Springsteen, at 34, Continues Cycle Comeback at Pomona

In a spring when the achievements of Nolan Ryan at 44 and George Foreman at 42 have made a mockery of age, its sounds a little odd to look at erstwhile motorcycle prodigy Jay Springsteen as an oldster at 34, but in Springsteen’s hey-day anybody who was “thirty something” was part of the over-the-hill gang.

Now, the Lapeer, Mich., native, who won American Motorcyclist Assn. championships at the age of 19-20 and 21 in the 1976-7-8, will be trying to continue a considerable comeback in the Camel Pro Series national flat-track at the Los Angeles County Fairplex in Pomona next Saturday night.

Springsteen is coming off his best finish in the Camel series since 1983. He was fourth in 1990, although he is still looking for his first victory since 1985.

A triumph at Pomona would be his 41st and it would help him keep Scott Parker of Swartz Creek, Mich., the current Harley-Davidson No. 1 factory ace, from closing on Springsteen’s AMA all-time best of 40. Parker, winner of the last three national championships, currently has 37 victories.

Springsteen was almost unable to challenge Parker next Saturday night. The dirt track veteran was suspended by AMA until June when he strayed into the realm of pavement racing at Daytona and was penalized for an equipment violation. However, Springsteen appealed and the AMA ruled he could continue to race on dirt even though the ban stood on pavement races.

The shift to Pomona was caused by the leveling of Ascot Park in Gardena, the site of 72 national races on the half-mile or TT steeplechase course in the last 32 years. Parker and Springsteen were both very familiar with Ascot. Springsteen owned four victories and Parker three.

Others familiar to Ascot victory celebrations are Ronnie Jones of Oklahoma City, a two-time victor; Chris Carr of Stockton; Ricky Graham of Salinas and Steve Moorehead of Findlay, Ohio.

Carr, Parker’s Harley-Davidson factory teammate, was also a three-time winner at Ascot and is currently tied with Jones for the 1991 Camel series lead with 32 points after two of 17 races.