Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ :r u Ii: ..J :::l Z :r o -, e a z <{ Ul z o ~ ~ ~ 00 O"l w :r ....... Ul :::l ~ ~ >- ....... III Ul o o ;>.. l- ~ ::t: ::E <1. Jorg'ensen leads Boody. Hank Scott (14). Filice (17). Shobert (67). Graham (behin d Shobert). Springsteen (9). Howard (4 8). Goss, Pearson. Parker. Chandler (1 O) and Maitland (3 0). (Below left) Scott. Graham (1 ). Filice and Pearson (9 5) . (Be low right) Second-p lace fin isher Han k Scott. . . AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series: Round 7 Shobert nips San Jose Mile victory By Matt Hilgenberg SAN JOSE. CA . MAY 5 American Honda/Bell H elm ets/ Mo to- X Fox-spon sored Bubba Sho bert won h is third co nsecutive San Jose Mile by inches today in one of the mos t exci ting rriile Nationals in recent history. In a ra ce where th e lead ch a nged so metimes three times per lap, Harley rider . I . .P k SCOlt a~ er came In ~ .c ~se secon d. with H ank Scott finishing third in hi s fir st ride on th e B&M Muffl ers/J &R Ma chine-sponsored sin g le-shoc k H onda RS750D. .' Early co nten de rs J ay Springsteen and Tom Maitland experien ced troubles on lap 15. Springer pulled off with a 'ma ch in e that wobbled badly down th e straightaways. H e ha d apparent ly bent th e fram e in a turn -on e crash at Sacramento three week s ago; the weakened stru ctu re cou ldn 't withstand the stress of running on the big ova l, and co ntinued to bend - ever sos light ly -each la p u n til it was too i! l-handli!1g for th e former t~reet!m ~ Nan,onal cha m,!? ,to co nt m ue. Ma it land s H arl ey eit he r va po rlock ed or had ignition trouble. we' re n ot su re yet" accord ing to T ex Peel. • . Qualifying Sh ob ert was the top qualifier a t 37.9 15, just ticks .a h ea d o f G arth Brow . wh o a t 37.941, was th e onl y d the r rid er to clock -in under 38 seco n ds . Def endin g National cha mp Ri ck y Graham mad e his racing debut sin ce hi s su fferin g a broken femur in Mar ch . H e qualified third with a 38.007-seco nd lap. Fourth qu ickest was Alex Jorgensen , wh o is gettin g hi s Honda di aled-in. a t 38.0 18; Bell i Hi -P oinr/ Spectro/Fl-D Mo tor Co .backed Parker ro u nde d o u t th e to p five (38. 136). T he la st rider to ma ke the 48-r ide r fie ld was Mike Art h ur, wh o stopped the ti me rs in 39.-1 12 seco nds: Heat s Ronn ie Jones got th e hol esh o t in the first heat race. but it did n 't last more tha n a hal f-la p as rhe a ll-po werful draft ca me into p lay. At th e co m p le tion of lap one. Parker was in front. Iollo wed by Sho bert. J o nes a nd Co llege Bi ke S ho p l Ara iz Mot o-X Fox/ Visa FilterI Mega cycle-sponsored Ted Boo d y. Shobert passed Parker o n the fro nt stra ig ht go i ng into turn o ne o n lap tw o . a n d ro de o n to th e wi n . On th e fifth ci rcu it. J ones ca ugh t ' Pa rker, and th e two began to swa p th e posit ion. T h ree laps lat er. Bood y and Chan dl er ca ugh t up to th e Jon esl Parker.duel a nd Boody passed J ones for third . On th e la st la p , Bood y took over seco nd. and trail ed Sh obert pa st th e chec kered flag. Parker finish ed th e 10-lap heat in third, th e final tran sfer spo t. C ha nd ler nipped Jones for fourth . H eat number tw o had Texa n Sam.my Sweet in the lead off th e line, Iollo wed by 'Brow . However . when th ey ca rne a ro u n d to co m p lete la p o ne . Brow as in front; Ohio-based riders Gary Sco t! a nd Steve Morehead (o n Jimm y Filice's back-up bike ) ran 2-3. Going into turn three on th e second lap, Brow went under Sco tt. a nd Moreh ead was dropped to fifth by Maitland a nd Swee t. Maitland (Tex PeeI/Hi -P oint/SpectroIShoe i) took ove r th e lead for abo u t half a lap. the n Sco tt retook the pl ace. In a flu rr y of lea d changes. o n la p seven. Sweet 's bike brok e its ign iti on bracket a nd lost th e gro u nd. a nd h e was o u t for th e day. Ma itl and fin ish ed th e race i n first p lace. wi th Brow a nd Scott in lOW. La nce J on es made a bid for third -o n the last la p . but drift ed hi gh a nd fi nis hed in fo urt h. Mor ehead e nded up six th. behi nd Bill y H erndon. G raham got th e hol esh ot in heat three; Dan Benn ett (Han) was seco nd o ff th e lin e. wi th Ji m m y Fi lice (Bayland Racing/ Shoei /Bel -R ay) th ird. Sco tt Pearson got a good j ump a t th e sta rt, bu t mi ssed a shi ft a nd was m idpa ck by th e tim e th ey hit turn o ne . Filice pa ssed Bennett goi ng into turn three. th en started th e second goaro u nd by passi ng G ra ha m i n turn o ne. C h ris Carr mov ed up 10 th ird o n la p two . a nd H ank Sco tt was ru n n ing fo urt h . T wo la p s lat er , Scott p assed Carr a nd set o ut after th e leaders. T he n Ca rr went a Iiule h ig h in the first tu rn . a nd Pea rson was th ere to fi ll fourth . O n th e seven th la p , G raham was dro p ped from first to th ird . in one smooth pass. Sco tt became the new leader. The to p th ree run ners kep t this pace for the next three lap s, passi ng o ne or two rid ers each lap . until th e la st half o f th e 10th a nd fin al lap. Sco tt went to th e pi ts th e wi n ner. w ith Filice seco nd a nd G ra ham th ird .• Pearson wa s o ne spo t from quali fyin g fo r th e National . in fou rt h. and Carr wa s fifth. Eklund was riding th e injured Terry Poovev's H arlev: he wa s first to turn o ne in'heat fou r. but was dropped 10 fifth going into tu rn three o n th e fir st lap. R and y G oss, -Sp r l n ger . Pet e H ames and J or gens en were a ll a head o f Eklund wh en th e initial lap wa s co m p leted . Springsteen led for a sh ort wh ile. then H ames took ov er. Beginn in g lap four. th e co ntende rs barrell ed down th e front stra igh ta wa y - four a breas t. Jorgensen had th e edge of bein g on th e in sid e. he grabbed the lead . Springsteen maintained seco nd. with G oss th ird. It was four abreast agai n go ing into turn three. but th e positions held . T hey co n tinued th is battle for sup remacy; each rider took hi s turn a t leading. but it 7

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