Sun Tops Florida Winterama Mx Series
SUN TOPS FLORIDA WINTERAMA MX SERIES
RACE WATCH
Team Honda's Chuck Sun, the 1980 National 500cc MX Champion, won seven of eight 500 motos in the four-round Winter-AMA MX series. Sun dominated on his Eric Crippa-tuned works Honda through the Orlando, St. Petersburg and Cocoa rounds, but when the series returned to Orlando for the final, Sun retired from moto one with a split gas tank seam.
The overall at the final round in the 500cc class fell to Husqvarna’s Billy Grossi with a 1-2. Grossi, a veteran now enjoying a second wind, stayed close to Sun throughout the series and finished second in the final standings. Florida’s John Reinholt adapted well to his new Honda CR480R and took third. Maico riders Gary Pustelak and Andy Stacy were fourth and fifth.
Newly-signed Honda rider David Bailey won five 250cc motos after missing round one with a broken hand, but consistency gave Steve Martin, another Floridian riding under Honda’s pro support program, the championship on a production CR250R. The points battle for the title was between Martin and his Honda teammate, Jo Jo Keller, but a spill in the second moto at the final round and a leaking shock put Keller back to third with Bailey second.
Local rider Keith Oelerich privateered an ’81 Yamaha to the overall at St. Pete and finished fourth in the 250cc series, with Honda pro support rider Jimmy Ellis fifth.
Karl Jordan ran a 1-2, 2-3, 2-1 and 1-1 through the 125cc series with a Yamaha support bike. Kenny Keylon, the 1981 AMA 500cc MX Rookie of the Year, came to round one with a Honda pro support ride. He finished DNF-1, 1-1, 1-DNF through the first three rounds and didn’t show for round four—Honda sent him to California to try hard-packed tracks and to enter the Anaheim Supercross.
New England’s Steve Burdette put a new pro license in his pocket and headed for Florida, eventually coming up with second in the final 125cc standings on a Suzuki. Veteran pro Tom Ealy ran third, with Team Green’s Rick Maki of California finishing fourth in the Florida sand. Keylon was fifth.
Tom Mueller/Cycle News East
