Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ ~ - tJ) z 0 ~ ~ w J: tJ) :::l ~ > III tJ) ~ 0 ~ J: 0- 00 CT) ~ r- .Q.) ... ..0 0 ..... u 0 Bubba Shobert's victory kept his title hopes alive. Shobert passed Ricky Graham for the lead when the letter had tire problems. AliA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series: Round 32 Shobert's Sacto score sets series showdown By Dale Brown SACRAMENTO, CA, OCT. 6 It ain't over yet folks. Honda's Bubba Shobert swept past teammate/points leader Ricky Graham four laps from the finish of the 25-lap Sacramento Mile and went on to win as Graham finished with the cord of his rear tire showing. He had dominated the fir t 21 circuits, but his lead over Sho- 8 ben in the standings still shrinks to 15 points with one round remaining. Jimmy Filice led the rest of the pack across the line, but only the two titleseekers were in contention. Going in the season-ending Springfield Mile, two things are clear: I.) Graham must finish ninth or better to win if Shobert wins Springfield. If Shobert won and they were to tie in poims, Shobert would win with seven National victories to Graham's six. If Graham should fail to score any points, Shobert must at least finish second. But Graham has never been beaten at Springfield. 2.) Shobert is hot. He's been to the winner's circle in his last 10 races, four wins and six seconds. He was seventh in the standings when he started the surge, 80 points in arrears of Graham. Now you risk instant vaporization if you shake the man's hand. The Texan doesn't say much publicly about the six-race suspension he received as the result of a brawl wi th Terry Poovey, but it has to gnaw at him since he scored 28 points in two races riding under appeal; points he lost when the appeal was denied. "Even if I don't win the number one plate I'll be happy with this year, it's my best season ever," Shobert told reporters at Sacramento. Asked about , . . the final decision in the Gary and Hank Scott matter - fines but no suspension after they got into a fight with Tim Mertens - Shobert would only say, "I hope whoever made that decision can sleep well at night." At first disconsolate about losing, Graham bounced back after a few minutes. "Hey, let's bringon pringfield'" he said. The Agajanian Enterprises-promoted, Carmichael Honda-sponsored event was the first time a mine has run in the fall at the Cal-Expo Fairgrounds. Although the front straight and the pits had been a supercross track the week before, the mile drew a good crowd of 12,500. Time trials Graham was a touch off his own record when he nabbed fast time with a 37.593-secondclocking. Second fastest, although still on the mend from a broken collarbone, was Jimmy Filice. Riding the Eddie Adkins-tuned, Harley Owners Group/Carlisle/HarleyDavidson/Sure-Fire/Shoei/Redline Oil/Knight Racing Frames-sponsored XR750, Filice went 37.825. Shobert (37.884) and former Grand National Champ Steve Eklund (37.936) were the onl yother riders under 38 seconds. Heats Scott Pearson's razor reflexes and Dave Bird's tuning got the Ascot Half Mile winner into turn one first in the first 10-lapper. Ronnie Jones and Graham followed, but Jones dropped back and Graham charged after Pear- Graham was psyched up to win at Sacramento. He totally dominated three-quarters of the race, but still had to settle for second. son. Graham got him quickly, drafting past just after the startlfinish line. The 1982 titleholder went on to lead the race all the way, with Pearson, sponsored by PIC Manufacturing, Circle Bell, Shoei, Esprit, Carlisle, SuperTrapp, Hap Jones, Blendzall, Knight, Megacycle and M&M Leathers, challenging only briefly just past the halfway point. With two laps left Lance Jones started catching Pearson, and catch him he did with a pass diving into turn three on the final lap. But Pearson was in the National; distant founh-place finisher Tom Maitland wasn't. The econd heat began as a threeway fight for control between Filice, Tex Peel/Shoei/Castrol/Sisemore/ EGF Racing-backed Terry Poovey, and Rod Farris. Eventually the first two edged away and Farris was ultimately dropped to fourth by Honda's Doug Chandler. Filice and Poovey battled all the way to the checkered, with the action more intense in the last five laps. Poovey made use of the draft several times, but in the end, it was Filice first. Ted Boody, on the College Bike Shop privateer Honda RS750, beat Shobert and Steve Morehead to the head of the crowd in heat three. hobert ran Boody down on the back straight on lap two, but Boody came right back and passed Shobert to begin the fourth lap. Shobert repassed a turn later, and was on his way to the win. On the same lap Gary Scott drove past Morehead to begin a battle for third. Scott, whose suspension for the Ascot fight was lifted and the fine reduced to $500, would usually pass Morehead for third on the back straight, with Morehead using the draft and returning the favor as they headed for the finish line. The two Ohio veterans battled all the way to the line in a fine show, with Morehead taking the-checkered behind Shobert and Poovey. Morehead, who receives support from Esquire, KK, Storz, Megacycle, Bill's Pipes and D's, was riding a spare Eddie Adkins' machine after he broke two in practice. Heat four got the red flag after Don Howard crashed unhurt in turn one. The restart saw Gardner/Arai/Esprit rider Eklund lead Pete Hames and Alex Jorgensen out of the gate, with Hames drafting past down the back chute and leading it across the line. Nobody got away from anybody; Eklund led it at the end of two, Jorgy after three. Laps four and five were a Jorgensen/Eklund battle, then things got interesting as Hames and Harley's Scott Parker joined the fray. The groove was relatively narrow, but thanks to the long straights and the draft, positioning among the top four was as fixed as gear ratios on a torque converter. Gradually Parker worked through all the swaps and took the lead for good with two laps to go. Jorgensen, second going into turn one after the white flag, didn't even transfer. Ekl und took him first, then Iveco/Walter Brothers/Simpson/S&W /Ralph Ketchie/NO/Bill's Pipes/Pro Fuels-sponsored Hames just did edge Jorgy at the line. Semis For seven laps the first semi was a Rod FarrislTom Maitland battle royale for the top spot, although two would go to the National. On lap eight, however, they were joined by Garth Brow on the Mert Lawwill Harley. Farris, the John GoadlBVRI Bell/Cycle Exp./Gary ixon standard bearer, had led laps 6-8, but found himself in third midway through lap nine. Maitland led going on to the back straight on the final lap, but then his bike seemed to slow as Brow and Farris went by to finish 1-2. After a red flag to send a start jumper back two rows, the second semi was underway. Doug Garrison played the hare's role for the first two turns, Pioneer Truck Lines/R&B HD/Hi-PointlStorz-sponsored Jorgensen for the rest of the race. The Ascot TT winner won by nearly threequarters of a straightaway. The battle for second was very interesting, involving Garrison, Gary Scott and Dan Bennett (on a privateer RS750 Honda) at first. Canadian Jon Cornwall joined the action at the halfway point, but all through the race the battle for second featured as many passes as promises in an election year. Cornwall had the runner-up slot as they took the white flag, but Scott had the lead coming off turn four and heading for the checkered. It was no~ to be. Cornwall, sponsored • • • • " j

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