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/127738
DIRT TRACK . AlIA Grand NaIIonat Championship Series By Donn Maeda Photos by Rat Trek Fotos HAGERSTOWN, MD, JUtY15 f anything, the 1995 AMA Grand ational Championship Series will be remembered as the most competitive in nearly a decade of racing. Gone are the days of the classic, albeit tiresome, Scott Parker/Chris Carr battles for the championship, and in their place is a wide-open, knock-down, drag-out battle for the coveted Grand National Championship crown. Sure, Parker and his factory HarleyDavidson continue to be the strongest of the title hopefuls, but the six-time champ has a lineup of hungry riders nipping at his heels and has been forced to take his share of lumps thus far in '95. Of the 10 races run, Parker has won "only" three. Though he is the winningest rider, his domineering win/lose ratio has tapered off considerably. Seven . other riders have joined Parker as winners this season, and of those seven, three are first-time winners. A new breed of flat trackers is on the rise, and many insiders are thanking their lucky stars. New faces and new teams on top I " \0 N i 18 Round 10: Hagerstown Speedway may be just what America's oldest motorcycle racing series needs to regain its share of the spotlight. The latest addition to the sport's elite is USC Racing's hard-charging Kevin Varnes. The tall, lanky Pennsylvanian has long.been touted as an up-andcomer by many, and lived up to that billing on Hagerstown Speedway's slippery clay hali-mile oval. Only 21, Varnes is young by dirt track standards, but the third-year Expert rode with the maturity and grace of a veteran as he steadily inched away from his rivals. At the finish line, Varnes' smooth style had allowed him to establish a full straightaway's lead. '1've been pumped up since January, but I really knew that I was in the hunt tonight from the first practice session," said Varnes, who competes aboard the same Johnny Goad-tuned Honda RS750 that propelled Ricky Graham to the 1993 Grand National Championship. "The bike is unbelievable. Johnny had it set up just perfect. I felt as if all I had to do was get on it, and it would do the rest forme." As usual, the conditions at the event this year billed as the First Annual Rodney Farris Memorial Hub City Oassic - . favored the higher-revving Honda RS750 engines. At 32, Garvis Honda's Rich King can hardly be considered a youngster, but is nevertheless enjoying the most successful season of his career. The quiet Iowan did his best to match Varnes' pace, but would be forced to settle for second at the line, matching his best-ever ational finish. '1 had a· good start, but Kevin had a great start," said King. "I did all I could to stay with him, but he was just on rails tonight." Rounding out the top three and claiming top Harley-Davidson honors was... No, not Scott Parker, but the venerable Jay Springsteen. The ageless Bartels' Harley-Davidson rider held second early on, and after being overtaken by King, proceeded to dog him all the way to the finish line. Springer was consistently faster than King entering and through the middle of the corners, but his XR750 was no match for his opponent's traction-grabbing RS750. "Man, those Hondas really hook up here," said Springsteen, who also cap- . tured the win in the IS-lap HarleyDavidson 883 National. '1 could get past Rich going in but he would just split on the way out. Hey, it was a Honda track "Rev-N-Kevln" v.~ .cored the first Grand National victory of hie career at HlIgerstown Raceway. The USC RlIc:lng rider . . . Imprasslve .. he smolutd the field. tonight, but I'm proud as hell to be the fastest Harley rider." Completing the Honda "theme" was fourth-placed Will Davis. The R&R Racing pilot did all he could to increase his pace as the night wore on, but his efforts yielded only a lonely ride home in fourth place. Finishing well behind Davis but getting the best of an intense five-rider battle for fifth was another upand-eomer, Moroney's Harley-Davidson rider Mike Hacker. The Virginian battled his way to through the pack and eventually finished comfortably ahead of the rest, and like King - equaled his best-ever Grand National finish. But what happened to Parker? The sole factory rider in the field fought all night long, failing to find the right cOmbination of bike setup and rider technique, and finished a lowly - fQr him 10th. "I just struggled tonight, for the second week in a row," said a somber Parker. "Hey, if we knew what we were