Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eDIRTTRACK AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series: Round 13 ~ Ronnie Jones (16) ran near the .&ont of the pack before slowing with a worn out rear tire. Scott Parker (1) powered past Jones, who finished an eventual sixth. . (Left to right) Ricky Graham, Chris Carr and Scott Parker celebrated on the winner's podium. The win was Carr's first at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. 8 Graham and Poovey shadowed Carr as they raced down the back straight, while Atherton, Herndon and Parker struggled to catch up. Poovey momentarily stole the lead, but Carr's desire for the $5000 first prize was greater as they entered the next turn and he retook the lead, while Graham also zapped Poovey and set out after Carr. Graham traded the lead with Carr four times before Atherton came screaming out of nowhere on the last lap to steal the lead. Graham and Carr drafted past Atherton as they raced down the back straightaway for the last time, and Carr then slipstreamed past Graham at the finish for the win. Atherton finished a close third, while Parker, Herndon and Poovey finished in close order some 15 bike lengths behind. "I spun to the right, then spun to the left, but I still got a great start. It was bitchin'," said Carr. "I just rode wide open the whole way and it worked out great." National Fast-heat winner Carr chose to start the 25-lap, 17-rider National on the outside pole, with Jones, Atherton, Poovey, Parker and Graham filling out the fron t row. Parker and Graham got the best jumps off the line at the start and entered turn one side-by-side, but both riders would have to try again as the red flag came out after Roeder tangled with another rider in the first turn and crashed spectacularly. Though he was unhurt, Roeder's machine was too damaged to continue. Jones had the fastest reactions on the restart and led the Rolling Thunder Show into turn one. Atherton, Parker, Graham and Poovey filed in behind Jones, while a near crash in the back of the pack brought a few scares. The close call involved Ingram and Springsteen who came together as they raced into turn one with Springsteen nearly stepping off. "Danny knocked my bike out from under me! I was almost totally off the bike, but I took a big step and somehow didn't crash," said a flustered Springsteen after the race. "It was bad. I did all I could to miss them both," said Morehead, who was right behind the mess. "Springsteen is a hero for not crashing." When questioned about the situation, Ingram shrugged his shoulders and replied, "That's racing. We were just trying to occupy the same space at the same time. It wasn't intentional. " Meanwhile, Atherton and Parker smoked past Jones as they raced down the back straight for the first time and . assumed first and second. Poovey flew off the groove in turn three and dropped from fifth to eighth. "Pegram slammed into me in three and sent me flying," said Poovey. "He's a dirty bastard." "I don't remember doing that," said Pegram after the race. "But if I did, let me say that he had it coming. Poovey's done his share of slamming, too." Parker enjoyed the lead for only .a lap before Gr~am wicked it up and sailed past Jones, Atherton and Parker to take over first. Soon after, a slip cost Parker another two positions and Atherton and Jones railed into second and third, respectively. Once into second, Atherton latched onto the rear of Graham's machine and for the next 10 laps hounded the former champ. Atherton would repeatedly pass Graham on the back straight, but each time Graham would answer with a pass of his own before the start/finish line. On lap 11, Atherton's rear tire began to blister and he began to drop off the pace. "I could hardly control it in the turns," said Atherton, who dropped to seventh at the finish. "I did all I could after that to just stay up." Jones and Carr were the first to pass the flailing Atherton, while Parker did the same on lap 12. Graham, Jones and Carr enjoyed a 10 bike length lead over the pack of Parker, Atherton, Pegram and Durelle at the halfway point. Carr took control of the race soon after, as Graham began to feel his rear tire giving out. "It started to go away just past the halfway point, and I had to change my lines," said Graham.. Graham's line change worked, and he repassed Carr and continued to charge until the final laps. Meanwhile, Parker passed Jones, who was also struggling with tire wear, and began to close in on Graham. "I think we started the race with too little air in the rear tire," said Jones, who finished an eventual sixth. "I had to ride her easy after I started to feel it heating up." Parker joined Carr and Graham on the 16th lap, while Jones fought off the advances of Durelle and Pegram some 20 bike lengths behind. For the next four laps, Parker, Graham and Carr traded the lead, bu"t when the five-Iaps-to-go signal came out, Parker went to work and jumped out to an instant lead. It was also at that point that Graham began to fall off the pace with an ill-handling rear end. Parker stretched his lead to approximately seven bike lengths and looked well on his way to the win, but Carr promptly reeled in the champ during the last two laps. Carr shadowed Parker as they entered turn three for the last time, and closed in even more when Parker bobbled. "I slipped a little going in, and coming out," said Parker. . "I think I went through the last two turns better on the last lap than I did all night," said Carr. Carr tucked in behind Parker as they raced towards the· checkered flag, and Parker watched helplessly as his teammate drafted past well before the finish line. Graham finished 10 bike lengths behind in third, while Durelle broke free of his battle with Pegram and Jones to finish a close fourth. "It took me so long to get free of the second pack that by the time I did the leaders were long gone," said Durelle. "But I kept trying and closed in at the end. I think I may have gotten Ricky in a few laps." Pegram got the best of Jones with five laps to go to finish fifth, while Jones, Atherton and Poovey finished sixth through eighth, respectively. Poovey and Atherton crossed the finish line side-by-side, and Poovey was obviously unhappy with the AMA's decision. "I know I got seventh. I bet if I was on a Harley the decision might have been different," Poovey said. Morehead and Springsteen worked their way through the pack after their first-turn scare and rounded out the top 10, just ahead of Ingram. eN Results TIME TRIALS: I. Kevin Atherton (37.220 seconds); 2. Terry Poovey (37.345); 3. Scott Parker (37.367); 4. Chris Carr (37.422); 5. Ricky Graham (37,463); 6. Billy Herndon (37.508); 7. Jay Spring' steen (37.528); 8. Rusty Rogers (37.555); 9. Mike Hale (37.586); 10. Brian Atherton (37.606); II. Larry Pegram (37.686); 12. Rodney Farris (37.752); 13. Davey Durelle (37.860); 14. Dan Ingram (37.861); 15. Bret Beyer (38.017); 16. Will Davi~ (38.071); 17. Steve Morehead (38.091); 18. Greg Sims (38.165); 19. Ronnie Jones (38.260); 20. Steve Beattie (38.261); 21. George Roeder II (38.312); 22. Rich King (38.335); 23. Gordon Schopieray (38.363); 24. Michael Scott (38.392); 25. Jason Fletcher (38.480); 26. Chris Evans (38.514); 27. Donnie Estep (38.517); 28. Dave Hebb (38.528); 29. Georgie Price (38.538); 30. Curtis Rehmert (38.540); 31. Jim Sumner (38.547); 32. Paul Polhemus (38.562); 33. Davey Camlin (38.596); 34. Aaron Hill (38.598); 35. John Holmes (38.602); 36. Tim Mertens (38.631); 37. Les Washbon (38.691); 38. Greg Crow (38.797); 39. Chance Darling (38.811); 40. Tony Donahue (38.831). HEAT I: 1. Kevin Atherton (H-D); 2. Steve Morehead (H-D); 3. Mike Hale (H-D); 4. Dave Camlin (H·D); 5. Jason Fletcher (H-D); 6. Michael Scott (Hon); 7. Paul Polhemus (H-D); 8. Will McCoy (H·D); 9. Dale Jenneman (H-D); 10. Michael Varnes (H-D); II. Brian Kromroy (H-D); 12. Tony Donahue (H-D). Time: 6 minutes, 17.68 seconds. HEAT 2: J. Terry Poovey (Hon); 2. Jay Springsteen (H-D); 3. Brian Atherton (H-D); 4. Chris Evans (H-D); 5. Bret Beyer (H-D); 6. Jim Sumner (H-D); 7. Chance Darling (H-D); 8. Gordon Schopieray (HD); 9. Aaron Hill (H-D); 10. Geoff Clark (H-D); 11. Danny Koelsch (H-D); 12. Greg Sims (H-D). Time: 6:19.73. HEAT 3: I. Ronnie Jones (H-D); 2. Scott Parker (H-D); 3. Larry Pegram (H-D); 4. Billy Herndon (hon); 5. Rich King (Hon); 6. Dan Ingram (Hon); 7. Don Estep (H-D); 8. Curtis Rehmert (H·D); 9. Mike Dillon (H-D); 10. Greg Crow (H·D); I I. David Lloyd (H-D); 12. John Holmes (H-D). Time: 6: 16. 71. HEAT 4: I. Chris Carr (H-D); 2. Ricky Graham (Hon); 3. Davey Durelle (H-l); 4. George Roeder II (H-D); 5. Tim Mertens (Hon); 6. Steve Beattie (H-D); 7. Rodney Farris (H-D); 8. Scott Stump (Hon); 9. 'Dave Hebb (H-D); 10. Craig Estelle (H-D); II. Georgie Price (H-D); 12. Les Washbon (H-D). Time: 6:12.24. SEMI I: 1. Durelle; 2. Camlin; 3. Herndon; 5. Estep; 5. Beyer; 6. Hebb; 7. Polhemus; 8. Scopieray; 9. Koelsch; 10. Crow; II. Washbon; 12. Varnes. Time: 5:00.3 J. SEMI 2: 1. P~am; 2. Ingram; 3. R~er; 4. Farris; 5. Darlmg; 6. SIms; 7. McCoy; 8. DIllon; 9. Evans; 10. Estelle; II. Kromroy; 12. Holmes. Time: 5:02.78. SEMI 3: I. Hale; 2. King; 3. Mertens; 4. Sumner; 5. Stump; 6. Atherton; 7. Scott; 8. Hill; 9. Donahue; 10. Price; 11. Rehmert; 12. Jenneman; 13. Lloyd. Time: 5:01.55. CAMEL CHALLENGE: 1. Chris Carr (H-D); 2. Ricky Graham (Hon); 3. Kevin Atherton (H-D); 4. Scott Parker (H-D); 5. Billy Herndon (Hon); 6. Terry Poovey (Hon). Time: 3:06.85. NATIONAL: 1. Chfis Carr (H-D); 2. Scott Parker (H-D); 3. Ricky Graham (Hon); 4. Davey Durelle (H-D); 5. Larry Pegram (H-D); 6. Ronnie Jones (HD); 7. Kevin Atherton (H-D); 8. Terry Poovey (Hon); 9. Steve Morehead (H-D); 10. Jay Springsteen (HD); II. Dan Ingram (Hon); 12. Billy Herndon (Hon); 13. Davey Camlin (H-D); 14. Mike Hale (H-D); 15. Tim Mertens (Hon); 16. Rich King (Hon). Time: 15:15.54. AMA GRAND NATIONAL/CAMEL PRO SERIES POINT STANDINGS: I. Chris Carr (189/4 wins); 2. Scon Parker (172/5); 3. Ricky Graham (137/ I); 4. Kevin Atherton (110); 5. Larry Pegram (107); 6. Will Davis (89/2); 7. Ronnie Jones (75); 8. Dan Ingram (68); 9. Jay Springsteen (63); 10. Terry Poovey (61); 11. Rusty Rogers (57/1); 12. George Roeder II (56); 13. Steve Morehead (47); 14. Davey Durelle (41); 15. Mike Hale (37); 16. (TIE) Aaron Hill/Rich King (30); 18. Davey Camlin (21); 19. (TIE) Rodney Farris/ Tim Mertens (20).

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