Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

said. "We were slow compared to what some of the other guys were doing. We were doing 22s (22-second laps) pretty consistently, so we're pretty dose. It'll be a whole new ball game in the main event." Carr, Hacker and Eaken Racing rider Larry Pegram battled behind Davis for practically the whole race. Then Hacker dropped out of the chase, leaving Carr and Pegram to battle for the feature spot. Carr kept trying to set up Pegram on the outside in turn three and four, but the Harley teamster finally pulled off a pass in turns one and two on lap seven. Pegram tried to repass Carr on the outside at the checkered flag but came up a wheel short. '1 showed Larry the outside a couple of times:' Carr said. ''Then he moved up and I went under him. It would have been tough to pass him on the outside." "I went in above him, and I had him, but the thing just went completely sideways:' Pegram said. ''The tire went flat." Parker and TCR Racing's Kevin Atherton ensured that Harley-Davidson would come away with at least one heat race win when the two riders left the rest of the pack behind in heat three. Atherton appeared to have his former factory teammate's number as the two diced it out, but he, too, would suffer a flat tire, forcing him to settle for second. 'We didn't really have too much trouble getting by him (Parker):' Atherton said. '1 was really able to go just about anywhere that I wanted to on the race track. But the last couple of laps, it started spinning real bad." . "Kevin kind of surprised me:' Parker said. '1 was just gettin ready to start moving around on the race track when he went by me. He pushes it hard. He's always pushing 120 percent, so when he goes by you, you know you gotta pick up the pace." The final heat race showcased another . tight battle between two friendly rivals in the form of Johnny and Sarah Goad/USC Racing's Kevin Varnes and 1993 Rookie of the Year Kenny Coolbeth. Loral Lake Racing's Ronnie Jones got the holeshot and led for two laps before he was blitzed on both sides by Varnes and Coolbeth as the trio went down the back straight. From there, Coolbeth ran it in deep in three and now. I took about three or four tenths off my lap times. We'll be there this time." Bre\ Beyer put his Suburban Motorssponsored Harley-Davidson in front of Springsteen to win the third semi. Paul Morgan ill worked his way past Don Estep to earn the final transfer. "That was easy enough:' Beyer said. 'When you can get a good start and get up front on a good track, that's the key right there." 600CC SUPPORT ANAL Instead of the usual Harley-Davidson 883 National, promoter Ronnie Jones opted four to pass Varnes for the lead, and the chase was on. '1 just got worked up:' the Lancaster HD-backed Coolbeth said. '1 was running in there way too hard. I thought I was gone. I'm getting my confidence back." But Varnes refused to quit dogging his former amateur rival, and it paid off with a permanent pass for the lead off turn four on lap seven. Coolbeth would retain second place in what turned out to be the fastest heat race of the night. "He (Coolbeth) passed me on the outside, and I wanted to kick him when he went by:' Varnes joked. "I just followed him for a couple of laps and planned my counterattack." Werner's centennial A s if Scott Parlcer's 64th career Grand National event win at the Oklahoma City Half Mile wasn't already enough of an eYeDt, the victory marked another wipieoaieldll!ld 1Ilileslone. Factory HarIey-Davidson wrmdI Bill Werner's l00th vicJory 15 a Grand National 0Iampi0nship timer. It was a sweet accolade for Werner, wbo has speIlt the last 20 years of his life meticuIoulIly JlftPUing top-Iewl dirt track machinery for !OllIe of the true legends in the sport. Werner said that be still remembers his first win, with Gary Scott at the San Jose Mile in 1974, but that when it occurred, be never ~ he'd ever see win IIIIDIbe!' 100. "When you win dlat first one, you fftI a red 5el1Ile of llCCllIIIpIisbm When I won with Gary Scott in San}ole, I though my tile was IDIIplete. But this? I don't know," he said. Werner will be the first to admit that It peys to be lucky, and be has had the good fortune of hooking up with the top riders in the sport. Aside from working with Scott, Werner span the wmlCbes for Jay Springsteen during the former factory Harley-Davidson teamster's three-year reign of tenor in 1976-78. But his most &uitful years have aIIIIe with Parker. the pair has amassed 50 wins as a team since 1987. "It's like a dream,w WerN!I'said. "When that 50th win happened, it was just a number, but when you get inIIo the eighties and nineties, you start dlinking, 'Maybe I can get 100:" And finally that dream is a reality. But 100 wins aside, Werner has his eye toward yet another personal goal. "If we could win the championship, that wouJd be 10 cbampianslUps in 20 years:' Werner said. "I could certainly look bad and say I did my job. It's been such an em0tional roUer coastel", because everyone has such high expectations of UII. And when we don't do weD, then everyone wants to know why. But there's so much parity in this sport. And I can guarantee you that every one of the other mechanics works every bit as hard as I do. "I've been Oft the circuit for 20 years, but it feels Jib yesterday:' Werner said. "I bawn't misled a day's 1Vlll'k in 10 ~ In this wodd we m in, people ISIIOCiate wbo you are by your job. This.who 1-. aad I WOIIIIdn't lradep- wfl:hanybody.w ----- (Top) Hacker ran alone up front from laps four to 19, bolstering his reputation as a star of the tuture (Above) Parker (1), Kevin Vames (89) and (4) battled it out behind Hacker. Vames would pull off with a flat tire, allowing Parker and Carr to close in on the leader. (Right) Will Davis ran alone In fourth place for almost the entire main event. He 15 now In sole possession of second place In the series standings. SEMIS Though Butler, Chance Darling and James Hart earned transfers in the first semi, the eight-lap race proved to be the end of the line for Jones. The '93 race winner struggled all night, and though he stayed in the hunt for a transfer to the very end, he could not fend off the sharp-riding Hart, and finished fourth. ''Not good enough:' Jones said. '1 got off to a good start in the heat races and I thought we would at least be competitive, but guys just started going by me. I don't know if it's me or the bike or what, but we've kind of lost our way, and we're having a bad time getting back." Hacker went out and handily grabbed the win in the second semi over Brett landes and perennia1 contender Terry Poovey, jumping into the lead right off the start and pulling to a three-second margin of victory. The youngster said he was pleased with the way his machine was running. "My tuner, Oayton Oliver, dialed our baby in," Hacker said. 'We were just way off in the heat race, but we got it working to include a 600cc Support race to the schedule of events at Oklahoma City. The move appeared to be a good one as 34 riders vied for spots in the IS-rider, IS-lap feature, qualifying through both heat races and semis. The 600cc program moved along quickly as all the races went off without a hitch. An AMA rule change allowed Grand National Experts to compete in both classes if they so desired, and the Lancaster H-D/ R&I Manufacturing/Bell/Spectro/Motion Pro/Wigco Hauling-backed Coolbeth took advantage to smoke the field for the top honors. Charlie Orr chased Coolbeth for the entire distance, leading briefly on lap three before settling ir\to the runner-up spot. Meanwhile, Greg Teague worked his way up from a seventh-place start to pass Tommy Colson on the last lap for third place. "I got a pretty good start:' Coolbeth said ''That's unusual for me. Once Charlie went around me I just put my head down and went for it. I want to thank Ronnie Jones for putting these 600s here."

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