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/126524
Terry Poovey leads eventual winner Jim Rllce. Scott Parker. Scott Drake and Ted Boody through the Louisville groove early in the National. AMA Grand National ChampionshiplWinston Pro Series: Round eight Filice wows 'em at Louisville By Tom Mueller Photos by Bert Shepard/Silver Shutter LOUISVILLE, KY, MAY 31 "I won my first National! Wowl I can't believe itl" screamed Roberts-Lawwill Racing'sJimmy Filice after being the second Rookie Expert (the first wasJay Springsteen) ever to top the Louisv'ille Downs Half Mile National this year in its 15th running: · •.....-1 Fiilice won t h e ram d e IaJ~~ event, run Sunday afternoon after a 14 Sturday night cancellation, when he got low on the groove and snuck under ShoeilJack Sisemore 1 Widman's H-DI Kim Parker·sponsored Terry Poovey late in the race after a red flag restart. Current Winston Pro Series Champion Randy Goss ran a tight and stable third. Filice performed his tricks on a Harley-Davidson, because his Yamaha still needed some improvement. "The engioa are running right, but _ still can't get • frame around 'em," said Filice. "The handling isn't right. We ~d b:ave them t~ for Indiana- polis (Mde, on June 14). Springsteen, the points l~ader going into the race, carded sixth with Steve EItlund, one point down from Springer going into the event, taking seventh. Springsteen still heads the points ladd~r with 78 and EItlund still trails with 76. Ted Boody used a fourth place ride to pick up his first points of th~ season, and SCOtt Pearson planted himself into the ftfth place slot. Six tons of calcium was spread on the limestone· based course Friday night, and rain Saturday afternoon subsided to malte a base that should hne produced one of the beat cuahiooa in years. Track preparation staned at 4:30 and scraping and grading caused the surface to firm up. "It's so hard now the groove is going to set up right away. It looks like wet cement around the edges," said ScOtt Parker. Springsteen had felt a bit ill on Friday night and had to head back to his motel from a restaurant, but was looking eager. "I juSt didn't feel good at the time, but I'm sure ready now," said Springer as he flexed his muscles. First practice went off in Louisville tradition with any line, high or low, being the right one, with riders giving the sell-out crowd a show. But before long the groove staned to set up and all riders staned dropping low. Eighteen riders qualified before rain cancelled the program for good, and of those 18, 12 broke Ted Boody's old track record of 24.6 seconds. Springsteen was the fastest with a 23.772 second run. Things got rolling round noon Sunday under threatening skies, with the entire field of 67 riders to qualify again. Much of the groove from the night before was left behind, and practice anon had a black strip running around the track. One last practice session was run with markers on the groove in hopes of moving riders to the outside. Ricky Graham was the crowd pleaser, spreading limestone with full lock slides through the turns. Jeff Haney and his factory Honda encountered problems when he hit one of the markers and destroyed his brake assembly. It looked hectic in the pits, but the bike was soned aut in time to qualify. "We're still putting things together and sorting the program out," said Haney. "By tbe second half of the season we should be right in there." Time Trials Hank SCOtt went out fi rst and cut a hot 24.444, but that time didn't stay hot for long. The longer qualifying went on, the faster the groove got. Eklund was the last and fastest rider OUt, laying down a 23.263. Ganh Brow (23.337), Ted Boody (23.380) and Springsteen (23.484 followed. Willie Crabbe was the 48th and final qualifier to make the field with a 24.696. Hank SCOtt ended up 38th fastest, and he, along with Mike Kidd and a few others were upset with qualifying. "Shoot yes I'm mad!" said SCOtt. "At 10 minutes after one Charlie Watson (the AMA referee) announced there was five minutes to go in qualifying. At 1:23 they were still qualifying. I went first because no one would go, so now I'm way down." Kidd also had another matter on his mind. "We've got a tire problem. Tb soft compounds are going away in tw laps. I think we should have mandato hard compound tires in the fmal fa safety reasons," said Kidd, who wen into the race third in standings. Arguments ensued over the problem, but Men Lawwill seemed put the argument to rest. "You malt the traclt," Lawwill said to r~ Watson, "and it's up to us to use heads and decide what tire to \lie That's the difference between mwn it 18 laps or 20." Heats Tim Menens, Goss and Graha went 1-2-3 in heat one before Rick Campbell low-sided in turn one on la two and the race was stopped. Stev Morehead and Gene Romero becam pan-time mechania as they hel Graham with a quick battery c and then helped Campbell re-.d· his bike before the ratart.