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/127568
"All I said was, 'Hey Skip, I'm really hurting for a ride: and he said that he had a bike for me to ride," said Ingram. In 1991, Eaken fielded a two-man team comprised of two-time Grand National Champion Ricky Graham and Larry Pegram, but released Graham near the end of the season after he had a couple of run-ins with the law due to a drinking problem which he has since conquered. Ingram took Graham's place for the last three races of the season and was happy to be back aboard the familiarHonda. It was during the offseason that Ingram made contact with Mike Morr, a longtime enthusiast who had left his job as a mechanical engineer to follow the Grand National circuit. "I had called Skip again and told him I needed a ride, and he said, 'Here, call this guy. He just bought all of my Hondas:" said Ingram. "Skip decided to switch to Harleys, and he sold all of his stuff to Mike. They had been friends for a long time - they used to work in a motorcycle dealership together. I gave Mike a call and we struck a deal on the phone." That winter, before the start of the 1992 season, Morr stayed at Eaken's house in Ohio, learning the ins and outs of setting up anfl rebuilding the Honda RS750s and XR600s that he had purcha~d. Ingram showed up at Daytona decked out in a set of yellow-and-black leathers -complete with the familiar set of red lips on his left butt cheek ready to do battle aboard the M&M Racing Hondas. "The lips have become sorf of a tradition:' laughed Ingram. "I crashed at the Hamburg Half Mile in '88 and wore a hole in the butt of my leathers. Rather than have a plain 01' square patch sewn on, I thought a set of lips would be coo!." Ingram finished second at Daytona and matched that feat at the Oklahoma City Half Mile, but otherwise seemed to struggle with bike setup and also fell vietim to a few tire failures. "Last year was a good learning experience for me and Mike. We had to learn how to work with each other and how to set up the bike," said Ingram, who finished the season tied for eighth. This year, with one season together under their belts, Ingram and Morr returned to Daytona and emerged vict~ rious. Ingram led every lap of that race, but unlike many of his competitors who -looked rusty from the long winter, he looked loose and comfortable. "I think I had an advantage over a .lot of the other guys because I've been racing on the ice all winter long," Ingram said. "This winter I won my fifth-straight Invitational Indoor Ice Race Series Championship. I think that being on the ice helps keep me sharp and ready for the start of the new season." At" the ice races, Ingram pilots a machine owned by Byron Molloseau, a' longtime tuner who also wrenched Garth Brow to six-eonsecutive indoor ice race titles (1982-87). "Byron is the absolute ice racing wizard:' said Ingram. "He knows exactly how to set up a bike and especially the (studded) tires. The tires are real critical on the ice." And when he wasn't ice racing, Ingram spent the winter training in preparation for the start of the regular season. "I like to go running with my dog Carly," said Ingram. "We run down the railroad tracks behind my house almost every day. I'd say I run about two or three miles a day. That and trail riding on my Yamaha \'Z49O is about all I do to train, I don't believe that a person needs to pump iron to be in good shape." After his daily training routine, Ingram spends his days working as a house painter. "My friend owns the business, and he's real nice about letting me leave for !;he races," said Ingram. "I don't have to worry about my job being there when I get back." At night, Ingram can most likely be found out in his garage "piddling around:' with the radio blaring his favorite country music tunes. "I like to work on stuff out in the garage. My newest toy is a water ski boat that I'm working on:' said Ingram. "I don't go out a whole lot, I guess you could say that I'm as single as a dollar bill" The railroad tracks that Ingram runs on carry him past Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "I live in a racing man's town, that's for sure," said Ingram. "I want to race dirt track for about five more years, but after that I'd like to get into car racing. Right now I'm getting ready to do some testing in a friend's sprint car, but, of course, my ultimate dream would be to race NASCAR" But for now, Ingram has a more immediate goal - winning the Grand National Championship. With a win in the series opener under his belt, Ingram plans to attack the next 19 races with the same intensity in hopes that his success will carry over. ''I'm confident in Mike's tuning abilities and I know that I'll have a good bike to race at all of the races," said Ingram. "All I have to do is keep up my end of the bargain by training and trying my hardest. Mike and I want to take it race by race and reflect on last year's experiences, you know, learn from our mistakes and not make them again. "I have a good feeling about this year." Q 23