Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Doug Chandler (10) and Scott Parker (1) went at it in the National which Chandler won. Ricky Graham (3) finished second in the National While 600 National Champion Chris Carr crashed. AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series: Round 3 . Chandler has . "perfect night" at Ascot Half Mile By Jack Mangus Photos by Mitch Friedman GARDENA, CA, MAY I~ "It was a dream - a perfect night," said Doug Chandler after he had won the 20lap Ascot Gold Cup Half Mile round of the Camel Pro Series at Ascot Park. The Salinas, 6 California, racer also set fast time and won the fastest heat of the night aboard a Hank Scott-prepared Honda he said "was flawless." The last three laps of the race saw Chandler cruising along by himself, but the first 17 laps produced furious action that saw Grand National Champion Scott Parker, 600 National Champion Chris Carr and two-time Grand National Champion Ricky. Graham all spend some time in the lead. After Carr crashed and Parker suffered a mechanical problem, Graham on the Rob Muzzy R&D Honda that "was put together at the last minute" moved imo second and finished there. The runner-up finish by Graham, who holds the Ascot one-lap and 20-lap records which weren't challenged at this race, duplicated his performance in last September's Ascot Half Mile. Maryland's. Rodney Farris, who was never in a position to chaUenge for the top two spots, turned in a strong ride on the Ed Adkins-tuned Harley-Davidson, the only Harley in the top seven spots, to take third in the race that drew 6884 dirt track fans. Chandler, who scored his ninth National win and fourth at Ascot, earned $4000 for the win, $100 for the fastest time trial lap and $160 for leading eight laps. Graham pocketed $2650 from the $29,500 purse for finishing second, and Farris banked $1725 for third. .The race tightened up the Camel Pro Series point standings. Carr's lead was cut to just two points, ~6 34, over Texan Terry Poovey who finished fifth. The runner-up finish by Graham moved him from sixth to third in the standings with ~2 points, two more than Chandler who now has ~O, and moved up to fourth from ninth. Time Trials Only ~~ Experts posted for the race and that ensured that aU would qualify for the program that offers spots for 48 riders. Chandler turned in a 22.5~O-second lap for fast time of the night, but far short of Graham's track record of 21.419 set in 198~, to earn the pole position for the first of four heat races. Parker was second fastest with a time of 22.571, Will Davis third at 22.574 and Carr earned the fourth heat pole position with the fourth fastest lap, a 22.615-second tour of the Gardena oval. Three-time Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen, who scored the first of his four Ascot National Hall Mile wins in 1976, was fifth fastest at 22.77. Following the veteran with seventh fastest time was the youngest and newest member of the Harley-Davidson factory team, Springsteen's teammate Kevin Atherton, at 22.796. Rounding out the top 10 qualifiers were Sponseller Racing's Dan Ingram at 22.797, Sexton Racing's Rich King at 22.80, and Ingram's teammate Steve Morehead with a 22.81 lap. Heats As the field for the first of four 1O-lap heat races gridded, Harley-Davidson factory rider Carr stood looking at the track in tum four: "It's going to be fast," said Carr, "particularly in this heat." He was right. Chandler gave everyone a hint of what was to follow as he led every lap of the first heat, a race that turned out to be the fastest of the night, just as Carr had predicted. Pressured on the first two laps by Ingram, Chandler opened up a gap on lap three and sailed home the winner, completing the race in ~ minutes, 44.54 seconds. Graham took over second for good on the third lap, stuffing his way past Ingram as the pair dove into turn three. Ingram held on to third to advance to the National along with winner Chandler and runner-up Graham. King took fourth and along with those who followed him was headed for a semi-final race. First, second and third place finishers in a National half mile program transfer to the final, while the fourth through ninth place finishers transfer to a semi. With only nine riders starting the first heat and eight competing in each of the remaining three heats, everyone was guaranteed a second shot at making the final. Morehead, aboard the Sponseller Racing Honda tuned by Skip Eaken, pulled the holeshot in the second heat but he was shadowed on the high line through turns one/two by Parker. The two quickly opened up a gar on their pursuers and went at it al around the track. After Morehead led the charge across the start! finish line on the opening lap, it was Parker's turn up front on lap two after Morehead stumbled in tum three and Parker dove under him to get the drive. out of turn four. Morehead regained the lead out of turn two on the third lap, but on lap five Parker took the lead for good by riding the high line through rums three and four. Morehead hung on to the champ until Parker broke away on lap seven and lengthened his lead over the remaining laps to

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