Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ Q a: f w :I: Ul ..... a: I w CD > CD Ul e ..... e :I: ~ 00 - 11. 0") ~ U"') ~ CU ..0 S CU ..... 0.. Scott Parker (11). Terry Poovey (18) and Randy Goss battle over third in the National. It finished Poovey over Parker and Goss. CU \f'j surfaced and neither National was shortened from the normal 25-lap distance. Saturday winner Hank Scott (left) and third-placer Terry Poovey share smiles in the winner's circle. AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series: Rounds 24-25 Indy Mile thrillers to Scott, Graham By Gary Van Voorhis INDIANAPOLIS, IN, AUG. 25-26 The cumulative margin of victory for Saturday night's Indy Mile winner, Hank Scott, and Ricky Graham, Sunday's victor in the National doubleheader, was no more than one bikelength. Scott led only one lap in the cool of Saturday evening, but it was the 25th and final one. At the finish line, 8 Bubba Shobert, the leader for the first 24 laps, was inches shy of victory. Terry Poovey rounded out the top three in that victory celebration. Sunday's drama saw Scott again in a pivotal role as Graham won by less than a bikelength and second place, a too-cJose-to-call seemingly deadheat finish by Shobert and Scott, went in Shobert's favor after a conference of AMA officials and scorers. The only disappointing factor in the National doubleheader at the Indiana State Fairgrounds was that more spectators weren't in the grandstands to witness the show. The stands appeared only half full Saturday and less than that on Sunday. Honda's Graham headed into Indy with a one-point lead in the Camel Pro standings over Harley-Davidson factory rider Randy Goss and left eight points up, 227 t0219, via his 9-1 finishes over Goss' 5-6. Shobert, Graham's Honda teammate, didn't gain any positions in the standings, J 1 I I.· but did considerably narrow the gap between himself and fifth place Ted Boody. Scott made the biggest move, jumping frOm 17th to 10th in the standings on his SisemoreiKK Motorcycle Supply/Dicky/Branch-sponsored XR750. Notably absent from the action was former three-time Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen, who was set to make his return to ra'cing at Indy after battlin~ his recurring stomach problems SLnce early May. A discussion on Friday, August 24, among Harley-Davidson's Clyde Denzer, Springsteen and Springsteen's doctor left Springsteen athorne awai ting the OK to run at Syracuse on September 9. Mike Kidd, the 1981 National Champion who retired at the end of last season, came out of retirement - at least for Indy. He made Saturday night's National before bike problems sidelined him. The problems returned on Sunday and he didn't make the National. Tire wear, in the racing leading up to both Nationals, was closely monitored by both AMA o{{icials and a tire engineer from Carlisle. No problems I I( J , J Saturday Time trials Steve Eklund pushed his Gardner/ Arai-sponsored Harley to a 37.076 second clocking. Ekl und, accustomed to the SITing of bad luck he has been having recently, was a bit surprised, but the Honda camp was more so since the miles, with the exception of San Jose, have been the domain of the Japanese brand this year. Graham followed Eklund on the time heet with a 37.208 one-lap run with Shobert, Doug Chandler and Rod Farris, on the Cycle Experts/Gary Nixonponsored Harley XR in fifth. Kidd showed his Kenny Tolbertbuilt and tuned. Phil Duvall-owned Harley had power by qualifying 11th. The 48th and last spot in the National program of the 77 riders attempting to qualify went to rookie Bob Land. Heats Track grooming prior to the start of practice plus a large rider turnout in both the Expert and Junior ranks drug out the preliminaries to a 10: I0 p.m. heat race starting time from the scheduled &p.m. kick-of(. Once running, however, the program was nearly non-stop and the action was worth waiting for. Eklund, Farris and Harley's Goss bunched up early on the start of heat one before Eklund began to pull away and was never headed to the finish. Scon Pearson hounded Goss through the early laps from fourth, until Goss broke away and began a move on Farris which saw him take second in tum one via a late-braking pass on lap seven. Farris tried, but couldn't take second back and the first three of 17 riders slots in . the National were filled. Eklund was so elated at winning he thrust his fist into the air as he took the checkered nag a good distance ahead of Goss and Farris. The second heat saw up to seven riders in a draft and pass a{{air that produced the most exciring racing of the night. It wasn't uncommon to see the sixth or seventh place rider o{£ tum one in first or second as the pack did a dazzling scramble to set their order in turn three. Graham led the first five laps while Ted Boody was there on lap six with Scou Parker leading on lap eight. The shuffle behind the ever-ehanging order also included Dan Ingram, Lance Jones and Rich Arnaiz. In the final two laps the lead pack dropped to four with Graham, Parker, Boody and Jones bauling as Ingram sought to catch back up. Graham led o{{ turn four as the four headed to the checkered nag with the others using his draft and then making separate moves. Parker went to the outside of I J J If Graham on the grand tand side while Boody made up the other side of the sandwich and Jones sought an opening between Graham and Boody. Parker won by a foot over Graham with Boody another foot behind and Jones no more than one bikelength off the pace and headed to the semi. Shobert and Hank Scott set up a two-rider duel for the lead in heat three that ran the full 10 laps. Pete Hames, Steve Morehead and Kidd trailed in a batlle for third. Shobert held the edge on Scott through the first five laps. Scott then began moving by in turns three/four with an obviously better line, butcontinually lost in the drag race from turn four to the start/finish Line. Scott tried the same maneuver o{{ tum two, hoping to getaway from Shobert on the back stretch and was gobbled up on topend speed. Scott led o{{ turn four on the final lap, but was two feet too late where it counted and the win went to Shobert. The battle for third came down to Hames and Morehead in the last half of the race with Morehead drafting past Hames just before the nag at the finish to steal third. It was the fastest heat of the four, earning Shobert the pole for the National. Doug Chandler, Terry Poovey and Jon Cornwell were joined by Peter Hook, Alex Jorgensen and Dave Hebb in a six-rider high-speed tussle at the front of heat four. The positions were in a constant state of motion until Cornwell and his bike cartwheeled into the fence outside tum three on lap five, a very short distance from the downed Randy Texter. The race was red-nagged and Cornwell went to the hospital to be checked over. He was only bruised and battered. Chandler led the single file restart and held the lead to the checkered flag while Poovey, Jorgensen and Hook swarmed like hungry sharks behind. Poovey took second with Jorgensen third, and less than one bike length separated the three. Semis Only the top two finishers in each of the two semis would transfer to the National and Lance Jones wanted to be one of those from semi one. Jones, on the Floyd Tapp-sponsored Harley XR, emerged from a snarling four rider pack on lap four and slowly inched away to a comfortable lead by the finish. It appeared that Tom Maitland had the edge on second in the dosing laps until Mike Garrison was . able to break away from his fight wi th Scott Pearson on the last lap and moved into third. Garrison blasted off turn two and hauled in Maitland for second as they headed into turn three. Garrison was able to make it stick and headed to the National with his second place finish behind Jones. "I didn't really plan it that way," J (I.. f ) • f

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