Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Kenny Tolbert-tuned XR750 and the factory Harley-Davidson VRI0qO road racer, refused to throw in the towel. After running as far adrift as 12th place in the main, Carr cracked the whip and flogged his way into fifth place by lap 18. On the single-file restart, he maintai,ned his position but would fare no better, hovering between fourth and fifth before placing fifth in the finishline showdown. Like Morehead, Carr disputed his finish, and he was the one who got the finish review rolling by filing an official results inquiry one minute into the half-hour countdown after which the results are deemed final. The countdown was frozen while AMA officials reviewed the tape, and the switch was on. HEATS Dave Durelle grabbed the initial lead at the start of the first 10-lap with Atherton second and Carr third, but Atherton quickly powered into second place off turn two. Atherton then streaked by both riders and started to pull away with authority immediately thereafter. Atherton remained in complete control, building a two-second margin of victory at the finish. Durelle was second some 20 lengths ahead of a not-yet-dialed-in Carr. "The bike's working really good," Atherton said. "Of course, I had a fresh race track, but the bike's running real ish snatched the last spot in the main event from Springsteen. HARLEY·DAVIDSON 883cc NATIONAL The 16-rider Harley-Davidson 883cc National proved to be no less exciting than its Grand National counterpart would as no less than five riders had a chance at glory off the final tum. From the start, Lance Jones looked strong as he prodded his bright orange Team Saddlemen/Flanders-backed machine into the lead. But Jones' lock on the lead was short-lived as local boy James Hart slipped his Dale's Harley-Davidsonbacked entry into the lead while the pack loped into tum one on lap three. Down the front straight, both Springsteen and Hacker were right in the hunt, with the three-time Grand National Champion looking to avenge the sting of being shut out in the Grand National by continuing his win streak on the Sportsters. It was not to be. Though 13 riders remained on the lead pace, the race would come down to those four riders. As the battle raged on, Jones led laps four and five while Hacker controlled lap six and Springsteen laps seven through nine. Jones resurfaced to control laps 10 and 11, but the field appeared to bunch again on the last lap, and a four-man shootout was in the offing. The quartet appeared to hit the line evenly when the checkered flag fell, and it took several minutes for the AMA scorekeepers to make the call. The Dale's H-D/Motion Pro/Bell/Donelson's Cycle/Hart Racing/Hickman Racing-backed Hart was awarded the win over Hacker and Jones. (Opposlte pege) Photo flnlshl Davey Camlln (27) came from out of nowhere to post a second, straight win at the Du Quoin Mile over Steve Morehead (42), Scott Parker (1), Kevin Atherton (23, pertlally hidden) and Chris Carr (4). (Right) Camlln's win at the "Magic Mile" marked his second career Grand National Victory. (Below) Morehead (42) and Camlln pulled each other Into contention with Parker (1) and Atherton (23) late In the main event. Then It was every man lor himself. GRAND NATIONAL strong. H's just kind of up in the air what kind of gear we'll run in the main event." Heat two featured a tight go among three top privateers: Camlin, King and Farris. The Garvis Honda-supported King had the start wired and led the first two laps over Suburban HarleyDavidson's Jim Sumner and Camlin, but Farris proved to have both the power nd the gumption to pull off doubleaft passes virtually at will aboard his ddie Adkins-tuned XR750. Off the last orner, third place would tum out to be he hot ticket, and that's where Farris sat efore pulling off an amazing double raft to win the heat by only an inch or o at the finish. "We got lucky," Farris said. "I was ~ng trouble drafting past, Davey by yself, and I didn't know whether or ot it would be better to be in second or bird comin' off the last comer, but it orked out because I was able to double raft them guys. I didn't think I did it, ut they told me I won it." The action in heat three' was intense or seven of the 10 laps as no less than five riders had a clear shot at the win. Modesto Harley-Davidson's Matt Wait appeared to be the most spectacular of the bunch as he practically threw his macNne into the turns while keeping pace with the leaders, but that same tactic bit the excitable youngster in turns three and four as he slid down on the groove, collecting Moroney's Harley-Davidson-backed Jason Fletcher in the process and causing a red flag. On the restart, Parker checked out for the remaining three laps while Loral Lake Racing's Ronnie Jones held off a regrouped Mike Hacker for second. "After that red flag I got a good start and the race was over - two quick laps," Parker said. "Those were my two fastest laps in the heat race." Eaken Racing's Larry Pegram closed out the final heat with a win after another tight, three-rider war with Bartels'backed Jay Springsteen and Surburban Harley-Davidson-sponsored Bret Beyer, who led the first lap before Pegram drafted his way to the point position down the back straight. On the last lap, the three riders pulled of tum four and fanned out across the track, with the veteran "Springer" surprisingly being the odd man out at the line while Pegram flashed to victory over Beyer. "That wasn't too bad," Pegram said. "We'll have to try and stay up in front during the main event, and hopefully we'll be in second place on the last lap. That's where you gotta be." SEMIS With the increased competition that the Du Quoin track showcased, several of the top stars had to earn their way into the field via Hie three semis. A steady-riding Sumner led Carr and TCR Racing's Dan Butler - second a week ago at the Lima Half Mile - into the main event through the first semi while King, Donally Logging-backed Joe Kopp and USC Racing's Kevin Varnes earned main-event tickets in the second semi. Friendly combatants Davis and Morehead advanced through the third semi as did Moroney's Harley-Davidson's emerging young mile ace, 18-yearold Mike Hacker, whose third-place fin- Atherton's win in the fastest heat afforded him the first pick on the line for the 17-rider main event, and the 24year-old chose the outside pole. To his left, toward the rail, Farris, Pegram, Parker, Camlin and Durel1e rounded out the front row. Atherton rocketed off the line when the light turned green with Morehead on the move around the outside in tum one as the pack sorted itself out on the opening lap. The senior rider on the circuit then maintained his head of steam to lead lap two with Farris in second before Atherton sneaked back by both riders to lead the next two laps. Parker then pulled out of the pack to run up front on laps five and six while Farris, Camlin, Atherton and Pegram shuffled positions like a deck of cards each lap down the back stretch. Laps seven through nine belonged to Atherton while Caml~n, Farris, Morehead, King and Durelle waged war behind him. Of the 17 riders, only two - Varnes and Hacker - had dropped off the lead pace by lap 10. "We were back there practicing our drafting technique," Hacker said. "We're still learning this mile stuff. We kept waving each to other to get in line, and it seemed to be working. I think we were catching back up." Up front, the turbulence continued for two more laps with Parker now beginning to stand out a little as the leaders roared around on the outermost edge of the groove. By contrast, King was somehow managing to find success around the very bottom of the race track, maintaining just enough traction and momentum off the turns to remain in fourth place on lap 15. Parker stepped up the pace on lap 16. He put a little daylight between his back fender and the chase group, and he was clearly beginning to carve out an advantage. The order behind Parker continued to chum as Morehead had jetted up to

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