Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Graham. "I tried a different riding style. We'll just have to make some changes before the main." Heat two looked to be a Rogers runaway as he bliued off the starting line with the lead and began to open an immediate lead. Bartels' HarleyDavidson's Mike Hale left the line second and rode steady, hoping for a mistake from Rogers. That mistake came on lap three, and Hale zipped into the lead as they exited tum two. "There's a big hole between one and two," explained Rogers. "I hit it and lost my momentum." . . Once into the lead, Hale tWIsted hiS throttle and pulled out to an eventual 10 bike-length winning margin. Rogers held on to second and a direct transfer position, though ~eorge Roeder II did his best to sneak past. "I came into this race with some high expectations," said Hale, who has for the most of the season struggled with an ill-handling machine. "We seem to have everything worked out. I'm ready to do some racing." Sakaida Racing-backed Poovey led the way off the line in the third heat, while Craig Estelle, Ian Segedy and Morehead looked for a way past. Parker spun his tire on the line and suffered a terrible start. Segedy fell victim to the hole in turn two on lap three and brought out the red flag. Poovey again led the way on the restart, but two laps later it was Segedy who crashed again in the same spot and brought the race to a halt. Although uninjured, Segedy was too shaken to continue. Poovey sat at the front of the singlefile restart ahead of Estelle, Morehead and Parker. Morehead capitalized on the third chance, and snuck past Estelle off the line. After pressuring Poovey for a lap, Morehead rode the outside of turns three and four to take over the lead and went on to notch the win with a two bike-length lead over Poovey. Parker nosed his way in~o third, but would have to compete m a semi. "Everyone was pole-putting, so I figured I'd ride it a little higher and see if it worked," said Morehead. , "I just couldn't seem to get hO?~ed up," said Parker. "They were nal1mg me right from the start." The fourth and final heat saw a tremendous holeshot by three-t~e Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen. From the inside p?le, Springsteen enjoyed a seven bikelength lead as the pack entered turn one for the first time. "What can I say?" said Springsteen with a smile. "I just got hooked up real good." . Ingram, Carr and Rodney Farns chased after the former champ but would never get the chance to pass. Springsteen rode flawlessly to earn the win. "Man, besides this year's Daytona Short Track, I can't remember the last time I won a heat," said Springsteen. "When I came around on the first lap I was saying, •Please, please, no red flag!' " Carr rode outside in turns three and four to sneak past Ingram on lap eight, but was bumped back to third when Ingram refused to shut his throttle off as he entered turn one. "I was listening, and I could tell that he was going to leave it on," said Carr. "But I figured that I could u~e the s~m,~ line in the last lap to pass him agam. Following his game plan, Carr snuck past Ingram on the last lap and stole away the final direct ~a.nsfer position of the night. Ingram h~ished a close third, but would get no Clgar. Scott Parker (1) and Chris Carr (20) struggled Semis Riders who failed to advance to the main event through the heat races competed in one of three eight-l~p semis that each offered three spots m the feature. Steel Masters' Don Estep was the fastest off the line in the first semi and was never headed. Estep slowly but surely stretched his lead over Edmonds Racing-backed Jason Fletcher and Deeley Harley-Davidson rider ~teve Beattie. At the finish, Estep enjoyed a 10 bike-length lead over Fletcher, who in tum led Beattie by five bikes. Randy Texter finished a close fourth, but would spectate for the rest of the night. A surprise non-qualifier was Gardner Racing's Ronnie Jones, who struggled to a fifth-place fin~sh. . "We just couldn't get the bike to hnd traction" said Jones, who was accompanied ~o the track for th~ first ti~e by his new daughter Shayhn and Wife Trina. Like the first semi, the second semi produced a wire-to-wire win by t~e rider with the fastest clutch hand. Will Davis slid his A&R Racing Honda around the slippery track faster than his rivals and crossed the finish line with a 10 bike-length lead over M&M Racing's Ingram, who ran second for the duration of the race. Kiser Hondasponsored Kris Kiser and Belleville Honda's Tim Mertens provided the excitement as they argued over the final transfer. Kiser started the race third and fought off the late-race adva~ces of Mertens to qualify for his third main event of the season. The third semi alone was worth the price of admission, as Parker was nearly shut out of a qualifying spot. HUD Racing's Billy Herndon led Mike's Harley-Davidson rider George Roeder II and Dorsey Builders' Georgie Price into tum one, while Parker was again mired mid-pack. By the second lap Roeder had overtaken Herndon for the lead, but Parker had done little to improve his position and circled the track in fifth. Parker displaced Arai's David Lloyd on the fourth lap and began to work on ~rice. The champ tried time and agam to sneak by Price, but the rookie Expert answered each attempt with a slaDlffied door. It wasn't until the last lap that Parker muscled his way under Price in turn two to secure third place and a spot in the main. Winner 'Roeder and runner-up Herndon finished in close order, 15 bike-lengths ahead of a very relieved Parker. "Nothing to it," said Parker after sighing and wiping his brow. Camel Challenge As fast qualifier, Pegram had first to find traction aboard their factory Harley-Davidsoos. Carr edged Parker for sixth. Rogers (57) rode high in the cu~hion and pas~ed Stev~ Morehead (42), George Roeder II (66) and Pegram (behmd Roeder) WIth relatIve ease. choice of starting positions at the start of the $10,000 Camel Challenge, a five lap dash for cash that rewards the winner with a $5000 payday. Pegram chose to start on the groove and sat on the outside pole. Next to him, in order, sat Rogers, Poovey, Morehead, Carr and I~gram. Though not on the groove, the inside pole proved to provide the best traction as Ingram grabbed a large holeshot and led Pegram, Carr, Rogers, Poovey and Morehead into turn one. Carr motored past Pegram on the outside of three and four on the first lap to take over second, and set out after Ingram. Pegram continued to drop back, as Rogers also stormed past on the next lap. "The track had changed a lot since the heatrace," said Pegram. "But Chris showed me a good line and I started to use it after awhile." Carr was quick to close the gap that Ingram had ~stablished and began to knock. on Ingram's back door. Carr put the outside line in three and four to use on lap three and stole the lead from Ingram. At the finish, Carr had pulled out a winning five bike-length margin over Ingram and a hard-charging Pegram who passed Rogers back on the fo~rth lap. Rogers finished a distant fourth, while Poovey and Morehead finished even further back, in that order. "I ran it right on the edge of the groove," said Carr, who also won the Daytona Short Track Camel Challenge. "That was about the only pl~ce to pass, since everyone was guarding the middle of it." National Springsteen pushed his BaTtels' Harley to the front of the pack at the start of the 25-1ap main event, but Morehead and Pegram dove under him in the first turn. Graham was next to strike, and did so by ditching .the groove and sliding around the cushIOn in three and four. Parker and Carr were mired at the start and rounded the track sixth and ninth, respectively. "Wher someone from the third row passes you, that's gotta say something," said Carr. Before either of the Harley teamsters could mount a charge towards the. front, though, the race was stopped. On lap three, Fletcher became yet another victim of the hole on turns one and two and crashed hard. Fletcher suffered only bruises, but opted to sit out the single-file restart. Morehead sat at the front of the line on the restart, while Pegram, Roeder, Graham, Springsteen, ~ark<;r, Ro~ers, Davis, Carr and Hale filed 10 behmd. Roeder out-witted Pegram at the flash of the green light, and dov~ to the inside to steal second. Once mto the runner-up spot, Roeder literally camped out on Morehead's rear wheel. "01' Roeder plowed into me a couple times," said Morehead.."The first time could have been an aCCldent, but there's no excuse after that." "Steve could get her stopped in the turns but I couldn't seem to," said Roed~r. "It wasn't the first time we've bumped, and I'm sure it won't be the last. I hope he's not mad." . A cracked oil tank was later discovered on Roeder's machine, and the Ohioan rode most of the race with oil dripping on his rear wheel. 13

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