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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127596
eDIRT TRACK ~ Mike Hale (32) got the jump on Ted Taylor (29Z), Chris Carr (1), Ricky Graham (3), Scott Parker (2) and Jay Springsteen (9) at the start of the 25-lap National. Carr wins, Graham breaks at Sacramento Mile By Donn Maeda Photos by Greg Newgard SACRAMENTO, CA, SEPT. 25 he fat lad y may ha ve sung to Chri s Carr wh en Ricky Graham clinched th e 1993 Grand Nat ional Cha mpionship a t the Springfield Mile, but that has n' t taken any drive from the 1992 cha mp. "Hey , I may no t b e able to catch Ricky in the poi n t standi ngs, bu t the series isn't over yet and the re are still r aces to b e wo n, " sai d Carr, w ho eme rged th e vic to r at the Sac ramen to Mile after a late-race battle of wits with four-ti me Gra nd National Ch ampion Scott Parker. Thanks to a fau lt y ig ni tion in Graha m's Team Undo Honda RS750, the tw o fac tory H arl ey-Dav id son p il o ts were left alone at the front of the pack to enjoy - for wh at seems like the first time this year - one of their classic runaway ba ttles for the lead. In the early stages of the race, the 16,289 spec ta tors on hand at the Chri s Agajanian Presen ts-promoted event sa t on the edges of their sea ts in an ticipa tion of a "h ome ride r" batt le for the win. Carr, who lives in near by Valley Springs, assu med the lead on the opening la p w hile Salinas r esident . Graham sliced through the pack after a med iocre start and qu ickly reeled in the lea der. It w as not to be, how ever , as Graham's bike began to spu tter on the seven th lap and sent him flailing back to an even tual ninth. Parker was quick to T 6 take up the chase, and showed the form that has eluded him throughout the '93 series as he closed in on Carr. In the end, how ever, it was Carr who came awa y with his seventh-career win a t the Cal-Expo State Fairgrou nds and romped home with th e lion's sha re of th e $33,00.0 p u rse . Fo r hi s win, Ca rr earned $5500, while Parker wen t home $3500 richer. But who was third, you ask? After a race-long drafting war with Bartels' H-D Mike Hal e, nearby Arbu ckle, California resident Ted Taylor (see sidebar) zipped ac ross th e line in th e p lace position a boa rd his Hall ' s H arle y-Da v id son backed XR750 and delighted his "ho metown" crowd with the best National finish of his career and a $2500 pay day. Time trials Th e H arve y Doty-p re pa r ed ova l pr oved to be the best in years , and after. t he la te-afternoon p ractice se ssio n s many race rs looked fo rward to raci ng on the smooth surface. "The track is the b est I'v e ever se e n it ," said Ca rr. "T here's not a bump out ther e. Times should be fast tonight." Carr's predictions held tru e, as bot h he and Parker turned in qualifying laps that were below Terry Poovey's 1992 track record of 36263 secon ds at 99.274 mph. But it was neither Carr nor Parker, h ow ev er, who earned the fa st-time bragging rights. For the ninth time this yea r, G r aham topped th e fiel d a nd along the way turned in the facility's first-ever 100 mph lap . "I was going to jus t go out there and hamm er it, bu t I d ecided to ride it into t he corners ni ce and smo oth," sai d Graham of his 35.952/1 00.134 lap. "In the old days, I wanted to fast tim e so bad that I'd go out and try too ha rd and fly off the groove." Carr, Parker, Hale, Steve Morehead and Rodn ey Farris rounded out the six fastest qualifiers who would compe te in the $10,000 Camel Challenge. Heats When Graham rolled to the line in the opening heat, many exp ect ed th e newly crowned Grand Nati ona l Cha mpion to run away w ith an easy win. And win he did, but not with the usual comfort zon e that he has become acc usto med to . Aft er s ta r tin g th ird beh ind Jay Sp rings teen and Will Davis, Graha m motored to the front of the pack and began to pull awa y, bu t Springsteen had other.ideas. Along with Davis and a hard -c hargi ng Davey Cam lin, Sp ringsteen closed back in on Graham a nd sha dow ed him to the finish . Springsteen fended off Davis for the second direct transfer position. Scott Stump led the way in heat two aboard the M&M Racing Honda, but Carr took con trol before the start of lap two and made it clea r that he had no intenti on s of s tayi ng to pl ay. By lap three, Carr enjoyed a 1G-bikelength lead o ver Poovey and Keith Day. At the checkered flag, Carr led by nearl y a full s traig h taway a nd w o uld turn in the fastest heat race time of the night. Poovey b roke a way from Da y for a secure second an d a ticket to the show. While the first two heats revealed no su rp rises, the third heat had many a spectator flipp ing through their programs to find out who rider 1/29Z was. Taylor ripped off the line with the holeshot ahead of Parker, Don Estep and Canadian National Champion Steve Beatie, and opened up an immediate IGbikelength lead on the first lap. Parker found his pace on lap two and closed in on Taylor, but to his surp rise, found that passing the diminutive rider would be no easy task. "I could gain on him in the turns, but he was really going on the straigh ts," said Parker. "The track is really smooth ton ight, and if you can get as hooked up as he was do wn the straights, you can really go fast." After shadowing Taylor throughout the 10-lap race, Parker finally passed Taylor as they raced past the white flag.