Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Are you ping to allow yourself the luxury of a short vacatioa this winter? I'm taking the winter off. I've been pretty busy riding the Superbikers and then back to the Harley·Davidson banquet. Then they had me go down to the 1llinoU Harley dealers banquet and I've been going to see a C. P .A. In addition, we've been busy buying our house and I really haven't had any time off. I decided that I could use my time better trying to get ready for the next se.ason. What are you doing with your spare time? I've been working on my four-wheel Odyssey, getting it ready for the ice and ( got a new bike I'm building for Vickie. She's' going to be ice racing so I've been tinkering away at a couple little projects. It sounds like you '-I'll the tuner aad she's the rider at least for a litde while? Yeah, that's the way it goes in tbe winter. And in the summer she's the worker and I'm the rider. Does it feel good to reIn a bit? Yes. We were just happy to get things over with at Ascot .. especially tbe way ended up. Winning. the it championship took a lot of weight off everybody's shoulders. Was Jay (Sprlagsteen) happy that yOUWOD? (Top) Randy enjoys the ttvill of victory in the Ascot winner's circle with wife Vickie and Miss Winston Lynn Griffis. Just minutes before, Randy and challenger Hank Scott had taken it down to the last lap. IAbove) Losing a semi to Rob Crabbe at Tulsa almost cost Goss the title. Unset) Working out at Ascot. when Hank was in front and .needed to move up only one pcllIition to win 16.:. the tide? Yes, I was worried. In the early laps Hank and I were racing really close I almost got off and then he closed in on Springer and passed him, and then he closed in on Eklund and 1 didn't really know if he did beat him to the line or not. Well, Hank pointed back and said that I'd got it. Vickie keeps track of all the points and who finishes where so I didn't really know until I pulled in and saw her. All year it was a three way team. Brent, Vickie, and I just worked real good. It's a team effon. 1 get to ~ all the aedit, JUlt it's sort of a marriage between Vickie and I and Brent together that really does it. How do you feel about being the penon who represents the sport? Well, I'm not real jazzed about standing up in front of a whole bunch of people and talking, but ( don't mind representing the riders. The thing I'd like to do is get some more money in the sport for the guys that aren't winning. You know people don't realize the riders aren't making enough money. There are only a few of them that are. The rest of the ride.rs. • oopefu1!y.. havll meane•. helping them out or they try to hold a job to pay for the racing. I'd like to see everybody make money. I made good money this year. I struggled a lot longer than I've done good, and I know how it is down there. Do you have a wag term goal, either in or outside of racing? The next few years I just want to just keep racing. It's a long season and you just have to keep working at it if you want to be at the top. Whether you're on the top or not, it's still just a lot of work. I think that's what I'm gonna end up doing for a couple years an}'1!ay. ¥ter th.lt.l'm DOt aHe~' Boy. he was great! Did he give you .any tip' during the year or encourage you at aU? Not really, he wasn't around a whole lot and I don't see him much when I'm in Michigan. As a matter of fact, I've only been up to his house two times. I see him more at the race track than I do anywhere. Do you think dirt track is alive and well or is it slowly dying? ( think it's gonna come back. I think it's on its way with the Japanese coming in, It's going to help all of us. I hope it helps the riders too. I think, for one' thing, that the up-and-coming riders need to see a place to go. They need to know when they decide on racing for a job there will be some money to make and some races to go 10. As it was, some probably saw that there were problems. I think when the Japanese get in it will help everything. Hopefully, the riders will be the ones who benefit. What do you think of Yamaha's '750 V-twin? Well, I haven't gotten to take one apart or anything like that, but (think it's going to take a little while for anyone racing one to give us a lot of trouble. I also hear rumors that Honda will have a surprise for us around the middle of the season. May~ they have a 750 also, that would ~ another shot in the arm for racing. I'd like to see them get competitive and then may~ tbey wotlld hire three or four guys each. Then, instead of two guys making money, I mean making good money, then may~ eight or almost ten of them could ~ making money like that. You know. it's going to help us at the Harley factory because they don't want to get beat by Yamaha, so everybody will work harder. It's going to generate a bunch of energy in a big circle, I think. How about a predie:tioD on what will happea next season? Boy. that's a tough question. I think it will be a six rider battle to tbe halfway point and tben a four rider battle to the three·quaners point. From there to the finish I think it will ~ in tbe lead. Can you beat a healthy Springer? Yes, I think we can throughotlt the year. It's a long season and we're going to give it a helluva shot. That', all you can do. We'll be tbe same thing doinJ . aUbiJe~~eE~~~!:!..:.I".u.J... ..

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