Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

DIRT TRACK AMA Grand NatIonal Cham~ip series Round 23: Pomona Fairplex "I stayed tight with him for a long time," Carr said. "Our lines were pretty equal, but he changed his line and started using wider entrances to the comers. He was getting pretty good drives off the turns. ] jut had trouble getting good drives. Acceleration off the comer is what wins at this race track." "I saw that Chris was back there, and 1 thought that 1'd drift up a little higher to see if there was more traction up there," Parker said. "11 looked moist up (Left) Caught ya!: Mike Hecker (left) finished second In the 883cc NstIonIII at Pomone, surpassing title rival Jay SprIngstlIen (right) In the points chuB. SprInger finished a dlllllf)pOlntlng seventh In the main. (Below) Parker I'll8pS the I'8WlIrds of victory on the podium at PomonII while conducting the post-race IntlIrview wfth announcer Larry Huffman (right). and was then blitzed from either side by TCR/Ben Ford Supertrapp rider Dan Butler and Team Undo's Brett Landes while Geo Roeder IT made his way into third aboard IUs loaner F&S Harley-Davidson (see Brie.fly). The trio remained in that order to the finish for spots in the show. Four riders aggressively sought the final three tickets to the main in semi number three. Springsteen and Pegram passed and repassed each other for the lead in the early going while rim-riding Deeley Harley-Davidson rider Steve Brieflv... • For winning the Pomona Half Mile, Scott Parker banked $4500 from- the purse plus $3200 from Harley-Davidson and $300 from Bell Helmets for a total of $8000. Secondplaced' Chris Cim picked up'$2850 plus. $1700 from Harley-Davidson and' $400 from Arai Helmets' for a total of $4950. WUI Davis eamed $2100 plus $300 i(l contingencies for a total of $2400, . .. Kevin. Atherton showed up to .Pomona still ill pain from the separated right 'shoulder that he suffered il) a play-~ing accident '!"hila hanging out with fellow racer Brett Landes earlier in the week. "This thing hurts," Atherton said 'We were riding XR100s, and the rest of the guys had kits in theirs w/lile I was on a stocker. But they couldn't pass me, so'they Pulled over to see' what I was doing, and that's when I went over the handlebars. all by myself. It was sheer stupidity on my part, and I'm just going to have to deal with it.' Atherton limited his 'practice time at Pomona and had the good fo~une of transferring ·to the m'ain event out of his heat race. He went on to finish fifth . in the main. It') 0\ 0\ .-I 00 .-I l-< Q) .g .... U o 12 Beattie and S.E. Harley-Davidsonl Arai/M.C. Specialties' Chance Darling on the Taco Racing Honda RS750 waged war for the final spot. Pegram went on to lead Springer across the line with the last transfer spot being decided when Darling's mount expired on the final run down the front straight, assuring Beattie of a place in the main. GRAND NATIONAL Anticipation was high as the 17-rider field lined up for the main event. Parker expected to be back in action al the Del Mar Mile. While Steve Morehead was absent from Pomona. Gao Roeder II took the :Findlay Flyer's' place on one of Gary Stoizenburg's F&S Harley-Davidson XR750s. 'We're"gonna try it," Roeder said .after rlding the machine in practice. "It's really fast on the straightaways 'but I can't get it to hook up in.the turns: Roeder stuck With the machine and put il in the main event where he crashed on the first lap. He made the restarl and went on to finish 13th.· . . While Gao Roeder II cal)'1paigned. an F&S Harley-Davidson, Jess Roeder abandoned his own XR750 in favor of the Roeder's H-D. entry nonnally.ridden by his older . brother. Don Estep raced aboard Dodge Brothers XR750s at Pomona in his first Grand National appearance since' suffering serious injuries at the Denver Han Mile on August 12. The team suffered mechanical problems in the heat race, however, and could not make the call -for the semis. . . Although he scored a brilliant win in the 883cc National, Modesto Harley-Davidson .rider Matt Walt- had a for.gettable night in the 750ce portion of the program - almost lileralIy. Alter failing to transfer out of the first heat race, Wait took his place in the final semi and' was. promptly dumped on his head in tum two on the third· lap. The 20-year-old was up tluickly, but his night was over. 'My head still hurts," Wait said long after the race. Smokin' 'Joe's Racing funny-e.ar pilot Gordie Bonin was on hand at Pomona to watch the Grand National. boys do their thing and was 'seen ,chatli(lg with AMA Pro Racing's 'BNce Bober and Merrill Venderilllce. Bonin, who 'pilots the Candies & Hughes-owned, nitrogUZz."ng Ford Mustang funny car at the Fairplex drag strip twice year. during the 'NHAA . ,Nationals held therE!, eppea.red to ba impressed with the racing. What did ttle man who straps himself inio a five-second, '300mph missile for a living have to say about the motorcyclists? "These guys are cr.azy," Bonin said. . ' was second from the outside pole on the front row while Carr sat in the middle of the row with Davis rolling up alongside of inside polesitter Brow. But as the starting board was turned sideways, it looked as though Brow creeped forward just enough to draw the amped-up Davis offside. "I didn't want to say that, and it certainly was not his fault," Davis said. "But that's what pulled me off. I just saw something moving real fast out of the cOmer of my eye and I just went." Starter Scott Zimmerman banished both Davis and Brow to the penalty line and the race left the line with Parker, King and Carr fighting for control of the pack. But the proceedings were brought to a halt when Roeder went down in turn two on the opening Jap. He was unhurt and made the restart, which was again led by Parker. King briefly ran second, but the normally dialed-in veteran simply could not get comfortable aboard his machine, and Carr took advantage.to power into the runner-up spot off turn four. "He (Carr) got out on me right away," King said. "Then they got their distance early. That first five to 10 laps killed me." Carr attempted to chase down Parker on the now roughed-up low line before both riders appeared to move up the race track, switching their attacks to the high line in the hope of finding more grip. there. 1 saw that he wasn't catching me, so 1 just stayed smooth lap after lap and kept it movin'." After the two teammates settled in, Parker maintained a one-and-a-half to two-second margin on Carr. Further back, Davis was putting on the charge of doom as he picked his way past a close battle between Kopp and Evans and then caught up to King on lap seven, diving under him to take away third place where he would sit for the rest of the main event. "I had a good line for the first eight or nine laps, then it started drying out," Davis said. "Once 1 got by King, it really started to get dry. When the track is wet, our motorcycle is really fast, but when it dries out like that, we struggle." Atherton continued the quiet conservative approach that he had used in his heat race with a degree of success, following Davis through the field after the North Carolinan passed him. Atherton stayed low and made his way past Evans on lap 20 and then chased after King in the parade to the checkered flag. "1 let everything settle in and then 1 started making my moves," Atherton said. "1 didn't want to have to race anybody. 1 knew if 1 was too aggressive, 1 would just end up popping my shoulder out again. 1 think 1 was catching Will and Rich at the end, but there just weren't enough Japs." Continued on page 21

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