Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~. ~ ~ w > Cll Ul a .... a sc J: c, 00 O'l ..... C(') - C'J ..... .... 0~ Jay Springsteen (9) and Ted Boody battled for the lead during Sacramento's third Expert heat race; the order was reversed at the finish . Harley-Oavidson's Scott Parker (above) outlasted National Champion Bubba Shobert (below) to win the ninth annual Sacramento Mile. AMA Grand National Championship/ Camel Pro Series: Round 2 Parker edges ShobertatCa~Expo Fairgrounds thriller By Farren Williams SAC RAME NT O, CA , APR. 12 An en th usiastic H arley-Davidson war wh oop from a j ubilan t Scott Parker filled the wi n ner 's circle at the ninth an n ual Sacramen to Mile, just after the factory H arl ey ri der posted a come-from -beh ind win over reigning Grand National Champion , Bubba Shobert. After edging Am eri can H onda 's 12 Shobert by a bikel ength a t th e fini sh line, a n ela ted Parker gra bbed a winner 's circle m icrophone, a nd erniu ed a victory cry more shrill than a n y re bel yell ever screamed dur in g th e Am erican ci vil war -i l. rallled th e Ca l-Expo g ra nds ta nds . ' ..." KK Motorcycle Supply's H ank Sco tt cha rged from a near dead-la st sta rt to battl e his wa y to third pl ace . fini sh ing by in ches over Honda-mounted T ed Boody and second-year Expert Chris Carr. Despite coo l, cloudy weather and a main event held well into th e even ing hours. excessive tire wear pl ayed an important part in Parker 's victory, j us t as it did o n th e hot su n ny day here 'last September, when Parker won th e 1985 season final e. Shobert worked hi s wa y through tra ffic to ta ke th e lead midwa y through the ma in event, bu t wa s reeled in and passed by Parker in th e lat e going when the rubber went a way o n Sh obert 's rea r tire. Parker , too, experienced exce ssive rear tire wear, but managed to co n serve enough rubber to ho ld o n for th e win . "'I felt th e tir e sta rt ing to go a way wi th fi ve laps left , a nd just co u ld n' t hold him o ff, "' Sh obert sa id . "'My ti re j us t wore o u t. I've go t a 20,000 rn or orcvcl e a nd a two-d ollar ti re. The sa me th ing happened to me h ere last time . 1 got a li ttl e a nxious a nd used my tire up . The last three laps, 1 wa s down to th e co rd." " T ires were th e main factor in me winn in g th e race - 1just had a little mo re ti re left th an Bubba d id." Parker sai d . " I sta rted in eigh th. At fir st , Bubba wa s so fa r ahead 1didn 't th ink I co u ld ever ca tch him; I reall y didn 't kn ow if 1 had a shot a t h im o r no t. 1 sta rted cha rg ing harder a nd harder. a nd th en th e ti res started wea ring o u t. I co u ld sec him slow, a nd 1 kn ew he was having tire wea r. I was too, but I had enoug h left." Th e win gave Michi gan 's Pa rker th e lead in th e Ca me l Pro Series points sta n di ngs , 30-23 , over Ca li fo rn ia's Ca rr. Fell ow Ca li fo rnia n Stev e Eklu nd, wh o led th e sta nd ings with 20 po ints goi ng into the race, d ropped to third p lace whe n he fa iled to qualify for th e National. Okl ahoma 's Boody total ed 18 Ca mel P ro points by th e tim e th e dust set tled a t Ca l-Expo, and Shobert ro u nded o u t th e top five with 16 poin ts. TIme Trials T h ree-time Sacra me nto M ile-win ncr Sh o bert set a fast time o f 38.353 seco nds (93. 864 mph )duringqualifying , I .2 1 seco nds off the pace o f Wa yn e Ra in ey's o ne- la p record o f 37: 143 (96.922 mph ), set here la st September o n a Mert Lawwilt /Kenny Ro ber ts Harl ey-Davidson, (the same mo torcycle Carr rod e in tonight 's fin a l). Two-time Grand National Champ Ri cky G raham qua lif ed seco n d fa stest wi th a 38.393-seco nd time. Ohi o 's Steve Moreh ead powered his KK S u p~ ly / La u bes Cycles/Storz/ joh n ' Dragoo H :trley'- I»vidson int o th e third-fa stest quali fyin g p ositi on with a tim e of 38.+11. H ometown fa vori te Alex J orgenson set th e fourth fas tes t quali fying time o f 38.545 seconds aboard a Pioneer T r uc k Lines/ Hi -P oint/Storz/Knight Honda, a nd Oklahoma 's' Ronnie Jones qualified fifth fa stest o n a Gi ll /GF Racing/Shoei / Knigh t/Megacycle Honda wit h a time o f 38.589 . The fastest Junior qua lif ier wa s Brian Bonesteel , who posted a 39.652 -second time (90.789 mph ). Heats Sh obert led th e pa ck in to th e first turn of th e initial Expert heat race, with Sco tt close in tow. Carr an d Parker ba tt led fo r thi rd place a few len gths back , tak in g turns stu ffing .Iro ru wh eel s under o ne a nothe r in turns tw o a nd four. Carr drafted by Scott for seco nd pl a ce a t th e start/ fin ish line o n lap three, but o ne lap lat er, bo th Scott a nd Parker got by Carr when h e slipped hi s H-D Motor Co.lElectro West, Mert Lawwilltuned H arley Dav idson o ff th e narrow g roove wh ile exi ti ng turn four. Shobert, rid i ng virt ua lly unchallen ged, built a co ns idera ble lead by lap five. On th e sixt h lap , Parker drafted Scott o n th e backstra ight . o n ly to slip o ff th e groove a nd su rrend er two p ositions to Scott a nd Carr going into turn three. O ne lap later, th e seco nd -p lace sh u ffle co ntinued wh en both Ca rr a nd Parker sa iled pa st Sco tt o n the ba ckst ra ight. Shobert won th e heat with a 15bikelen gth adva n tage , while Ca rr ma naged to cl ip Pa rker by in ches a t the fin ish line. Sco tt Iin ished o ne length behind th e Ca rr/ Par ker duo in fo urth, j ust m issing a direct tra nsfer to th e mai n eve nt. For mer Nat ional cha m p io n Randy Goss o f Michigan rounded o u t th e top five. T exa n Terry Poovey (H udd Ra ein g vS hoei z'J a ck Sisemore / S u per Tra p p /Tsuba ki) a nd G raham traded th e top posi tion severa l times durin g th e second h eat rac-e, but it was G raha m wh o was o u t in fro n t when it co u nted . Pete H ames of California got an exce lle nt start, but was dropped to second pl a ce by Poovey during th e first r u n down th e backchute. Graham mov ed forward to cha lle nge Poovey, d ropping Hames to third for th e rest o f th e race, Ca liforn ia's Don Howard a nd Eklu nd co ntested fourth pla ce for th e entire 10 lap s, w ith th e nod going to Howard at th e checkered fla g. Graham managed to slin gsh ot past Poovey to just ed ge the Texan for the win a t th e finish. Boody wo n th e fa stest heat race of the night (6:25:762, 93.322 mph ), by holding off J ay Springsteen (H -D Motor Co. )a nd Do ug Chandler (Freddi e S pe ncer/S u perTra p p Raci n g H onda). Samm y Swee t led a tight group mto turn one a t th e sta rt o f th e heat, followed by Springsteen, Boody, a n d Morehead . Sweet (P yra m id Bu ilders/ H -D o f North T exa s/Tsubak ilBell /Kal -G ard ) dropped to

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