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/127655
d T R ..fE ยท Larry Pegram NE V W , :. . . " . . '. ' -' . . . the circuit, two of Pegram's strengths are his versatility, a nd his ab ility t adapt q . y to change. Only time tell e upcoming se ries i egram has a good feelin more than able to fill . predecessor"... By Donn Maeda ave been many ups a nd s in the relativ el y sh o rt r of 21-year-old La rry gra m. After a stellar amateur reer, Pegram loo ke d to be a oo-in for Rookie of the Yea r nors in his first ye ar on the MA Grand National Champ ionship Series circuit, but a practice-day cr ash at the San Jose Mile left the Ohioan sid elined throughout most of the 1990 season with a broken femur. In '91, Pegram returned fit and armed with good machinery - the Skip Eaken-tuned Honda RS750s of Eaken/ Sponseller Racing - a nd w ent on to no tch his first-ever National win at the sli p pery Ha gersto wn Half Mile. Throu ghout m ost of that season, Pegram was teamed wi th then-threetime Gr and National Champion Ricky Graham, and served as the team 's "second fiddl e." Things changed later in the season, though, afte r Graham's muchpublicized release fro m th e team. Pegram sud denly found himself mounted aboard the team's " number-o ne" machin e. On e year later, the Eaken/Sponseller team switched to Harley-Davidsons and Peg ram adapted to his n e w mount quickly. Pegra m adjusted so well, in fact, that he went on to notch the second Natio nal win of his career at the controversial Fresno Mile. Thanks to several additional top finishes, Pegram finished the serie s fourth overall , bett ered onl y by Chris Carr, Scott Parker, and a rejuvenated and sober Graham. The future looked bright for Pegram, and many predicted that he would be a title contender in 1993. But thin gs turned sour for Pegram before the 1993 Grand Nationa l Championship Series eve n began. A prom ising road racer, Pegram competed in the AMA Superbike N ational Champ ionship Series opener at Phoenix aboa rd an Eaken-tuned Honda RC30. While running a stro ng 10th, Pegram fell victim to a freak ish crash when the rid er ahead of him, Donald Jacks, suffered a major engine failure which spewed oil acro ss the track. Pegram's tit le hopes were ins tantly dashed, as he suffered a number of broken bones - including his leg again - and spent a great deal of the year recovering. Pegram retu rned to the dirt track se ries halfway through the ye ar but, because of his injuries, struggled to even qualify at the races he attended. But, once again, things are looking br ight for young Larry. Thanks to the departu re of Grand National Champion Ricky Graham from the Undo Racing team, Pegram finds himself in prime position to battle for the championship and plans to take full advantage of what may just be his best opportunity ever . The Daytona Short Track season ope ner will see Pegram - along with his team mate, returning Team Undo rider Brett Landes - decked out in the pink, white and blue Panasonic Car Audio leathers that Graham mad e such a familiar sight. With any luck, Pegram feels that his chances of bringing Team Undo their second Grand National Championship are good . One of the younger riders on crash had nothing to do with me messing up or someone who wasn't capable of riding screwing up , it was a motor. That can happen in any kind of racing. Are you planning to do any road races th is season? Yes, de finitely. I'm com mitted to race the w hole dirt track se ries for Team Und o, but I'm planning on racing four or five road races as well. I'll be racing in the Daytona 200 for sure, and probably at Phoenix, Pomona, Laguna Seca and Road America, either on a Super- s oes