Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Keith Day (22) led the main event from the first lap until the white flag lap, but had to settle for third when Shobert and Eklund powered by. Bubba Shobert (1) and Steve Eklund f inished 1·2 in San Francisco. (Below ) Junior Randy Tresser (1 OY) led the pack into the first turn . AMA 600c~ National Championship Dirt Track Series: Round 1 Shobert shines in San Francisco 51 By Farren Williams _ Photos by Mitch Friedman SAN FRANCISCO, CA, JAN 23 Defen d i ng National Ch a mpion Bu bba Shobert claimed victory with a dramatic pass on the next-to-last lap to win the in augural event in the AMA's new 600cc National Dirt Track Series, a 25-lap short track feature race held in the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Texan Shobert held off a strong final challenge from Gardner Racing's Steve Eklund, after both Shobert and Eklund powered by Californian Keith Dayan lap 24. Day, who led the race from the middle of th e first lap until th e late-race move by Shobert and Eklund, finished third. The race was held on a short, tight, tenth-mile oval that stayed rough and made riding difficult throughout the evening, despite constant reworking of the track by officials. The dirt used to make the track had been soaked from recent northern California rains, which resulted in holes , bumps and choppy stutter bumps in th e corners. " Why couldn't I ever rid e like this in Houston?" Shobert said after the race. Shobert's win, which he claimed in front of 8201 spectators, earned him a $2145 share of the $10,000 purse. Eklund collected $1415 for . taking second place and Day took home third place money totaling $915. Californian Rob Damron stopped the clock at 10.889 seconds to claim fastest time during one-lap qualify- ing runs. Filling out th e riders who would be sitting on the pole position in the six heat races were : Chris Carr ( 10. 934) ; Junior Andy Tressor (10.936); Don Wilson (11.027); Junior Speedy Kelly (11.089); and Dan Bennett (11.089). Shobert qualified 17th fastest with a I I.342 clocking. Sixty-four riders (46 Experts, 18 Juniors) co mpe ted for th e 60 spots in th e 'short track program with the final spot going 10 Junior Kevin Todd, who clocked in at 12.445. Wood-Rotax-rnounted Damron was first off the line in the initial 10-lap Expert/Junior heat race, where only th e" winner would transfer directl y to the main event. Damron held the point until Day's Can-Am motored by him on lap four. P.]. Sanchez ran third until lap eight when he fell in turn two. Day took the win, foll owed by Damron and Troy Norris. Team Harley-Davidson factory rider Carr nabbed the ho leshot and powered away with the second 10lap h eat race. Harley rider Sal Hoffman held second from start to finish , while California's Don Howa rd did th e same in third place a board a Honda. John Wincewicz worked his way back from a poor start to take fourth at the £lag. The third Expert!Junior heat, the fastest heat race of the night ( I:53.54), was topped by Andy Tresser, the hottest Junior riding at the Cow Palace. Tresser ioo k the only direct transfer to the final by beating runner-up Pete Hames and third place Eklund. Two-time National Champion Ricky Graham held second for most of the race, but crashed in turn one on the white flag lap when he hit a hole in the track. " I started trying to run a different line, tried to mov e up high, and didn 't see the hole," said Graham. ''I'm the kind of rider who flicks it sideways and that 's not good on a bumpy track - the rear end just stops." Can-Am-mounted Don Wilson nabbed the holeshot in heat four after Honda riders Scott Pea rso n and Randy Roose were moved to row three for attempting to jump the start. Wi lson and Wood-Rotaxmounted J on Nunez traded the lead for the first three laps, then Wilson moved in front for good and Nunez had to settle for second at the checkers. Pearson worked his Honda from row three to fourth place, but endoed on lap six when third place rider Bennett fell in front of him. Aaron Hill inherited third and held it - to th e chec kers after the crash brought out a red £lag and forced a restart. Oklahoman Ronnie Jones, riding a Honda borrowed from California's J ohn Crist, took an easy win in heat five when everyo ne on the first row, except Jones and Junior Rex Fisher, were moved to row three. Jones led from green light to checkered £lag and was never challenged. Junior Kris Kiser, aboard a Honda, battled with Fisher for the entire race before claiming second; Fisher finished third. The sixth and final IO-Iap Expert! Junior heat went to Washington . Junior Speedy Kelly, who was more than elated when he took the win over three-time Grand National Champion Shobert, sending Shobert to the second semi . Kelly nabbed the ho leshot and led all the way, while Shobert came off the line in fifth and had to work his way through traffic. Shobert took second from Mark Corsetti on lap five, reeled in Kelly a nd pressured him for the final two laps, riding right on Kelly's rear fender, but Shobert ran out of race before he could & around the Junior rider. et Corsetu finished third. The first IO-Iap semifinal looked as' if it would be an easy win for Harley-mounted Hames, who led teammate Eklund and fast-qualifier Damron for the first seven laps, but a three-rider pileup cost Hames the lead in the strangest way. "When I saw those guys fall down I thought I saw a red flag, (it was yellow)," Hames said. "I think I'm going to have a test to see if I'm color blind." When Hames saw the "red flag" he slo wed down and Eklund powered past him in turn one on lap eight to take the lead and the win. Hames recovered to finish second and take th e last direct transfer to the feature race. Honda rider John Clayton finished third. Junior Kris Kiser nailed the holeshot in the second semi, but Shobert passed him coming out of turn four at the end of lap one. The race was red flagged on lap three when Jon Nunez and Kirk Strong tangled and went down in tum three, and Mark Key went into the hay bales to avoid the pair.

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