Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

SIeve :\Iorehead. who lives just 30 miles from Lima. was disappointed in his third place finish . " Win n in g is everything, third is nowhere," said :\Iorehead. Camel Pro Series Champion SCOII Parker was joined in the post-race celebration by fellow Michigan racer Jerr Stanton, the Camel Supercross Series Champion. ton low ed th.. field into turn one at H ...u nu mb er IWO b el on g ..d 10 Park ..r. T h.. cha m p drove away from the start o f th e 10-la p rar e, As far as th e- o u tsid.. poh- a nd was n..ver h..aded the win we n t, t hat was tha t. T he ju nior as Ill' led Sp ri ngsn-..n a nd In gram member of th e Harl ev factorv learn led a ll th e way 10 cla im 'l he wi ~ in wha t anoss th .. fini sh l in .. a n d 10 t h e Nat ion a l. tu rned OUI 10 he th e fas test heal race ' of the ,; 'en ing. T ..xan Mik.. H al l' was o n the move in th .. pa ck in hop t' s o f g ra bb i ng a Behind Ath ert on, Ca na d ia n Ch ris Evan s miss e d a gea r o ff th e lin e and uun sf..r spot , but a ny cha nce- of doing so soon ..vaporau-d as veter a n Tim was lu ck y not 10 be co llected. T err y M,'n..ns held him at a n n 's length th e Poovey and Rodney Farri s: quickl y ..nt ire wa y. T h..v'd co n tin ue t h .. ir joined by Donnie Est ep , chased Ather• IOn a ro u n d th e ova l, Farri s go t under baul.. in a s..mi . TIlt' tra ck wa s II u irk I I' g roo med Poovev in turn three a nd seeme d 10 prior to lhl ' start o f th e third heat and have s;'co nd locked up , bUI Estep had when it gOI und.. rwa y it wa s Rust y other ideas. Estep mo ved on Poovey Rog.. rs on t h .. Skip Eak en -bui h , in rum tw o and Farris in turns th ree and four and took o ver th e pl ace J ohnny C oad -unu-d Honda with th .. po sition , Farris re ta lia t..d, bUI was hol esh or . bUI hi s I..ad didn't last long as C n'r mo ved to th .. Iront for good repa ssed a la p lat er a nd the runnera fter the field cl..ar ..d th e firsl IWo up spot bel onged 10 Estep with Farris turn s. J USI as Can held rh.. lead 10 lak e taking third a nd a sem i-bou nd Poov ey th .. win , Rog..rs rod .. th e ..mire ran ' Iuurth . . in founh , Just as th e hea l receiv ed rhe chec kered flag , th e ra in hil a nd hit hard . Beh in d Ihl' IW h OIll-runners a n in O Once Ih.. rai n Slop ped, il was discoverd d ..pth co n vl'rsa lion O\'.. r Ih ird was la king pl ace wi lh lasl yea r's I. ima tha t tu rn s o ne a n d IWO wer e Ih e winner Will Da\'is, SI..\'(' Burkholdl'r p ro blem area bUI aher Ihe su rface wa s a nd Sco ll Slum p do ing th e shoul ing. ski m med off, harrowed ; groome d a nd Stu m p shou tl'd Ihe loudesl as he wem Ihen ma ssa ged , Ihe semi -fina ls wer e co nd uc ted o n a perfect su rface. high 10 g"l by Davi s in \lun two a nd ~r.tb Ihe lasl Ir.tn sfer SP01. Da vis, wh o Semis was bound for a sem i, was a board hi s reg u la r half mi le eq ui pmenl . Ih e Ah"r a f..w exp lo ra to ry 1 ;II's a nd a eng ine hI' claimed from Parker al Ih.. fistful of fr..sh le;n-offs well' a ffixl'd Albuquerque Mile will most likel y to Ih eil h elm el s, lh .. fir sl se m i's mak e its firsl a p pea ra nce in hi s hands co m ..sta n ls lined up for th .. sta n o f Ih l' a l lh e July 22 DuQuoin Mil e. "Tha I fir sl IO-Iap sem i Ihal would s..e o n ly Ihe winn..r advance directl y 10 Ih e is if I ca n gel lh .. cy lind..r head fixed by Ihen ," said luner Eddie Adkins. " II's main "\'l'n l. M..n en s was l..d no lime hun." Parker had dropped a val\'(' in in ..sta blish ing him self as Ih.. rid er • th e Albuquerque rac.., aher which wh o'd ad vance 10 lh e Nalional a n d he Davi s plunked down $17,500 10 claim Iwld Ihl' Il'ad all Ihe wa y. Hale on ce Ihe Bill Werner-built engi ne. again fail ..d 10 make a n impression on As 'thl' Ihird heal wa s drawing 10 a Mert en s a nd wilh a seco n d pla ce fin ish close, Ihe wealher look a lurn for Ih e _ was h ..a d..d for Ih e L a SI C ha nce Qualifi..r. ' worse wilh a cool wind p icki ng up velocil y a nd Ihe sky darkenin g wilh Poovey wamed n o pan o f Ihe LCQ lightlling sla ni ng to dance a few m iles a nd h e slay..d o u t fro m o f th e second a way . sem i a ll th e wa y. Will Davi s sa w h is The founh heal gridded qu ickl y due cha nces of repealing a t Lima fade a fle r 10 the threat ening weather a nd Ath erhe spem 10 0 much lime dispe n sing o f Bur khol der. A second pl ace finish earned Da vis no mo re th an a tr ip 10 rhe L CQ a nd a possi ble back row start in the , 'a tio na !. LaSI Chance Qualifier Rook ie of th e Yea r hopeful H al e was on t he poll' for rhe 10-lap L CQ a nd he mad e rlu- m o st o f it , s("oring th e w in to a dva nce 10 th e National , th e six th lim e he ha s mad e th e fin al in th e eig h t Ca me l Pro Seri es races run thus far thi s vear. Dav is took seco nd , bUI a llr hut ;'a n wd him , in th e words of a n no u nce r Dave Despain , was a trip " fro m th e penthou se 10 the doghouse. " National Ath ert on chose th e o u tside po le in th.. grid posit ion selecti on process a n d 10 h is left o n th e front row wert' Parker, Xlo reh ead , Ca rr , Estep and Sp rin g. steen . Sitting o n th e second ro w were Jones, Rogers, In gram, Dav is. Slu mp a nd Farri s, w ilh Merten s, Poov ev a nd Hal l' making up Ihe Ihird ro w. . T he grem light flash ed o n a nd th e field was o ff in lilt' mad da sh for turn o ne. Mor..h..a d m issed a sh ift in lurn o nl' a n d Ihe field sC'.t lle red arou nd h im . After 11ll' in itia l so rt ing out period , Parker a nd ('arr sla rted a 20-la p fighl . Ihat d isp layed 10 a ll o n hand j us t ho w mud, eadl waIHs 10 ("arry th e blue a nd gold :-lumber O ne pi al I' nexI year. T he Iwo ra rr ied o n a lop, bOllom , middle, h igh lin e, low lin e, square il o ff, IWOwh eel iI, pa ss, repas s, side- by-s ide , Slu ff. p us h , pull - yo u name il bailie th at seeme d 10 give th e edge to n eilher. T he faslesl lap o f th e race wa s Ca rr's Ihird lOur o f lIlt' o val a l 25.330~(·n )l l ds . Springsteen had gOllen off the line well an d he circu lated in third behind Pa rker a nd ('.;trr. At th e half"~I Y poilH , Can h ad Parker bv a w h ee l a lld Alh ..non used the to I; lin.. 10 close on Springs l"l'n . j\lan y two -r ider figh ls circu la led Ihe ova l: Rogers and Ingl~nn , J ones and :-- lenen s, Farris a lld Hall', a ll overshadowed by th e \\~I r u p fronl. . On la p I i , th e lead duo entered tu rn two and Carr a ll bUI crashed wh en he h it th e ru ts th a t had deve loped . Carr did every thi n g bu t fall off h is Kenny To lber t-tu ned XR750. T hat was a ll Parker n eeded a nd th e win was h is by the na rrow est o f ma rg in s. On th e victo ry pod ium , Park er a nd Carr both agreed it had been one of th e best rac es they had ever co m peted in . "This wa s o ne o f th e best half mil es o f m y lif e." sa id Carr. " We never hit o nce, bUI w e were damn close. I hit so hard in turn lWO that o ne of m y mega p ho nes wa s lorn o ff. I needed 25 laps 10 win this o nel" T he no hold s barred lig h t u p froIH p reve nted m ost viewers from witnessin g many o the r fin e rides, perhaps th e fin est being Moreh ead's charge a fter h is Iirst turn mi stak e. Moreh ead turned in a trem endous rid e th at would pUI him o n the victor y podium a t th e en d o f race. But Mor eh ead was n't ha p p y with a th ird p lace fin ish. ' 'I'm 30 mil es fro m home a nd a ll my friends a nd spomors a re h ere: ' sa id Moreh ead. " Wi n n ing is every thi ng, Ih ird is nowhere." Moreh ead hurridl y packed to h ead hom e a nd ge l so me resl bdore flyin g 10 Pa ris. France, where he'd take pa n in a uperb ikers-Iy pe l'\'e IH as he d id las l ye:n. Fo urlh pl ace fin ish er Alhenon was sa li sfied with h is eve n ing's pe rformance: " \ felt good whe n I gOI a ro u nd Sprin ger , but Ih en Moreh ead go t arou n d u s bOlh. BUI I'm ha p p y. Maybe Ihi s is a lUrn arou n d fo r me." Sp rings leen was a lso well pleased: " I'ley, il went Ih e di stance: ' he sai d in referen ce 10 a crack in hi s Harley's fram e lhal wa s palch ed up prior 10 th e Naliona!. Junior National It ~\'as pas t mi d n ighl whe n lh e Ju ni or riders gridded for Ihe firsl o f IwO six-la p n ea l ra ces. T h e tra ck sur face ha d cha nged co m p lelel y si nce Ihey had qual ified six h o ~rs ea rl ier, bUI n one of Iha t seem ed to ma ile r to

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