Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

"1 was on the brake when 1 should have been on the gas,"'Jones said. Springsteen was just happy to be back and running welL "1 thought 1 ran it in there hard enough in turn one, but apparently 1 didn't," Springsteen said. "Scotty got me, and 1 drifted wide and Ronnie got under me. But hey, we're third and straight to the main. 1 need some points. 1 looked at the deal, and I'm 18th. Springer ain't too proud of that. 1 twingled this week." the race track. The reigning series champion was third after the first two laps of the main, but he slipped off the groove on two separate occasions and paid dearly in the form of lost track position both times. Yet Parker was more animated in defeat than he was in victory. "I was catching them and making time," Parker said. "I just slid up too high and the race was over. You push yourself and push yourself, and you get right where you want to be, and that happens. 1 just got into the wet, marbly stuff and it was over. Morehead did the same thing. We both just got up a little high and lost everything. When you lose, you got something to talk about." SEMIS Two young riders took center stage in the first semi as Bostrom and Suburban Motors H-D's J.R. Schnabel raced into the main event through the first semi with Bostrom taking the win. "1 had a really good heat race going." Bostrom said. "Varnes was actually in my way, which 1 couldn't believe because 1 know how fast he goes. 1 HEATS GM Promotions' Johnny Landers, Gary Thomas and crew had the Black Hills Speedway racing surface in much better shape for the Grand National boys than in 1995, and the 42 riders who showed up to compete in the 750cc class were greeted with a smoother, yet tricky slick racing surface which was almost completely devoid of rocks and continued to improve as the night went on. The lack of a support class aided in speeding up the show, and race fans were on their way home by 10:15 p.m. Atherton looked to be off to a quick start as he led the first heat race from the line, but teammate Davis powered past early second-place runner Brett Landes and the Team Undo Honda to shadow Atherton for five laps before shooting by him off turn four on lap five to take the lead and pick up the win after the race was shortened to eight laps due to a crash involving Corbin Racing's Davey Cam.lin and Lynch Racing/Beal Peterbilt's Paul Lynch. Neither rider was injured. "It (the leg) doesn't hurt:' Davis said. "We won't change too much for the main event. The gear mainly. We're right in there - about a tenth (of a second) off. I'd rather be a tenth up." Atherton held second ahead of the continually improving Dan Stanley and his Schmulbach Racing Harley-Davidson. "1 got screwed:' Atherton said. "The red flag gave me no time to make a move. Now 1 gotta start on the second row. But 1 think we'll be okay, because they watered it, and 1 may see a couple of different lines. That second-row start may be an advantage." . "We're making some changes," Stanley said. It felt pretty far off in the scratch heat, but we made some changes, and they're working. Fred Schmulbach is letting me have a lot of input into the things we're working on. It also helped that we were in the first heat, when the track was good." Varnes ran off and hid in heat race number two and set a fast heat time of three minutes, 57.82 seconds to earn yet another pole position. The young Pennsylvanian got out. of the gate fast and stayed ahead of a frenzied battle for the remaining transfer positions that took place among Bartels' Harley-Davidson's Eric Bostrom, Spectra/ Moroney's HD's Mike Hacker, Gardner Racing/Walters Bros. H-D rider Dan Butler, DeMay Racing's Paul Morgan III and Corbin Racing's Chance Darling. "We were geared up for the low line:' Varnes said. "Everything worked out down low." Butler made a fairly quick move to the front after getting a poor start as he zipped past Hacker on lap five to grab second, while a motivated Darling waited a little longer before running it underneath Morgan and Hacker to earn the final transfer spot out of the heat. "If 1 ever got a good start, what do (Above) After running as low as 10th place, Kevin Atherton picked his way through the pack- to take his first Grand National win of the season. (Right) Secondplace finisher Steve Morehead found success on the high line, but after leading for a time fell prey to the charging Atherton. Will Davis (21) ran as high as second but finished faded to fourth by race's end. you think will happen?" Butler said with a grin. "That 01' twingle is going good. We've got her dialed in, and we're trying to learn how to ride the notch. I'm not known for that. We're going slow to go fast." "I had to be motivated," Darling said after finishing third. "1 wanted to get a good start and run up front because (team owner) Mike Corbin and his people are here tonight, and 1 wanted to look good for them." King. Harley-Davidson of Sacramento's Joe Kopp, Morehead, Deeley Harley-Davidson's Steve Beattie and White's Harley-Davidson speedster Mike Varnes squared off in the third heat race with Kopp and King doing most of the battling up front while Morehead slipped back and took a safe third place and transfer. Morehead did not look to be anywhere near up to speed in the heat. "We were just talking about that right now," Morehead said casually as he discussed setup and strategy with Davis. "We do understand that we have to work on it, yes." After leading the opening lap, King may have charged just a little too much, and that allowed Kopp to race by off tum two on the second lap. King then followed Kopp to the checkered flag as the Washington TT specialist rebounded from his disappointment at Peoria to land his first career heat-race win aboard a 750. "They're not expecting me here," Kopp said. '1 was just trying to pick up the pace, but the track is slippery, and it's hard to get a hold of," King said. "1 think it's going to end up being a one-liner around the bottom. 1 may try to create a line of my own. Hopefully we'll get a front-row start for the main event." The returning Jay Springsteen (see Briefly...) got a great start in the final heat but was quickly sucked up by Parker and Loral Lake Racing parttimer Ronnie Jones in the middle of turn one. Parker took the lead from there with Jones establishing himself in second and Springsteen third as the three riders freight-trained to the finish in that order to make the show. Parker was dialed in. "1 just let the clutch out and kept an eye on O.J. Ganes)," Parker said. "We're looking for more of the same in the main event. 1 haven't talked with Bill (Werner) yet to see where we stand. I'm hav'ing a little problem in three and four. 1 think we can change some things and get better there." Jones was a little disappointed with his performance, but the Oklahoman offered no excuses. decided to try something. and that was a stupid move. 1 should have transferred out of the heat." H-D Central/Frontier Harley-Davidson rider Dale Jenneman led Morgan into the main event through to the main event in the second semi. Peoria TI winner Andy Tresser surprised everyone by putting his privateer Ducati into the main event for the first time in three years of trying. Tresser stormed into the show ahead of parttime 750 rider Rex Fisher, who was on a Hart Racing XR. "That was the first time far the Ducati and the first time that I've made a Grand National half-mile main event," Tresser said. ''I've got some more confidence from Peoria, and we made some changes to the motorcycle to increase its performance. But Peoria definitely helped." GRAND NATIONAL Varnes slid into the lead when the 18-rider field thundered into the first tum on the opening lap of the feature with Parker and Butler in tow, but several riders were bunched together at the front.of the field, and by the second lap, Davis had found his way to second with Parker, Morehead and Springsteen following. Butler was back to sixth. Varnes continued to run stron on the oove,

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