Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eDIRT TRACK AMA Grand National Championship_ /C_am_el_Pr_oS_en_'es_:_ou nd 5 R_ _ ~ Winner SCOll Parker (I), L arry Pegram (72), Chris Carr (20), Ricky Graham (3), Steve Morehead (42), Terry Poovey (18) an d Kevin Atherton (23) ran th is close for most of th e 25-lap main event. T he win was Parker's ni nth at the facility. Parker again at Spr ingfield Mile By Donn Maeda P h o tos by Bert Shepard and Maeda SPRINGFIELD, IL, MAY 24 hen SC Oll Parker was a high school student, he ha ted history. He didn't like to read about it, didn 't like to take notes on it, and certainly didn't like to study it, But now that 's all changed, as Parker has become quite a historian. . . in a sense. "H istory's okay when I'm making it," . joked the fo ur-time Grand National Champion, as he continued to write himself into the history booksat the 55th 'running of the Budweiser-sponsored, Illinois Motorcycle Dealer's Association promoted Springfield Mile. Parker broke the long-standing one-lap track record and went on to notch his 46th career National win , extending his own alltime win record. A crowd of 13,182 watched as Parker turned in the day's fastest qualifying lap of 34.264 seconds at 105.067 mph , eclipsing the track record of 34.548/ 104.203, set by two-time Grand National Champion Ricky Graham in 1984. In addition to breaking the long-standing Springfield record, Parker 's lap was the quickest and fastest ever. "It feels great to finally go out and break a record that has been untouched for so long," said Parker. "I knew it was a fast lap , but I didn't think it was that fast," And though he didn't win in the same runaway fashion that he has at the last two Nationals, Harley-Davidson Inc./ BeIIlTsubaki /H .O .G ./SBS/M ikuni/ SuperTrapp/ Alpinestars /Circl e Bellbacked Parker was glad to score his third win of the series and become the all-time winn ingest rider at the Illinois State. Fairgrounds. Before Parker 's ninth Springfield Mile win, Parker and Gra ham were tied at eight. . Parker earned $6000 of the $38,000 purse, and jumped into' the series points lead. Parker's factory Harley-Davidson teammate, Chri s Carr, led the points chase before the event, but after a fifthplace showing, he trails Parker, 79-84. Parker hopes to be on his way to what W 6 could be yet an other record - an un preeede n ted fifth Gra nd Na tional Champion ship. " It's still too early in the season to count points," said Parker. "But right now I have more poi nts than I did at this time last year, and I'd say it looks good. " Shadowing Parker an d his Bill Werner-tuned factory Harl ey across the finish line was none other than Graham. The Goad-Irby/ ArailHondaline/Weimer Plumbing/Floors by Lon g/ Sports/ Yamah a of Salinas/Sports Center / Matt's Muffier/S&S Unocal lLMF Enter prisesbacked rider was never more than a few bike lengths behind Parker throughout the 25-lap race, and carne up inches sho rt at the finish aboard the Joh nn y Goadtuned Honda RS750. "What can I say, I was jus t in the wrong place coming o ut of the last tum," said Graham, who finish ed fourth at the three previous Nationals. "I just couldn't draft Scotty at the line." Breaking his season-long string of bad luck was veteran Steve Morehead, who overcame a poor start and forced his way into third aboard his Gary Stolzenburgtuned, KKiShepherd Co.lLynchlBeIl/ J ohn Dragoo-spo n sored perso nal Harley-Davidson. " I got a sh iny -ass start, but I found a good line and was able to work my way up ," said Morehead, whose best finish of the season prior to Spri ngfield was a 10th at the Pomona Half Mile. "It feels good to be up here again." Time trials Along with Parker, four oth er riders - Carr, Graham, Terry Poovey and Morehead - dipped into the 34-second bracket in time trials, and rounded o ut the day's five fastest qu alifiers. Gardner Racin g's Ronnie Jones turn ed in his best qu alifying lap of the year and was sixth fastest with a 35.017. "The story of my life," jo ked Jones. "I finall y get it together on the Harley, and then there's no Camel Cha llenge." Parker, Carr, Graham and Poovey would sit on the po le positions in each of their respective I D-Iap hea t races, each of which offered two direct transfers to the main. Heats Arai 's Aaro n Hill was the fastest off the line in th e first heat , but Sp on seller Raci ng/Te xas Harl ey- Da vid sonbacked Larry Pegram and Parker were q uic k to strike. Parker zapped Pegram and quickly established a five-bik e length lead, but on lap seven began to struggle with a front end push . Pegr am an d Will Davis team ed up and closed the gap o n th e leader. Pegram used a low line in turn one to repe atedly steal th e lead from Parker, but the champ persevered and answered each tim e wi th a pa ss of hi s own . At th e fin ish, Parker nipped Pegram for the win , whi le Davis fini shed a close, bu t disappointing third and would have to ride a semi . Finishing a di stant fourth and also heading for a semi was Billy Herndon, who was making h is first appearance since undergoing kn ee surgery in March . "The track is fast and there's a lo t of tra ction ," said Park er. " T here's a few little ri pp les o ut there, bu t a t 130 mph, the y feel like wh oop-de-doc s. " " I co u ld ca tc h Parker i n th e co rners, " exp lai ne d Pegra m . " H e would rid e up hi gh , but I liked it down lo w." Heat two was a Carr benefit, The factory Harle) rider nabbed the holeshot and diced early o n ' with Bell evill e Honda's Tim Mertens, bu t tired of playing aro und and pulled out to a commanding 12 bike-length lead at the finis h. T h ree- ti me Grand Nati onal Champion Jay Springsteen overcame a terrib le start and worked his way through the field to secure second at the finish aboard his Bartels' Harley. Sprin gsteen batt led in the closing laps with his teammate Mike Hale and Mertens, but on the last lap managed to break away --= to a five bike-length lead. Mertens edged Ha le for third, but both would have to compete in a semi. II "1 traded the lead with Mertens a few times, then I pou red it on ," Said Carr.' " 1 felt pretty good." J' " 1 was saying to my bike, 'C'mori; c'rnon baby,' .. said a ha pp y Spri ngsreenl " I kept looking for a wheel out of the . comer of myeye as I headed for the finish, but it never carne, so I guess I mu st have gotten away a bit, " J ones was the fastest at the get go of the third heat, but Graham was qu ick to pounce and took over the lead on the first lap. Once into the po int position ; Graham pulled ou t the stops and established a lead that stretched to nearly four seconds at the finish. Graham's lap times continued to drop thro ughout the rate, and his fastest circui t stopped the -clocks at 34.005/ 105.886 mph (faster than Parker's qualifying lap , but not an official record ). Graha m's five minute;< 47.02 second, 103.74 mph heat race topped the track's IO-lap record of .5:51.573/ 102.4 mph that he set in 1984. J ones finished a lonel y second well ahead of Ath ert on, who suffered a' miserable start, and Rich King. "I didn 't like seeing my one lap record broken," said Graham. "It's my pride that counts now, not just winning." " If it weren't for Ricky, I would have won and probably had the fastest heat," mused Jon es. " I'm feeling better and better on the Harl ey." The final heat race featured a fourway battle for the lead between Sakaida Racing's Poovey, Morehead, Donahue H-D 's Durelle and Roeder H-D's George Roeder II. The four swapped the lead repeatedly on the opening laps. Poovey led the way as they began lap four, but on that same lap rookie Expert Martin Lavoie lost control in turn four and crashed into the outside wall. The red nag came out and Lavoie was trans" ported to Memorial Medical Center: where he was treated for multiple cuts and bruises and released the next day. . Poovey headed the sing le-file restart, whi le Morehead missed a shift and fell prey to a quick-starting Durelle, The remaining laps saw Poovey pull away to a 15-bike length lead over Durelle, who in turn enjoyed a IO-bike length cushion over Morehead and Roeder. ."I was bummed about the red nag," said Poovey. "I at least wanted a shot at fastest time." .. " Restarts are like crap shoots," said Durelle. "Sometimes you get hosed and sometimes yo u get th e good deal ! Luckily, I got the good deal." Semis Atherton controlled the first eight-lap semi from the nash of the green light, Hale chased after the Harley teamster, and together the two riders established a healthy lead over third-place Jason Fletcher. Hal e did his best to pressure Atherton , bu t eventua lly dropped off the pace and finished 10bike lengths behind: Moroney's H-D-backed Fletcher earned the third and final transfer into the main : finishing some four seconds after Hale. "After that lousy start in my heat, I just wanted to start well and get away," said Atherton. J The second semi featured an intense baili e. Mertens grabbed the holeshot but was passed by Roeder and pressured by Deeley H-D Canada's Steve Beattie. Rich King and Kris Kiser joined in the fray, and a six-way dogf igh t for the lead ensued. Mertens performed the final draft pass to earn the win , nipping Polhemus at the line. Beattie finished a breath behind and secured the third transfer spot, while Roeder and Kiser were sent packing. " Man, now that 's what you call- a dogfight, " said Mertens. "T hat was some

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