Race Watch

RACE WATCH

Kenny Comes Home and Wins Houston; Hansford Heads for Daytona

KENNY AND THE KIDS

When Kenny Roberts bid farewell to the Winston Pro Series, he did it by laping the field at Daytona. So when Roberts returned to American racing, he needed something to top his previous display.

He had it. After a two-year vacation from serious dirt racing, Roberts won the Houston TT, first event in the AMA/ Winston 1980 season, and he won it in a thriller, the sort of race that proves you can hold your breath for 25 laps.

Making a good story better, KR didn’t win the Houston short track, second AMA event of the year.

Houston is not like other races. As the first race of the season, it attracts a large crowd and all the racers from across the country. It’s a normal short track circuit but the smallish space available for the TT means the turns are short and the jumps are nasty, so what works at Houston may not work as well the rest of the year. And there are only two TTs and two short tracks on the national calendar, so the results from Houston don’t forecast the year. Finally, Roberts will not be racing AMA this year, not the full schedule, anyway. A few road races, sure, but most of KR’s efforts will be toward a third world 500 title. (Not what he said he’d do, and not what we expected, but we’ll get to that.)

Houston was perfect for Roberts and for Yamaha, who learned the hard way that you can’t beat Harley-Davidson when it comes to making big Twins into racers. Instead, for the confines of the Astrodome, what works best is a nice, light 500 Single, something Yamaha builds very well. Yamaha was there in force, with Mert Lawwill-prepped 500 TT bikes and 250 twostroke short trackers for Roberts and a flock of promising riders.

The TT

There was an overflow of entrants, with half the riders not even getting into the heats, which meant that every heat was a battle. And there was talk that Scott Pearson, the fastest qualifier, had been given the benefit of a funny time.

Not so. Pearson and John Gennai were moved to the back because they crept forward before the flag actually fell. Pearson burst through the field on the start and won by an easy length, edging Mike Kidd and Gennai, who watched Pearson wedge open a gap, then popped through behind.

In fourth, and out of the main event, was defending AMA No. 1 Steve Eklund, who didn’t have a good weekend.

The second heat looked the property of Alex Jorgensen and his beautiful old BSA Twin. Jorgy led until the last lap, when Bruce Hanlon, Yamaha 500, got a better drive on the last turn of the last lap. Roberts won the third heat, gaining a few seconds on John Hately, whose Honda 500 was a safe distance ahead of Ronnie Jones.

And for the fourth and last heat, Jay Springsteen. The Harley is too big for the track, Springer has been struggling with an illness that’s baffled the doctors, but Jay wrestled the XR750 out front and stayed there, followed by new Expert Freddie Spencer, Honda, and new Harley teamster Randy Goss.

Only the winners of the two semi-finals transferred to the finals, so Mickey Fay, TT winner here last year, rode off and hid from Eklund. Scott Parker, surprise Winston>

star of 1979, took the other semi.

First off the line for the Big One was . . . Alex Jorgensen. Only the British fans could believe it, but Jorgy ran the big old beauty over the jumps, through the turns and away, chased by Roberts, Pearson, Kidd, Spencer, Hanlon and the rest.

Roberts and Pearson bumped, leading to mutterings about Pearson’s style, but after the clash it was Roberts who got clear and went for Jorgensen, while Pearson had his hands full with Hanlon and Springsteen.

The three-time No. 1 had his hands full. Springsteen worked way up to third, the giant XR got loose and dropped him, he picked it back up and charged again.

Meanw hile, to mixed expressions of dismay and delight, Roberts passed Jorgensen for the lead and the win, which KR celebrated with the traditional wheelie past the flag.

As they lined up for the trophies and kisses, Jorgy’s crew noticed something. The righthand carb hose on the BSA was broken and the carb was dangling. Did it lose power? Well, yeah, Jorgy said, but he wasn’t going to offer any excuses, not even in the press box later.

Everybody went home winners. The fans saw great racing, Roberts returned to the U.S. in convincing style, Jorgensen and .he BSA gave heart to the traditionalists and Springsteen did more riding than anybody.

Flat track

Team Yamaha expressed doubts about this. Lawwill could build a TT bike as good as anybody’s, but short track is a science all its own and sure enough, Roberts was the 13th fastest qualifier while Gennai, on a private Yamaha, had the pole. In between were Hondas, two-stroke Harleys, a Bultaco and two Ossas.

Roberts won his heat, followed by Gennai. But it wasn’t the fastest heat, as Jeff Haney and his Honda edged out Pearson for a heat win and the pole. Other prelim victors were Rick Hocking, with Corky Keener’s private Harley close behind; Mickey Fay ahead of Alex Jorgensen, this time on a Can-Am, Ronnie Jones, an untilnow dark horse, and Gary Scott in front of brother Hank.

Randy Goss and Rick Graham won the

two semi-finals and made the show. Missing? Surprise. Springsteen came down sick after the TT, and went back to the hospital. The doctors are puzzled, but for the fans, it’s easy. Springer rides his guts out.

Eklund was third in his heat, then second in his semi, so he missed the final for the second time in as many tries. Not a good way to defend his title. Eklund looked good once at Houston, as he won the Trophy race. It’s also known as the Consolation, but it wasn’t for Eklund.

Then, the race. Roberts and Haney hit>

the front turn together, they hit each other and Haney lost out. Jones worked his way through the pack and closed up, until he and Roberts, the old master and the young charger, were trading the lead.

It was a matter of lines and techniques. Short track is an art form; all you do is slide left, full power, pitch it. slide left, full power, pitch it.

Each track is different, each turn is different, every lap. Short track lacks the show of motocross, the speed of the mile. Instead, the fan gets to see close action, good riders and differences measured in inches.

Experienced Roberts watchers said KR used his old style, charging in and letting the bike drift wide coming out of the turns. Ronnie Jones is 19, and no hothead. He took a different tack, shifted down and got inside Roberts coming out of the turns. Three laps from the end Mickey Fay, also young and sharp, squeezed his way through and that’s the way they finished; Ronnie Jones (Yam), Mickey Fay (Honda) and Kenny Roberts (Yam).

Which was all right. If KR had won all the races going away, it wouldn’t have been as much fun, might even have proven that we only have one racer in the country.

But this way, with a close win and a closer third, with the new guys proving how good they are, with Jones prying open the champagne, handing the bottle to Fay, who took his share and passed it on to Roberts, who took his ceremonial swig, when they all grinned at each other, it showed that what American professional racing is, is good racing.

HANSFORD FOR KAWASAKI AT DAYTONA

At press time we learned that Australian Gregg Hansford will ride for Kawasaki at Daytona, entering the Superbike race for certain with the 200-miler and the 250cc races falling under the “maybe” classification. It isn’t known whether or not Hansford will ride a 1025cc four-stroke Kawasaki similar to the second-fastestqualifing KZ1000R ridden at the 1979 Suzuka 8-Hours by the Tokuno brothers.ES