Cycle News

Dan Ingram (31) fini sh ed a stro ng second, while Steve Moreh ead (42) ran third for most of the race before h is bike dropped a valve. Will Davis (21) scored third. then when I got h it agai n it popped back in ." Wh en the gree n light flashed for th e thi rd tim e, In gra m sped 0 [[ th e line a n d ra n a way with the wi n . Park er followed a d istant second, but never loo ked as co mfo rtab le on th e tra ck as o ne wo u ld expe ct. . " W ha t ca n I say , it 's just lack of tim e on a 600 ," sa id fo ur-ti me ch a m p Pa rker. " A lot o f th ese g uys ri de th em a ll yea r, bUI I j ust d ust m in e off for h ere a nd Peoria." T wo series vetera n s contro lled the six th a nd fin al heat race. Poovey had th e quickest clu tch h and a t th e start, but af ter three la p s of ch asin g, Mo rehead decid ed th a t he wanted past. Poovey tried to reta liat e, but Moreh ead rode a flaw less rac e to th e fin ish . " I reall y hook ed up o n th e front stra ig h t," sa id Moreh ead. " I flew right past him , didn 't I?" T ension ran hi g h as riders lined up for th e semis, as o n lv th e winners would co m pe te in th e l~ain. King, aboard th e C arvis Honda th at j ones pi lo ted to last year's win , bl asted 0 [[ the line a nd was never cha llenged for the lead. " I co u ld n' t ge t m y Wood�� Rotax to wo rk right all week ," sa id King. " L a te last night I asked Ge orge (C a rvis) if I co u ld rid e hi s bike. I'm g lad he said yes, this th in g is grea t." Ath erton pil ot ed hi s factory H arl ey to a n ea sv win in th e second sem i. H al e looked to be Athe rton's bi gg est ri val. bu t drop ped o ff the pace wit h a n ill handl ing machine. " We co u ld n' t get the thing to work lik e it di d ea rl ier in the week," said H al e, wh o spe nt th e res t of th e even in g , specta ting. New Yor ker Les Washbon o utdistance d th e field in sem i three to earn a SPOI in h is Iirs t-ever Nat ional 'main eve n t. Wa shbon wa s ex cited, to sa y the least. " I' ve been trying for qu ite a wh ile now, a nd now I finall y made it ," sa id an ecsta tic Washbon. " I ca n' t beli eve th at I' ll fina lly be raci ng with th e g uys th at I'v e loo ked up to for so long . It' s nea t to be a ssoc ia ted wi th th em ." Springsteen ran stro ng in Wa sh bo n 's hea t race, but was kn ocked o ut of co nt ent ion wh en hi s rear brake lock ed up in tu rn th ree on th e next to la st la p. " I was going good , then all of a sudden she locked u p, " said th ree-tim e G rand Na rio ua l Champion Springsteen. "Next thi ng I kn ew, I wa s up nea r th e h ay ba les." Dure ll e s to le t h e h o le sh ot and looked to be head ed for th e main in the fourth sem i ra ce. but a nothe r slip in turn three aga in cost h im . Bri an Till son pounced o n th e opport u n ity, a nd th e rider from New H a mpshi re would sta rt in h is first National main . " I was wa iti n g, waiting, wa iting for a m istake, a nd it did co me," sai d Tillson. " Now let 's see if I ca n ride th at stro ng in th e ma in ." Camel Challe nge C u tbac ks in mo torsport promotion budgets a t R.j . Reyn o lds for 1992 include the reducing ' o f the Ca m el C ha lle nge purse from .$ 17,500 to $10 ,000. In th e pa st th e wi n ner wo u ld co llec t $10,000, but no w th e wi n is worth half th a t, $5000. Second pays 2000, third $ 1500, fo urth 750, fifth $500 and six th $250. It was o bvio us Camel didn 't want to publicize th e reduct io n as th e large re p lica chec k that in the past wa s presen ted to th e victor in wi nner' s circle, wa s co ns p icuous in its absenc e. O ther cutbacks a t th e ciga reu e manufacturer include a n a ll but tot a l el imination o f adverti sing in moto rsports publica tions. Fast qualifier Ca rr chose to start o n th e o uts ide po le in the five-lap dash: " T h a t' s where the best tractio n is." But w he n ' th e green light fla sh ed , the yellow-a n d -blac k H onda of In gram Dan Ingram: Back where he belong-=---.s D an In gram had a feeling of deja vu at a yto na. Two yea rs ago , In gram scored a su rprise win at th e Da ytona Short Track as a member of th e Ea ke n -Sponseller race team . Lat er in 1990, In gr am a nd team co-owner Skip Ea ke n had personal co n fl icts and Ingram .left the learn. After h is split with Eaken, Ingram failed to secu re a steady spo nsorship and hi s results su ffered. " My b ikes kept br ea king , a nd when the y wou ld stay toget he r, they weren 't Iast eno ug h ," sa id the q u iet 27-yea r-o ld seco nd ge ne ra tio n rac er from In diana . " I kn ew I was fast en ou g h to do well , bUI m y co n fide nce was lo w, kn o win g that m y m achiner y was n' t up to par." At th is year 's Ca mel Mo to rcycle Week, In gr am showed up wit h a n ew sponsor a nd re-establ ish ed himself a s o ne of th e dominant riders o n the race trac k. Oddly eno ugh, In gram is mounted o n th e sa me machine th a t carried him to hi s seco n d ca reer-Nationa l win at Da ytona in 1990. " I was getting pretty fru strat ed, so I ca lled u p Sk ip d ur ing th e wi nte r." said In g ra m . " I told h im tha t I wa s looki ng for a ride, a n d really wan ted to race again. A few days la ter , Mike Mo rr happened to tal k to Skip a n d mentioned that h e wanted to stan a race team . Skip tol d him a bo ut me, a nd Mik e a nd I a('wally struc k a n agreem ent on the phone before we even rnet !" "I was h eavily involved in d in track racin g ma n y, many yea rs ago; ' said Morr, o l Boulder, Colorado. '" go t the itch to go rac ing, a nd we ll - here we a re." " S ince Ski p and La rry Pegr am swi tched ove r to H arl eys th is year, Mik e bought th e th ree Hondas that Skip had." sai d In gr a m . "They 're the exact same ' bikes that I raced for Skip a few years ago. I'm pumped, I turned in the best rides of my ca reer o n them." Over the wi nu-r, Morr staye d with Eaken a nd learned th e in s-a nd-outs of p rep aring th e Hondas, Ea ke n rebu ilt each bik e, teac h ing Ma n along th e way . " We even got a ll the race notes from all th e track s." sa id In gram . " An d if Mik e ever h as a q uestion , he ca n as k Skip ." In gram feels more co n fide nt than ever as he begins th e 1992 season. A stro ng second-place fini sh at the Camel Pro Seri es season-opener and convincing wins a t th e jacksonville H alf Mile and Expert Regional a t Municipal Stadium earlier in Cycle Week have given Ingram a good feeling about the rest of th e year. " It definite ly helps knowing that when yo u arrive at the track that you r bikes a re good," he said. " It helps keep me charged up and in the right state of mind 0 , to win races." Wh en asked wh at his realistic goals for the season were, Ingram smiled and replied, " Well, our goal is 10 finish the season in the top 10, but I'm feeling good enough to make it top five. I can see myself winning a few this year." 21

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