Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

; DIRT TRACK AMA GrandNational Championship/Camel Pro Series: Round 5 e Kevin Atherton (23) edged Parker ( I ) for his first-ever Camel C hallen g e win. (L eft to right) Durelle, Atherton and Parker celeb rate after th e Camel C hallenge. was held af ter the complete Expert progra m had been run. Beyer a nd P olh emu s r epeatedl y c ha lle nged Koels ch for th e lead , bu t Koelsch fended th em o ff and crossed th e fin ish lin e in first place. Beyer followed in seco nd, inc hes a head o f Polhemus in th ird. " It feels great to wi n , espe cially here a t Sp ri ngfield," said Koel sch to the few spectators remai ning in th e stands. " I j ust wish th a t there were more people here to see it." 6 National Carr occu p ied the outside (grand stand side) pole po sition a t th e sta rt of th e National. a nd he was joined on th e front row b y Graham , Kevin Ath erton , Pa rker, Du rel le and Farris. Row two cons isted of Poo vey, Ingra m , Davis, Jones. Day a nd H ebb, wh ile Springsteen , Pegram, H ern don , H al e and Brian Atherton occu p ied row three. Durelle had th e quick est clutch hand a t th e start, and slid th ro ug h th e first turn a hea d of Farris, Parker and Kevin Ath erton and they led th e field around th e mil e oval as Hale coasted to a sto p in th e middle of th e fir st tu rn o n ly seco nds after the green light flash ed. "One o f the links in the chai n snapped," said an ob viously di sappointed H al e, wh o wo uld graduate from high school j us t four days after th e race. " All of a sudden I just sto p ped go ing forw ard." The first lap featured many passes, and as th e field began lap two th e ru n ning order read: Graham, Kevin Athert on , J on es, Pa rker a nd Carr. Ingram joined H ale o n the sideli nes af ter pit ting after just o ne la p wi th a bike th at wo u ldn ' t shift. "T he shi ft shaft sna p ped off," sai d In gram . " I got a good j u m p o ff th e lin e but it j ust brok e off af ter I h it th ird gear." For th e first 10 laps, Gra ha m, J on es and Kevin Atherton took turns sho wing th e way, but on lap II Atherton cras hed while riding th e cu shion in fifth pl ace. T he red flag .ca me out on th e 12th la p, and a si ngle file restart was ordered. Ath erton was shaken , but suffered no apparent injuries and elected to rejoin th e ra ce. " I was riding high, wh en a ll o f a sudden my fro nt end wash ed," said Athe rto n. " I tried to save it, but I lost it and clipped Durell e's foot. T he trac k is rea l fast and wid e; it's cra zy out th ere." '" felt something hit m y foot," said Durell e, who wa s runnin g fourth wh en At herton crashed. " I looked back , but I d idn 't see anything. But I kn ew that if someone was down nea r m y foo t, someo ne m usr've crashed." Graham led the field after th e si ng le file restart, wi th J on es, Davis a nd Carr and the rest of the field in tow. Carr a nd Jones drafted past Davi s and cha llenged Graham for th e lead, and th e four r iders took turns leading th e pa ck. W h i le runnin g e ig h t h, Pegram pu lled o ff the tra ck o n lap 19 wi th what was su spected to be a seized front cylinder on the ESP H onda. " It was going o ut fro m th e sta rt," said Pegram. " But we j us t ran it , hoping it would hold up." Parker stormed out of nowhere on la p 20 and began to challenge for the lead . Two laps later , Parker took the lead and began to break away from the pack. Grah am would have none of th at , and quickly closed the gap tha t Parker had establis hed . Graham closed o n Parker's rear wheel, and o n th e last lap drafted into th e lead on the back straigh t. As expected, Parker tucked in beh ind Graham and a tte mp ted to draft into th e lead a t th e fini sh line. Inches separa ted the two riders as th ey crossed th e fini sh line, but it was Graham who held on for th e win in a n impressive displ ay o f horsepower. Finishing on ly a few feet" behind the lead d uo were Carr, Davis and Jones, rounding o u t th e top five. " Ca n yo u beli eve it ?" s h o u te d G raham . who proved quite worthy of h is nickname, " Mr. Springfield. " "Th is is lik e a dream come true , I' m o n cloud nine. After a ll th a t' s happen ed , a nd all of the th ings tha t I'v e been abl e to get off my ches t, I' m j us t ready to go raci ng. , knew I had a good cha nce today, and I pulled it am" " I th ou ght I had bro ken away a bit," said Parker. " I didn 't see anyon e u ntil th e last lap, th en a ll of a sudden comes Ri cky. I tried to get by coming o ut of fou r, but I was just a little short. You win some by th at much, and yo u lo se som e by that much . That 's a ll part of racing. " " I have neve r seen a more wild ra ce in my life ," sai d Ca rr. " It was rea l zany out th ere, th ere was so m uc h passi ng goi ng o n out th ere, it was unreal. I fe lt s tr o ng , a nd my tun er Kenn y T olbert had my bike running good. I'd rat he r hav e won ; bu t we got th ird a nd we still have the poi nt lead , and th at mak es us ha p py." " Man, my tu ne rs, Denn is T o wn and Eddie Adk ins, have my bike running reall y good," said fourth pl ace finish er Davi s, wh o on e week earlier scored th e wi n in th e Camel Challenge at San J ose. " T hey gave me a rocketship to rid e, a nd it made m y job that m uc h ea sier." " I was hopi ng to end up at least fourth," said J ones, wh o a ppeared a bit d isappointed. " Bu t I guess fifth is a lot bett er than the last two rounds. We had a problem with the wh eel spin ni ng too much in th e heat a nd semi, bu t it worked a little better in th e main." Spri ngstee n fini sh ed fi ft h a fte r su ffering a poor start and th en having to work h is way th rou gh the pack. " Ma n, I was just underpowered ," sa id Springsteen, whose a ll -time win record of 40 is safe for a t least a no the r week . "I spent th e whol e ma in ge tti ng passed on the straights a nd wo rking my tai l off in th e co rn ers. Wh a t I rea lly needed was a co up le of ca ns of horsepower!" "My shoulde r bothered me a little," _sa id Durell e, w ho fini sh ed in th e seventh spot. " I cou ldn' t charge as hard as I wanted to. I was goi ng to mak e some moves at the end , b u t thi ngs didn 't quite work out like , wanted. I felt good before the restart, a nd I kinda lost my mo me ntu m after th at. " Herndon crossed th e fin ish line in eig h th p lace af ter struggling with ca rbu retio n prob lems throughou t th e race. " I was having prob lems wi th th e bottom en d of th e powerba nd, ' said H erndon. " When I fina lly got go ing o n a roll, they threw th e red flag . After that it took lon ger to get goi ng and , ended up losin g a spot." Kevin Athe rto n fought hi s way into n inth after resta rti ng the race in las t pl ace. '" felt rea l sick at the restart, " said Ath erton. " I just got out there a nd tried to get some points. T he bike was wobbling p retty bad, a nd m y kn ee is ki ll ing me , but that $10,000 (Came l Challenge) ch eck takes a lo t o f the pai n away!" " I wish they hadn 't restarted it," said Day, wh o rounded o ut the to p 10. "A fter the restart th e top guys broke away a nd I j ust go t stuc k whe re I was. I was rea ll y going whe n they redflagged it, I knowI would've been a lot furthe r up. " Cl'I Results TIME TRIALS: I. Scou Parker (35.657 seconds): 2. Ricky Graham (35.679):3. Kevin Athenon (35.814): 4. Mike Hal e (36.025): 5. Davey Dur elle (36.039): 6. Chris Carr (36.071); 7. T erry Poov ey (36.078): 8. Ronnie J ones (36. 127): 9. Bill y Herndon (36.180): 10. Rodney Farris (36. 193): II. Will Davis (36.215): 12. Keith Day (35.226): 13. Brian Atherton (35.251): 14. Steve Morehead (36.258); 15. Ru sty Rogers (36.364); 16. Dave Hebb (36.440); 17. Jay Springsteen (36.442): 18. Dave Camlin (365 42): 19. Larry Pegram (36.550); 20. Gordon Schopierav (36.567): 21. Cha nce Dar ling (36.579); 22. Mark Gruber (36.645): 23. Steve Beatt ie (36.689): .24. Scon Stump (36.698): 25. Steve Aseltine (36.7321: 26. Dan Ingram (36.785); 27. Steve Burk ho lder (36.792); 28. Greg Sims (36.822): 29. Curt Reh m ert (36.841); 30. Geo rge Roed er II (36.878): 31. Randy T ex ter (36.908 ); 32. Stephen Ca m pi ne (36.961): 33. Don Estep (36.877); 34. Robert Lewis (36.996); 35. Kris Kiser (37.015): 36. Aaron Hill (37.0 17): 37. Steve Raym ond (S7. 194); 38. Tim Best (37.220); S Jo hn Holmes (37.332): 40. Jim Sumner 9. (37.370): 41. Michael Scot t (37.375): 42. Mar tin Lavoie (37.S 98): 43. Devon Pritchard (37.409): 44. Ian Scgcd y (37.623); 45. David Loyd (37.845); 46. Jefl Deitz (37.866); 47. Kell y Bowlby (38.056); 48. Ro n Schroeder (S8.270). HEAT I : I. Chris Carr (H· D); 2. Seen Par ker (H D); 3. Terry Poovey (H· D); 4. Dave Camlin (H · D); 6. Keith Da y (Hon ); 7. Brian Athenon (H· D): 8. S~ Aseltine (H · D): 9. George Roeder (H -D): 10. Rand y T exter (H -D); I I. Aaro n Hill (H- D): 12. Scou Slum p (H a n); 13. SIt"Ve Ra ymo nd (H- D); 14. Manin Lavoie (H ·D). Time: 6:03.406. HEAT2: I. Ricky Graham {Hon); 2. Davey Durelle (H· D): 3. Dan Ingram (Han ); 4. J ay Sp rin gsteen (H · D); 5. Steve Mo reh ead (H· D): b. Ron ni e Jon es (H on ): 7. Will Davis (H · D): 8. Steve Beattie (H ·D): 9. Cu rt Rehmen (H- D): 10. Kris Kiser (Ho n): I I. Micha el Scou (Ho n!: 12. Gordo n Schopieray (H · D): U . Step hen Champine (H- D): 14. Tim Best (H -D). Time: 6;08.69 HEAT 3: I. Kevin Athenon (H- D); 2. Rodney Farris (H· D): 3. Davc Hebb (H -D); 4. Bill y Hern don (H on) : 5. Rusty Rogers (H on) : 6. Mil" Hale (HD): 7. Don Estep (H · D): 8. Steve Burkholder (HD): 9. Curt Rehmert (H -D): 10. Jim Sumner (H · D); II. Chance Da rlin g (H · D): 12. Robert Lewi s (H · D): 13. Devon P ritchard (H· D): 14. John Holmes (Ho n). T im e: no ne due 10 red na g. SEMI I: I. Davis; 2. Day: 3. Herndon: 4. Hale; 5. Camlin: 6. T ext er; 7. Burkholder; 8. Asdtine; 9. Sumner; 10. Rehmert: II. Scon; 12. Morehead. T ime: 5;57.067. SEMI 2: I. j on es: 2. Pegram; 5. Sp ringsteen; 4. Farris; 5. Rogers: 6. Dar ling: 7. Estep ; B. Beanie; 9. Hill: 10. Kiser: II. Roeder; 12. Si m m s, Time: 5:57.972CAMEL CHALLENGE: I. Kevin Atherton (H D); 2. Scou Par ker (H-D): 3. Davey Durell e (H -D): 4. Ri cky Gr ah am (Hon): 5. Chris Ca rr (H -D): 6. Mike Hale (H -D). Time: 2:59.204. NATIONAL: I. Ri cky Graham (Hon) : 2. Scott Park er (H · D): 3. Ch ris Carr (H- D): 4. Will Davis (H- D); 5. Ronn ie Jo nes (H on ); 6. Jay Sp ringsteen (H- D): 7. Davey Durell e (H- D): 8. Bill y Herndon (H on); 9. Kevin . Ather to n (H -D); 10. Keith Day (H o n): II. Rodney Farri s (H · D); 12. Terry Poovey (H- D): 13. Brian Atherton (H- D): 14. Mike Hale (H · D); 15. La rry Pegra m (H en): 16. Dave Hcbb (H· D): 17. Dan In gram {Hen ). Time: no tim e du e 10 rotan. AMA CAMEL PRO SERIfS POINT STANDINGS: I. Chris Carr (75): 2. See n Park er (69): 3. Ro nnie J ones (50): 4. Ricky Graham (48); 5. Kevin Athenon (42): 6. (TIE) Steve Moreh ead!Ja y Sp ringsteen (35); 8. (TIE) Rodn ey FarrisIWiIl DaVIS (30): 10. Dave Durel le (26); II. Larry Pcgnm (22): 12. Keith Day (2 1); U . Terry Poovey (18): 14. Bill y Hern do n ( 17): 15. (TIE) Ian Scgcdy/ Mi ke Hale (I I); 17. Rusty Rogen (9); 18. Ridl King (7): 19. Don Wilson (6): 20. Steve Aseltin e (5). JR HEAT t; I. James H art (W-R): 2. Cory Perrault (W-R): 3. 'tim Selby (W-R): 4. Michael Dill on (W· R); 5. H arol d Dorsey (H o n); 6. Michael Klo pp (H- D); 7. Mike Patt erson (H -D): 8. Ala n Edie (H · D); 9. HP H yat t (H· D): 10. James Hau ptman (W- R ); II. Vietor McAma ll y (H·D); 12. Ri cky Anderson (H -D). JR HEAT 2: I. Pau l Polh em us J r. (W-R): 2. Dan ny Koelsch (H · D): 3. J ess Roeder (H · D): 4. Jefl Eklund (W-R): 5. Michael Varnes (H- D): 6. J aim e Agu ilar (H · D); 7. Scott Hoell (Kaw); 8. Bart Sch m ulbach (H -D); 9. Pa tr ick Buch a n an (H -D); 10. Brian Kromroy (H · D): II. David Mo rga n (H· D); 12. Frank Keiser (H· D). JR HEAT 3: I. Dale j enneman « H · D): 2. Bret Beyer (H · D»: 3. Scou Sehl (W-R ); 4. John Ressc til (H ·D ): 5. Georgie P rice (H· D); 6. Tony Donahue (H -D); 7. Ver no n Bicrone (W· R); 8. Michael Eadie (H · D). JR NATIO NAL: I. Dan ny Koelsch (H- D); 2. Bret Beyer (H- D); 3. Paul Polhemus (W-R); 4. Cory . Perrault (W-R); 5. J oh n Resso III (H- D): 6. T im Selby (W-R): 7. Seen Seh l (W· R); 8. Mich ael Dillon (WR); 9. J ell Eklund (W-R ): 10. Jess Roeder (H· D): I I. Dale j enn eman (H · D): 12. J am es Hart (W-R). Time: 6;U.174. JR NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS: I. Wink Freitas (53): 2. Paul Polh emus Jr . (47): 3. Cory Perra ult (37): 4. (TIE) Georgie Price/Ja mes Hart (28); 6. (TIE) Jell EklundlTim Selby (26); 8. (TIE) Alion McB('C St eve Ma yfield /Da le J ennem an / / Michael DiIlo nlDa nn y Koelsch (20); 13. Clinton Vahscholu (17); 14. (TIE) Tony DonahueIBrct Beyer (16); . 16. J oh n Rease UI ( 10): 17. (TIE) Bart Sch mulbach/Scou Sehl (8): 19. (T IE) J efl Ann enl Dona ld Pa ul lMar k Butler/ Jess Roeder (5).

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