Chris Carr claimed the first mile win of his young career at Cal Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento, riding a, Mert Lawwill-tuned Harley-Davidson.
Factory Harley rider Scott Parker (11) led Team Honda's Bubba Shobert
in the main event until a fading reer tire forced Parker off the pace.
AMA G~d National Championship Dirt
Track Series: Round 1
Carr clobbers 'eDl at
SacraDlento Mile'
By Farren Williams
SACRAMENTO, CA, APR. 4
Northern California's Chris Carr clobbered
all comers at the $33,000 Florin Road
Toyota Sacramento Mile by using the
effective 1-2 punch of his own impressive
6 riding ability and Mert Law- I will's talented tuning skill.
National Champ Bubba Shobert rode the wh.... off his factory Honda,
but even he couldn't catch Carr and the well-prepped Lawwill Harley.
Carr captured the opening
round of the 1986 AMA Grand
National Cbampionship Series at
Cal Expo State Fairgrounds before
15,063 screaming northern California fans. The obviously partisan
crowd cheered on their favorite son
as he set fast qualifying time, won
his heat race going away and led the
main event from wire to wire.
The victory marked the young
Team Harley-Davidson rider's
second National win, (his first came
at the Peoria, Illinois, IT in 1986),
and was his long-awaited, first-ever
victory on the one-mile oval.
By the time the pack thundered
through tum one on the opening'
lap, Carr had captured the lead and
was pulling away from the field.
When the checkered flag dropped 25
miles later, Carr had relegated the
winners of the two 1986 Cal Expo
Miles - defending National champ
Bubba Shobert and Team Harley's
Scou Parker - to second and third,
respectively. Carr earned $3890 for
the win, Shoben took home $2580
and Parker won $1685.
"lowe Men a lot of credit," Carr
said. "He's worked hard the last two
months so we could run with Bubba
and that Honda. The bike ran good.
1 really have to thank (C.R.) Axtell
as well. Those two guys deserve a
lot for this win."
"I haven't been beat that bad on
a mile in a long time," said Shobert
with a smile. "That's the hardest I've
had to ride for second in a long time.,
1 thought 1 could catch him, 1 really
did, but he was going a little better
than me. Chris deserved this one."
Parker chased Shobert in the early
going, moved into' second place
midway through the race, then made
an all-out charge for Carr in the final
laps: It turned out to be a mistake.
"I just kept charging harder and
harder, then the tire started going
