Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(Above) The main event. (Below) Tammy Kirk (5c) d~eated Pete Hames (32) and Sammy Sweet (60) to finish second behind Graham in her heat. Springfield Mile winner Ricky Graham clocked in at 33.271 seconds to average 103.06 mph. His win was the futest mile ever recorded. AltA Grand IUfioaI CIIa"",;onsIJip/Camel Pro Series: 10IIIJd B Graham wins Springfield Mile thriller By Jack Mangus Photos by Bert $hepard SPRINGFIELD, IL, MAY 25 Former Grand National Champion Ricky Graham won the fastest-ever dirt track mile race when he crossed the finish line inches in front of current Camel Pro champ Bubba Shobert at the end of 25 furious I ps of racing at the Illinois a. .. State FaIrgrounds In Spnngfield. Graham's average speed 6 was 103.06 mph (the time was 14 minutes, 33.271 seconds); both eclipsed his old record of 101.8 mph/ 14:44.05 elapsed time, set in 1982. Following Graham and Shobert across the finish line were the five other riders who had ta~en part in a nearly race-long, seven-nder duel that sawall take their turn in the lead position. The Cycle News Finish Line.Camera was brought into play, despite the fact that Graham had ~ken.thecheckeredflagon a wheel iemg VIctOry la:P tour of the ~val. As AMA tImer Gil Dosmeg~nc~cked off the frames on the morn.tor s screen, Shobert lean.ed over hiS shoulder. When the VIdeotape revealed that Graham was indeed the winner, by five inchesatthe most, Shobert smiled and said, "Heck, 1 thought he beat me but I didn't want to lell you all (the officials)." Taking third was 1985 Camel Pro Rookie of the Year Chris Carr, who took pride in joining privateer Honda rider Graham and Honda lactory rider Shobert in the wmner's circle. "Mert Lawwill has been working on our HarleY-l?avidson. all year and nowweha~enwhere,ltcanrun,~lght up there wIth anyone s Honda, said Carr, The next fouT finishers, all of whom had a shot at the win up until the last furious lap, were Doug Chandler, Scon Parker, Hank Scott and Randy Goss. Another record was set at Springfield and it was one that had everyone wearinganear-to-eargrin. Theamazing "Racing Lady" [rom Dalton, Georgia, Tammy Kirk, had the crowd screaming as she crossed the finish line behind heat race winner Graham to earn a spot in the Nat.ional. Just as she had been the first female in history to race in a dirt track National when she qualified for the Knoxville Half Mile final in 1983, Kirk became the first female to qualify for a N:ationaI Mile final. . Time Trials Practice was an hour or so late getting underway as track preparation continued until well after 11 a.m. The riders were informed that the Expert program would run first, inc1uding time trials, due to threatening weather; the J.uniors would run their entire program after the Expert National final.. . Graham provided practice session excitement as he turned in an unofficial lap that announcer Dave Despain said was "105 and some change." But as practice wore on it was evident that a groove was forming and that the track had "slowed." Time trials backed that up as the fastest qualifier, Shobert, turned in a 100.3 mph lapat 35.852 seconds, way orr Graham's record of 104,2 mph/34.54. Alex Jorgensen and Carr were the only other riders to break the 100 mph/36-second barrier, clocking in at 35.967 and 35.983, respectively. Hank Scott, who was celebrating his 32nd birthday, was the fourth fastest qualifier at 36.023. Roundingout the top 10 were Doug Chandler, Scott Pearson, Sammy Sweet, Rodney Farris, Steve Morehead and Graham. The 48th and final qualifier was Steve Labordus; his cut-off time was 37.366. Noticeably absent were three-time Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen, who was struck again with the stomach ailment that has plagued him for years, and Ted Boody who reportedly had the flu. Heats Racing got underway in front of a crowd that numbered 11,700, according to J.D. Norris of the Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association, the WNNS-FM/WMAY-AM-sponsored event's organizers. And leading the initial lap of heat race aClion was "Hot Rod" Farris, aboard the Ed Fisher Honda. Farris led until both Shobert and Terry Poovey took the low line by him through turns one and two. Shobert took command of the IO-Iap race and stretched his leading - and eventually winning margin every lap. Farris and Poovey waged their figh t for second all around the oval with Farris taking runnerup honors with a drafting pass of Poovey and his Hudd Racing Honda as they crossed the line. Veteran Steve Morehead finished founh, one SpOI away from a direct transfer to the National, aboard his Tex Peel-tuned, KK Aftermarket Race Team Harley. Sweet, aboard tl)e Pyramid Builders Harley, pulled the holeshot at the start of heat race numbe.r two, but it was Pete Hames and his Gardner Racing Harley first across the start/ finish line at the end of the opening lap, followed by Sweet and Graham. As expected, Graham took command on the next lap and by the end of lap three it was apparent that he was on his way to the win. Hames and Sweet ran 2-3 until the eighth lap when Kirk caught up to them. She then took over second as the trio came to the line where the white flag, signalling the beginning of the last lap, was being waved. She then shut the door on both Hames and Sweet at the end of the backstraight and with the sound of the crowd's cheering drowning our the roar of the motors, Kirk finished second to put her name in the record books. "This is great," said Kirk. Better thah Knoxville? "Just as great. lowe a lot of thanks to my dad who built the engine and to Don Tilley who did the cranks. We owe a special thank you to Terry Knight who spent a day with us while we were in California and dialed in our chassis. We've always had the horsepower, but weren't getting the drive off the corners we needed to do what we did today." Tammy's father, Tommy Kirk, echoed her thanks for the help Knight had provided. "On top of that, he's a genuinely nice guy," Tommy Kirk said. Veteran tunerTex Peel, who in the past had built engines for the Kirk effort, summed up everyone else's feelings when he said, "Do you realize what she did? If you don't, let me tell you that what you saw is amaz. ing. She's an amazing lady." To give credit where credit is due, Kirk's sponsors are Smitty's H-D, Carlisle, Diamond, Hi-Point, KalGard, KRW, Lou's Leathers, Maxie, ND, Valvoline and Wiseco. While winner Graham, runner-up Kirk and Hames were certainly happy with having qualified for the final, there was no smile on the face of veteran Alex Jorgensen, whose day came to an early end when his Harley's ignition failed early in the heat. The third heat produced mile racing at its finest as a five-man "war" took place with four of the five combatants taking turns in the lead at the

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