Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

"It's just now getting to where everything is the way) want it and) feel good about going to the races again. It's taken me this long to get it right. ) have a 16-foot Dico trailer thatI've outfitted as a complete shop, with a partS washer and an air compressor and shelves so we can work out of it, and) had to buy an awning. ) bought a motorhome, a 1983 Pace Arrow, from a guy who said it used to belong to Freddie Spencer, that his dad drove it around or something, but) don't know. ) had to get something that would haul around the trailer. "My little brother, Troy, is helping me with the bikes; ) hired him to go to the races with me. Rob Muzzy, who did my engines while ) was with Honda, is building my engines and Sparky Edmonston and he make sure my bikes are ready when we leave for the races. Troy went down to Sparky's for about two months and gOt a crash course on everything about the Hondas. He must have learned it because he's doing a real good job. At Springfield Muzzy had built the engine but Troy put the bike together and we won the fastest mile in history. He even gotan award. He got the MotorWeek Illustrated Behind the Scenes Award for that week. ) lold him, most guys if their bike won the fastest mile they'd be having T-shirts printed up and jumping up and down. Like Tex had cards made when we set the record in 1982. Troy's 25." Graham has won six Camel Pro Series miles at Springfield, and his recent win there was his 22nd Camel Pro Series dirt track ationaJ victory. What's the deal with Graham and Springfield? "I like that track, it's nice and wide. At Springfield ) was having such a good time that I got about 15 laps into the race before I started thinking about strategy. Usually you're always thinking about where to try and draft and set up, what you're going to do, but I was having such a good time I didn't even think about it until the end. Usually when you're having fun you do better. It's the kind of track wbere you can ride anywhere, not like some of the tracks that groove up on one line and it's follow-the-Ieader. Especially on hal£ miles that groove up, and you can't draft, so how do you pass a guy? You can stu£[ it in under him and knock him off the groove, but that's about it. Ricky Graham celebrates after winning the fastest mile in history. Two-time AMA/Camel Pro Series Grand National Champion Ricky Graham atthe crossroads By John Ulrich Photos by Bert Shepard After two years as a paid factory rider for Honda, Ricky Graham started 1986 as a privateer on the dirt track circuit again. He'll be happy if he breaks even this season, he says, and it's a big adjustment. But based on his record-setting May 25 victory at the Springfield, Illinois mile, it looks like Gra- 34 ham has made the adjustment. "The big change is bills," Grabam, 27, said recently in a phone interview from his Seaside, California home. "Bills coming in instead of checks. "When I rode for Tex Peel I had to give him hal£ of what I made and I thought that was too much. Now that) know what it COStS, I should have probably given him 75% based on the amount of money he had to put out. He covered all of the expenses except for my expenses to get there. The year we won the championship we made money. ) had about $60.000 lefl over after I gave him half, but we were runn ing althe front every week. ") don't see how mo I of those guys do it. The thing i you have to run at the front, win races. This year the only money ponsor I have are Arai, they gave me . 15.000, and]a k izemore, who gave 2500 for ga . That's all the money) got. I have some product sponsors, Bel-Ray ~ubricants. ND. Tsubaki chain and Trick Rac'ng gas, and that helps because you use a lot of product. but that doesn't pay the bills. Gary cott just called me and offered me a deal to race under the KK Aftermarket Racing Team banner, offered me 4500 to wear their leathers. but we haven't made a deal and that' about it. ''I'm looking at thi year as an investment, part of a two or threeyear program. I'm trying to put togetber a program that looks good, so when I go lOa ract' track, if a potential sponsor went to tne track he'd see my program as something he'd like to be involved with. ''I'm going to try to bring in outside sponsors. from outside the motorcycle industry. The bad thing is we don't get any TV. and without TV thereevidemly aren 'tenough numbers of people. taking the people who read Cycle News and what little coverage the magazines give us and auend the races. to attra t the big sponsors from outside the m tOrcycle industry. "Another problem i that nobody in Ihe Camel Pro erie has any idea of how to promote themselves, me in luded. i1lakes lime and money 10 gooul and talk to pOlenliaJ sponsors, to put togelher a nice package to show them. or to pay somebody who h?s the ~~n~acts ~C? ~?c:~t.a.nd.?o il. Two views of Graham (31 working at the Springfield Mile.

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