Team Suzuki Dominates Supercross
TEAM SUZUKI DOMINATES SUPERCROSS
The start of the 1981 AMA Supercross Series marked the beginning of the new motocross season in America. Three riders from Team Suzuki have dominated the 1981 AMA Supercross Series so completely that all reigning Supercross champ Mike Bell of Team Yamaha can do is follow in their roost and hope to be left with fourth place. At the end of seven races held in five stadiums across the country, Mark “Bomber” Barnett has a comfortable points lead over Suzuki teammates Kent Howerton and Darrell Shultz.
The key to success for the Team Suzuki riders seems to be a burning desire to win—and win bad—while their RH 250-81 works bikes look to be the strongest-running and best-handling machines on the track. There is nothing trick-looking about the plain-Jane Suzukis compared to last season, though they are nearly complete redesigns with new frames, cylinders and hubs. Next to the latest 250cc Yamaha OW-50 with its watercooling, variable exhaust valve, YEIS induction system and new variable linkage rear suspension (unveiled at Daytona) the Suzuki looks pale in comparison, but the proof is on the race track where the simple and well-refined Suzuki works best.
Bob Hannah has used the Supercross Series to mark his first serious return to racing since the water skiing accident of August 1979 which left him with a right leg broken in 12 places. He remains fast enough to run at the front of the pack, yet for the time being, lacks the confidence to pull good starts and race with the riders who are winning like Barnett and Howerton. Gone for good is his old feet-flapping style of reckless abandon that allowed him to turn countless banzai charges from the back of the pack into seven American titles from National to Trans-Am and Supercross Series Champion.
Anaheim Stadium got this year’s Supercross Series off to a fantastic start before a sell-out crowd of 62,000 spectators. Shultz pulled off the start, then fell on the second lap to hand the lead over to Barnett. Howerton, meanwhile, was slicing his way up the pack past Bell to close on Barnett. Feeling the pressure from his teammate, Barnett boggled in a corner two laps from the finish line and Howerton blitzed on past. Barnett tried to retake the lost ground on Howerton and closed to within a wheel length before the 20-lap main event ended with Howerton still out front.
The following weekend the series moved to Seattle and the indoor Kingdome where Darrell Shultz surprised everyone by winning back-to-back in two nights of racing to claim his first major victories since joining Team Suzuki two years earlier. The first evening Bell and Barnett battled over second position behind Schultz, with the fight climaxing as the two tangled handlebars over the finish line jump and came crashing down in a pile of men and machines. Bell was somewhere at the bottom of the pile under his and Barnett’s bike, but the cuts and bruises were good enough for second place that night. The following evening, though, Suzuki made the results a clean sweep as Barnett and Howerton tagged home behind Schultz and Bell was fourth.
Two weeks and a 3500 mi. trip across the country from Seattle to Atlanta didn’t slow the Suzuki steamroller. Barnett led the race from the drop of the starting gate to the drop of the checkered flag. Howerton backed him up with second place as Bell followed in third, and Shultz stuffed handlebars into Hannah to pull off fourth. In the old days Hannah would never have been so easily shaken into giving up a position.
Next came Daytona and what is cer-> Tainly the most prestigious event on the Supercross calendar. Shultz won out in a first turn clash on the outdoor course which left Barnett and Hannah sprawled on the ground. Taking the lead from there, Shultz held off a determined Donnie Cantaloupi of Team Yamaha to post his third win of the series.
Luck ended for Shultz the next weekend at Houston’s Astrodome along with the loss of his points lead as Shultz injured his knee the first night during a practice session for the two day event. Yamaha’s Broc Glover led the first half of Friday night’s race until Barnett pulled a wild out-of-control pass in a whoop-de section to grab the lead and the win. The next night Barnett returned to hold off local hero and teammate Howerton for the win again, allowing Barnett to rack up enough points to take a commanding lead in the series over his two teammates. >
—Jim Gianatsis
