonstrates that he will go just as fast as he has to— and wins

Pat Eagan

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The 250 Expert race was the first of two events dominated by 17-year-old Fast Freddie Spencer. As with most motorcycle sport, it's the best combination of bike and rider that wins, and Spencer's Erv Kan emoto-built, Gary Howard-sponsored Yamaha never missed a beat. Howard is the driving force behind Howard Racing. a parts and accessories distributor and mo tocross racebike builder in Bryant. Texas.

Before the race, spectators were evenly divided between those who thought Freddie would win and those who thought that AFM star Eddie Fawson would win with his Ted Dann-sponsored, Matt Owen-pre. pared Yamaha. Fawson had been tearing up the local tracks and establishing new lap records at every appearance.

The equipment battle rages in the 250 ranks, and average lap times continue to drop. The only standard Yamaha in the top five was Mark Homchick’s TZ250F sponsored by Haynes Publishing Co.

Of the remaining four, about the only

Yamaha parts used were in the TZ250 powerplants and they were all highly modified. The frame for Spencer’s bike was built by Steve Jentges (formerly the J of C&J Frames) to Kanemoto’s specifications. Fawson uses a Kenny Roberts frame and Gennady Fiubimsky’s Hunt Racing Products machine has a Rob North frame. Focal hero Dave Garoutte manufactures and sells his own frames under his DKG label.

The 10-lap main event got under way with two separate battles, Fawson versus Spencer for first place and Homchick, Fiubimsky and Garoutte scrapping for third. The race for first was so hot that the lap times would have had the same two riders and bikes going for the lead in the 750cc race! Fawson led, turning high 1:47s and low 1:48s with Spencer right behind. Meanwhile. Fiubimsky was pressuring Homchick while Garoutte looked for any mistake he could take advantage of. Fiubimsky was turning consistent, low' 1:50s. which would have been good for last year’s lead.

Spencer turned the wick up on lap four and reeled off a couple of mid 1:46s, putting Fawson behind. Fawson had trouble trying to match Spencer's times because his bike’s huge 3.75-18 Goodyear rear slick had to be trimmed so much to clear the swing arm that Fawson was riding off the edge in the lefthanders. With Fawson riding as hard as his rear tire would let him. Spencer cruised home with a 4 sec. margin of victory.

Behind the leading pair, Fiubimsky got a drive off the carousel that carried him past Homchick on lap five. Garoutte did the same thing in the same place on the following lap, but tried too hard in the Turn 7 hairpin and crashed, breaking his right wrist and right ankle.

Freddie had barely enough time to relax before he jumped on the Kawasaki Motor Corp. KZ1000 to repeat his record-shattering ride.

GLOVER BEATS NOVICES

John Glover of Costa Mesa, California won the Novice race at Sears Point, taking the lead off the start and staying out front for the finish. Glover, riding the Carter Fisher-owned, Fairfield Cycle Center-sponsored Yamaha, has long been in the hunt as far as ability but never before managed to overcome continuing mechanical problems.

LOUGEE/ALSOP TOP SIDEHACKS

In one of the best sidecar races ever, Wayne Fougee and new monkey Carter Alsop held off a last lap, last turn challenge for the lead by cutting off and holding the Farry Coleman/Mark Bevans Yamaha hack against the turn 12 concrete wall, hitting hard enough to knock an expansion chamber off'the Coleman/Bevans hack. It was Alsop’s first ride on Fougee’s Kawasaki-powered hack.