Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Team Honda's Shobert claimed the first non-Harley win since 1974. Bubba Shobert leads the way, with Jimmy Filice and Ted Boody pressuring from behind. Boody finished fourth, with Fil,ice fifth. ,AltA Grand National Championship/ Camel Pro Series: Round 7 Honda rolls on with Shobert. By Matt Hilgenberg SAN JOSE, CA, MAY 6 Team Honda's Bubba Shobert made it a two-far-two we.ekend by winning the 25th anniversary San Jose Mile. Coming hot off a win in Saturday's short track, Shobert went home with Honda's fifth consecutive Camel Pro Series din track win, to continue the team's early-season dominance. With the two victories, Shobert moves into third place in "the point standings, just two points behind leader Randy Goss and one point shy of teammate Ricky Graham's 62-point tally. Both Goss and Graham failed to score any points at this most unpredictable race, thanks to DNFs. Jay Springsteen, who finished second in Saturday's shon track, had a case.of stomach problems, something which hasn't plagued the speedster for quite some time. Harley's team manager, Clyde Denzer made the official announcement that Springer wouldn't compete in the mile, prior to the stan. The draft played a' major role in the racing, wi th the top riders never being out of contention. A little slipstreaming could move a rider from third place to first, without hesitation. Scott Parker, who worked his way up to second from the third row, was a classic example. "I got as good a start as I could, then just staned , . drafting my way thfq4~? llJ~ pf!!ik ~" 8 got as far as I could," Parker said. In the Junior National, Norco, California's Roger Thompson squeezed by Chris Carr on the third lap to ride on to victory. Carr finished second ahead of Duane Duvall. Qualifying "The people who went ou t to qualify early were at a disadvantage, because the track got faster the more it was run," said Shoben, who qualified 20th at 38.l4 seconds. A good ways ahead of h,im was Jimmy Filice, the pride of the Harley Owners Group, who was top qualifier at37.29 seconds. Scott Parker was second at 37.50, with Gary Scott third at 37.58. The 65-rider field was narrowed to 48 before the program began. Heats In the first and fastest heat race, Ted Boody led from turn two on the second lap until the finish. A distance back, Goss crossed the line in second, followed by Filice, who claimed the final direct-transfer slot for the final. Goss got 0[£ to a poor start, in fifth, and worked his way to third by lap five. He then inherited sef9nfl.~be'1f~li~~~eljl! ",~4~ iQ t~!1 , semi-final, five riders were going for three and dropped to fifth. On the the two transfer spots, running five white flag lap, Filice made his move abreast on the straights at times. It to bump Pete Hames back to fourth. was Danny Perkins who eventually Parker ~rabbed the holeshot in got a wheel ahead to take the lead. heat number two, but Garth Brow on Billy Herndon pulled into second, the Electro West Special was on the with Michael Minning ,and Scott gas. Brow was third in the first turn, Pearson going for third. Ronnie Jones moved by Terry Poovey for second in fell 0[£ the pace snightly in fifth. turn two, then drafted his way past Pearson put his mile oyal drafting Parker going into three. Parker and experience to use and swept past the Brow exchanged the lead a few times two frontrunners to take the lead, until the race was stopped due to which he held to the finish. While Chris Cannon's get-off. Cannon made Herndon and Perkins, were feuding the restart, which was staged in a over second, Minning was in fourth, side-by-side fashion, as opposed to waiting for a mistake. When it came, single file. he slipped by Perkins for a third The restart brought a continuation place finish. of the battle for the lead, until the swingarm on Brow's aluminumLast Chance Qualifier framed Harley broke, sending him Steve Eklund was having a bad day into the haybales. Honda's Doug up until the Last Chance race, and Chandler, who had moved into third, seemed determined to fill the final, took over second to challenge Parker. 17th starting position in the main. Chandler went £lying by on the backHe led going into the first corner, straight to take the lead, but Parker followed by Perkins, Garrison and kept the pressure on. Near the end of Hames. Perkins momentarily moved the heat, Parker broke a piston and by Eklund, but the former National slowed considerably, but nursed the Champ got right back out front. At ailing V-twin to an official finish. the same time, Hames moved into Chandler, who was clearly in the third. Hames was building momenlead, began to slow on the eighth lap, tum as he passed people, making up also with mechanical woes. The lead the 35-bikelength deficit he had 0[[ he had built up allowed him to finish the start. He passed Perkins and set in fourth, behind Tim Mertens. sights on Ekl undo In the closing laps, Poovey won and Eric Rausch, from Hames flew by Eklund, going a great Delaware, was second. deal faster, and went on to win, with Gary Scott passed Steve Morehead Eklund finishing a disappointing on the front straight to take the lead second. of the third heat on lap two. The top four bikes were spread out from the Junior National beginning, so each ride.r ran the race Harley-Davidson-mounted Roger with relatively little pressure. Scott Thompson qualified as the fastest went on for the win, followed by Junior at 38.56 in front of the sell-out Morehead, Alex Jorgensen, and Je[£ crowd. Manteca's Chris Carr was secHaney. Ronnie Jones ran fifth. ond on the qualifier list at 38.80, folTwo of Team Honda's riders, Gralowed by Dallas, Texas' Duane Duvall ham and Shobert, were in the fourth in third at 38.85 seconds. heat. They went back-and-forth for Thompson sat on the pole of the the lead all race long, with Ted first heat, but it took him nearly Boody right there, even pushing into three-quarters of a lap to pass Donald the lead for a couple of laps. At the Estep for the lead. Thompson had flag, it was Shobert, then Graham, the horsepower, and pulled to a sizewith Boody in third. able lead. Wood-Rotax riders Chad Semi-finals Felicio and Estep were dicing for second, with Felicio coming out on Chandler wanted to put his Honda top at the end. Estep took the last in the main event, and with the eardirect trip to the final, and Michael lier problems, he was ready to give Arthur was one place down. the others in the first semi a hard run. Carr's performance in the second He rocketed into the lead 0[[ the line, heat made for a fairly uneventful and held it till the checkered flag fell. race. He led by six bikelengths comParker was charging hard. He started ing out of turn two on the first circuit out in sixth, moved to fourth in three and pulled to a full straightaway laps, then went past Hames and Mike ahead by checkered £lag time. Jim Garrison for second. Hames Taves was running second until Tim wasn't giving any ground, and the Skov and Bob Hassay made a freightduo exchanged places for the posi_ train-type draft pass to move him tion until lap seven, when Parker into fourth. Near the end of the heat, finally moved up for good. Hames Taves retaliated by making the same was third, just one place from transmove, securing second for himself. ferring to the final. For the opening laps of ~IJe. ~,e:c9n(ii~ r SkAv; rp,oj<, tPir~ p,I~Ciel q"m

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