BUBBA SHOBERT
HEADING FOR THE TOP ONE RACE AT A TIME
BUBBA SHOBERT EXPECTED TO BE THE RACER CHALlenging Kevin Schwantz for bragging rights to the 1988 Daytona 200. Schwantz had won the pole position, but Shobert was slotted right beside him in the number two spot on the grid.
But, as it turned out, Shobert didn't have a chance from the moment the flag dropped to start the race; his Honda had stalled in Turn One during the warm-up lap. So, while the rest of the field was staring at the one-minute board and revving their engines in anticipation of the start, Shobert was out of sight, pushing his bike back to the pits. By the time he got his VFR750 back on the track, Schwantz was already braking for the Chicane, and Shobert was dead-last.
Starting last was not exactly the kind of beginning Shobert had planned. After all, he hopes to head for the glamour and glitz of Europe and the GP scene next year, and a good performance in the AMA Superbike series is essential. It helps that he holds a contract with Honda that provides him with money, two bikes, two spare engines and some parts, but that’s where the factory’s involvement ends. Shobert is the owner, manager and racer of “Team Bubba’’; he twists the throttle and writes the checks. That’s a lot of pressure to be under, but Shobert didn’t see any other option when Honda pulled out of racing at the end of the 1987 season. “I either had to take over or let someone else run the team,” he says. “If my bike needs a new chain or a new tire, I want to be able to put it on without having to worry about the money. You can’t run a race team on peanuts.”
But Shobert is a competitor first; everything else is secondary to that. For Bubba the racer, Daytona week had gone pretty well with the exception of a minor crash in his 50-mile heat race on Friday. His bike had qualified second-fastest, and he looked smoother and more comfortable on it than he had during the 1987 season when he finished third in the overall Superbike standings. “Last year,” he said, “I wasn’t comfortable with the pace, but this year things are better. Even at race speeds, I have a little margin of safety left.”
That margin was reflected in the attitude of Shobert’s pit crew, as well. Having to focus on just one rider and one bike, Shobert’s mechanics, Mike Velasco and Skip Eaken, exuded a remarkable level of confidence. There was no last-minute frenzy, for everything had been smoothed out beforehand. “We did our homework over the winter so we wouldn’t have to kill ourselves the rest of the season,” remarked Eaken.
The rest of the season is crucial for Shobert. He is one of the favorites to win the AMA Superbike championship, but he is also contesting selected 250cc races in addition to the world-championship round in April at Laguna Seca. That race will indicate how Shobert stacks up against international talent.
Velasco already has an idea of how Shobert compares. He has worked with the likes of Freddie Spencer and Fred Merkel in the past, but says that Shobert is the more sensitive and knowledgeable racer. “Bubba is better than anyone I’ve ever worked with,” he said. “He gives you instant feedback that allows you to get the bike sorted out faster than anyone else.”
At Daytona, once Shobert was able to get his bike started, he rode an intelligent yet inspired race, quickly cutting through the field and moving into fourth place. “At first it was hard to set a pace for myself because I didn’t know where everybody else was on the track,” said Shobert. “Schwantz was going good, but I'm sure it would have been different had we been racing together.”
In the end, though, Shobert and company had to be content with third place. Eaken’s disappointment was selfevident, as tears welled up in his eyes. “With the exception of about 10 seconds, we did everything perfect,” he shrugged.
Shobert, on the other hand, was more upbeat: “Any time something like that happens, and you still get third, you can’t be too upset.’
Camron E. Bussard
