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/126657
Q(") 00 Cj') (Above left) Ted Boody streaked to his first National win since 1979 at Houston. (Top right) Jim Filice continued hot. finishing second ahead of Bubba Shobert (67). (Above right) Ricky Graham (1). Mike Kidd (7) and Steve Eklund (8) at the start of the ill-fated first heat, AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series: Round 28 Boody grooves in Hamburg Half Mile By Jack Mangus Photos by Bert Shepard/Silver Shutter Photography HAMBURG, NY, SEPT. 3 Ted Boody scored his fifth National victory by leading the 20-lap Pabst Classic Hamburg Half Mile from start to finish. The 25-yearold, 6'2", Lansing, Michigan, resident had last tasted the winner's champagne in 1979 when he won the Houston Short Track National. "It's been a long, long time," 12 said Boody. "I've become a husband and father since that last National win, and I have to give a lot of credit to my wife, Terri, for this one." Joining Boody, who is the tallest Camel Pro Series competitor, in winner's circle was the circuit's shortest rider, runner-up Jim Filice of San Jose, California. Filice has been on a roll since hooking up with the Eddie Adkins/Jack Sturgis-headed Bayland Racing Team outof Salisbury, Maryland, halfway through the season. "It's a good feeling knowing that when you show up to race you'll have good equipment waiting for you," said Filice. Finishing third and moving into second place in the Camel Pro Series point standings was Texan Bubba Shobert. "I've got to thank my tuner, Paul Chmiel. He doesn't get mentioned enough, but he does Qne super' job on my bikes," said Shobert. "About the only change we've made is a switch to Jemco Pipes. Randy (Goss) has a bunch more points but I'll be charging." Goss, the series points leader, saw third place points slip from his grasp when he slipped off the narrow groove of the Erie County Fairgrounds oval in turns one-two, the same place he had fallen last year. He quickly remounted but finished 13th, which earned him (wo points. Goss now tops the standings with 253 points, followed by Shobert with 216 and Springsteen a1214. Defending Grand National Champion Ricky Graham failed to make the final after crashing in his heat race, and fell from second in the standings to fourth, with 209 points. Time Trials Graham earned $100 by posting the fastest time trial lap, a record breaking 23.761 second-tour of the limestone half mile oval that has long,- long itraights and tight, Qar-. . . row corners. Steve Morehead had held the lap record at23. 768. Graham was the only rider in the 23 second bracket. Rounding out the top five qualifi. ers were Boody, Shobert, Filice and Hank Scott. Billy Herndon, Goss, Jay Springsteen, Scott Parker and Morehead were the next five fastest. The 48th and final qualifier of the 54 who gave it a shot was Bill Wiebler with a time of 25.465. Heats A narrow groove that one mechanic described as a "tire eater" had already formed and most riders opted for hard compound tires for the 10-lap heats that would advance the top three finishers from each to the final. Fast qualifier Ricky Graham's night ended in the first turn on the opening lap when he went down hard. It appeared as though Graham and Honda's Mike Kidd had banged together as they tried to thread the eye of the needle on the groove track. The race continued and Graham's mechanic and other trackside observers kept one eye on it and one eye on the starter, anticipating a red flag. The pack crossed the line at the end of the opening lap and charged into turn one again. This time around it was Steve Oort slipping off the groove and joining Graham in the haybales along the guard rail. Eyes focused on both the race and the starter, but no red flag appeared despite several riders, who had obviously backed 0(( the pace, wavin~ their left h~ds in the air calling for the race to be stopped. Both Graham and Oort were takea to the hospital after the race for treatment of minor injuries. Harley-Davidson factory teamrider Parker and privateer Rodney Farris crossed the line side-by-side at the end of lap three, but Parker took command on the fourth lap and went on to win. Farris had his hands full as Fran Brown, who hails from King Ferry, New York, and is sponsored by Buffalo Harley-Davidson, was right on Farris' rear wheel. Farris held off the challenges of Brown and broke clear of him on the eighth lap. Brown then had to fight off Honda's HaQk Scott for the final two laps. Scotttned every trick in the book, but Brown and the narrow groove prevented him from passing and Brown took third, behind Parker and Farris. Scott passed the pit entrance on the cool-off lap and rode straight to the start/finish line where he loudly questioned the judgment of starter Mihaly "Mike" Polczer. Asked if he had questioned why a red flag hadn't been displayed after Graham and Oort had gone done, Scott said," o. I'm hot because three or four guys jumped the start. He's just a lousy starter." While Scott wasn'tconcemedabout the race not having been stopped d'ae to the two riders in the haybales oatside of tum one, former Grand Na· tional Champions Steve Eklund and Mike Kidd were. Eklund confronted referee Bob Anthony and new into a rage. "Two guys down and you keep running the racel" screamed Eklund. "Go look at Ricky's (Graham) hand, It's bleeding! Oort just missed him when he went down and yet you didn't stop the race. What do we have to do to get you to consider our safety?" Eklund, along with Kidd, had waved for a stop and had baded oH the pace. "Didn't you see us waving?" asked Kidd. While the argument continued, the second heat received the green light and as the pack hit the first turn Brad Wei bier hit the dust. But this time the red nag was waved and the race stopped.. That enJaged Eklund In'erL