Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126783
en Z II: o ~ z ~ c z « z ~ II: lD w ...J ~ > lD en 8 o :I: ~ items govern what gets done. The fact isn't lost on Goss. "The union shop is a pain in the butt," he says with an emphasis on butl. "I don't believe we have the people there to do the job it's going to take to win the championship and we can't a££ord the hours it will take. To make mauers wor e, we have people inside the union shop who cause trouble. It's a tough situation." While Goss feels the factory effon could fall shon of the tille, he has a secret weapon and a mechanic who doesn't mind burning midnight oil on his own time. "While consistency has been the key for me in past seasons, I think my second best punch is my tuner, Brem Thompson. The way we work together is my strongest assel. Brem never gives up. He can't just come up with an additional five horsepower by next week, but he can pick up a bit here and a bit there and preuy soon we've got a few extra horses. He's got to play it that way and not gamble because he's got to keep the bi'ke running." The secret weapon? When things aren't going as smoothly as Randy feels they should you can bet you'll see Terry Sage in Goss' pit area. Terry, a long time friend of Randy's and a former racer, oUers Goss a sounding board and fresh, no-holdsbarred opinions. RandyGoss 'Beating Honda would be Slleet' By Gary Van Voorhis As was the case a year ago, Randy Goss finds himself locked in a battle with Ricky Graham for the AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series title. However, times have changed. It's no longer Harley-Davidson versus Harley-Davidson; factory rider against privateer. Graham now 24 has the might of the giant Honda factory behind him. Last year it was close allheend, but this year it's clQser midway through the season. One year ago, Goss held a 33-point lead on Graham after the lauer rider suffered through a midseason slump. This year, going imo the Peoria Tr covered elsewhere in this issue, Goss leads by 17. With9-12 events left, the batLle may well go down to the wire again. (There are nine din track events left; Graham can potentially score poims in three road races as a result of his Honda affiliation.) Both men are tough competitors. Nei ther gives less than 100%. Last year Graham had the number one plate and Goss took it away. This year Goss has the number one plate. And he wants to keep il. "I think it's a bit easier, pressurewise, to defend the tiLle this time than it was in 1981," said Goss, seated on a crate in the back of the Harley transponer after time trials at the recem DuQuoin Mile. ''I'm finally geuing used to the demands for my time, so doing the dealership autograph sessions and things with the press don't bother me like they used to. If that's bothering you and you're ~ing to defend your title, then somethmg has to give." "I think we've all learned together - myself, Brem and (wife) Vicky about the pressure and how to cope with il.1t isn't a piece of cake because there's a lot of pressure. We've just learned how to handle it beuer. "Looking at it from theequipmem and competition point of view, it's a lot harder. This year there isn't anything that comes easy. It's work. There are guys watching the Nationals from the pits who normally would be out there not only racing, but with a chance of winning. That's how stiff the competition is. "There are other pressures," continued Goss while straining to hear the q ualifyi ng times being announced over the public address system, "like Honda. Honda has built really fast bikes for Ricky (Graham) and Bubba (Shoben). My bike is faster than it's ever been and they are way faster than I am. I'd say they have about five more horsepower than I do." Goss acknowledges that he not only has to watch out for the factory Hondas, but also for a number of non-factory backed Harleys. "The Hondas have a double advantage in that they have plenty of horsepower and their powerband makes them easier to ride. Anytime you get into the rpm range they run their engines at it helps stabilize the bike in the turns and makes them easier to control when you hit a bump or the track is rough. The momentum keeps them going. The chassis, with a longer, more massive swingarm, looks good on paper. On the crack there are times when the bikes look really good and others when they don't seem to be working. But when Ricky is riding the bike it always looks good and that should tell you something. "There are some really good privateer bikes out there that are very quick. Last year when we were racing Tex (Peel) and Ricky, Tex's bikes were always faster than mine. Things have changed for Harley. When you're geuing beaten by another Harley you don't have to work as hard at winning as you do when a diUerent brand, like Honda, is beating you. I don't think we worked as hard at beatingTex as we could've. Cenainly not as hard as we're working to beat Honda," said Goss. One thing which has always been in favor of the privateers and others who don't let the clock rule their work day is that Harley-Davidson's racing depanment, like the rest of the factory, is a union shop. Thus, hours, job responsibility and many other "When the going gets rough like here at DuQuoin and at the back-to· back Indy Miles and a few other places, I get Terry to come to the races. If I need some honest, outside-lookingin help, somebody who isn't siuing in Milwaukee and under the shadow of the union shop, I go to him. Terry can look at the problem and he calls it like he sees il. A lot of times he straightens our ideas OUl. If he can catch one thing we've missed or haven't thought about, it could be worth poims which might just make the difference in the outcome at the end of the season." There are still seven mile Nation· als to run along with two Tr and two half mile Nationals. The Trs and half miles are important, but it will be the finishes in the mile evems that decide who wears the championship crown next year. "The title will probably be decided by a com bination of things," said Goss. "Ricky is going to have to strike bad luck and not finish two or three miles, but maybe just blowing up his best engine would help a bil. I'm going to have to finish in the top three at every mile. If that combination happens, I've got a shot at another title. I think it will be a fight to the finish and who ever survives, survives. " Goss has heard the talk of a $100,000 bonus Honda is oUering to their riders for the Number One plate. Last year, Goss picked up a check for