9th Place ... Bubba Shobert

9TH Place ... Bubba Shobert

In the right place, but at the wrong time

BUBBA SHOBERT WAS GIVING Randy Mamola fits. In a battle for ninth that would last until Mamola went out with engine problems, Shobert and Mamola traded positions lap after lap. At times it was as if the more experienced and seasoned Cagiva-mounted Mamola was giving Shobert an on-the-track racing lesson as they carved their way around the track.

If that was the case, Shobert was paying attention. In only the third 500 GP of his career, he was riding right where he wanted to be. “My plans are to try to finish in the top 10,” he said. “And if I crack into the

top five, that’ll be great.” Riding a 1988 Honda works bike, Shobert was a couple of seconds off the fastest lap times set by Rainey and Schwantz,

but the three-time national champion was philosophical about his performance. “Hey, I’m traveling in fast company here.”

Throughout the race, Shobert’s bright-red NSR500 cut neatly through the slower riders, and he rode in his familiar controlled fashion. “This year is for experience,” he said before the race, “and I’m pretty well matched with my bike. I expect next season to be much better.”

But tragically, the aforementioned cool-down-lap accident (see Roundup, pg. 20) has seriously jeopardized Shobert’s motorcycle-racing career. His recovery will most likely put him out for the rest of this year; and beyond that, any other speculations about his future remain just that.

Camron E. Bussard