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>z ~ ~ 0 :I: « ~ z « c >- '" 0 fJl .... 0 ~ :I: a.. 00 0') ~ G(") i-< V ..c 0 .... u 0 Pearson (95). here leading Shobert midway through the Nationel. rode the high line to his first National win in two years. Time trials Winner Scott Pearson was a picture of total exhileration. AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series: Round 30 Pearson pops for one at Ascot Half Mile By Dale Brown GARDENA, CA, SEPT. 22 The haybales were never lonely as HarleyDavidson-mounted privateer Scott Pearson used the high line to charge from a row-three start to a convincing win in the Ascot Half Mile. Behind Pearson, Team Honda's Bubba Shobert ran his string of winner's circle appear- 10 ances to eight with a solid second. Ascot native Pete Hames, the leader in the opening laps, held on the finish third in one of his best rides of the year. Shobert's finish, coupled with the fact that his teammate Ricky Graham burned out a clutch in a heat race and did not make the National, tightened the points race somewhat. Shobert trails by 39, 267-228, and the injured Randy Goss is now third with 225. Pearson's win capped a year of coming back from a serious knee injury that threatened his career a year ago. Obviously pumped, Pearson said,'Tm ecstatic. We've worked so hard all year and I don't think we've received the publicity we've deserved for coming off the injury. We've done it on a "?inimum bud~et, we beat the factories and I'm really proud of what we've done tonight." In winning the ational Pearson lowered Ricky Graham's 1983 20-lap record by nearly five seconds. Behind the front three, HarleyDavidson's $cOll Parker shook off the effects of a second-lap crash, made the restart after a doctor's consultation and finished fourth. He was followed by Steve Morehead, Hondamounted Ted Boody and Rodney Farris. The night before there had been an altercation involving the SCOll brothers. Gary and Hank, and Tim Mertens. The SCOllS were suspended "pending further investigation," and fined $1000 each; Mertens was fined $100. Mertens paid his fine and rode; Gary SCOll did not pay and did not ride. Hank SCOll had not intended to ride Ascot anyway, preparing for the two season-ending miles. The COllS have ap~al~ the AMA a~ion. Parker, the winner here in May, took only 21.494 seconds to ride his AI Spangler-tuned XR 750 around Ascot's clay oval. That earned him fast qualifying honors over Pearson. Pearon, whose sponsors are PIC Manufacturing, Circle Bell, Shoei, Esprit, Carlisle, Hap jones, Supertrapp, Blendzall, Knight, Megacycleand M&M Leathers, wa the only other rider under 22 seconds at 21.887. Hames and Steve Monger took the pole positions for the final two heats, and Graham wound up as the only Honda rider in the LOp 10 when he qualified eighth. Heat races In the first four 10-lap races that qualified three riders each for the National, the three riders going to the biggie were set on the first lap. Parker, riding his traditional high line, was in the lead from the gate. Steve Eklund, working the lower portion of 'the track on his Gardner/ Arai/Esprit-backed XR, had second over Merten's Belleville Honda/Megacycle'-sponsored Harley. That's the way it wasallheend of lap one; that's the way it was at the end of 10. The top three spread out to hold comforta ble positions over rookie Robert Land, who qualified in the top 10. Pearson absolutely nailed the green light in heat two, but a missed shift going into turn one left him back in the crowd as Tex Peel/Shoei/Castrol/Sisemore/EFG Racing standard bearer Terry Poovey jammed in to the point position. At the end of the first lap japanese Parts Distributing/B&M Transmission/Ventura H-D-sponsored Don Howard was running second with Mike Inderbitzen third. Howard got by Poovey by going down low in [urn twO on the second lap, but Poovey got in back turn three. The Texan was in the lead from then on, gradually pulling away from the competition. john Good/BVR/Bell Cycle Experts/Gary Nixon-sponsored Farris took third on lap two and stayed there until lap six. Then, when Howard bobbled momentarily, Farris took him for second. Pearson was back to fourth early, but could not improve his position and was semi-bound. Ascot Park played a major part in Hames' professional racing career, and in the third heat the blondhaired youngster played the star. Riding for Walter Brothers Harley-Davidson, Iveco, Harry D. Foster, S&W, Ralph Ketchie, Bill's Pipes, Pro Fuels and ND, Hamesl~ itall the way and put himself on the front row of the National. Second place was also a stan-to-finish affair with self-sponsored Doug Garrison doing the honors. Veteran Steve Morehead was third through the first half of the race, but then Ted Boody got his College Bike Shop-sponsored privateer Honda RS750 cooking, passed Morehead on lap seven and went on to take the transfer. After being passed Morehead made a couple of good tries to get it back, but he wound up fourth. The fourth heat was red-flagged the first time off when Garth Brow's good start was ruled toogood, and he got to try it again from the penalLy line. Monger ws off the line first on the restart, but Graham passed him in turn two. Then there was turn four. h started as a simple low-side by Monger. Graham and Shobert were among those to slip past unimpeded. Monger's bike was in the middle of the racing line, however, and when the trailing pack encountered the bike, it was your basic explosion. When gravity and the eventual red flag halted the action, Brow, Rich Arnaiz, Eric Rausch and jon Cornwall were among those on the ground. Amazingly, no one was hurl, although Arnaiz had the front end ripped off his machine. When the carnage was cleared and the race restarted for the second time, Graham slowed, then coasted off the track, out of the race. "We're not sure what happened," said Graham later, "My mechanic heard a clunking noise while we were waiting for the restan and adjusted the clutch. h seemed like he adjusted it too tight because it was slipping from the very beginning and eventually it burned out." Because of the number of people involved in the opening-lap crash, Graham was credited with ninth in the race, good for a transfer to the semi, but the Honda crew was unable to make repairs in time. With Graham out of the race Shoben held a steady lead over Pioneer Trucking/Macedo Construction/ Storz/Hi-Point-sponsored Jorgensen. Mickey Fay, riding jay Springsteen's factory Harley-Davidson after the former three-time Grand National Champ experienced a re-occurence of his mysterious illness the morning of the race, picked up third on Graham's demise and held it to the wire. Mike Minnig finished founh. Semis "I went out, looked at the track and found my lines," said Pearson later. He,led the first semi start to finish,