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/127291
eINTERVIEW e Camel Pro Champion Scott Parker and Chris Carr Chris Carr, the 600 National champ, says, " I' d go nu ts if I didn't race." 14 where Parker clinched hi s third title with a victory in a race th at saw Carr finish fourth . And someth ing th a t transpired th ere cemented the feeling, at least for Carr, that th e Harley team will be even more of a force in th e futu re. Three weeks before th e Sacramento race , though, with the title chase as clo se as it co u ld be as far as th e point standings were co ncerned , th e circuit swung West for the final three races o f the season a nd on the opening lap of th e San Jose Mi le final, Parker went down in a crash that left former cham p Ricky Graham with a broken arm. Uninjured, Parker limped his bi ke 10 the start/finish line wh ere his tuner, Bill Werner, began to frantically work on the bike in hopes of within an eight-minute grace period repairing the damage the XR750 had suffered in the high-speed accident. Although many feel th e eig h tminutes became more like 15 revolutions of the minute hand on th e official's clock , Werner was able 10 get th e bike race -ready to the point that after Parker swu ng a leg over it and th e green light flash ed, he went on 10 win the race. The surprising thing that occurred and the th ing that had Carr scratching his head was the fact tha t his 'mech a n ic, Kenny Tolbert, helped Wern er work on Parker 's bike, " I had mixed feelings about that," Carr said. " H e ca me over to me and as ked me if I minded if he helped out. I told him, ' I don 't know.' After thinking about it for a few seconds, I told him to do what he thou ht was . right. You know, you're sitting there with $150,000 and on the line and you don 't know if the y would return th e ' favor. Well , they did at Sacramento (Carr's sh ift shaft broke and had to be rep laced and Werner h elped T olbert make th e repairs), so in retro spect we d id th e right th ing." Carr feels the Harley team Pa rk er , Ath erton a nd him self - are stro nger because of th e exch ange of ass ista nce lat e in the season. " Befo re we were a team in colo r onl y. We were inter-team ri vals . Th e bik es are so clos e bu t so mebody a lways ha s an advantage. Ther e's no tr adin g of secrets. But we're mor e of a tea m now. We need to o perate as a team. T ha t wi ll benefit H arl ey-D avidson a nd keep us at th e top." On th e o ther hand , Parker feel s a bit different abou t the team work. " We pit together a nd the team thing is there, but o nce you get on the tra ck it's gone. It's eac h man for himself." As for Carr's mechanic helping Werner at San Jose, Parker said, " You hav e 10 keep in mind that Kenny (Tolbert) and I have known ea\;'h o ther for a long time." , P arker ad mi ts 10 n ot knowing mu ch at. what Bill Werner has don e 10 th e bike between ra ces. "That's fiis dep artment an d mine is riding. I'm not th e kind of guy who knows wh'lu he' s done 10 th e shoc ks or th e frOl h en d or things lik e th at ." w Carr respects Parker and is n9t hesitant 10 admi t it. Asked if he felt Pa rk er had a n advant age , say during th e fin a l lap of a m ile race, du e I to his bein g more experienced, Carr