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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127145
00 00 0') ~ Kevin Atherton (67X) led Don Estep (64) and Chris Carr (20) across the finish line. In doing so, he became the first Junior to win a 600 National. (Left t o ri ght ) Pro-Am w inner Pat Behrle, third place finisher Dan Cahoon and runner-up Russ Crawford were all smiles in w inner's ci rcle. AMA 600 National Championship Dirt Track Series: Round 13 Atherton , ops Experts at t .Parkersburg Half Mile By Bert Shepard PARKERSBURG, WV, JULY IS "After I caught up and p assed Chris (Carr) and Donnie (Estep) I started to fade. Then Chris showed me a wheel a few times an d I gassed it, " said a thrilled Kevin Atherton, who became the first Junior . . class rider to WIn one of the combined Expert/Junior Nationals by topping the field in 24 the final of the Devol' s Cycle Centersponsored Parkersburg Half Mile. Carr's second pla~e finish on a borrowed bike kept him in co mma nd of the seri es point standings wh ere he lead s Kevin Ath et:ton, lSI t? 100. Don. Estep, t.he previous week s 600 National winner a t H ager sto wn , Maryland, finished third. Cincinnati 's Pat Beh rle withstood the persistent pressure from R uss Crawford and a nat tire to win the Pro-Am main event. Time Trials Chad Felicio's 1986 track record of 25.137 seco nds was in jeopardy from th e start of pr actice. When time trials had concl uded, 11 of the 38 Experts and one of the 24 Jun io rs had bettered th e time that Felicio set o n a 750cc bike. That sole Junior was Athert on who turned in the quickest lap of the evening at 24.573 seconds, a new record. Estep, Carr, Ted T aylor, Keith Day, David Durelle and Dan Ingram joined Ath erton in th e 24-second bracket. The .48th and final qualifier was New York 's J ohn Resso at 26.142. Heats The main event would field the first three finishers in each of th e four 1O-lap heat ra ces and the winners of . the two 1O-lap semi-finals and th e ' Last Chance Qual ifier. Ath ert on took th e Perry 's H -D/ Ron Wood/Hog Wash/Sunoco Ra cing Gas / Arai /Tsub aki /Nl-ll/ Faver Sawmill/ Amsoil -b ack ed Wo odRo tax from the outside pol e to th e front of th e first heat and stayed th ere. The rest of th e tickets to th e ma in even t were up for grab s. Jon Corn well and Rodney Farris worked on th e race track and each o ther and finished in th at ord er. Estep and Ingram battled o n a variety of lines as th e surface of th e West Virginia Motor ' Speedway' s half mile oval began to change. By the halfway point Estep had moved up o n the cushion while Ingram had settled near th e bottom. At th e checkered flag Estep had the Steel Masters/Custom Cycle Supply/ Ron Wood/Answer USAIShoei/Castrol/ K&N-backed Wood- Rotax a few bike lengths in front of runner-up Ingram. Brian Atherton earned hi s . starting spot in the ma in by finishing third, circulating alone in that spot. Carr gridded the Robert Lewis Harley-Davidson on the pole for the _ third heat aft er his Wood·Rotax had valve trouble. But at the flash of the green start ing light it was Will Davis off the lin e first and he led th e field by a few bike lengths after th e opening lap. Carr then moved in on Davis and on the fourth lap it was Carr in front in tum four, but two turns later 'Davis regained the lead. Davis, aboard th e Live Wire Electric Co.lShoei/ Avery Davis/Tex Peel / Cox H-D-sponsored Harley used all of the track to maintain the lead right down to the checkered nag. " Chris showed me a few lines. He is really tough. He can make you do th ings you didn 't know yo u could," said winner Davis. Durelle finished third behind Davis and Carr, cruising home alone in the last transfer spot. Davis's dice with Carr took him to the quickest heat ra ce time of the evening, earning the North Carolinian th e pol e for th e final. Davis averaged over 91 mph in th e heat race. Steve Morehead won the fourth and slowest heat of th e night. " T he 600 is rea lly fast, but I don 't know how to ride it yet," said the veteran dirt tracker with a smi le. Taylor and Day finish ed second a n d third , respec tively, to advance to the final with winner Morehead. Semis Scott Stump had th e lead after the opening lap of the first semi and he was being shadowed by Roger Durkee wi th Ch arl ie Orr running third and Vill ella and Gruber sta ying in th e hunt. Just as Durkee took control of th e lead Bob Farver fell in turn four, bringing out the red flag. On th e restart Durkee took the lead again and held off th e challenges of his pursuers to take th e only advancement spot offered. Craig Est elle dom inated the seco nd semi to earn a pos ition in the main. Last Chance Qualifier Just as he had done at th e start of his semi, Stump pulled the holeshot and led George Roeder; Villella and Mark Gruber across the line at the end of the opening lap. Villella disposed of Roeder and set out after Stump. Villella used a low line in turn one to get by Stump and go o n to win to take the last adva ncement spot open in the main. Pro-Am Following four Pro-Am heats that saw Pat Behrl e win th e fastest go , the support main saw another heat race winner, Brian Tillson, lead the field off the line. But after a lap