Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

' G , .. ,~ ~ • - \ se n ta tive for th e wh ol e spo rt a nd yo u hav e to wat ch voursel f. I didn 't mind tha t: for m e-it 'w a s a n ice pl a r to be. h ut for so me peo p le it can cause a ~ who" bun ch o r pmbE""' " At 3 1a nd in to p fo rm , Roberts st ill h as so me racin g yea rs left , but just wh ere he will ride next season is st i ll up in the ai r. Dependin g on what rumor mi ll you're cl osest to, Ro berts may be go ing back to Europe to wr estle th e World Championship a way from Fa st Freddie o r he may be set to make a rea ppea ra nc e o n Am eri can dirt o r he rn av cu t w av back o n his raci ng a nd serve as a team manag er. Jay Springsteen J a y S p r ings tee n echoes th e Ieel ings th at quite a few o f the Number On e pl at e h olders voi ced when ta lking abou t th e ti tle. " ;\OIv fir st title ca me before I reall y kn ew it," says th e th ree-tim e w inner. " I took a whil e for m e to rea li ze it. I was rea lly o u t there j ust r id in g ' a ro u nd a nd havin g fu n , Th en , before' knew i t, I wa s o ne o f th e top guy s," Be in g o n e o f th e " to p g u ys " a lso m ea n t being under a lo t of pressure, a nd by 1979 Sp r inge r wa s being sidelin ed more a nd m ore by a m yst er ious sto mach a ilm en t. It sh~t do~n J a y's cha nces o f tyi ng R esweber a t four titles in a ro w . " I thi n k it wa s more in m y head th an a ny thing," Sp ri ngstee n sa ys o f th e still -u nd iagnosed ill ness. 1980-83 '" o a:: ~ o Randy Goss .. --------- ..,.~----, ~ o x < ::;: z < o w Rand v C o ss, th e cu rre nt G rand l'I: a tional C ha mpio n , rem em bers th at w inn in g h is fir st tit le in 1980 was " a big relief. " Goss ex p lai n s th e sta tem ent by sayi ng , '" di d n 't wa nt to ra ce a ll th o se yea rs a nd not ge t Number One. I just want ed to ge t it o u t of th e wa v. ' :T he seco nd time was m ore o f a person a l goa l," co n tin ues G oss. " I wa nt ed to p rov e m yself o ne more tim e. It was d efin itel y m ore sa risIying." T he 27-yea r-o ld H a rley-Davidso n rider welcom es H o nd a 's i nc rea sed co m pe titiveness in C la ss C raci ng, not in g th e H o nda / H a r ley riva lry wi ll be goo d [or th e spo rt . But th er e are d ra w hac ks as well. " Ever ybo d y is gett ing bett er a nd better," Goss says , " a nd yo u h ave to go th ro u g h m ore to win th e C h ampion ship. It seem s we hav e to wo r k harder a n d harder just to stay even. " o ~ o It didn't ha ve th e p res tige I th ough t it ~~' ~ \ 1975 A " ., ~,{.t ~'", ; Gary Scott G ary Scott is b usy in Spri ngfiel d , Oh io, ge tti ng read y fo r the 1984 C mel a P ro Series, Aft er a di sa ppointing seaso n in 1983, Scott is set to m ak e a stro ng c harg e a t th e National C ha m p ion sh ip a ga in with what he says is th e bes t p rogram he's had since 1976, th e year h e m ade h is cele bra ted sp lit with th e H arley facto ry a fter winn ing th e ti tle th e yea r before. G a ry remember s th e C hampio n shi p as , " T he g rea tes t t h ing tha t has ha ppened i n m y rac i ng ca ree r, " a nd says tha t it put him back in to uch with the th ri ll of w inn in g. " After yo u w in a few National s, it 's almost expect ed th at yo u win more," Scott ex p la ins. " It ge ts a lm o st repe titious . But I co m pa re winnin g th e ti tle wit h wi n ni ng m y firs t Na tion al. It was a m ilestone. " has a regret a bo u t win n ing the ti tle, i i 's that it s va lu e was n 't a p p recia ted by th e g en e ra l pub l ic . " T h e t it le m ea nt every th in g - to m e," h e says. " b u t it didn't mean a ny thi ng to p eople outside th e motorcycle indus try . wo u ld li ke nothing better tha n to add a noth er Nat io na l Championship to hi s win list. St eve a nd his ,,,ife An ne liVe in San J ose, California. 1976-77-78 ~~ For 1984 , Springsteen , a lo n g with Ra nd y G os s, will spea rhea d H arleyDav id son 's Ca me l P ro Seri es tea m . H e still wants th at fo u rt h title. " I' ve g o t just a bo u t a ll th e ot her records ," th e 38-time National winner savs , " T h e o n ly goa l left to acco mp lis h' is tying th e record." W ill the 26-yeI~,!i ng ou t the bu s, ' and In a n interview seve ra l yea rs ago, Mik e Kidd ta lk ed a bou t h is pl ans for retire men t. " W hen th e time co m es for m e to hang up m y steel sh oe , I'd lik e to st a y in th e m otorcycl e busi ness," h e sa id , Kidd retired at th e end o f th e 1983 Camel P ro Seri es a nd is a lrea dy applying th e drive and ta lent th at brought him th e Na tional C hampionship to th e business of promoling motorcycle a nd ATV ra ces. H e is cu rre nt ly getting h is Great Am eri ca n Shootou t indoor short track series o ff the g ro u n d and has p la ns for a n ex p a n de d sched ule next sea so n . M ik e a lso ho p es to promote a Na tiona l du rin g 1985 " so m ew here in th e sou th ." About h is title, M ik e reca lls, " It seems like rnv w hole ca reer was a n up-and-down' batt le from week to week . Ever yth in g was worthwhil e. th o ugh , ~ha t la st la p a t Asco] ,,:hen I kn ew I liiad I h e Ch a ~n l ~ i ? !1 ~ 1]1l'/: !f,he ·: • • Ask ed if ca rrying th e Number One pl at e in 1983 ca use d any extra pressu re, R icky replied. " No , I never reall y lelt a n y pressure. Of co u rse the joke is tha t T ex used ex tra -heavyduty bolts to put th e number plat e o n the bike," la u g hs Gra ham . If th ere is a dow n si de to raci ng a nd wi nning the Num ber O ne p la te, G raham san it's the educa tion tha t he has missed . But h e q u ickl y adds tha t all the publ ic relations work that he has d o ne sin ce winning th e title has h el ped 10 reco u p so me of th e lost ed ucation. " I've me t a 101 of different peop le a n'd t ha t is an educa tio n in its elf," h e says. " I think it wi ll he lp m e in th e future," G raham , 24, ca ll s Seaside, Californi a, his home tow n and is enga g ed to Rc; g in.a S~ i th . t he cUffl;nt. ;"! iss l:I ~ r l~y - Da vidson. ... • •

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