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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126776
(Above) Jon Cornwell (25) and Tim Mertens duke it out in a heat. (Below) Bubba Shobert lowered his head and took fifth. (Above) Steve Morehead (42) and Tom Maitland battle for 10th in the National. (Below) Top Juniors David Miller (right) and Chris Carr celebrate. two laps until Miller moved around and led him to the finish. The two still put on a show with Carr diving deeper into the turns to make up the ground lost to Miller on the straights.. "I got a bit nervous a few times and almost made some mistakes with all the pressure Chris was pUlling on me," said winner Miller. "We had a good race." Miller lists Motorcycle Stuff of Sl. Pete (Florida) and Newark, Ohio's Wimer Cycle along with Tom Ikey of Newark as additional sponsors in his program. Sl. Pete's ] ohn Ward built the bike. National The front tire guessing game LOok center stage before the start of the National with a number of riders hauling out their second choice to have it ready should they want to change after the warm-up lap. Graham didn't wait and went from Pirelli to Carlisle before being gridded. Shobert and Morehead stuck with their Pirellis. "1£ the track is slick where you're planning to run," said Poovey, "then using a Pirelli should give you a bit more bite in the middle of the turns. I think the low line will be the way to go, but you never know. With a good drive off the turns or holding the gas on a bit longer going in, you can pass. I haven't tried the high line." Poovey won the recent Harrington Half Mile National. Other half mile National winners in the field included Boody, Filice, Goss, Graham, Morehead, Parker, Pearson, and Gary and Hank Scotl. Cornwell was making his first front row start in a National while fellow Canadian Evans was starting his first National of '84 and the second of his career. While Graham and Parker were working the cushion up high in turns oneltwo to their advantage on the start, others were having trouble getting through traffic. "I almost , 'went'down' between 'turn one -and turn two when Cornwell tried to get the high line and nearly hit me," said Boody. "I got a bad start and things got worse when Pearson got sideways in front of .me and f just about stopped to avoid him," said Mertens. Graham led lap one with Parker taking over on lap two and Graham back Out front on lap three. Boody and then Goss dropped Morehead from third to fourth and then to fifth by lap four. Shobert, Poovey and Maitland followed over Pearson and Cornwell. Gary Scott was having problems. "I had a miss in my engine before it fully warmed up so I was trying to juggle kicking it into gear for the start and keeping up the revs while waiting for the light LO turn green," said Scott. "It didn't work and I got a terrible start. For the first five laps I was going nowhere." Lap six saw the only DNF of the race as Hank Scott parked his bike disgustedly. "The rear brake just went away," said Scott, "and I found out about it the hard way as I was charging into turn one. Fortunately, I was able to keep things on two wheels." Parker shadowed Graham on lap six and then moved out front for good on lap seven while Boody and Goss were trading third behind. "The cushion was getting really rough," said Graham, "and I finally decided I didn't want to take a chance on throwing it away trying LO stay with Scott. I decided to follow him when he got by on lapeightand see if I could make the low line work." "I was just having fun and really working tbe cushion to my advantage," said Parker. "It was rough, but I didn't mind if at all." Meanwhile, Boody's race toward the front was puton hold with a blistered rear tire. "Things were going good, but after the tire blistered I wasn't getting the traction I needed and Randy got by. I decided to hold onto fourth and ride a smart race from there 01'1." At the halfway flags, the top five were set with Parker leading Graham, Goss, Boody and Shobert. There was still a lot of racing left. Poovey held sixth over Morehead, Maitland, Pearson, Cornwell and Gal'y Scott while Evans, Mertens and Filice rounded out the field. Scott began his move to an eventual sixth place finish in deliberate fashion by picking his places to pass and taking advantage of mistakes. With five laps to go, Goss was beginning to move in on secondplace Graham while Parker shot roostertails at the fans lining the track from his front running position. Boody and Shobert were a lonely fourth and fifth while Pearson, in sixth, was beginning to feel some heat from Scott as he drew away from Cornwell and Maitland, now also running with a blistered rear tire. Pearson held off SCOll until lap 18 when Scott moved into seventh. On the same lap, Graham closed dramatically on Parker and the race to the finish turned into a crowd pleasing duel. Graham worked the low line for all it was worth, inching closer and closer while Parker closed the door on all challenges, slicing down. from his high line in the middle of the turns to show his rear tire to Graham. Graham appeared to have an edge as the two hitlUrn three on the final lap, but Parker, with the precision of a surgeon, cut the thread of hope neatly and was first to the checkered flag. All eyes turned back past Goss, Boody and Shobert to the stalking of Poovey by Scott. "Terry was slipping just a bit high in the middle of turn three and four and that's where I made my move," said Scotl. "I don't like waiting until the last lap to do something like that, but there wasn't any time left. 'J "Scott made a good move," said Poovey. "He got by me in the only place possible. I couldn't hold it down on the groove enough to keep the door shut." Parker, savoring his moment of glory, forgot just about everything he wanted to say, but did manage to regroup and ask announcer Roxy Rockwood to talk to someone else. A few minutes later he had no trouble telling the fans, "I want to take my number II and saw it in half so I can have two Number One plates at the end of the year." "The points are what really count if you're going to win the title and I intend to be there at the end of the season with Number One," said Graham. "I went through a lot of hard work for third," said Goss. "My first plan was to go up top on the start, but Ricky and SCOll were already there. Then I decided to see if I could make the low line work and it did. I think the fans got a good show considering the number of riders and races the • track had to withstand." Results 20-LAP NATIONAL: 1. SCOI1 Parker (H-D): 2. Ricky Graham (Hon): 3. Randy Goss (H-D): 4. Ted Boody (H-D): 5. Bubba Shobert (Hon); 6. Gary SCOI1 (H-D); 7. Terry Poovey (H-D); 8. Scott Pearson (H-D); 9. Jon Cornwell (H-D); 10. Steve Morehead (H-D); 11. Tom Maitland (H-D): 12. Cbris Evans (H-D); 13. Tim Mertens (H-D); 14. Jim Filice (H·D); 15. Hank Scott (H-D). TIME: 8 min.. 52.284 sees. 12-LAP JUNIOR NATIONAL: 1. David Miller (HD); 2. Chris Carr (W-R); 3. Roger Thompson (H-D); 4. John Parker (H-D); 5. Dominic Michaud (C-A); 6. Darryl Johnson (Han); 7. Jeff Sizemore (H-O); 8. Ken Maynard (H-D); 9. Paul Visbal (H-D); 10. Rob Brawn (H-D); 11. Jim Faulkner (C-A); 12. Jim Knox (H-D). TIME: 5 min.• 26.221 se.cs. AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP/ CAMEL PRO SERIES POINT STANDINGS; 1. Ricky Graham (121): 2, Randy Goss (1 02); 3. SCOI1 Parker (98); 4. Ted Boody (91); 5. Bubba Shobert (B4): 6. Doug Chandler (77); 7. Alex Jorgensen (621; 8. Terry Poovey (60); 9. Steve Morehead (53); 10. (TIE) Mike Baldwin/Jimmy Filice (44); 12. Jay Spring· steen (39); 13. Scott Pearson (37); 14. Pete Hames (36); 15. Steve Eklund (32); 16. Gary Scott (3D); 17. We~ f:0o!ey 127): ]8. D9ug Bfaune<;,k j2,6); 19. (TI!;) Gartn Browll·jan~ Scol1(2'4). 9