Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

II mock boredom. Eklund always 100b as if he has a grim job to do. His intensity manifests itself through a nervous twitch. He bounces his leg when he ,is tense. At The Meadows his knee was running at 10,500 rpm. Ii L By Gary Van Voorhis Photos by Dale Brown and VanVoorhis ~ e n the past 12 months Steve Eklund has . in chronological order - bought a house, traded in his Porsche 924 for a 0') Ferrari Dino, added the 11th, 12th and ISth Winston Pro Series National wins to his career total. become the 14th rider in the 26 year history of the AMA Grand National Championship to wear the crown and the fint privateer in 16 yean to do so, and, most recently, joined the ranks of married men in an October IS wed· ding to Ann McCaul. Not too shabby for a guy who said on a couple of occasions last season that he would probably race a year or two more and then hang it up. He is rethinking that position. In fact there arc a lot of things on Eklund's mind these days: adding furnishings to his . oops . their house, getting a job for the winter ("I've got responsibilities now. I can't be goofmg off aU winter like I did last year. ") and planning the defense of his championship title. Practical. That word probably best defines Eklund. His quiet, b~ke demeanor and riding style on the track are carried over into his private life. He is an achiever who wants nothing more than to do a job and make a comfortable 1iving from doing it. H~, being IICCOJld best at doing that job is not good enough. The lic:euse plate on his Ferrari reads EKLUND 1. You better believe it; he docs. ~ ...-4 ~ ...-4 or') ~ ~ ;.0 S tJ o B 12 oad-""p time in Joliet of a year's accumulation of biu, pieces and equipment proves that Eklund missed his true calling· that of an etnp10ycc in a moving firm. "He can stuff ten pounds into a five pound box," marvels Fillmer. FeUow Winston Pro Series com· petitor and San JI*: resident Scott Pearson allo uses the Joliet area as an eastern base and his van would make up the 1CC0nd half of a two vehicle convoy west. However. Peanon had another plan in mind: He and Eklund should fly back to San Jose. Two glasses of Mateus Vin Rose at an impromptu victory celebration convince Steve of the wisdom of the plan 'to leave the driving to someone else. Pearson has enlisted the help of friends to drive his van; Eklund is also covered. by two warm bodies. Hanging out has become hanging on. So much for plan one. "We'D wave as we fly over Nebraska," says Eklund toasting the trip. He was wrong. We were in Montana by the time he and PellDOD. were cruiIing at S7,500 feet and taking it easy. I anging out articles arc fun because it gives you not only time to get to mow the subject away from the track, but a little vacation also. In this case. it had been preplanned with Eklund and his mechanic. Craig Fillmcr. that there would be a paslCngcr to share the driving in the romp from the Winston Pro Series round at The Meadows harness racing facility ncar Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to San Jose. California. Interestingly, San JOR was not only the site of the next Winston Pro Series round, but also home to Eklund, Fillmer and Eklund's sponsor Mario Zanotti. The fint leg of about 500 miles was to Joliet, Illinois and Junior din tracker Ricky Robinson's home. Eklund uses Robinson's house as a base of operations when the circuit swings east. "Ricky and I train and ride together. He helps me keep my mind off the racing," says Eklund as the miles of 1-80 roll by in the'darmess. "His mom is one heck of a cook. It's a home away from home. You need something like that if you're going to be able to consistently put in 100%." Later the convenation turns to his fifth platt finish earlier in the day which left defending champ Jay Springsteen with a slim mathematical chance of keeping his hopes alive for a founh cotlllCCUtive championship. "I would liked to have clinched the championship so that we could go to San Jose with the pressure· off. But there was just too much at stake for me to take any chances so I just played it cool. Sure. it was conservative. Would you have done any different? Springer knew I was there. The pressure was on him." Outwardly Eklund seems to handle pressure very well. It is an acquired trait. He has been under pressure . many times of his own making . since he was a highly touted Rookie of the Year candidate in 1976. Unlike Springsteen who never seems to have on a race face or Kenny Robens, who had the clever -trait of yawning on the staning line in Haagmgout Steve Ekluad Elevea comes out Number ODe t is Wednaday evening 2,200 miles and about $250 in gas later (in aU"EkIund'1 gas bill for 1979 will run about $8.000) as we roll into a suburb of San JOR. It 100b like ptOlpelOUl oeighborboods evely.ben: with well kept laWIII and shrubs. penty of new can around and a scatteriDg of kids of aU ages. The quietneu, I find, is in direct contrast to the frenetic pace of competition for the Grand National Championship. As we pull up and Fk, Eklund appean &om his garage m decidedly caaua1 shons and T-shirt. "There's DO rest for the weary," says Fi1lmer as he drops me off and, after a shan convenarlon with Eklund. leaves for sponsor Mario Zanotti's to begin a period filled with days without enough houn in thetn. "I hope you like steak and beer," says 'Eklund and then introduces his fiancee Ann and his St. Bernard, Brandy. In addition to his van and Ferrari there is also a new Mustang Cobra in the driveway which Steve bought for Ann. It is black as arc the other two vehicles. The house is California style ranch with three bedrooms. a fireplace. two car garage and neat, yet compact front yard. "I did most of the work myself," says Eklund. "This win· ter I should be, able to get the back yard done also. " "The charcoal is already on, but we've got a little time before it's hot enough to grlll. How about a tour of the house?" Without waiting for an answer, he leads the way through the garage. Noting bl~ot eyes, he thinks twice about continuing his questions about how the trip was. Similarly, I don't ask about the hardships of flying. Ann contents henelf with fixing dinner salads. One of two smaller bedrooms serves as a storage area while the other is a poster covered training room complete with weighu, slant board and a punching bag. "The bag is good for yOur hand/eye coordination," he says noting my interest. It would be hard for one not to guess that a racer lives here. A montage of racing photos coven one complete wall in the living room while a pair of poster sized prints are framed and hanging from the fireplace mantle and

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