Cycle World Race Watch
CYCLE WORLD RACE WATCH
Bailey is Super Series Champion
In 1983's final National Motocross held in Minnesota, David Bailey rode his factory RC250 Honda to second place in the 250cc class and won the first Wrangler Super
Series Championship. The championship combines points from both the indoor Supercross Series and outdoor Nationals to crown one overall American motocross champion. As it did in the Supercross Series, Bailey’s championship came at the expense of Suzuki’s Mark Barnett, who finshed just one point behind Bailey, 859 points to 860. Bailey had a slight advantage over Barnett in that Bailey rode 250cc machines in both the Supercross Series and outdoor Nationals while Barnett switched to the 125cc class to earn his outdoor points.
The final outdoor National Championship standings saw Team Honda’s Johnny O’Mara taking the 125cc title over former 3-time winner Barnett. The 250cc class went to Bailey to give him his third National Championship title for the 1983 season. In the 500cc class it was Broc Glover,Team Yamaha, who held off the comeback charge
of Kent Howerton, now riding for Kawasaki.
Jim Gianatsis
Carlqvist takes 500cc MX world championship
In what turned out to be one of the hardest fought 500cc World Motocross Championships in years, Sweden’s Hakan Carlqvist former 250cc World Champion rode his factory Yamaha to the 1983 title. Carlqvist’s toughest opposition came from former 500cc World Champions Andre Malherbe of Belgium and Graham Noyce of England, both of Team Honda, who finished second and third, respectively.
Reigning 5OOcc~i. Champion Brad Lackey sat out the season at home in California, without factory support.
The 250cc MX World Championship was won by Suzuki’s Georges Jobe of Belgium, a former World Champion in the class. Reigning 250cc champion Danny LaPorte finished out the season in second place, having to console himself with the overall win at the final race in Finland.
Team Suzuki rider Eric Goebers, also of Belgium, took the l 25cc World Championship.
Jim Gianatsis
Ontario, Hammer trade endurance wins
Tearn Ontario and Team Hammer are trading wins and the points lead in the WERA/Nippondenso National Endurance Road Racing Championship, but after 11 rounds in the 15-race series Team Ontario again led the points
standings.
Team Ontario’s Ontario Moto Tech CB1100F Superbike blew up (dropped valves) at a six-hour at Pocono while
Team Hammer’s Yoshimura GS1000S Formula One bike led. But while Team dammer led by four laps at two hours, ney finished third after repeated ignition failures. Team Ontario again dropped valves while running second in a six-hour at Texas World Speedway, and Team Hammer won, taking the points lead. But a week later at a sixhour in Savannah, Team Hammer broke a clutch basket while leading, finishing out of the points—28th—after changing the engine. Team Ontario won and retook the points lead. At a 24-hour at Nelson Ledges the next week, Team Ontario crashed but came back to finish fourth. Team Hammer suffered through three ignition failures, lighting system shorts, a pit fire, carburetors fouled by contaminated gas, and two gas tank fractures to finish 16th, out of the points.
At Charlotte for a five-hour, Team Hammer led until again encountering ignition problems, and Team Ontario won with Hammer third. But Team Hammer won a four-hour at Elkhart Lake that Team Ontario didn’t start. At Road Atlanta, Team Hammer led the first two hours of the six-hour race, suffered a flat rear tire and a broken frame, and finished second to Team Ontario, 20 laps ahead of third place. With four races (and 92 pts.) left in the series, Team Ontario led Team Hammer by 33 pts.
Freddie Spencer is World Champion
Shreveport, Louisiana’s Fast Freddie Spencer won the 500cc Road Racing World Championship by finishing second to three-time champion Kenny Roberts in the final event of the 1983 series, in Italy. Spencer finished the
year with 144
points to Roberts’ 142 points. California’s Randy Mamola(89) points and Eddie Lawson (78 points) finished
third and fourth in the championship, making it an American sweep. Full details next month.
Formula Two: Howard dominates before crash
Young Canadian Rhys Howard rose to the top of the Formula Two pile this season with consecutive victories at Loudon and Pocono. Howard’s two wins came on the heels of his second place at Elkhart Lake and gave him a commanding points lead for the Formula Two championship. And it looked like Howard and his Motorcycle Works TZ250 built by Dave Harold would win a third straight time a Laguna Seca, pulling well ahead after Dave Busby’s air-cooled 350cc TZ250 broke early on. Howard left the rest of the field far behind, pulling away at the rate of several seconds a lap. But within four laps Howard was lapping slower traffic and tangled with another rider in the fastest turn on the track. Howard was forced off the inside of the track by the lappee and cartwheeled in a sickening crash that left Howard and bike sprawled across the circuit.
The race was stopped while Howard was taken to the hospital, unconscious, with nine broken bones. The race was restarted, and David Emde won.
Howard remained unconscious for five days and Randy Renfrow won the next round, at Portland, one of two tracks Howard considered his home ground. With his win at Portland, Renfrow took the series points lead.
Renfrow consolidated his points lead with a second place at Sears Point, behind Don Greene. Greene led early in the race after starting from the pole, faded to third with tire problems, and came back with a late charge and a lastlappass of Renfrow to win the race.
After Sears Point, Renfrow led the points chase with l 18. Howard, still in the hospital, was second with 97, with Emde third with 89.
Mike Baldwin takes U.S. F-1 title
Mike Baldwin won the U.S. Formula One Championship by winning the final event of the 1983 series, at Brainerd, Minnesota. Fred Merkel was second with privateer Dave Busby and his aircooled TZ350 in third place. The race was marred by the deaths of Hugh Humble and Mark Jones during a Formula One practice session. Details next month. E!
