Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Now Steve Eklund, in particular, has been complaininJ this year that unleu you keep collSutently on top, you can't afford to race the whole circuit. At the beginning of the year I said I would like to fmisb every race in tbe top five. Tex and I figured we could do it. We figured we could be number one. But neither of us had ever gone out for it. We'd both been racing, but neither of us had said that we were going for number one. We did say, "Hey. it's not beyond tbe realm of possibility that we cpuld be number one." We knew we could do well in the half miles, miles and ITs, and that's what we did. We only blew up two or three times, and I crashed at three Nationals. Three- crashes is a lot, but when I broke a crank at Louisville I was leading my heat and beating Goss and Hank Scott both by a long way. When it blew up I didn't get any points and Hank Scott won it. That's one of those things. Then when I fell at Columbus I was slowing down because I thought I might run into Billy Labrie. I was slowing down, trying to be a nice guy, and I ended up running into him anyway, and it made me crash. I was going faster than him and he won it. Those things happen. We've got third place, and we've gotnext year. As far as our complete deal for the year, I'm happy with it. This is the first year we ever went for it and ['m proud of what we did. I'm not disappointed at all. I had a good time and I'm happy with the whole year. Will you and TeI put together a program for neIt year? . Yes, we probably will, unless something comes up. It's kind of hard to say right now. If we got a factory ride - I'd like to get a factory ride - and if I get one of those, there'd be no possible way. Tex will do everything he can, everything possible to make our program the best possible. He'll squeeze on everything, if he thinks it's got to be done, he'll do it. He has the motors apart every week just checking them. I think he's the hot set-up myself. He puts more work into it than anybody on the circuit probably. I enjoy working with him. Concerning the two guys who are (prior to the kot race) still in contention for number ODe, what'i Jour opinion on Hank Scott, his abilities? I think the way the tracks are shaping up this season, he's the guy to beat. All the tracks are getting more or less grooved up and he knows how to ride a groove just greal. You can follow him around a mile in the groove and he's just super smooth. That's a lot of it right there - most of the tracks this year are a little grooved, he's really good on tbem, and there's not that many ITs and short tracks, so a guy wbo's real good at IT and short track misses out. How aboutR2ndy GoD? I think he's probably the best. He has all around ability, more all around ability than anyone out there. He's smooth, and he rides short track, half mile and mile better than anybody. You've already mentioned that TeI gives you a lot of help. Are there any other people you'd like to thank for your season this year? I've got Sam Rodriguez, of Sam's Mobil, and Ronnie Alexander, and the Harley factory helped build and did a lot of hand work on the motors and helped Tex out with them. A guy by the name of Bob Collins did a lot of machinery work on the bikes. Dick O'Brien at the Harley factory belped us get parts whenever we needed them. And there's Klotz/Wiseco, and Jerry Bryant and all his products, MXL. Shoei helmets, all the products Jerry Bryant is promoting through JB Racing. • o 00 0') ,..-.4 13

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