Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

.. r- .rn .... ::s be ::s < R8ndy GOA (8) end Hank Scott. shown here bettling in their heet nICe. finished third end fourth in the Netionlli. tbe lead to fourth on lap seven. Jorgmsm grabbed the lead on that move. Two laps later, Gary Scott was challenging Jorgensen while Brow was breathing on Springsteen's nedt. The race to tbe flag saw Jorgensen hold o1fScott while SpringstCCD was only th'ree feet ahead of Brow at the flag. It was tbe most action-packed of any of tile qualifying CVCDts. &enu. ::JUdd. Keith Day and Rausch cugagcd in a three-rider battle for the two tickets to the National from semi one. A Rausch/KiddiDay six-wheeler crossed the start/finish line three aill"cast to begin lap five and Rausch was suddenly sliding along the track fOllan unavoidable meeting with the ID;ybales at the entrance to turn one. &'Was unhurt. • Day, aboard the Henningen Consa:uction/Shoei/Hi·PoinliKal-Gardsp:Jnsored Harley, and Kidd battled the .rest of the way with Day only tIuie; lengths back as they began the fioal lap. Day took the lead in turn wee, but Kidd's stronger drive off r.n four gave him the win. -dkow put his Cummings HarleyDavidson-sponsored XR into the National with a strong ride in semi r-J.Jbe battle (or second went to the fiDUlI with rookie Dan Ingram earning his fifth straight National start by llipping Tim Mertens by a foot or tWo at the line after a good last lap battle. ~ Chene. Qualifi.r . argo Harlcy-DavidsOn-sponsored Bcacb pulled out all the stops to er in the final transfer to the tional from the Last Chance Qual. . Bcacb was in a sec-saw battle for lead with Mertens, Ronnie ~es - back after breaking his lower t leg in a racing accident in early ch, and Peter Hook. Jones slipped 911 the groove. making it a three-rider ~nle on lap eight. Beach, Mertens ;Wd Hook struggled to put three I?i}tes into a two-bike space as they hit qp-n one on the final lap. Beach held on for the win by inches over Mertens. !f ~ Nationel C'The AMA's tech inspectors had been monitoring tire wear throughout the qualifying events to sec if it was excessive enough to trim the National to 20 laps, It wasn't. Gearing had been a problem for nearly everyone since the first lap o( practice. The "slow" turns. as SpringstCCD's tuner Bill Werner called them, demanded a rider get a good drive. but gearing for a drive of( the turns virtually meant running out of top end on the straights. If anyone found the optimum combination. and it might have been Filice's crew. they weren't telling. Filice. with his choice of grid position on tbe front row. chose to put his bike smack on the groove one position off the grandstand pole. He left that to Jorgensen. Goss. Graham. Morehead and Boody filled row one with Jones. Hank Scott. Gary Scott. Springsteen. Monger and Parker making up row two from the grandstand out. Ingram. Brow, Kidd, Beach and Day occupied the final row in the 6/6/5 grid. Day was the first rider out of action as he headed to the pits before the stan, needing repairs apparently unable to be made in the two minutes allotted. He scratched. Filice grabbed an immediate advantage on the start and took off like a scalded cat, opening up a lo-bike advantage by the end of lap one. Goss, Morehead, Boody, Jorgensen, Graham, Hank Scott, Parker, Gary Scott, Ingram, Springsteen, Kidd, Brow and Beach were in a long string behind. By lap three, Ingram was out of action and in the pits. Goss and Boody were going at it for second with Jorgensen on the move in fourth. Morehead dropped from third to seventh after a slip off the groove and was now trailing Graham, Hank and Gary Scott. "I tried out my DuQuoin bike," said Morehead during "and it didn't seem as fast. so I'm riding a spare machine. The only drawback is that while it's quick, it doesn't have a new frame yet." Morehead appears to be very much in line for a Honda ride for the rest of the season. Filice was in total control by lap five with the fight for second a threeway one with Jorgensen joining Boody and Goss. Monger was slowing with an undisclosed problem, but would keep things running until the finish. A battle for sixth between Gary Scott and Graham was heating up while Parker, Springsteen, Morehead and Brow argued over eighth place. The groove was narrow and although there was plenty of challenging, there Ted Boody-becl his beat finish in some time with e second. was little passing except on drafting and late braking maneuvers into turns one and three. On lap 10, Filice bobbled. went off the groove and lost a 50-yard advantage. Coss and then Boody quickly moved past and it took Filice two laps to move back into contention. Hank Scott led Jorgensen in fourth while Gary Scott, Graham, Parker. SpringstCCD. Brow. Morehead, Jones, Kidd, Beach and Monger circulated in strung-out fashion. Goss' front-running ride ended on lap 16 as he got high on the groove in turn one and Filice and Boody pounced on the situation. "I was riding so smooth for those six laps." said Goss afterward. "Then I began having trouble seeing the groove since the setting sun was reflecting off the track surface. I only slid about six inches off my line, but it waS'enough to mess things up." Filice quickly grabbed command from Boody as Goss followed at a distance. The top five spots were set although another 10 laps remained to be run. Hank Scott was in a solid fourth with Jorgensen holding Graham at bay. Gary Scott began moving in on the fifth-place battle on lap 18 as Graham moved ahead of Jorgensen. Parker then came up to make it a four-way shindig and dropped Gary Scott to the back of the pack. Morehead was beginning a late-race charge at SpringstCCD, in 10th. Graham rolled to the pits on lap 22. ending his day in disappointing fashion. Tuner Tex Peel and Ronnie Alexander weren't smiling either. "When bad luck strikes, it strikes bard," muttered Peel. Filice and Boody were playing rubberband as Boody would close on Filice, lose a bit of ground and then close back up. Goss wasn't being challenged in third. Hank Scott and Jorgensen were also safe in fourth and fifth. On the final lap, Boody got his one chance at the win as Filice bobbled momentarily coming off turn two, allowing Boody to close and then pull alongside as the two headed for turn three. Filice didn't give up the advantage and Boody chased him to the checkered £lag, shy by two bikelengths. Goss, Hank Scou and Jorgensen followed. Parker out-horsepowered Gary Scott off turn four to take sixth while Springsteen was inching out eighth in a run to the flag with Morehead. "I knew the bike was strong from the start," said Filice in winner's circle. "I tried to run as hard as I could on the final lap because I felt Ted couldn't get enough draft to get past me. Eddie (Adkins) built a strong bike for DuQuoin and we had a problem. I wasn't about to let anything happen today." "I couldn't take advantage of the mistake Jimmy made on the final lap, although I tried hard," said Boody. "Jimmy really rode hard plus he doesn't weigh anything. I probably weigh 40 or 45 pounds more than he does and I'm not fat at all. That puts a power advantage in his court. Skip Eaken, my tuner, and I hope to win one before the end of the year. We're due." ''I'm riding better than I was when I won my title," said Goss. "Things are going in my favor and I feel confident we can hold onto the points margin we've got. Never give up is (tuner) Brent Thompson's attitude. That's what we're doing. One little bobble is all I made, but it cost me a shot at the win." After the ceremonies in winner's circle, Adkins congratulated Filice on his ride. "We've been talking about winning for about three weeks and decided back then that if we did we would dedicate the victory in the memory of the late Willie Crabbe," said Adkins. "The bike Jimmy rode was Willie's when he rode for me as a Junior. He was a good friend and a good rider." • Results 25 LAP NATIONAl: 1. Jimmy Filice (H·D~ 2. Ted Boody (H-D); 3. R.ndy Gon (H·D); 4. ~nk Sc:att (Hon); 6. AI. Jorv-nun (H-DI; 8. Sc:att P."'.. (HOI; 7. ~ry Sc:att (H·D); 8.• _-y Sprlna-tMn (H-D); 9. 51... Mor.M.cI (Hon); 10. G.nh Br_IH-DI; 11. J-v _ h (H-D); 12. MiQ Kicid (Hon); 13. U.Jon•• IH-DI; 14. 51... Mong.r (H-D); 15. Ricky Gr.h.m (H-D); 18. o.n Ingr.m (H-D); 17. K.llh D.y (H-DI. Ti_: 15 min.• 38.088 lMICO. AMD GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP/ CAMEL PRO SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. R.ndy Gos. (2151; 2. Ricky Gr.h.m (182); 3. Bubblo Shoo bIln(177); 4. J-V Sprinpteen(174); 5. Scon P.rk.. 1147); 8. AI•• Jorg.nun 1128); 7. Ted Boody (92); 8. G.ry Scon (891; 9. 51... Eklund{Bll; 10. H.nk Sc:att 175); 11. Miln IlIIldwin (82); 12. 5 _ Mor.Med 180); 13. Mickey F-V (57); 14. (TIE) Mik. IlIIldwin/ Jimmy Filice/Gr_ Smrz (581; 17. Tomy Poowey 156); 18. Doug CMncI.. (48); 19. Doug Br.unack (42); 20. Tim Mertens (41 ). Unoffici.l. panding _ I . 15

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