Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Ricky Graham, shown here lea ding Jay S p ringst ee n, set a 101 mph avera ge in winning. That made it seven straight winner's circle trips. AMA Grand National Championship/Winston Pro Series: Round 8 Graham's record-setting SpringfieldMile By Gary Van Voorhis Photos by Bert Shepard/S ilver Shutter SPRINGFIELD, IL. MAY 16 Ricky Graham continued his Winston P ro Series hot streak at the Springfield Mile in record-breaking fashion. Graham, in the first National at the Illinois State Fairgrounds since 1966, blistered the track for a record 101.860 miles per hour average speed for 25 laps on his way to winning his 8 second Na tional of the year and fourth of his career. The record he broke was his own, set at the August 25. 1980 Indianapolis Mile where he averaged 100.476 mph - a lso on a Tex Peel Harl ey-Davidson XR750. Springfield marked th e sixth straight top three fin ish fo r Graham and moved him to a 30 point lead on Jay Springsteen 10I to 71 in the titie chase. The fight for second went right to the wi re as Harley-Davidson teammates Springsteen and Scott Parker debated th e position the final 10 laps. , Parker ca me o ut on top by a scant two bikelengths, bu t quite a di stance back fro m G raham. Roundin g o ut th e top five were T erry P oov ey, on the Shoei/Castroll Co n ley H-D-sponsored XR a nd Gary Scott, a boa rd h is KK Motorcycl e Supply/Sisemore-sponsored Harley. Notably absent from th e final were Alex Jorgensen, who was second in th e point standi ngs going into th e National, plus Steve Eklund and Steve . Moreh ead, a lso in th e top 10. Each was th e victim of mechanical problems. This was the first running of a National at Springfield in 16 years and was the cu lm ina tio n of five years work by the Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association. A large crowd was on hand and waited patiently for almost four hours after a shower halted th e running of the National as it was being gridded. It fin all y ran off into impending darkness. Time Tria ls Graham. already with mile track records in qualifying at Sacramento and San Jose this year, added Sprin g field to h is collection. turn ing in a 36.937 run to start the day off for hi s newest sponsor Iron Horse Magaz ine. Bubba Shobert, Gary Scott, Lance Jones and Ganh Brow filled in the top five slots. Graham was the onl y rider to break the 36 second mark. Nearly 70 riders showed up for th e 48 rider field. Joe Peterson was the final rider to qualify at 38.916. Heats The first heat belonged to Graham from halfway into the first lap . Randy Goss was equally safe in second, bu t there was a fight for th ird in the closing laps between Ganh Bro w and Hank Scott. The two swapped the final tra nsfer to the Na tio nal numero us times with Scott holding off Brow a t the nag. T eam H onda sho wed their colors in heat two with Mike Kidd and Scott Pearson in 1-3, respectivel y, for the opening four laps. Pearson then got sideways and dropped off th e pace. T erry Poovey, who had been in the thick of thi ngs took. over th e lead. Behind him seven riders were fighting for second. Shobert crept up out o f th e pack to cha llenge and then pass Kidd . H e closed the gap on Poovey and, in a last lap pass on the back straight, took the lead and the win. Kidd held on for third. It was Springsteen , Gary Scott and Ted Boody in a swapfest for the lead in heat three. It lasted for six laps until Boody's Harley began to make expensive noises and he parked it. Scot t lost Springer 's draft on Bood y's retirement. T im Merten s moved up to secure third, th e fin al transfer. Th is was th e fast est heat, ea rn ing Springsteen the pole for the National. The fourth heat saw Lance Jones put the holeshoton everyone, only to come around fifth by the end of lap one. Scott Parker had th e lead and stretched it out, leaving Ronnie Jones, and soon Lance Jones, to run 2-3. Lance moved by Ronnie on lap seven and set sail after Parker who had slowed. Lance and Parker battled the

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