Race Watch
RACE WATCH
Bailey leads Supercross Series, Kenny and Eddie test new Yamahas, Sam Wills and Bo O'Brochta team up in Top Fuel.
BAILEY LEADS SUPERCROSS SERIES
Honda’s David Bailey won the opening round of the 1983 Wrangler Supercross Series, in Anaheim Stadium, and followed up with two second-place finishes in the doubleheader second and third rounds at Seattle's Kingdome.
As impressive as Bailey's first big career win was, more impressive was Bob “Hurricane” Hannah’s return to top form after several mediocre seasons. Hannah, now riding for Honda, came from last to fourth at Anaheim and won both rounds in Seattle with a little help from crashes and one part of the Seattle course that seemed custom-designed to derail Yamaha chains: Yamaha pilots spending time re-railing drive chains included Mike Bell and Donnie Cantaloupi.
The finishing order at Anaheim was Bailey, Johnny O'Mara (Honda), Broc Glover (Yamaha), and Hannah. Following Hannah in the first Seattle round were Bailey, Jeff Ward (Kawasaki) and Alan King (Suzuki). Behind Hannah in the second Seattle round were Bailey, O’Mara, and Brian Myerscough ( Honda).
ROBERTS AND LAWSON TEST NEW YAMAHAS
Kenny Roberts and Eddie Lawson at Laguna Seca tested new 500cc VFour Yamahas built for the World Championship circuit. The pair also tested square Fours destined for use at Daytona and Laguna Seca Camel Pro Series events.
According to rumor, the square Fours
for Daytona are larger than 500cc, possibly as large as 650cc.
As seen from the photos, the new Grand Prix bikes have more streamlining in the seat/tail section and smaller front fork reservoirs than the older square Four design.
AMA/WRANGLER MOTOCROSS SERIES
The 1983 AMA motocross season includes supercrosses and outdoor motocrosses and is sponsored by Wrangler. The remaining rounds in the series are as follows at presstime, but call the AMA (614) 891-2425 to verify that an event hasn't been cancelled before going.
WARD, HANNAH, BREKER LEAD GOLDEN STATE SERIES
Three rounds into the CMC Golden State series, the action has shaped into a classic Yamaha/Honda confrontation.
Danny Chandler and Broc Glover overshadowed the performance of the rest of the 500cc field at the opening Saddle-
back Park round. Glover and his Yamaha holeshot both motos, while a mediocre-starting Chandler swept his Honda past for both moto wins. Glover attempted retaliation in moto two and the pair traded the lead repeatedly with Chandler ahead at the flag by a wheel.
Bob Hannah and his Honda swept both motos of the 250cc class after brief skirmishes with Honda’s David Bailey and Yamaha’s Rick Johnson. Johnson’s second moto challenge was deflated by a flat front tire.
Mark Barnett (Suzuki) made his only series appearance to date and demolished the I25cc class, despite a fall that added temporary drama to the second moto.
Glover moved to the 250cc class for the second round to battle with Rick Johnson and Hannah. The action was close and rough with onlookers wondering out loud whether boxing gloves would be required for the remainder of the series. Hannah and Glover split wins with all three riders crashing at times. Bailey was third overall with a 4-2 score.
Chandler had a heartbreaking day on his factory Open bike in the second round. Donnie Cantaloupi and Warren Reid, both on private Yamaha 490s, split wins after Magoo led and broke in both motos. Magoo’s bike gave up with the finish line in sight in the first moto and he pushed across. He caught the gearshift lever on a berm in the first turn of the second moto and the transmission jammed into fourth gear. A remarkable display of riding netted him the lead from a mid-pack start despite the mechanical gremlins. His effort was foiled, when the transmission failed, causing him to fall. Reid took the overall win, his first major win in a while. Honda privateer Goat Breker took second overall, with Yamaha Pro-support rider Tim Locey third.
Kawasaki’s Jeff Ward took the overall in the I25cc class, splitting wins with another, and much newer, former Mini class sensation Ron Lechien. Ward led the majority of both motos, despite a tangle with Suzuki’s George Holland. Holland had put in a strong after-injury ride at the opener, but broke both bones in his lower leg in the second round mishap. Honda’s Johnny O’Mara was third overall, behind Lechien,
Ironically, Bob “Hurricane” Hannah lost his first round of the series due to difficulties in the Sand Hill Ranch quagmire, the remainder of a tropical storm. Bailey got his ’83 Honda works bike dialed and took both sloppy motos. Kenny Keylon and teammate Hannah completed a three-man Honda sweep of the
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class. Keylon ran up front in both moto, while Hannah inspired the record crowd with come from behind rides. Austrian Heinz Kinigadner put his KTM into thh ahead of Hannah in the first.moto. H finish being the best moto by any of th several Europeans competing on botl coasts.
The mud also plagued Chandler. / thrown chain in the first round and ; thrown body, Magoo’s, in the second cos him another win. Local hero Donnw Cantaloupi took the overall over Hond riders Goat Breker and Phil Larson Lechien and Ward again split wins wit! Lechien taking the overall. Ward how ever, has the series lead. O’Mara again took third. Hannah has the 250cc das, lead, and Breker leads in series Ope 1 class points.
Karel Kramer ¡Cycle News Wes \
CANTALOUPI COMES BACK— WITH KENNY ROBERTS' HELP
Before three-time 500cc road racing
World Champion Kenny Roberts stepped into the picture, motocross ¡
vateer Donnie Cantaloupi had a probleu Cantaloupi had already turned down works KTM ride and had called Yarn.'Racing Manager Ken Clark to ask production YZ490 Yamaha to ride 1983. But Clark had already delive the last bike in his first shipment YZ490s, and wouldn't have another b fore the start of the popular CM' Golden State series, which Cantaloupi wanted to enter.
Which is w here Roberts came in. Roberts, a Northern California neighbor o, Cantaloupi, had borrowed one of the first YZ490s for use as a playbike.
Hearing of Cantaloupi’s problem, Roberts offered the loan of his YZ490. And based on Cantaloupi’s strong performances in the first two Golden State Series rounds, Clark gave him the next YZ490 in the country. With it. Cantaloupi won two rounds of the series and earned Yamaha support, consisting continued on page 128
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of bikes, paris and expenses for the rest
of the season.
Cantaloupi’s ties with Yamaha go back a ways. Clark first met Cantaloupi in 1977 at the San Jose Mile. Two-time AMA Grand National Champion Dick Mann pulled Clark aside and said “I’ve got someone here I want you to meet. Someday he’s going to ride for you. This is Donnie Cantaloupi.”
Mann’s prediction came true, and in 1980 and 1981 Cantaloupi rode 125s for Yamaha Motors Corp., U.S. It didn’t quite work out. Clark says now that he made a mistake in assigning Cantaloupi a mechanic, and that a communications problem kept Cantaloupi from any real success.
Which made Cantaloupi a privateer in 1982.
Cantaloupi, now 21, is getting advice from neighbor Roberts along the way, and things look good. “I feel good on Yamahas and things are coming along. I don’t know whether the change (in results) is from just being around a few more years and seeing how things have to work, or just being a little more mature. But Kenny (Roberts) is negotiating my contract with Yamaha, and he’s promising me good things.”
HONDA'S LATEST WORKS MOTOCROSSER
The latest Honda RC250 motocrosser features a gas tank extending down behind the cylinder to keep weight low, with a vacuum fuel pump acting off intake pulses. The bikes have hydraulic disc brakes front and rear. Suspension is Showa forks and single-rear shock. The Pro-Lever rear shock linkage is designed to reduce stress and loading on the shock, lowering shock oil temperature and eliminating shock fade in long motos.
The radiator is low on the front frame downtube and the works engines have kickstart levers on the right, the opposite side from the 1982 works bikes.
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1983 works RC250. Extended fuel tank has molded-in clearance for kick start lever
WILLS AND O'BROCHTA TEAM FOR TOP FUEL
Former I DBA Top Fuel Champion Sam Wills has left Motorcycles Unlimited and will ride the ex-Terminal Van Lines Kawasaki taken to the 1981 IDBA and NMRA Top Fuel Championships by Bo O’Brochta.
Although still owned and tuned by Terminal Van Lines chief Mike Gray, the bike will be campaigned under the banner of W ills' new chassis design and fabrication business. Racing Innovations of Clearwater, Florida. Murdoch Racing Enterprises (MRE) will co-sponsor the effort.
The bike has been in storage for over a year.
O'Brochta, who turned a best time (without a record-required backup run) of 7.07 sec. on the bike, will serve as a mechanic. Wills rode a Kawasaki owned and prepared by Carl Ahfeldt of Motorcycles Unlimited to set the 1981 Top Fuel L.T. record at 7.27 sec.
ROCKET BIKE PIONEER CALLS FOR DRAG RACING SAFETY MEASURES
Arvil Porter, of Milton, Florida, who pioneered rocket-powered drag bikes and recorded a personal best pass of 7.78 sec. and 194.60 mph in the 1970s, has called for increased safety measures at drag races.
“Top Fuel bikes have outrun the safety of the racetracks they run on," said Porter recently. “And now that 200 mph is within reach to stay, something has to be done to increase racebike controllability and rideability. I've watched some Top Fuel bikes shake from the time the riders push the two-speed shift button until they run through the lights, and combined with steel guard rails, rough tracks and bumpy shut-down areas it's a big problem."
Porter called for a joint effort between track owners, race promoters, Top Fuel bike builders and riders to find a way to increase safety.
