(Above) By far the fastest at Castle Rock. Brad Hurst earned his first Grand National win. (Below) Steve Eklund leads Scott Parker and Randy Skiver.
AMA Grand National Championship/Winston Pro Series - Round 14
Hurst ter'rorizes Castle Rock TT
By Dale Brown
Photos by Action Oz and Brown
CASTLE ROCK. WA,JULY 7
Brad Hurst slid down in the second turn of the
second lap, but then turned up the wick on his
Messler Performance Triumph to go from dead
last·to runaway leader in the 25-lap Castle Rock
10
IT National. It was an amazing
performance and it netted the
Oregon IT specialist his first
AMA Grand National C~pion
ship/Winstown Pro Series win.
Placing second in the rac~, S~
Eklund k~ilt his series point I~ad intact
(141-1211 ov~r Randy Goss) and will
pocUt th~ $8,000 first pta~ priz~ as
Winston pays off $25,000 in mid-
season awards to the top' 10 rid~rs.
Goss finish~d founh at Castl~ Rock to
pick up th~ $4.000 second priz~.
Jay Springst~n. who had b~~n
within a scant f~ points of Goss going
into th~ ~~nt, had a disastrous night.
H~ was caught in a multi·rid~r pil~-up
at th~ start of his ~t. and though he
only sustained som~ pull~d should~r
muscles. his factory Harl~·Davidson
was compl~t~ly d~olished.
Third in th~ ~~nt, which was
promoted by the Mt. St. H~)~n's M.C.
and held at th~ Cowlitz County
Fairgrounds, was Washington's
Mick~ Fay, who ~Ittt~d to rid~ a
Triumph.
A light drizzl~ delayed tim~ trials,
and a f~ drops aft~r th~ ~nd of th~
second semi I~d to a q",ick flopping of
th~ sch~dul~ (National first. th~n th~
trophy rac~). but Castll; Rock cam~
out on th~ dry sid~ of th~
unpr~dictabl~ Pa\=ific Northw~st
w~ath~r for th~ 15th straight time.
Time trials
No~ally, on~ of th~ k~ys to ~tting
a fast qualifying tim~ at Castl~ Rock is
to ~ o~ of the first out on the track.
Bui Hurst figured th~ light rain had
changed that, and so he was o~ of the
last to tau a timed lap. H~ apparently
figured right, and c.-e up with fast
tim~, a 2ll.52:second clocking on the
jumpless course. Hurst was riding a
v~ry strong-sounding Triumph, owned
