Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126911
c.o 00 O"l (Above) Winner Randy Goss (6) goes outside early leader Ronnie Jones in the main. (Below left) Fourth-place finisher Doug Chandler (10) tries to pass Jay Springsteen, who finished fifth. (Below right) Miss Camel Pro Vivian Chadbourne, and Randy, Janice and Vicki Goss, in the winner's circle. AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series: Round 6 Goss wins fifth AscotHM By Matt Hilgenberg Photos by Mitch Friedman GARDE A, CA, MAY 10 Harley-Davidson-mounted Randy Goss made a late-race pass on Ronnie Jones to win the Ascot Half Mile tonight. Goss' win made him the first rider to ever win five half-mile events at the Gardena, California facility and marked the two-time Grand National Champ's first victory since the 6 Houston Short Track, in 1985. Goss has spent most of the past year dealing with a leg injury stemming back to a 1984 San jose Mile crash, and is gelling back on form following leg surgery. jones, who led most of the 20-1ap National, pulled his Honda in second, with Harley teamster ScOll Parker third. Doug Chandler and jay Springsteen rounded out the top five, with Bubba Shobert sixth. Qualifying Last September's Ascot Half Mile winner, jones, was the fastest qualifier at Ascot, circulating the dirt oval in 22.128 seconds. Second quickest was crowd favorite Springsteen, at 22.263. jon Cornwell (22.267) and Goss (22.284) also earned heat-race pole-position starts. Only 43 riders signed-up, and Mike InderbilZin filled the field with his 24.678-second lap. Ted Boody was 21st qualifier, but scratched from the program with mechanical problems. Heats In the opening II-rider. 10-lap heat race, teve Morehead was first the line, but the race was stopped when johnny Cooper became the first of many riders to fall down in turn two, bringing out the red £lag. ·On there tart, Morehead (KK Motorcycle Supply/Laubes Cycle/Storz/ john Dragoo) again jumped out front when the green light lit up, but he lost the lead to jones before the end of lap one. jones immediately pulled out a small lead, and .in turn two on the fifth lap, Maryland's Rod Farris (Ed Fisher/Mach I Racing/Gary Nixon/Mike Spon eller/Cycle Exp.! '0Ian Helmets Honda) also passed Morehead to take over second place. There was a battle going on back in fourth place, and at the finish, Texas' Sammy Sweet took the position behind winner jones, Farris and Morehead. Springsteen came 0([ the pole to lead heat race two over Chandler and Doug Davis. Then on the second lap, Springsteen got a little too sideways exiting turn two, and Chandler put his Freddie Spencer/SuperTrapp Honda past on the outside. Near the halfway point, Chad Felicio (RBR Services/Shoei/Hi-Point/Kal-Gard) pushed his Wood-Rotax thumper past Davis to claim the final transfer position. A good race developed for fourth place between second-gear Expert Don Estep, 1985 junior National Champ Brian Atherton, and Davis. Atherton 0([ held the position until he got too close to the backstraight wall and was forced to let 0((, allowing Estep to take over fourth. Chandler took the win by a comfortable margin over Springer (Hatley-Davidson Motor Co.) and Felicio. SCOll Pearson, Ricky Graham and Scott Parker ran 1-2-3 at the start of heat race three, and were trailed by the likes of Shobert, Cornwell and Chris Carr. Parker got alongside Graham on the inside of the back stretch, and forced the Honda rider high in turn three, taking over second; the move 'llso allowed Sb,obert to grab third. On lap three, Graham momentarily found a way pastthede£ending champ, but Shobert quickly passed both Graham and Parker to lay claim to second. On lap four, hobert stuck a wheel past Pearson going into tUrn three, but Pearson (Circle Bell Elll.! Shoei/Carlisle/Hap jones/Red Line OillSuperTrapp/SoCaI Racing Fuel/ TsubakilHi-Point/Mikuni/K& / Kal-GardiND/Grand Prix Plastic / Works Performance) kept his lead as they headed down the front straight. Shobert took over the lead halfway through lap five, then Parker and Pearson pulled alongside the Team Honda rider exiting turn four, and the leader ran three abrea t down the front straightaway and around turns one/two. Parker came out with the lead, followed by Shobert and Pearson; Graham and Carr were fourth and fifth, a distance back. On lap seven, the ra-ce was stopped and called complete when David Ryan crashed in turn four and was knocked out; the top three positions went to Parker, Shobert and Pearson. Dan Ingram got a jump on the field at the start of heat four, but Goss placed his Harley in front before turn two. Goss led Ingram and Poovey (Hudd Racing/Shoei/Sisemore/Hap jones/Hi-Poi n t/Tsu baki/SuperTrapp) for two laps until Ingram pulled 0(( with bike problems. "It started vibrating real bad, I think the lower end is going out," said Ingram. With Ingram out of the picture, Poovey inherited second, and fellow Texan Billy Herndon grabbed third.