Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Filice took the point on the reSlart and held it to the finish despite constant harrassment from Eklund. The Gardner Racing rider pressured Filice all the way to the checkered £lag but couldn't find his way around. Both riders transferred to the final. Last Chance Qualifier Rich King swapped the lead with Rainey, George Roeder, Doug Davis and Pete Hames in the 1O-lap LCQ before finally taking the win. King's victory earned him the 17th and £inaI position on the main event starting grid. Davis finished second and Rainey took third. Camel Challenge The five-lap Camel Challenge could have been called, "The 'Bubba Shobert Show." The American Honda rider nailed the holeshot and pulled away to easily win his second Camel Challenge race in as many weekends (he also won the Camel Challenge in Parkersburg. on july 18). jones held second for the first lap, but Chandler passed the GF Racing pilot going into turns one and two at the beginning of lap two. ·Chandler tried to keep Shobert in his sights, but the factory rider pulled away and Chandler had to settle for second. . jorgensonbumpedjonestofourth on lap two, which set the finishing. positions for good. At the checkers, the order read: Shobert, Chandler, jorgensen, jones, Davis and Eklund. "Bubba got a good start, broke the draft and got away from us," Chandler said. "That's the plan," Shobert said when asked after the Challenge race if he would win it all at DuQuoin. "But you ~ever know," he said. "The main event is a long race. I think it'll have a lotto do with tires. It will be hard to break away. Guys will be helping each other with the draft. " National Shobert might have considered breaking away hard to do, but that's exactly what he tried.at the Slart of the 25-lap main event, pQwering off the first row to lead the "Rolling Thunder Show" into turn one. Graham, Chandler, Carr and Parker were in tow as Shobert exited turn two, and it was Chandler who held it on the longest going into turn three, sweeping by Graham and Shobert to claim the lead. Shobert had been correct, he couJdn't break away. In fact, the top nine riders were circulating in close formation, riding in the same draft, and Shobert, his factory Honda sputtering, began to slip backward in the pack. Chandler led lap two with Carr and Shobert in tow. Parker, riding on the cushion while everyone else stayed on the groove, moved from fourth to first on lap three, crossing the start/finish line in a dead heat with Graham and Chandler while Carr and Shobert trailed. The top six riders continued to mix it up in every turn and at the end of five laps it was Chandler back in from, holding-off Carr, Graham and Parker, who had abandoned his high line. Sweet and Poovey had moved into fifth and sixth, respectively, while seventh-place Shobert held off jorgensen, Morehead and Scott. On lap seven the front three read Chandler, Graham, Carr; on lap eight Carr lead Chandler and Graham, and lap nine saw Graham with the edge over Chandler and Carr. Shobert, who was sixth on the 10th lap, moved into first by lap 12 when his bike began to run well again, but his progress was halted by. the red nag when Boody led five other riders to the track surface in turn three. Riders' not involved in the spill used the break (which lasted almost I ~ hours because the helicopter had to return before officials could restai"t the race ) to change rear tires everyone slarted the final 13 laps with fresh rubber. Shobert led .Chandler, Parker, Graham, Poovey, Carr, jorgensen, Scott, Filice, Farris and King off the line on the single-row restart. Only II of the 17 Experts who started the race rode the final 13 laps. Shobert settled into a lead he would never relinquish, except for that brief moment on lap 25 when he was forced to let Graham power by. Chandler settled into second while Graham and Poovey, who is backed by Shoei/Marioneaux Racing/Hap jones/Portco/Tsubaki, battled for third until Graham got by for good on lap 17. jorgensen was circulating in fifth, and sixth-running Scott set the pace for Harley teammates Carr and Parker. Felice was well off Parker's pate, but held the edge on Farris who was well ahead of King. K~n& ~as run.ning dead last with a mlsfirmg engme. Graham LOok second from Chandler on lap 19 and held the spot until the end. jorgensen bumped fourth-running Poovey to fifth on the white £lag lap, then passed Chandler to claim third on the last go-around. Shobert out-horsepowered Graham across the line and jorgensen took third with the freight train of Chandler, Poovey, Carr, Parker and Scott in t'Ow. Filice and Farris finished well behind the front runners, while King limped home to 11th. Filling out the official order of finish were Herndon (who scratched just before the restart), JOQes, Eklund, Sweet, Morehead and Boody. Controversy erupted at the Slart! finish line when' both Carr and Parker accused Graham of rough riding. "What were you doing out there," an obviously upset Parker asked Graham. "We're not racing for that much money. We don't need to bump each other out there." "You were trying to bump me off the track," Graham retaliated. "The first hali of the race I was bumped by another rider and the same rider almost put my teammate down," said Carr. "You know who we're talking about." . "Yeah, I'm a bad guy," said Graham in the winner's circle. ''I'm tired of being a nice guy. Scotty passed me on the outside and he was going to pull back down. I guess he expected me to shut o(f. I don't know." _ Results 25·LAP NATIONAL: 1. Bubba Shobert (Han); 2. Ricky Grohom (Han); 3. Ale. J""gensen (Hon); 4. Doug Chondler (Han); 5. Terry Poovey (Hon~ 6. Chris Corr (H·D); 7. Scan Porker (H·D); B. Honk Scott (Han); 9. Jimmy Filice (H·D); 10. Rodney Farris (Han); 11. Rich King (Han); 12. Billy Herndon (Han); 13. Ronnie Jones (Han); 14. SIeve Eklund (H·DI; 15. Sammy Sweel (H-DI; 16. Sle.e M""ehead (H-D~ 17. Tad Boody (Hon). FIVE-LAP CAMEL CHALLENGE: 1. Bubba Shoo bert (Hon); 2. Doug Chondler (Honl; 3. Ale. Jorgensen (Honl; 4. Ronnie Jones (Honl; 5. Doug Do.is (H-D); 6. SIeve Eklund (H-DI. AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DIRT TRACK SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. Doug Chondler (1401; 2. Scan Parker (1331; 3. Bubba Shobert(131); 4. Chris Carr(116); 5. Ricky Graham (1101; 6. Ronnie Jon8$ (901; 7. Scan Pearson (B21; 8. Terry Poovey (70); 9. Ale. Jorgensen (591; 10. Don Estep (55); 11. Tad 800dy (49); 12. (TIE) Ste.e M""eheod/Sle.. Eklund (38); 14. Sommy Sweel (31); 15. Rich King (29); 16. Pele Hames (28); 17. Hank Scan (201; 18. Tim Mertens (18); 19. Jim Filice (17); 20. (TIE) Jay Springsleen/Rodney Farris (16). CAMEL PRO SERIES POINT STANDINGS; 1. Bubba Shobert (112); 2. Wayne Rainey (92); 3. Doug Chondler 186); 4. Ke.in Schwantz (72); 5. Scan Porker (52); 6. Doug Polen (47); 7. (TIE) Dan Chi.ington/Ricky Graham (39); 9. Chris Corr (361; 10. Rueben McMurter (32). Wind (Continued from page 2) Wildlife Committee; a committee spokesman could give no reason for the postponement. Letters supporting the measure should be sent to the committee C/O Assemblyman Steven Peace. State Capital. Sacramento. California. 95814. A strong team of foreign speedway racers, headed by World Champion Hans ielsen of Denmark, wiU tackle an American team led by National Champion Bobby Schwartz in a two-race meet which is also being biUed as "U.S.A. vs. the World ll"_ Action gets underway at Ascot South Bay Stadium on Thursday night, july 30. Then, on Saturday night, August I, the action takes place on the famed Ascot half mile track. joining Nielsen on the World Team are England's Phil Collins and Marvin Cox, Czechoslovakia's Ales Dryml, Australian john Tittman, New Zealand's Larry Ross and Sweden's Jan Andersson. In addition 1.0 Schwartz, the Ameriun team includes Mike Faria, Rob Pfetzing, Bobby Ott, Steve Lucero, John Cook and Gary Hicks. Multi-ume World Champion Ivan Mauger is the World Team's manager. A special exhibition Quad race will involve actor Lorenzo Lamas, star of TV's Falcon Crest, going up against an as of yet unnamed opponent. HosPITal STOP: Gary Bailey suffered a badly bruised kidney when Anaheim Stadium contract awarded to Mickey Thompson By Clark Emery ANAHEIM, CA, JULY 21 The Anaheim City Council today awarded an exclusive contract for the promotion of off-road motorsport events in Anaheim Stadium to Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group (MTEG), e££ectively killing any chance that an AMA-sanctioned supercross will be held in the facility next year. During the month of january for the past 12 years, three promoters Mike Goodwin's Supercross Inc. (SXI), MTEG, and Pace/SRO have staged various motorsport events in Anaheim Stadium, includ.ing AMA·sanctioned supercross (promoted by SXl), o££-road truck and auto racing (MTEG events), and tractor puUs and mud bogs (promoted by Pace/SRO). The city of Anaheim put the january, 1988, stadium dates up for bid last january with MTEG, SXl and Pace/SRO making bids. Following debate today, the council voted 4-1 to award an exclusive contract to the high bidder - MTEG consolidating all o££-road racing events at Anaheim Stadium un!ier one promoter. Council members voting in favor of the award were William Ehrle, Fred Hunter, Marion Kaywood and Anaheim Mayor Ben Bay. Council member Irv Pickler opposed the measure. Since the Insport Agreement between SXI, Pace/SRO and the AMA gives SXI exclusive rights to promote AMA-sanctioned super- he crashed on a double jumpduring a motocross school he WlIS conducting in Texas last week. Bailey returned to his Axton. Virginia. home. but entered the Martinsville Hospital where the kidney damage was diagnosed. He's expecting to be released within two or three days of our press day. Monday. July 27. Cards and letters should be sent to P.O. Box 130. Axton. VA 24054. Contrary 1.0 an announcement by AMA District 17, the August 9 HilJ & Gully Enduro in Roselawn, Indiana, will not be a Regional Championship event, according to Douglas Graham of the Hill & Gully Riders. "Regional status was impossible due to the fact that a Regional Enduro is scheduled in Michigan for the same date,'" said Graham. As a non-Regional event, the Hill & Gully Enduro will be a "family" enduro approximately 70 miles il1 length and, according to Graham, all riders should be able to finish within their hour. For more information, contact jim Gaspar at 312/895-3048. Dick Phares. who was heavily involved with the ISDE U.S. Trophy Team effort since 19B3. the off-road pit coordinater for Team Husqvama since 1977 and one of the major organizers of the Los Ancianos Motorcycle Club's Tecate Enduro. died of cancer. July 20. Phares. 45. is survived by his wife Alva and son Mark. Cards and letters can be sent c/ o Acerbis Plastica USA. 10911H Wheadands Ave.• Santee. CA 92071. • cross races in southern California, at least for the next two years, the action taken by the city council eliminates the possibility of any AM Asanctioned supercross in Anaheim during 1988. "(Factory-sponsored riders) will not ride in an event that is 'flot sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association," Goodwin's attorney, William Lobel, warned the members of the city council during debate. "We are applying for an AMA sanction, and I see no reason wby we won't eventually get the AMA sanction," Thompson countered.. "We're going to put a full-bore e££ort into this thing," Thompson later told Cycle News. "There's no question that we're going to fill this place up - AMA sanctioned or not. We would prefer to be AMA sanctioned, but if we're not, we'll still fill it. "Right now, I don't know if we're going to call it supercross or ultracross, but we're going to have a big series, with or without the AMA," said Thompson. "We would like to be with the AMA; we think they're a good organization." "Anaheim is a very important market for the factories (but factory participation) would depend on the format of the event," said Yamaha Race Team Manager Kenny Clark. "If they (MTEG) have trucks and buggies, and motorcycles are only a fifth of the racing, then I would have to go to the marketing people here at Yamaha and let them dectde." "I don't think Yamaha or any of the other factories want to get involved with this issue between twO promoters," he said. "We're developing a sit-back-and-wait attitude on the subject." Goodwin and SXl Event Manager jeanne Sleeper were unavailable fOf comment. _

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