Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

and onto the track. But after Sunday's quiet time and by the time we started racing, the track was dIying out, though there was still mud on the track and very narrow usable lines in several places. I had a good dice with Harrington, Moe and Yates, while Pablo, Tripp and Tray Batey pretty much ran away. I finished fifth. Tray won the second race, but Tripp had motor troubles and so did Moe, so I finished sixth and left Georgia with a one-point lead over Pablo Real. Now there was no question that we were in this thing to the finish. "The fourth race of the series in Loudon, New Hampshire - in the rain was a nightmare in some ways, but it shows what you can do by just gutting it out and doing the best you can. I got off to a £lying start by falling down in the warmup lap of the qualifying race, which meant I had to start from the back of the grid for both races, on a tight track that I'd never seen before, against some really good local riders. I finished 10-9 in the two races at Loudon but came away still in the series lead, because my main competition either didn't do any better or broke or crashed. Go figure. Now I had a four-point lead over Pablo (Real) .and about 13 over Tripp (Nobles). In the series finale at Daytona we tried to work out some strategy. As it developed, for the first race our strategy was: There is no strategy - ride as fast as I can. In the heat race, Tripp (Nobles) and Chuck Graves were in the lead and trying to set each other up to draft ahead at the flag, and while they were doing this I snuck in behind and got a two-bike draft to the finish ·line and took the pole for both races. In the first race, I got a good start and led the first lap. Pablo (Real) and (Eric) Moe had crashed in the heat race and were at the back of the pack, which took off some of the pressure. I diced with Tripp, Shane Turpin and John Ashmead for the entire race, and on the last lap I wa in fifth but drafted Ashmead into turn one for fourth. Then Graves got a little wide in the horseshoe and I got under him for third. We ended up just feet apart. "For the second race, I knew I could finish fourth and win the championship no matter how well anyone else did. Pablo was far enough back that it was mainly between me and Tripp. Strategy: If Tripp wins, 1 needed a fourth. I got a good start and led a couple of Japs. There was a tight pack at the front of Tripp, Turpin, Ashmead, Graves and me, with Graves leading. He went off but got back on and then crashed out later. After four or five laps, Tripp took over the lead with Turpin, Ashmead and 1 dicing for second. With two laps to go, Turpin broke, 1 had to swerve to miss him and Ashmead took over second - but I held third for a podium finish and the championship." It was the culmination of a long career, a vocation that began in 1977 on a Kawasaki 900cc ZI production bike. '1 rode the bike to \,:,ork and on trips, and I couJd convert it from street to track in 15 minutes," Pinkstaff said. "I'm afraid those days are over." . Pinkstaff was successful right away, finishing third in his first race and winning his econd. At the time he was a student at Portland State University, earning a business degree. Having neither the time or th.e mechanical experience to build and maintain a modified motorcycle, he rode production bikes. In those days a skilled rider could still win modi fied classes on a stock bike, and from 1978 to 1984 Pinkstaff did just that. He won the Open Production and Open Ca fe classes each and every year at Portland and Seattle. Dan and Dale Zlock, tired of finishing behind Pinkstaff, offered him a ride on a Suzuki Superbike in 1984 and they've been together ever since. "My first race for the Zlocks was in an AMA Superbike race at Portland," Pinkstaff said. "I absolutely wadded the bike in practice, and between nine in the morning and a one o'clock start time they had the bike rebuilt and race ready. 1 don't know what they thought of me, but 1 was impressed. Fred Merkel won the race; 1 was sixth." Since then, the pairing of Zlock Racing and Pinkstaff have concentrated on winning regional championships with OMRRA and WMRRA, in addition to the one or two AMA Nationals a season. "I can't remember any year since 1984 when I.haven't won at least one class championship at both Portland and Seattle, and one year - 1986 - I won a total of five between the two clubs. "1 actually raced my first National in 1981 on Dan Freeman's ZI at Laguna Seca. 1 was doing real well on it at PIR and SIR, but we broke a camshaft clean in two at Laguna. So much for low-budget racing. Not that this was a big bucks effort we ran this year. Dan and Dale Z10ck and I all have good jobs, but there weren't any deep pockets in this team. We got some ponsorship, in the form of products or good prices, but the main source of income was purse money. Our sponsor support, plus generous purse money from NASB, plus the fact that we didn't have to pay Dan 50 or so bucks an hour for his thousand hours of engine work, was what got us through racing thi year." Pinkstaff, having raced for some 19 years, with quite a few broken and healed bones, a garage wall covered with trophies and plaques, and his first National Championship in the books, took the occasion of his home racing club's awards banquet to announce his retirement from motorcycle racing. "You have to give up a lot to go rac- ing, in terms of time, money and emotional commitment," Pinkstaff said. "1 had decided to quit at the end of 1995, but the ASB championship made me reconsider my decision. After a lot of thought, and talking it over with my family and the Zlocks, 1decided again it was time. 1 just wasn't sure 1 could give Zlock Racing the effort they deserve. I will have some involvement with Zlock Racing, acting as team manager to help them line up some sponsorship and a couple of good riders to defend their ational Championship. As for me, 1 think it's time to start spending some time with my family, some more effort at work, and maybe even try some traveling that doesn't involve spending an entire weekend at a race track. I'd like to thank my family for their support over all these years. It's been a lot of fun, and it's time to move on." And there's nothing quite like going out on top, as the nation's top privateer superbike racer for 1995. 0 I.!) 0\ 0\ M '-D~ l-< Q.I "S ~ Q.I o 11

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