| World Figure 8 History Saturday, September 12, 1987
Mike St. John joins brother Kenny as a World Champion
A Star was born as St. John went onto be a great Speedrome Legend
|
FN |
ST |
Laps |
# |
Driver |
|
1 |
2 |
299 |
1 |
Mike St John |
|
2 |
25 |
287 |
54 |
Bob Studt |
|
3 |
8 |
279 |
4 |
Jack Dossey Jr |
|
4 |
24 |
275 |
40 |
Jim Fox |
|
5 |
5 |
270 |
2 |
Charlie Reed |
|
6 |
21 |
263 |
779 |
Ray Gaddis |
|
7 |
26 |
259 |
69 |
Ken Ahlgren |
|
8 |
15 |
248 |
4J |
Jack Dandy |
|
9 |
1 |
231 |
16 |
Rance Harmon |
|
10 |
33 |
222 |
13 |
Cecil Karr |
|
11 |
7 |
213 |
7 |
Bruce Tunny |
|
12 |
3 |
212 |
9 |
Leonard Basham |
|
13 |
9 |
209 |
2J |
Joe McKinney |
|
14 |
22 |
204 |
21 |
Curtis McMurtrey |
|
15 |
11 |
201 |
88 |
Joe Lowe |
|
16 |
18 |
196 |
8 |
Bobby Ellett |
|
17 |
36 |
196 |
30 |
Guy Strode |
|
18 |
34 |
192 |
56 |
Bill Riley Jr |
|
19 |
16 |
180 |
49 |
Scott Martin |
|
20 |
31 |
175 |
14 |
Ben Benedict |
|
21 |
10 |
172 |
6 |
Bill Tunny Jr |
|
22 |
23 |
172 |
91 |
Ronnie Clontz |
|
23 |
4 |
171 |
09 |
Gary Earley |
|
24 |
12 |
166 |
02 |
Mike Baas |
|
25 |
35 |
144 |
32 |
Donnie Garrigus II |
|
26 |
29 |
141 |
99 |
Herb Rose |
|
27 |
49 |
141 |
66A |
Ken Carpenter |
|
28 |
20 |
129 |
12 |
Jim Wampler |
|
29 |
14 |
126 |
85 |
Lyle Heiss |
|
30 |
32 |
121 |
00 |
Pat Herrman |
|
31 |
19 |
114 |
16A |
Robbie Loving |
|
32 |
39 |
113 |
23 |
Kenny Payne |
|
33 |
37 |
103 |
27 |
Eddie Deal |
|
34 |
51 |
103 |
111 |
Al Grinde |
|
35 |
40 |
100 |
35 |
Mike Burgess |
|
36 |
47 |
100 |
34 |
Jack Dossey Sr |
|
37 |
28 |
96 |
07 |
David Stayton |
|
38 |
27 |
95 |
6X |
Butch Campbell |
|
39 |
37 |
91 |
31 |
Larry McEntire |
|
40 |
42 |
87 |
30X |
John Weliver |
|
41 |
54 |
83 |
30W |
George Sutton |
|
42 |
62 |
80 |
90 |
Phil Lynch |
|
43 |
45 |
70 |
75 |
Chris Linkous |
|
44 |
13 |
62 |
18 |
Jeff Hizer |
|
45 |
6 |
61 |
3 |
Bill Frazer |
|
46 |
55 |
57 |
39 |
Ron Cross |
|
47 |
56 |
57 |
81 |
Kent Krimmel |
|
48 |
66 |
54 |
64 |
Steve Ridener |
|
49 |
58 |
41 |
85X |
Kevin Phegley |
|
50 |
48 |
35 |
17 |
Duane Lee |
|
51 |
65 |
34 |
77X |
Jerry Lewis |
|
52 |
61 |
33 |
71 |
Jerry Cassetty |
|
53 |
38 |
28 |
47 |
Dale Kuhn |
|
54 |
59 |
27 |
11 |
Jeff King |
|
55 |
46 |
24 |
66X |
Joe Biondolyllo |
|
56 |
63 |
24 |
15X |
Howard Gift |
|
57 |
57 |
21 |
44 |
Mark Young |
|
58 |
52 |
17 |
101 |
Vern Okopski |
|
59 |
41 |
16 |
41 |
Paul Porter |
|
60 |
44 |
16 |
77 |
Jeff Rich |
|
61 |
43 |
12 |
15 |
Joe Jackson |
|
62 |
30 |
11 |
41X |
Jim Coop |
|
63 |
50 |
8 |
74 |
Bill Clark |
|
64 |
17 |
3 |
87 |
Danny Turner |
|
65 |
53 |
2 |
37 |
Russell Dailey |
|
66 |
60 |
2 |
60 |
Donnie Logsdon |
|
|
dns |
|
9H |
Gene Huston |
|
|
dns |
|
50 |
John Conner Sr |
|
|
dns |
|
66 |
John Aldridge |
|
|
dns |
|
80 |
Al Spears |
Mike St. John’s dream became a reality when he won his first World Figure
8 Championship. “I’ve dreamed about this for a long time,” said St. John
after leading the final 134 laps of his 299 laps. “Everything was perfect.”
St. John led 12 different times during the race for a total of 216 laps.
His winning pace was slowed by 61 laps under caution.
Driving in his sixth World Figure 8, St. John encountered a brief scare
when his Number 1 Thunderbird collided with another car in the first turn
before pitting under the yellow on lap 191.
The 1987 win was worth $6,000 for St. John, who was the Speedrome
runner-up in regular season points to Bruce Tunny.
St. John’s victory margin was 12 laps over Michigan’s Bob Studt, who
started 25th and finished second to earn the Sonny Thompson Memorial Award
for best improvement from start to finish.
Rookie Billy Riley Jr. of Jeffersonville finished 18th after completing
192 laps to earn the Sonny Eaton Memorial Award for first time World
Championship drivers.
A total of 66 drivers competed in the 11th Annual World Figure 8
Championship, one shy of the event record set in 1978.
Fast Qualifier
Rance Harmon
Jeffersonville, Indiana
17.607
1987 Thunderbird
Lap Leaders
Mike St. John 12 times for 216 laps
Rance Harmon 10 times for 37 laps
Jeff Hizer 1 time for 25 laps
Bruce Tunny 4 times for 12 laps
Gary Earley 1 time for 3 laps
Bill Tunny Jr. 1 time for 3 laps
Bill Frazer 1 time for 3 laps
|
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