FLAT TRACK
AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 14/AUGUST 31, 2015
ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS/SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS
P74
HAVE BIKE WILL
TRAVEL
Jeffrey Carver Jr. has lived the
free-agent life on the AMA Pro Grand
National circuit this year unlike anyone
before him, riding a wider variety of
motorcycles in the series this year
than any other rider in the history of
the series.
At Springfield Carver was on a
Harley-Davidson XR750. He won the
short track support race the night
before, but unfortunately Carver's
Sunday ended early when the bike
lost power in his semi on the Mile. Still
it was fun to note that Carver found a
way to be on the track in spite of not
having a regular ride in the series.
When asked about how many
motorcycles he's ridden in the Grand
Nationals this year Carver said, "I
don't know, probably like eight or nine
I think. I've put six or seven different
bikes in the main," he added.
Carver started listing them.
"I rode a DL1000 Suzuki and put it
in the main at Lima," he said. "I went
to Hagerstown and hopped on a 650
Kawi that was just stock and I put that
in the main event. On the West Coast
I put the BMW in the main. I've had my
Yamaha and Honda 450s in the main
and I put a Harley in a main at Indy.
And I rode a Buell earlier this year and
I rode an SV1000 [Suzuki] at the Mega
Mile and I rode a TL1000 [Suzuki]
here in the spring and broke both the
TL and the Buell here."
Carver said he's picking up rides
here and there as he goes simply to
keep his foot in the door.
"I've been doing this for 20 years,
my whole life, and I'm not going to
stop now," Carver explained. "The
toughest thing about riding a different
bike each weekend is learning how
to make them work and get them ad-
justed really soon. You've got to know
what to do with the bike to make them
do what you want. It's been difficult,
but a learning year."
Carver said he expected to have a
regular ride by this point in his career,
but for some reason it hasn't material-
ized even though he's shown flashes
of brilliance.
"The first two years in the pros I
was right there," he said. "You know,
