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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126626
(Clockwise from top left) Early leader Bubba Shobert took fourth. Eklund sweeps past the checkered for his third
Houston TT win •. Mickey Fay hugs the inside over Eklund early in the race. Ricky Graham flew the big Harley to
third. Charlie Orr (7N) ran into trouble in the Junior Invitational. but still finished second. Eddie Lawson made his
Yamaha debut and finished sixth in the National.
By lap three, th e top three seem ed
stable in front wit h th e order reading
Shobert , Lawson , Fay, Graham and
Pear son. Both La wson, who com plained of fatigue aft er his heat, and
Pear son, away from knee surgery a
month ago, tired quickl y, and th e
winn ing edge left their riding. At th e
same time, Eklund a nd Parker were
on the mo ve in th e pa ck.
Fay began pu tting heavy pressu re
on Lawson as (Eklund becam e a n
a:Imoki t'iM. \3n_.iL lthreat ( 1.. c_ J he 1.redisas .J r= !~ r.1J.
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co vered th e cu shion. Eklund won his
semi in th e cushion .) Eklund took
Graham and mo ved into fourth , th en
pa ssed Lawson in the hairpin.
Fay began to pressure Shobert , as
Shobert 's Can-Am began to lose th e
tracta bi li ty it had in th e early stages
of th e race. In the space of two laps,
firs t Fay th en Eklund pushed past
Shober t.
Fay said in the victory circ le," !
thought I had it; I'd rather have
Steve's ' pl ace, bu t I'll be back11next
I I
year." Ek lund and Fay began scra ppin g, with Ekl und takin g th e ad van tage and stretching it. G raham go t on
th e gas and passed firs t Lawson , th en
Shobert.
Park er , wh o had started a dr ive,
mo ved to mid-pack and quit moving
up. Pearson ca ugh t a seco nd wind
and passed Lawson for fifth . .
Lat e in th e race, Fay and Graham
start ed to gain on Eklund. With five
laps to go , Eklund lost his brakes.
" O h , no.T've lost it ," is wha t Eklund
said hi s th ough ts were. It appeared
that he simply liked th e outside, losin g li ttle time at all.
Fay got close br iefly on.the next to
the la st lap, bu t not close eno ug h.
Graham fini shed th ird ahead of Shobert, Pearson , La wson Jones, 'C oss,
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J orgensen and Parker.
•
Results
JR INVITATIONAl: 1. DouV Chandler (Suz); 2.
Charl ie Orr (Yam); 3. Rusty M iskovsky (H·D); 4. Dan
Bennett (Han); 5. Ross Duncan (Yam); 6. Curt is
Rehmert (Suz); 7. Mark Hartley (Hon); B. Riel< Weir
(Hon); 9. Todd Ratliff (Yam): 10 . Gary Trull (Hon): 11.
Jeff Harsha (Yam); 12. Randy'Tr iplett (C-A ).
NATIONAL: 1. Steve Eklund (C-A); 2. M ickey Fay
(Honl ; 3. Ricky Graham (H-D); 4. Bubba Shobert
(C-A); 5. Scott Pearson (C-A); 6. Eddie Lawson
(Yaml; 7. Ronnie Jones (C·AI; 8. Randy Goss (H-D);
9. AlexJorvenson (C·A); 10. SCOII Parker (H·D); 11.
Rodnay Spence r (Yam); 12. Gary Scott (C-A): 13.
Terry Poovay (Hon): 14 . Steve Wise (Hon); 15.
Kanny Robens (Yam).
AMA GRAND NA TIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP/
CAMEL PRO SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. Steve
Eklund (28): 2. Randy Goss (23); 3. Terry Poovey
(22); 4. Ronnia Jones (19); 5. (TIE)Bubba Shobert/
M iel