Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126429
Terry Poovey 1181 leads Steve Morehead (42), Jay Springsteen 111. BiIy Lebrie 1661 and Corky Keener 162) in the N8tionBL Springsteen won the third hut after thia duel with Peerson. AMA Grand National Championship/Winston Pro Series: Round 24 Poovey gets birthday gift at Meadows] By Gary Van Voorhis Photos by Henny Ray Abrams Heats MEADOW LANDS, PA, SEPT. 16 "Yoweeeel This is one heck of a way to celebrate your birthday," screamed a more than jubilant Terry Poovey after his win in the Meadow Lands Half Mile. "Doug (Sehl) gets everything dialed in and then I just do the rest," said Poovey, who as of today was of age (21) to drink the champagne he was spraying all over everyone within reach. 8 Poovey rode a monoshock HarleyDavidson XR750 to the win. The unique chassis was designed by New England's Joe Bolger and Led Schmeck of Canada's Panther Racing Frames built it. The bike belongs to Doug Sehl and he maintains it for Poovey. Harley-Davidson teammates Steve Morehead and Jay Springsteen, with second and third place finishes, also joined in the champagne celebration. "I would have liked to have won this one a second time," said Morehead, who won his first National at The Meadows last year. "I thought I woulQ really have to work for a good placing, but Scott and Boody muffed their sta rts and left me a hole to shoot through to turn one." Springsteen, by virtue of his thirdplace finish and Steve Eklund's fifth, kept his chances alive - barely - for a fourth consecutive championship. "We're gonna take the title chase right down to the last event," said Springsteen. In reality, anything less than a win at next Sunday'S San Jose Mile and the title belongs to Eklund. With just two Nationals to go - San Jose and Ascot - and 40 points up for grabs, Eklund holds a 39-point edge, 260 to 221. Perfect weather conditions produced what could have been a very dusty track without constant watering. It was the watering required because the use of calcium chloride is banned on the horse race track, rather than an occasional sweeping of the groove that caused a lot of gripes. Qualifying The Meadows' long five-eighths mile limestone/pea gravel surface had already become a partial black groove by the start of time trials. Garth Brow took his Jimmy Clarke tuned, Klotz/Wiseco sponsored Harley-Davidson XR750 on a perfect ride to clock fast time at 28.584 seconds, breaking Lance Jones' track record of 28. 792 set last year. Hank Scott posted the second fastest time, followed closely by Billy Schaeffer and Billy Labrie. Randy Goss rounded out the top five. 45 riders posted for qualifying with Dave Knapp taking the last slot for what should have been a 48 rider field. Randy Goss' rock-steady ride aboard his Larry Johnson tuned, Klotz/Wiseco XR earned him the win in the first 10-lap heat. Goss, having sorted out the handling problems that plagUed him in the early practice sessions, worked his way from a fourth place start to the lead by lap eight. Heavy dust broug\tt OUl the red flag after two laps of the first start. It was decided that the re-start would run the full distance. Scott Drake grabbed the lead with jom Berry, Brow and Goss following. Goss nipped Brow on the next goaround and then the Goss/Brow freight sailed by Berry in turn three on lap four. ' Goss blew by Drake on the back straight on lap eight and the top three were set. The second heat provided the fans with plenty of action. Corky Keener led the first lap, but by lap two began to feel plenty of pressure from Poovey and his Doug SehllBel-Ray XR. Keener fielded Poovey's advances for another lap before "Pooh Bear" got by "Mr. Dirt." Meanwhile, Hank Scott was moving into a very close third. A slip by Keener in turn four on lap five and Scott was right on his rear tire. Two laps later Scott drafted his way into second at the start/finish line. Another battle royale was going on for fourth as Ted Boody and Jackie Mitchell continually swapped positions. Mitchell finally came out on top of Boody. Heat number three was a wire-towire win for defending champion Jay Springsteen, but it was by no means a runaway win. Scott Pearson, on the Harley-Davidson West XR, hounded Springsteen all the way. For the first five laps the race featured a pair of battles up front: Springsteen and Pearson, and a three: way run for third among Gary Scott, . Lance Jones and Billy Schaeffer. Jones and his Sure-Fire/Carlisle sponsored XR took third for good on lap eight with a strong drive off turn four to drop Scott to fourth and Schaeffer to fifth. Pearson, on lap eight, got a bit too anxious and ran into Springsteen as they entered turn one. Luckily, neither rider went down. Army's Mike Kidd got his ticket to the National with a IO-lap run at the front of the pack in the fourth and final heat. Kidd found close company with the Mother F1etcher's/O'Brien Flowmetrics/Henter Engineering XR of Billy Labrie and Steve Eklund's Zanotti/Castrol Harley. Actually, the front three finishing positions were set from lap one, but the trio still provided plenty of racing action. On the second lap, Eklund got a little too close to Labrie, hitting Labrie's rear tire and sending the Californian high and off the groove. After regrouping for a lap, Eklund moved back into third and began once again to probe Labrie's defenses. On lap seven Eklund moved into second when he got under Labrie as the pair exited turn two. Eklund immediately began to move in on Kidd. As they exited turn four on the 10th and final lap, Eklund tried an unorthodox outside pass, catching Kidd unaware and almost pulled off the win.