Broc Glover Repeats 125cc Title

BROC GLOVER REPEATS 125cc TITLE

Team Yamaha's Broc Glover of El Cajon, California, wrapped up his third consecutive AMA 125cc National Motocross Championship with one race still left to be run in the nine-event 1979 schedule. Glover clinched his title with a conservative fourth place finish at Metrolina Speedway Park in Charlotte, North Carolina, aboard his Jim Felt-prepared factory OW-42 works bike. Finishing out the final championship standings in a somewhat distant second and third place were factory Suzuki riders Mark Barnett and Brian Myerscough with their RA-125-79 prototypes.

Myerscough and Barnett dominated the last few races, with Barnett winning Char lotte and the final event at St. Petersburg, Florida. But by then it was much too late. Glover only had to coast to win the series after having totally controlled the first half of the championship.

Glover, 21, is one of the oldest and most experienced riders in the 125cc class. Pre vious class champions like Marty Smith and Bob Hannah, (and top contenders like Danny LaPorte), have all moved on to larger displacement classes leaving Glover the lone veteran in the ankle-biter class. Each year since 1977 when Yamaha em ployed team tactics and Hannah helped Glover win his first 125cc National Cham pionship. Glover has gotten quicker and harder to catch, winning each successive title by ever-increasing margins. He may be even harder to catch in the future, particularly if Suzuki's Barnett moves up to the 250cc class in 1980.

Two factory teams never even got a close look at the winner's circle in this year's championship. Team Honda riders Warren Reid and Jim Gibson were hampered in trying to develop a new RC-125-79 fac tory bike which wasn't very competitive at the beginning of the series, though an improved version seemed to perform bet ter at the last few races. And Kawasaki's Jeff Ward was subjected to teething prob lems with the radical Uni-Trak KX-125 SR which is slated to become a production bike for 1980 like the RC Hondas.

Finishing out the series in fifth overall was first year rookie Donnie Cantaloupi from Stockton, California, on the Moto-X Fox YZ Yamaha. Cantaloupi's top finishes at every race were so impressive that he earned a multi-year contract from Yamaha beginning with the fall's Trans-USA Series where he will ride injured Bob Hannah's works bikes. Two other factory teams wanted Can taloupi as well because of his versatility on any size bike, but Yamaha won out in the bidding and plans to have Cantaloupi teamed with Glover in the 125cc Nationals for next season to guaran tee their stranglehold on the class for a

long time to come.

Jim Gianatsis

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