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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127798
.DIRT TRACK . ~ . R d 13: Indi@na State Fairgrounds
AMA Grand NatiQnatChainpionship
aun
(Left) Canadian
National Champion
Steve Beattie (26)
raced with Rich
King (80) for the win
in heat race number
two. King won the
heat and then
finished fourth In
the main event
while Beattie wound
up seventh In the
main.
(Below) Parker
(center), Atherton
(left) and Davis
(right) had a blast,
literally, In the
winner's circle.
Parker picked up
the series points
lead with the win.
what the Wisconsin rider did by holding
off Kevin Varnes for the win in semi
number two.
"We needed that," Sumner said. "I've
been beating my head against the wall
all year long. We reaUy needed that
one:'
Varnes' second-place run started
from the penalty line after he was forced
to miss his heat race altogether and
switch bikes when his number-one
Honda apparently broke a transmission.
ESAB Welding/WWP Pro Racing
rider Tommy Hayden won the final
semi in dramatic fashion after catching
up to and then blowing past both Kopp
and Landes in turn three on the final lap
of the race. Hayden was dearly riding a
fast horse all night long, and he made it
work to his advantage.
"1 don't know what it was," Haydensaid. "They shut off, and I didn't. My
bike has been working good in the corners all day, That helped."
Kopp hung on for second at the line
to take the final transfer spot, leaving
Landes the odd man out.
GRAND NATIONAL
Morehead led the IS-rider wave off
the starting line and into the first comer
to start the main event, but the race was
red-flagged immediately when Beyer
went down in the turn and was subsequently struck by Butler, who also hit
the ground. Hayden, too, was caught up
in the carnage after getting an excellent
start off the back row as the youngster
from Kentucky kept drifting wide to
avoid the wreckage and wound up eating hay,
"Someone checked up, going into the
turn and took away Bret's handlebars,"
Butler said. "He shot one way, and his
bike shot the other way. 1 hit the bike.
This is real disappointing for our team
because we had a real good chance here
tonight."
Butler's team thrashed to fix his bent
mount, and both he and Hayden
rejoined the field, going on to finish 16th
and 17th, respectively. Beyer's helmet
was ripped from his head in the crash,
and he was down for several minutes
with what ap>peared to be a deep laceration to the forehead. He was transported
to the hospital for further evaluation
and thus did not restart.
Morehead again led the field on the
restart and set a quick pace with Parker,
Camlin, King, Davis and Atherton in the
front pack. Morehead led the pack for
the first two laps before yielding to
Camlin and Parker and then resurfacing
on lap six. King took his one turn up
front on lap seven while Atherton drafted into second with Morehead third and
Parker fourth. Camlin and Davis were
the next two in line but had already
somewhat fallen off the lead pace.
Springsteen, meanwhile was running
alone in seventh, a position that would
not change throughout the race.
"It was like 1 was home alone out
there," the three-time Grand' National
champion said. "Otherwise everything
fe.lt good. It was sure worth it to take the
motor out this week and tweak on it a
litile more."
The two riders then hooked up to
draft their way back into contention,
with Davis doing most of the lead work
after it was established that Camtin
could not. The tactics worked for Davis,
who soon found himself with a fighting
chance at the leaders, but Carnlin's drive
forward was stalled after he lost Davis'
draft, and the reigning Oil. Quoin Mile
champion finished the night a steady
fifth.
"1 motioned for Will to get behind
me, but that wasn't working because 1
couldn't get off the corners," Camlin
said, "Then he motioned for me to get
behind him, and that worked, but 1 still
couldn't get off with those guys. But it
sure felt good to be back on a mile."
Morehead suddenly went from being
a potential winner to an, also-ran in the
space of one lap, lap 14, when he suffered mechanical problems which
dropped him to 11th at the flag.
..
wiil Davis picked 'up a $2000 bonus check
from ~YC