Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

lately, so the best we can ask for is a smooth groove and not to get rained out. If it takes a lap or two for the tires to heat up, I haven't noticed it. I don't thin.k anyone else has either, because it's ride 100-percent from the green light on or get left behind. when you're running up against the outside rail. Whether to lead or not on the last lap depends on who you're racing with. In the National during the fair last year, I figuTed on drafting Filice to the line although I felt he would win and I'd get second. As it turned out, Ricky Graham ran into hi m and knocked him of[ the groove. I ran into the third tuTn haTd trying to get in position to lead off the laSI corner and I slipped up a bit, but I was in the right position even though I made a mistake. Once you get down to the final lap at Indy it's like £lipping a coin as to where you want to be. The thing to think about is there are some riders you don't want to follow around the center of turns 3/4 because they ride low. Allowing another rider to put even twO lengths on you can mean the difference between winning and second. - 22 Syracuse Mile Syracuse is the kind of track where you really have to stick your neck out if you want to get into tUTn three harder than the next rider. How well you ride in turn three is a big key to winning, so you want to have your bike set up right because it's a turn where the bike's front end always seems to want to push. Once the front end begins to push, it scares you and you back off the gas, slow down and give up ground to the guys who are tracking better. It's a boost if you can see you're going fa tel into three than other riders and it could psyche out some of them. You do a good amount of drafting at Syracuse and you stay relatively bunched up. You can't afford to make a mistake because the track i very narrow. Back tires playa big role at Syracuse because of the way you have to ride; the track chews them up. In the last two yeaTS they had accident during the National and stopped the race which allows you to change to fresh rubber. I'm not sure a back tire would be able to go the full 25 lap. Once you see how cupped and worn a front tire can become then it's easy to realize what an abrasive track like that can do to your rear rubber. It's like racing on concrete with a sandpaper top. You try to take it easy, but you can't because everybody i going for it and if you back off you get left behind. San Jose Mile I£ you can figure out the shape of the track and how to get around fast then you can have a good day. Last year, it was Ricky Graham, Jimmy Filice and me in the lead bunch. I figured I if hooked up with them then we would have been able to split, but then the track developed a high groove. I went from the lead to fifth in one move by being double drafted by two riders on each ide. All of a sudden there were nine riders fighting for the lead in the same draft. A situation like that is tough because if a rider can draft you outside or inside then you never know if you're going to make a move and get pinched o£f by another rider. It's also harder to get into the corners because a bobble by someone up front ends a chain reaction right back to you. The spectators get their money's worth. and the riders get the heck scared out of them. Last lap strategy can be almost anything if your bike is working. You could come from fifth to firstoff the last corner if you played your CaTds right. Ascot Half Mile What sets Ascot apart from the rest of the tracks is the tra tion you get. Every time I come in from a practice se sion I know I'm not going fast. The bike feels so slow because you can run it into turns 0 hard, turn it and the engine, even with the throttle wide open, sounds like it's grunting to keep you going. Actually, you aTen't losing any power, you're just not spinning your wheels. I think my advantage at Ascot lies in being able to get the bike 'turned and being able to get o£f the corners fast. I£ you can do that every lap, you're going to do good. Los Alamitos Half Mile It's a new track, but we've (the Harley team) been there for sound testing. The track is bigger than a haH mile. It's a funny size. The surface could be a cushion if they groomed it right or it could be a groove. I think the corners will be a bit tight for the length of the track. They look big, but feel tight when you're on the bike. I hope it stays on the schedule because we should be able to draw a big O'owd there. Sacramento Mile This is a first time fall race. We've run there in the spring when it' rained before the event which gives us pretty good track conditions. In the fall it will probably be dry and a bit slower. This late in the eason some rider are riding ju t to make the' National and finish because the machinery is getting pretty worn. I try to get Brent to build the fastest thing on two wheels, so he's struggling in two worlds - he's got to make the thing run and finish. If it's the fastest thing there, but it quits on me he's in trouble. We don't look at the event as being at the beginning or the end of the year, we look at it as a National and nothing more. That way, I'm covered. Springfield Mile Racing that late in the year (October 14) in the Midwest, it's hard to ay what track conditions could be like. The day will probably be cold and overcast which Gould make for a very fast track. I feel it will be a mediumwide groove. T!te track has been rough Pontiac TT It seem they jam the track onto the stadium £laoI', although they didn't really utilize all the space they had last year. People have said the track wa bad, but the circumstances were extreme and the din was really mud when they built the track. It didn't fully dry out. Build the track with dry dirt and it could be as nice as Houston. The indoor TT National are usually fun, although I didn't care for the layout in Pontiac because of the very tight tUTn into lhe infield and some other corners where you had to struggle to keep up your speed. * * * As defending champion, how do you see the competition? I£ Jay (Springsteen) get healthy he could be very tough. Last year he was very hot at times, but he got sick some and he even had a couple of mechanical problems so he didn't get in a full season. Jay can knock o£f four wins in a row with ease. Talent-wise, he's the guy to beat. Ricky (Graham) and Bu bba (Shobert) should do really good, but if their bikes break down a cou pie of times it will take them Out of the hunt. I don't want to pick on Honda, but I think even if their bikes are the Caste t on the miles they still might break once or twice. You don't want to write them of[, but it's till a relatively new e£fort. teve Morehead has gOllen himself a really strong ride by taking hobert's place on the Ken Parker team. Lately, he's had a bunch of half season he's put together. He'd be hot in the pring, but didn't have any luck at the end of the sea on or the other way around. I don't think there's any doubt that on miles and half miles teve i as tough as they come. He's not not d as a TT rider, but he's been in the National at Peoria the last two or three years. Scott (Parker) has the potential to do good. His problem la t season was he didn't seem to have fast bikes. I [eel Scotty needs to work closer with his tuner, AI Stangler, so they understand each other beller. It's a matter of communication. It sometimes takes a long lime until both the rider and mechanic are on the ame wavelength. Ted Boody's bikes last year were good and he put in some very trong ndes. Rldll1g for Tex Peel this year is cenainlya plus for Ted. Another factor to consider is that his knees are finally healed from the road racing accident he had several years ago and he feel like really racing. Personally, I don't think Gary Call ha a hot at the title despite hi pro' gram with Carl Patrick. He's been inconsistent the past few seasons. I'm not sure if it's his equipment or what. He's fast on a given day, but DOt on every day and that's what you have to be to have a shot at the title. Steve Eklund has the talent to be Number One again, but lately his equipment ha n't been fa t or if it was then it didn't run long enough for him to do good. I al a think there are times when he gives up a bit too soon. I£ things stan clicking, Steve could be tough. Alex Jorgensen has been overlooked fora lot of year . Atfirsthedidn'tdoa thing at the eastern track, but now he's very good. What he needs is someone to take control o[ his program and give him a direction to head in pi us take some of the responsibility o£f his houlders and let him concentrate solely on racing. Jimmy Filice appears to have put together a strong package with the same tuner, Eddie Adkins, he had for the final half of last year and a lot more backing. However, he can't 'rest on what he did last year. He's going to have to prove himself all over again. He's going to have to run at the front of the miles and be consistent at all the crappy tracks where we run half miles. He's a strong short track and TT rider even though he's not as big as a lot of guys. Do you think you can duplicate the consistency you had last season? It's going to be tough to do. Last year, in the first half of the eason, I averaged a third place finish - 13 points. I had spurts in the second half where I averaged that too, but in the end it dropped to a fifth place (10 point) average. Just to have your motorcycle not quit in 26 ationals is a lot to ask [or. I'm going to shoot for an even better season, but it'll be hard to top 1983. How do you answer the people who question how Randy Goss has won two championships in seven seasons· but only 10 Nationals? I'm not sure. I try togooutand win every National I race. I don't settle for second best. However, it always seems I fini h second or third, which really Isn't too bad. If you're going to win the title, and that's what I get paid for, then you've got to finish and finish right up there race after race. I take the wins as they come. Do you feel you can win the title again this year? Yes.,lthink I have as good a chance as anyone. Actually, this yeaT should be even better than last ince we have the 500 to run and that give' me an even better choice of equipment to suit all tracks. Last year, my miler was a bit slow for the first half of the season. This year, we're starting off strong and that's another plus. It won't be easy by any means. but I feel when the season isover I'll be umber One again. _

• Cover