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/126626
Bubba Shobert lead. the main over Eddie Lewson (21) and Ricky Graham (1). Note Alex Jorgensen (44) and how far winner Steve Eklund (8) he. to go. AHA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series: Round Z Eiliund wins third Houston rTf By Karel Kramer Photos by Dale Brown and Kramer HOUSTON, TX, FEB. 6 Former Grand National Champion Steve Eklund made his jump and slide into the record books the hard way this afternoon. After making his way to the 25-lap final of the Camel Pro Series opening dwei we.e ken d "IT - . th e Bu weiser WIld West National Motoreyd e Championships, Eklund 8 found himself in the first tum with his leg caught in the rear wheel of Rod Spencer's Valley Cycles Yamaha. Fortunately, he also was handed a restart th en another restart then the real s~rt. Eklund began a 'mid-race drive that carried him to the lead and win, despite losing his brakes with five laps remaining in the final. In winning, Eklund became the first rider to win the Houston TT three times. He also tied Kenny Roberts at four wins tota.1 in the 'Do me.. R;en~wned Washmgton TT specialist MIckey Fay thought he had the lead all sewed up, but.had to beconte~tto hold current n~llonal champ R;lcky G.raham to ~hlTd. All three nders picked ~p pomts on both nights. One rider not.collecllng points, .for t~e sec.ond day ~n a row and the first tI!Jle smce, com.mg. to Hou~ton, was dirt track s wll~nm~est rider, J.ay Springsteen. Spnnger s agressive rid mg kept him m the wrong p l3l ce all evemng. He was repeatedly pt.nched out or knocked down. He did not make the fina L . . . Former World illl d Na tional multi- champio n Kenny Robe~ts had a dis appomung, DNS day m what was quite possibly his final American dirt track appearance ever. H e fell with R icky Graham in one of th e red-flag starts. Sore fingers, a scra ped arm and a I ~g that refused commands t.o strai g hten out put an end to his mght. Last year' s rookie sensation Steve 'Yise was on hand and made the fmal. However, a track that favored f1attrackmachineryofthetradition~1 bent and a dry track hampered his ~ffort.~fallonth~faceofaJ';Im~late m the final put him on the sidelines, Time trials A very late starting time trial session saw Eklund's Gardner/Castrol/ Arai/EspriUKoni Can-Am, one of the last out, run off with fast qualifier honors and the accompanying $200 check from ND Spark Plugs. Both of the factory Yamaha entries were fast; their new European road race star, Eddie Lawson trialed second fastest. Roberts was fourth fastest. Third fastest and first factory Harley-Davidson was Hi-Point supported Scotty Parker. Springer and Graham were also in the top 10. Heats Two of the front-running riders pinched Eklund out badly in tum one of the first heat, and for Don "Bubba" Shobert the race was over. Shobert's Megacycle/K. Parker/DiamondlWiseco Can-Am led from the first tum on. Alex Jorgensen's Pioneer Trucking/Coors Babka Dist. Hi-Point/Lillie/Megacycle/Boss Frames Can-Am led new factory Honda shoe Terry Poovey and Eklund. Jorgensen and Poovey played hot potato with second place on the second lap, with each trying it for a few turns. Jorgy kept it when it came his tum. Brad Hurst's Blomfeldt Racing/ KRW/ Pan ther Frames Honda stuffed Eklund out of turn one, but Eklund went back to fourth on th e sweeping short track section of the course. Eklund closed on Poovey and pushed him close to Jorgy, but the finish was the same with Hurst fifth. Graham 's Iron Horse Magazine Castrol/Shoei/H-D XR750 - tuned by a new , svelte T ex Peel - grabbed th e first start, but three riders went down in th e hairpin, forcing Lawson to motocross the infield. A red flag resulted. Lawson's infield jaunt must have gotten his adrenaline flowing! The famil iar number 21 led from wir e to wire without slicks or pavement or anything. Graham tackled second on the restart, with fellow Harley loyalist Randy Goss shadowing on his Pabs t/Esprit/BeIl/H-DTeam XR750. Rookie Expert Pete Hames' Harry Foster/Bill's Pipe's/Knight Racing Yamaha was a stubborn fourth. The distance between th e four opened and closed, but the order stayed the same. Parker grabbed the third stan, bu t Ron Wood Can-Am-mounted Scott Pearson pul led a textbook inside pass on Parker in the sweeper and was never headed. Spencer and veteran Gary Scott on a KK M/C Supply/ Sisemore/Bell Can-Am filled in third and fourth.Spencer worked on Parker, finally passing him over the biggest jump. The finish order read Pearson, Spencer, Parker and Scott. Heat four was another Yamaha road racer show, with Kenny Roberts doing the flag to flag honors: Mickey Fay got his factory Honda away in second ahead of Brett Barkman's Simpson/Bennett Lectron Can-Am, Frank Word, Ill's Electro West/R&B H-D Simpson XR750 and Steve Wise's modified Honda motocrosser. Wise got Word over a jump and worked on Barkman. Barkman bobbled coming out of a tum and let Wise close. Wise then bermed off of Barkman in a hairpin to take third. Fay kept second to the flag with Wise third. Semis Hames holeshot the first semi-final, but Eklund squared the first tum and launched the jump to take the lead. Eklund took the only transfer. Hames took second and Sal Hoffman put his Tires, Inc. /Out Front Number Plates Yamaha into third. Even though there was good racing in the pack, the second semi-final was a race for the onl y transfer between Gary Scott and Can-Ammounted Ronnie Jones. Jones had the speed, but Scott the experience. After swapping the lead a few times, Gary took the lead for good in the final lap through the infield. Jones tried hard and made it the best race in the program. Pete Hames grabbed another holeshot, then stalled in the first tum of the Last Chance Qualifier. Jones went by and left for th e last green light to th e final. Junior Invitational Doug Chandler and his Salinas Salvage/Bel-Ray Suzuki made the Junior Invitational more than a rest break for the riders in the final. Chandler grabbed the holeshot, but a first turn crash red-flagged the race. The restart saw th e Out Front Number Plates/KRW/ Bel-Ra y/ N D Honda of Dan Bennett break on top, with Chandler second and R&R Cycle Alliance St eel Company HarleyDavidson-mounted Rusty Miskovsky in third. Chandler made short work of grabbing the lead and making off with the night's only Suzuki win. Charlie Orr moved a borrowed "trailbike" Yam aha 465 motocrosser to second, riding lines similar to Wise·s. Chandler won easil y, Orr was second and Miskovsky took third. National Bubba Shobert grabbed the first start in the National, but Eklund's leg in between the fender and rear tire of Spencer's Yamaha was good for a red-flag. Roberts and Ricky Graham tumbled hard into the first turn, Graham over the high side. The clock went on with both riders having eight minutes to be ready to restart. Tex Peel and crew got the Harley ready for Graham, but Roberts realized his body would not go the distance before his Yamaha was given a bill of health one way or the other. One rider went down on the third start, but was up and away before the pack was gone, and Shobert was in the lead againl Lawson tucked into second with Pearson and Graham in the three and four slots. Fay moved to third quickly, displacing Graham.