Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

• ··INT!RVIEW the increased support, Parker and Werner went on the warpath, their sole mission being to regain the title for Harley-Davidson. Steady improvement came via Werner's constant development of the motorcycle. It is a process that continues to this day as Werner is regarded as one of the greatest mechanics in all of motorsports. Breaks also came when the AMA instituted its restrictor and minimumweight rules to keep the factory Hondas (or perhaps more to the point, their overwhelming budget) in check and thus level the playing field. The effect of these rules changes are a source of constant debate, and something that many of the sport's followers assume was the main reason for Harley-Davidson's resurgence and Honda's demise. Even so, it was back during ~he 1985 season that none other than the Harley-mounted Parker won what at the time was the fastest mile in history at Indianapolis, and later in the year he lowered the track record by 12 seconds and picked up the win at a rare daytime running of the Sacramento Mile. Both took place long before restrictors or weight rules. Parker proved to be a major variable as he, too, improved. He rode harder and harder with each year, often times willing his motorcycle into finishing positions that might not have been possible in th.e hands of other riders. "We knew where we stood," Parker said. "We just had to try that much harder. We just had to win races. We were still down on the Hondas, so I learned to ride the motorcycle even harder. Now we can do that only when we have to." He had to in 1988, but it finally made a difference. After four years of chasing Hondas, Parker won four races during the year, and with Shobert disqualified for a light motorcycle at Syracuse, New York, Parker was finally crowned champion. He celebrated by grabbing the win in the season finale at Sacramento. . ''I'll always remember that first championship the most," Parker said. "It took 10 years for me to win it, and it was special because it was the first time that Harley-Davidson had held the title in four years, so there was a long dry spell. Since I know what it took to get there, I know what it takes to keep them behind me now." True enough, Parker had a lock on the championship for the next three years, tying factory predecessor Carroll Resweber's record of four Grand National Championships by holding the Cycle News Rider of the Year Scott Parker dent. "In my career I've missed (failed to start) two races. I missed Peoria after the Oklahoma City crash (1992), and.one time I missed Tulsa, Oklahoma, after I cut my finger with a remote control airplane. What a goon, huh? What I did was I fired the thing up, and it was running wide open. I reached over'to knock it down to half throttle, and I caught the propeller. I had five stitches. I think that if I would have been in the hunt for the championship that year... this was like in 1980 or '81... I wouldn't have missed it, but it wasnt worth it to drive down there. But that's all I've missed since 1979. That's almost 20 years. Maybe there's somebody who had a longer career in a different span of time, but they have missed more races." In 1993 both Parker and Carr chased Graham. It was a year that Parker recalls as a cruise year. "I raced hard for the first five races, but then all of a sudden we were like 40 points down," Parker said. "We just took a breather and cruised. Then we started getting bad press, people saying that I was washed up. That just piss~d me off." In 1994 a clearly motivated Parker returned and posted eight event wins to claim an unprecedented fifth title. H has not relinquished it since. Along the . way, Parker has become the all-time Grand National win leader, scoring 76 National wins, and posting 206 top-five and 271 top-10 finishes out of 312 career Grand National starts. He has chased Bubba Shobert and Ricky Graham, been chased by Chris Carr and Graham, chased Carr and Graham, and now appears set to be chased by former fac- (Above) Parker spends almost two hours a day in his office, handling business affairs. He spends a fair amount of time online each day, checking his investments. (Right) This trick XR750 factory racer, circa 1983, is one of the jewels in Parker's motorcycle fleet. Look close~y and you can see that the ignition has been moved from the front of the engine case to the right side where it is driven by the camshaft. (Below) "She's just a good lady all the way around," Parker says of wife Wanda. Parker met her when they were both 11 years old. They were married in 1989. Daughter Ashley turned 1 year old December 6. title from 1988-91, and resetting the single-season victory tally to 10 in 1989. It was in I 991 that Parker became the winningest Grand National racer of all time, breaking Springsteen's record of 40 wins with a 41st career win at the Louisville Half Mile. In 1992 Parker missed one of only two National's in his career after a crash with factory teammate and championship rival Chris Carr at the Oklahoma City Half Mile caused him to miss the Peoria IT. It ultimately cost him the title. ''I've been fortunate, you know," Parker said, qUi~ to shrug off the acci- tory teammate Kevin Atherton, the One rider he sees as more of an immediate;; threat to his title than any other. For it, was Atherton, Parker's former factory teammate who stepped up in 1996 and 0 gave Parker a run for his money in the _ late going, winning five Grand Nationals to Parker's six before losing out on the ti tIe even after winning the season '"' finale Del Mar Mile. Parker did what he had to do, finishing second to clinch an unbelievable seventh championship title. "Kevin really applied pressure," Parker said. "In the past, I never Y

• Cover