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/127413
gamble; if you don 't do good, you lose money. I figured it was better to just stay home and on ly go to the races I thought I could do well at." _ Ra ther than spending time on the road, Graham opted to spend his time at home and with his fiancee , Leeza Foreman. The three-bedroom ranch house that the couple shares, sits in the mi ddle of a three-acre plot of land. O u t back is the bam, which Grah am uses as his shop. In it, sits a pair of Honda dirt trackers, a Yamaha motocrosser, and a stockpile of spare parts, frames and motors. The walls are covered with old trophies, leathers, and various souvenirs given to him by his fans. " In '87 I bo ugh t my house, and though I said it wou ld never ha ppen, I began to get more into working on it th an anything else. I was content staying a t hom e, just doi ng th in gs around the ranch. " It wasn 't' until 1991 th at Graham , teamed wi th tu ner Eaken , set ou t to follow the entire Camel Pro circuit once again. _ " Racing the whole season appealed to me again," Graham said. "I had taken a break, an d I thought it would be fun to get my career going again. I also knew that it was one of the best rides around, so that pumped me up too." Graham finished sixth at the seasonopening Daytona Short Track, and turned in a seventh-place finish at th e Sacramento Mile before things began to go aw ry. Two days before round three of the Cam el Pro Series too k pl ace at th e Los Angel es County Fairplex in Pomona, Graham and Eaken planned to compete in a regional race held in Santa Maria, California. Graham, weighed down with personal problems , began to drink before meeting up with Eaken that day. "When I saw Skip, he asked me if I had been dri nking, and if I was up to racing," Graham recalled. "I said 'Oh, yeah, I want to race,' and we loaded up and hea ded south." - Graham never made -it to Santa Maria, however, as he had second tho ughts whi le driving behind Eak en and pulled off the road, "The whole time, I knew I was blowing it. I kept thin king to myself, 'What are you doing? You have the best ride , and now you 're not ready ,' " said Graham. "I can't explain why I did it, but I just changed my mind and pulled off the road. I guess I just didn't want to face up to things. " While Graham pondered his situation at a rest stop in Paso Robles, California, local police stopped and questioned him. Although he was neither driving nor intoxicated, they kept him in custody throughout the night because of an open container of a lcohol in his van. Graham called Eaken the day after the missed Pomona Half Mile, and the two decided to sit down and decide what they would do. " I told him straight out, 'Skip, I was drinking, and I shouldn't have been riding,' .. said Graham. " H e was very upset, but he said that he understood. Two days later, he came up and we sat down in the bar n and had a long ta lk. I felt like a huge load was lifted off my shou lders, and I was really fired up to go racing." At the next race, the San Jose Mile, Graham just narrowly missed the podium , finishing fourth . In fact, he spent most of the race in the top two positions, bu t a poor last lap hampered his effort. The Springfield Mile was a sight for Graham 's sore eyes, and he proved worthy of his nickname, "Mr. Spring- SPEEDWAY HOTELS Beach Hotels Condos Motor homes! Airfare Discounts Complete Bike Week Travel Packages. - Call NOW to get your choice of hotels - from $67 per room and up. TraveICraft"': The ONLY name in Roadrace Travel. 800 •541 ·1223 800 •241·1223 EAST COAST WEST COAST Featuring the best values in airlines and Daytona hotels including: USAir· USAir begins with you _--------- HOWARD JOHNSON., ..... Conference Center and .....".. Hotel ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• BUDWEISER SPEEDWAY ICE RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP III * TWO BIG NIGHTS OF ICE BIKES & QUADS* FRIDAY· JANUARY 17 ·7PM THE BOB HETRICK MEMORIALJNAl1ONALCHAMPIONSHIP THELAST CHANCE AS ONLY 112 THE FIELD WILLTRANSFERON TO SATURDAY *** SATURDAY·JANUARY1S·7PM THEBIGONEI BUD WEISER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 111 ALLTHEEXCITEMENT, COlOR & PAGEANTRY OFA WORLD CHA MPIONSHIP SPORTING EVENT ** * ~".;)r;," SPORTSWORLD FESTIVAL . JAN 17, 18, & 19 1992 • : SEE EXHIBITS, DISPLAYS, DEMONSTRA TIONS ANDTALK TOTHEPROS FROM TODAYS EX CITING WORLDOF SPORTS FEA TU RING: MOTORSPORTS &ADV ENTURE SPO RTS • • : YOUR TICKETTO THE IC RACES GETS YOU INTHE EXPO FREEl E n CKETINFO: (602)791-4266CHARGELINE (602)791-4836 RACE HEADOUARTERS • PARK INNINn (602)622-4000 MENnON ICE RACES FORBEST RATE ICEtWSRA· P.O.BOX 18233 TUCSON.AZ85731 (602)299-0206 , • • : • * . ' : ~ ~. i~ SKOAl PEPSI el992 I.C_E' ;;;;-== 1 World ~ ~~~"! *** FAX (602)299-5244 • : SILVER / i <;H>~Joo-1lKSON ROCK-N-ROll ROCKETS f 'i . : '.....".... I~NG : •..••...•.•••.....•.......••....•••.••...••.•.....•••. •••......•.••••••.... /~. · · · · : : • . . BANDIT_- .....1BIl : RAClNG~ "-Mi. . • ·· y 45