Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/100342
oROAD RACE e AMA 250[[ Grand Prix Series: Round I T eenage sensation Colin Ed wards (45) led the International Li gh tweigh t lOOk [rom start to finish: here he lead s teammat e Chris D'Aluisio (2) on th e open ing lap. Edwards and D'Aluisio wer e rarely farther apan than th is , but th e senior member of th e tea m , D'Al uisio, n ever led . du ring the weeks leading up .to th e race. Edwards starts spring break w ithwin By Henny Ray Abrams DAYTO:\A BEACH, FL, MAR 8 o u t h w es t Moto r spor t s ' Co lin Edwards ma de a stu n ni ng Camel Mo torcycle Week debu t, leadin g th e Internat io n al L igh twe igh t 100 Kilometer race [rom ��Iag- to-��Iag to bea t tea mma te Chris D'A luisio by 1.160 seco nds o n a brill ia n tl y su n ny Florida a ��ternoon . Edwards, wh o only became elig ib le to run th e race 10 da ys ago when he S 18 tu rned 18, admit ted h e was surprised at hi s fini sh. " I reall y don 't know what to say," sa id th e T exas h igh school sen io r, wh o was beg innin g spring break. " W ha t me a nd Chri s had p la n ned was to ge t a jum p and dra ft o n each o ther. T ha t's kind o f how it wo rked." H e completed the 100-kilo meter (64mi le race) a t Dayto na International S peed way in 35 m i nu tes , 3 1.322 seco nds at a n a verage speed of 108.237 mph . After poc ke ting $5600 [rom th e $30, 000 Intern at ion al Ligh twe ig ht 100 K purse for wi n n ing h is firs t race in AMA N at io na l C ha m pio us hi p co m pe titio n , Edwards p ra ised D'Alu isio, 28, th e senior me m ber o f th e team by 10 yea rs. for a ll th e help he 'd been " I' d espec ia ll y like to thank Chris for helping me set up th e b ike a nd [or leadi ng a nd fol lowing me around th e track a ll week lo ng ," Edwards said. " I ma y have been h is teacher," D'Alu isio began, " bu t I think I taught him too well. H e sa id I was th e o n ly rid er out there he wa s worried about. Well , he was the onl y rid er I was worried abou t as well." T h ird , abo ut 15 seconds beh ind D'Alu isio , was a noth er 18-year-old maki ng h is AMA p ro fessio na l deb u t, Ken ny Robert s J r. , o n the Wa yne Ra in ey R a cin g Otsuka Electroni cs Yamaha . Racin g in the shadow of h is [at her's lega cy, Roberts J r. didn ' t a llow th e pressu re of the name acro ss hi s shou lde rs to bother h im , mix ing it up with a trio of more experien ced rid ers and displayin g racin g sa vvy Ia r beyond h is yea rs by using th e dr aft o n th e last lap to n ip hi s friend Robbie Petersen [or th ird , th ough so me sa w it diff ere nt ly, includin g m embers o f th e Ra in ey team. " I kn ow I got third," Del Am o Yamaha-backed Petersen sa id . " Even Kenny a nd Wayn e sa id I got th ird." T houg h Petersen questi oned th e sco ring, he a p p la uded Robert 's J r.' s effort, " H e rod e rea lly good. All th ose guys rode well. " L ik e Edwards, R o b ert s J r. was so me w ha t baf��\ed by the su ccess he enjoyed on th e Sa ndy Ra in ey-tuned Ya maha. " I q ua lified n inth and Iinished third . I' m not sure how th at happe ned," he said . " I was n ' t ex pecting to do th is wel l. I ha ven 't seen m y dad yet, but he'll be pl eased." T he sen io r Rob erts had said he'd be ha p py with a six th p lace or be tter fin ish by hi s so n. Edwa rds, who qual ified h is Mike Rock well -tuned Yamaha secon d [astest to recent O tsuka Racing add itio n Ri ch Oliver , took the lead [rom th e start o f the 18-lap race wi th D'Alu isio. fast o n hi s ta il foll ow ed by Petersen