Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ ~ 0 a:: f w :I: '" a:: I- w '" > '" 0 '" 0 ... I- ~ :I: 00 O"l ,.....; ,.....; ,.....; ~ ,.....; ( ::1 ~ Ricky Graham led winner Scott Parker in the early gain_g. but Parker won his second National of the year at Lima. AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series: Round'13 Parker rolls in Lima Half Mile By Gary Van Voorhis LIMA, OH, JUNE 30 It was factory feast tIme at Allen County Fairgrounds as Harley-Davidson's Scott Parker and Randy ·Goss made an orange and black sandwich, in first and third, with the red, white and blue of Honda's Ricky Graham for the filling. Parker notched his second National win of the year as dirt S track racing, National-style, returned to the Buckeye State for the first time since 1980. Ted Boody and Bubba Shobert rounded out the top five. Although Parker was fast qualifier and held the pole position for the National via winning the fastest heat, he wasn't the odds-on favorite to win. Not when the field for the National contained II former half mile National winners - including Parker - with a total of 35 victories among them. However, Parker, on a track which favored his high line cushion riding style, didn't disappoint his fans. Graham padded his championship leading point total by seven to now hold a19-pointadvantage over defending champ Goss, 121 to 102, as the series heads into the July 7 short track National in St. Louis and the payof( of the Camel Pro Series first half point fund of $35,000 to the top 10 in the point standings. Parker, at 98 points, is pressuring Goss. Absent from the racing again was ~ee-time Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen. "He's taking things on a race to race basis," said Harley's Clyde Denzer. "Jay wanted to race, but he had another attack of sickness on Wednesda • wh,.ile ~ ,,) me and h 1I T t ) ell decided against making the trip." A post entry of 20 Experts and 43 Juniors swelled the ranks to 76 aMd 68, respectively, and stretched the preliminaries - through time trials - a half hour past the originally scheduled start of heat races. Once the racing was underway, snappy work by the crew of referee Bob Anthony kept things running smoothly and at a quick pace. Despite the large field, the track, groomed by Bud's Race Track Service, held up fairly well. "We wen; finally able to give the fans the type of show they deserve on a half mile," said Goss. Although the grandstands were packed to overflowing and spectators 'Tinged the track, the fairgrounds facility was lacking in additional seating which might have accommodated more spectators. No crowd count was available, but estimates by knowledgeable observe,s placed the enthusiastic crowd at nearly 6,000. Time Trials Parker blitzed qualifying with a 24.991 "second lap of the half mile. His time was a full hall second quicker than anyone else. He was the first rider on the clocks. Gary Scott timed at 25.537 with Shobert, Graham and Boody following. The cutoff spot at 27.163. belonged to Rod Farris the 48th qualifier. Heats Parker wasted littlco; firt;le in a~~ert- Parker's Harley-Davidson teammate, third-placer Randy Gou, applied the champagne in the winner's circle. ing himself on the start of the first heat. Only the three top finishers in the four heats would transfer directly to the National and, as Parker put it, "I wanted to leave the fight to someone else." Parker, riding high on the cushion, was long gone by the time Boody and Scott Pearson sorted out their differences [or second, Boody held the upper hand. The heat was the fastest of the night. Goss led the second heat off turn two on the start after a ride around traHic on the high line. Gary Scott hung on Goss' rear tire with Jimmy Filice and Terry Poovey arguing over third just ahead of Chris Evans. Goss drew away [rom Scott in the middle laps of the 10-lap race while Poovey and Filice traded spots. SCOtt then began to inch closer, but ran out of laps. Poovey secured command of third over Filice and Evans. Shobert, in the third heat, went on the two-minute clock after taking a lap to check out the freshly groomed track. "I had a Carlisle on the front and 1 felt a Pirelli would work better on the track as it was," said Honda's Shobert. Dennis Jones, Shobert's tuner, showed Olympic fleetness in getting the tire [rom the pits and making the change. Steve Morehead led the firsl lap in heat three, but from there on it was the Shobert Show. Morehead and Tom Maitland duked it out for the remaining nine laps in a confrontation over second. Morehead held the upper hand until the beginning of lap eight when Maitland took control. Morehead's challenge on the final. lap ended when he slipped high between turns three/four and Maitland drew away. The final heat saw Graham lead start-ta-finish, riding the cushion with style. Tim Mertens drew away [rom an early battle [or second only to have it catch up with him in the closing laps as Jon Cornwell sliced through traffic to challenge and, on the final lap, take second away [rom Mertens. Garth Brow and Hank Scott also had a down-to-the-wire right over fourth all over the track with Brow on top by less than three feet a,t the [Jag. Semis Filice held the upper hand on Evans· in the first semi, but Evans turned the tables three laps into the race to tale the lead. Filice set about hounding Evans all over the track until Evans pulled away and, just as quickly Filice caught back up. The two were nearly side-by-side on the final lap in turns three/four, but Evans got the drive and Filice pounded his gas tank in frustration when he came up a few lengths short of the only transfer spot out of the semi. Garth Brow passed the lead to Hank Scott on lap three o[ semi two with Johnny Cooper then coming up to make it a three-way right for the point. By halfway, it was a four-rider duel with Doug Chandler joining the fray. Scott and Cooper then pulled away and it came down to a handlebarto-handlebar battle on the final lap that went in Scott's favor by four bikelengths. I Last Chance Qualifier Only one position remained to be filled in the l5-rider National and that would go to the winner of the Last Chance Qualifier. Filice got a strong start, turned it into a stronger lead and was never really challenged on his way to the win. Junior National The anticipated battle in the J unior National between series leader Chris Carr and Don Estep never materialized after Estep, while battling with Carr for the lead in their heat, had the chain adjuster and then the chain break on his borrowed XR750. He was out for the night. David Miller and Roger Thompson took over in Estep's absence in the l2-lap National and put plenty of pressure on Carr. On the start, it was Carr, Thompson and Miller for the first four laps, then Miller dropped Thompson to third and moved to Carr's rear tire at the halfway £lags. Carr, on the Wood-Rotax 500cc [ourstroke single, held· of[ Miller's Mark & Karen Heineman-sponsored HarleyIDavidsoPJX~ 759 'Y~thlre tric;tprsJ [or

• Cover