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| The Grand Slam
by dean adams Friday, August 18, 2000 Not many people are aware of the informal classification given to riders who have excelled in every form of dirt track there is, and won a roadrace as well. It's called The Grand Slam Club. Joining the Grand Slam Club requires a rider to win a race in each of the following divisions: Half mile dirt track Just wining an event in each of those dirt track classifications is tough. Making it nearly impossible, the rider who does all that, also has to win a roadrace too. Very few riders have done so and in the eyes of many they are the elite of AMA racing sect, which used to award just one championship based on the results of both dirt track and roadrace finishes. At this time the following riders have completed the Grand Slam Dick "Bugsy" Mann was the first to do it, and it took him twenty years to complete the 'Slam. "That's because he didn't start roadracing until the end of his career," says former Cycle News editor and spiritual leader of dirt track racing, Jack Mangus. "Roberts has the distinction of doing it all in one year," says Mangus, which will explain to some who don't understand, exactly why they call Roberts the King. Many riders you would think have all the qualifications actually don't. Living legend and golf cart abuser Dave Aldana doesn't have a short track win. Advisor to Nicky Hayden (who actually has a pretty decent shot at getitng in as long as he continues to ride dirt track) Gary Nixon doesn't have a TT win. Gene Romero had a shot too. Current riders who have a semi-concievable shot at joining the club: Out of those, Carr has about the best shot. He's won miles, half miles, short tracks and TTs (He is the Prince of Peoria). A roadrace win (in the premier class) eluded him while he rode for the Harley-Davidson team (although he remains the only person to put a VR on the pole of a Superbike race). Pegram has a decent shot, has the elusive roadrace win but needs a short track and a TT win to complete the package. Currently there is only one TT race on the AMA schedule (Peoria) and it seems as long as Chris Carr is racing, there is little hope of someone else winning that race. Springsteen came closer to wining a roadrace than most people realize, as he placed in the top five in the Daytona 200 way back when. It would be difficult to do so now, but one learns to never say never about Springsteen. Parker is now retired or semi-retired (depending on the weekend) and has never showed much interest in roadracing. Other than to say he wishes now that he'd become one, simply because you can make infinitely more money roadracing on the top national level than you can at the same level in the turn left series. Racing always was about "dollar bills" to Parker. The very talented yet deceased Ricky Graham would have had a great shot, had he continued racing Superbikes (he did so on and off, starting with riding one of Rob Muzzy's Kawasaki's in 1987 at Daytona). Graham raced an 883 Sportster, as well, in the mid 1990s. The Grand Slam was a goal of many roadracers at one point, but they just did not have the same success on the dirt as they did on the asphalt, even though they spent the majority of their formative years racing dirt track. Riders that fit this description are Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson, Kevin Schwantz, Freddie Spencer, Mike Hale and many others. As the years pass the Grand Slam Club seems to be forgotten. It shouldn't. It is probably the hardest damn club to get into in motorcycle racing. ENDS PRIVACY POLICY | HOME | RETURN TO TOP © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 Hardscrabble Media LLC |
