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/126985
Hud Racing's Ted Boody (12) took second place from Team Harley's Scott Parker (11) on the 19th lap of the 20-lap main event. Chris Carr (20) set the pace for Steve Morehead (42), Bubba Shobert (1) and Ted Boody (12) during the Ascot National Ha" Mile in Gardena. Team Honda's Bubba Shobert wrapped up his third straight AMA Grand National Championship Dirt Track Series title at Ascot. AMA Grand National Championship Dirt Track Series/Camel Pro Series: Rounds 17/15 Carr wins Asc~t HM, Shobert clinches title By ~rren Williams PhoJPs by Mitch Friedman GARDENA, CA, SEPT. 26 HarIey-Davidson's Chris Carr dominated the 29th running of the Ascot Half Mile in Gardena, powering away on his Mert Lawwill-tuned factory Harley-Davidson to 6 win the lion's share of the cash in both the $35 000 National 'l . d h h.a If mt e mam ' event an t e £lve-Iap, $17,500 Camel Challenge dash for cash. An even bigger winner, however, was Team Honda's Bubba Shobert, who clinched his third consecutive AMA Grand National Championship with a fourth place 'finish in the 20-lap final. Shobert, who wrapped up his third Camel Pro title in New York on September 12 when the Syracuse Mile was rained out, collected 11 poin.ts for fourth place at Ascot, which pushed his National Dirt Track Series point total to 212. Even if Team Harley's Scott Parker (who is second in the standings with 191 points) wins the last race of the series in Sacramento next weekend, the best he can hope for is 211 points. Carr claimed his victory before 7000. southern Ca~ifo~nia race fans, beating Hud Racmg s Ted Boody, Parker, Shobert and "Findlay Flyer" Steve Morehead in a brutal, handlebar-banging battle that lasted for the full 20 laps. Carr got away from the pack early in the race and pulled away, but second-place was up for grabs all the way to the checkered flag ..and every rider running in the top 10 had a shot at it. "I've never been on the box on a half mile," Carr said in the winner's circle. "To get on the top of the box the first time is great. In the heat race I was struggling; the bike didn't work worth a darnn. But we changed tires for the Challenge (from a Carlisle Universal to a Goodyear) and set up the chassis differently. It worked great. We didn't have to make any changes for ~e main." "I would rather have gone out in style and won the race," said Shobert, "but it was a tough race. I had a couple of close calls out there. I had my eye on Parker the whole race, but it was hard to take the kind of chances you have to take to win here' at Ascot because I had the championship on my mind. I was racing for the championship." Parker was philosophical about the elusive title that has escaped his grasp yet again. "It's one of those things," said Parker. "I did tlte best I could. I rode 100 percent aIf year and I got beat. I'm not disappointed. Bubba has a superb motorcycle and he rides it good. It's history - he won it again - but I'm happy with the year. Those Hondas are not slow motorcycles. " Carr collected winnings of approximately $16,625, including $10,000 for winning the Camel Challenge, $4645 for his victory in the feature race, $20 per lap for leading 19 of the 20 laps in the main event (for a total of $380), $100 for setting fast time and a $1500 bonus from Harley-Davidson for winning the National. Boody took home $3080 for second place in the main event, while Parker's third netted him $2005; Parker also collected $2500 for finishing second in the Camel Challenge. Time Trials Carr gassed his H-D Motor Co.! Mert LawwilL/Shoei/Hobie Apparel/Hap jones/R.S. Taichi Harley-Davidson to a fast qualifying lap of 22.303 seconds, nearly ninetenths of a second slower than the track record of 21.419, set by two-time National Champion Ricky Graham in 1983. Parker qualified his Bill Wernertuned Harley second fastest at 22.306, Shobert was third fastest at 22.379 aboard his Skip Eaken/Ray Plumbprepared Honda, and Moreheard rounded out the heat race pole-sitters on his Hank Scott-prepped Harley with a time of 22.383. The talk of the qualifying session was Michigan's Bryan Villella, this season's standout junior, who was riding in his first-ever Expert race. Villella, facing off against the big Vtwins aboard a R9n Wood-tuned, Wood-Rotax single, stopped the clock at 22.385 to earn fifth fastest time and a spot in the Camel .Challenge. "I've been waiting for this," said Villella. "If I can get a holeshot (in the Camel Challenge) and make them go around me, I think I can hold them off." Freddie SpencerlSuperTrapp Racing's Doug Chandler took the last spot on the Camel Challenge starting grid by qualifying sixth fastest aboard his Honda with a 22.408 time. Honda-mounted Terry Poovey, Boody, Graham and threetime National Champion jay Springsteen rounded out the top 10. The 48th and final Expert to make the program from the 57 riders who attempted to qualify was California's Robert Damron; his cutoff time was 23.6 seconds. Heats It was Illinois p.rivateer Tim Mertens who grabbed an impressive holeshot when the green light signaled the start of the first 10-lap Expert heat race, followed by Graham and Californian Keith Day. By the end of the first lap, Boody had worked his way around Day to take over thira and Carr, who was struggling to find traction, was running in mid-pack. Boody turned up the throttle on his Hud Racing/AraiIFox/Megacycle/Bel-RaylTsubaki-backed Honda on lap two, powering around both Graham and Mertens. By the midway point Boody was stretching his lead, while Graham, Carr and Gardner Racing's Steve Eklund had passed.a tractionless Mertens and were setting out after the Hud Racing rider. The trio battling for second gained on Boody in the closing laps but couldn't catch him. He wheelied across the line to take the win, trailed by Graham and Carr. Eklund finished fourth, right on Carr's rear wheel, but he was one positon out of the direct transfer slots to the main event. Michigan's Parker pulled the holeshot in .heat two, diving into turn one with teammate Spr~gsteen, Canadian jon Cornwell and Harleymounted Eric Rausch on his tail The crowd cheered when .Springer passed Parker coming out of turn two, but Parker's H-D Motor Co.! Tsubaki/Bell/SuperTrapp Harley_ had the lead again at the end of the first lap. Then Parker simply turned up the gas and ran away from everyone. Texan Poovey, aboard the Shoei/ Marioneaul( Racing Honda, shook off a poor start and worked his way through traffic- to finish a distant second behind Parker after fighting for the runner-up spot with Cornwell and Springsteen for the entire 10 laps. Cornwell claimed third, and the last direct transfer to the main, while Springsteen and Rausch had to settle for trips to the semis with fourth and fifth, respectively. Circle Bell's Scott Pearson lost the holeshot to Gardner Racing's Pete Hames in the third lO-lap Expert heat race when he wheelied off the line, but Pearson had the lead by the end of lap one and never looked back. Chandler, looking for his third straight half mile win at Ascot Park,