Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

- .. . $-; 0- < ~nil Heat s (A bove) Bubba Shobert came from third to first on the last lap to win. (Right ) Shobert and Springsteen celebrate . AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series: Round 5 Chec_kered flag for Shobert, black flag for Graham at Sacramento By David Edwards Photos by Dan Mahony SAC RAMENTO, CA, AP R . 16 With a ll eyes in the house riveted on a n exci ting 130-mile-per-hour battle between defending Grand National Champion Ricky Graham and former champ Jay Springs teen, privateer Bubba Shobert coolly closed the gap from his thirdp lace position and powered by on the las t la p to take the victory 10 in an action-packed and controversyfilled Sacramento Mile National. The action came from 29 lea d changes in the 25-lap Carmichael Honda-sponsored race, as Springsteen and Graham put on a textbook display of how to use the draft 10 slingshot past each other on the straights. The two Harley-Davidson riders shared the lead from the eighth lap to the wave of the white flag, with never more than a bikelength between them. The controversy came on that wh ite flag lap, however, as Graham, running in second, was given th e black flag after referee Rick Hutchins determined that Graham 's engine was oiling excessively and posed a danger to other riders . The black flag dropped Graham from a top-four finish back to 12th position. He immediately filed a p rotest with Hu tchins that was denied. Graham then filed an appeal with the AMA which could take more than a month to resolve. While Graham was filing his protests, Shobert was whooping it up in the winner's circle and explaining 10 reporters how he took the win. "I figured with Ri cky and jay racing so hard, th ey would slow each other down," the Megacycle/Parker/Wiseco /Simpson/Maxi-Shoes/Hi-Point/ Diamond-sponsored Shobert said. "I knew that wou ld be my only chance to catch up. 1 was worried that jay might get away from Ricky, but he never did. ' "I could see that they were lighting up th eir tires in the turns and burning off a lot more rubber than 1was. 1 thought tha t if 1 could save my tires, I'd be able to hook up better in the last five hips , That's when 1 started catching them," the Texas native added. Springsteen was a little disappointed with his second place finish , especially after having led so much of the race. "I didn't know Shobert was catching up. 1 thought it was just me and R icky going for it for the last part of the race. On the last lap 1 thought it was Ricky passing me and since he'd been black-flagged, 1just let him go. They both have the same color leathers a nd by the time 1 realized it , was Shobert, it wastoo late. 1couldn't hook the draft back up coming off turn four and couldn't catch him down the straight. It should have been my race," Springsteen said. Springsteen's teammate Randy Goss tucked in behind Shobert during the latter part of the race and managed to get by Graham on the last lap to take a very close.third. " I just hooked onto Bubba and kept pushing him into the corners a little bit. Pretty soon either our pace picked up or their pace slowed down and we started 10 catch up," Goss said. Goss picked up enough points with his third place finish 10 move into a tie for the Camel Pro Series points lead with Shobert. Time Trials Springsteen and Gra ham served notice in practice and time trials that they would be in contention when the racing began in earnest. Graham was especially awesome, going very deep into the corners before shutting off and then pitching his Tex Peeltuned Harley sideways with much more vigor than the other riders. When time trials were over, Graham had set fastest time with a new track record of 38.40 seconds. Springsteen took fourth fastest time, posting a 38.52. Shobert announced his seriousness with a time just 8/lOths or a second behind Graham for the second spot and Alex jorgensen , riding his Chris Armstrong-tuned Harley for the first time, was third fastest. Also of note was Team Honda 's Mike Kidd, who pounded his NS750 10 the 10th fastest time. The Honda seemed 10 be making as much or more power than the Harleys, and even with an injured wrist, Kidd was really attacking the corner~. iiM Graham cleared away from ~ tffe, pack at the beginning or the first hea l' race, turning in fast, smooth lap s 10 take the wire-to-wire win in record time and strengthen his position ast the rider 10 beat. Re lative-unknown Stephen Hall showed that his fifthfastest time trials lap was no fluke as he took second off the starting line and held it 10 the flag, a safe dis tan e behind Graham. I But if the first two positions were uneventful, then the battle for third p lace, the final transfer position, made, up for it. Kidd and Harley-mounted jim Filice were going at each other as' if they had something 10 prove: Kidd, having missed all the previous Nationals this year because of his still-onthe-mend wrist, was in desperate need of points and Filice wanted to rebound from his 14th -place fin ish in last' week's Ascot TT. Lap after lap the two riders came by the start/finish lin e locked together, sometimes with Filice a wheel ahead, sometimes with Kidd having a similar lead in g margin . Then on the last la p , Filice appeared to come into turn one with a little too much speed and fell off the groove, allowing Kidd the third-place transfer' spot. The second heat saw Shobert ana Goss fig ht for the win in a preview of their main event tuss le. Shobert had the lead as they came around 10 cornplete the first la p with Goss glued to his rear fender. The factory Harley rider tried several slingshot passes and briefly took the lead several times. Each time, though, Shobert was able to grab back the first place position and was in front when it counted at the en d . Veterans Steve Morehead and Gary Scott went after the third spot, with Morehead p ulling ahead slightly at the end to transfer to the main. With Kidd's motorcycle already qualified for the main , the Honda camp's hopes further brightened when new team member Terry Poovey took the holeshot in the third h ea t and proceeded to stay his ground, leadi ng all the way 10 the checkered flag..In doing so, he bested the fas t privateer. Harleys or Hank Scott and Alex jorgensen, who finished second and third, respectively. Steve Eklund, th e Camel Pro Series points leader com· ing into Sacramento, had his prob-, lems and finished a distant sixth' rr The fourth heat was th e scene of a mini -controversy. Not that the winner was ever in question. Springsteen' miscued slightly at the start when he fed in a little 100 much throttle, causing his XR 750's front tire 10 paw the air. The bobble allowed Keith Dav 10 iake the holeshot, but as the leaders shot by to complete the first lap , it was Springsteen in front and already beginning to pull away. He stretched his lead convincingly to take th e win, wi th Garth Bro w getting around Day 10 take.second. The controversy started , . .,. ~

• Cover