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/126647
Winner Smrz is soaked with champagne in winner's circle.
The 12th lap sa w Baldwin back in
com ma n d o ver a very close Sm rz,
with Brauneck lead in g P ietri a nd
Sha rp . Lentz, Knott , Ba ron , Smyser
and Klinzmann fill ed ou t the top 10.
Baldwin was ru nning a t an average
of 94.786 mph for the fir st 10 laps.
Hugh Humble, in h is first Fo rmula
One ride, was running in 12th .
Brauneck began to cu t some o f th e
grou nd o f lea ders Baldwin a nd Smrz
as the three too k th e hal fway £la gs.
Pi etr i held a com forta ble lead ove r
Sha rp. Ma rk J ones, from a 50th p lace
sta rti ng spot o n the grid in the back
of the second wave, made h is first
showi ng in the top 10 at 10th . H e had
don e some hard rid ing through traffic.
H um ble moved into the top 10 on
lap 18 behind Jones, Smyser. Baro n
and Len tz. Ba ldwin held less than a
one second lead over Sm rz, whi le
Bra uneck co nt in ued to p laya wait an d-see ga me in third, Pi etri ha d
dropped o rr th e pace, bUI still held
fou rth over Sh arp. T here was pl ent y
of raci ng and th e field was so stru ng
ou t that it was ha rd to tell posi tio ns
past 10th .
Bal dwin was trying to use slower
traffic to bloc k Srn rz, but Smrz was
just as slick. The o n ly advantage
Ba ldwin appeared to h ave was a
stronger drive off th e slo wer infield
comers.
Baldwin cra shed o n lap 23 an d
Smrz ca me by all alo ne in the lead.
Baldwin, a full 12 seconds adrift, was
next with Brauneck, Lentz a nd Sharp
still filling the top five. Could Baldwin reel in Smrz? Four laps would
tell.
On lap 24, Baldwin dropped farther
off th e pace a nd Brauneck slipped by
to ta ke seco nd. H umble' s rid e was
qu ickl y comi ng to an en d a nd h e
parked h is bike nea r th e sta rt / fin ish
line to push across a t the end. Smrz
was 14 seconds up o n Bra uneck.
Pi etri , a fter a good ride in fourth ,
ro lled into th e p its with a bad ly slow in g engine whi ch had a lso leak ed a
bit of o il on th e rear tir e. " I got a little
sideways." sa id P ietri , "and felt it
was time to qu it while I was sti ll on
two wh eels."
An other rider o u t of ac tion after a
stro ng ride was Ku rt Lentz. H e retired
wh ile ru n n ing sixt h with abou t five
laps to go .
With Pi etri out, Sharp moved up
to fo urth . Lentz's demise bro u g h t
Smyser, Baron and J ones into a battle
for fifth wh ich was u lti mately decided
in favor o f Sm yser ove r Baron an d
J ones.
Smrz cruised to vic to ry with ease
follow ed by Brauneck and Baldw in .
" Did I reall y win? Did I reall y
win?" Smrz wanted to be rea ssured o f
h is victory, and th e cele bra tion in
winner 's circle erase d the thought it
was o n ly a dream . " My onl y stra tegy
wa s to stick with Mil es a n d wa it for
th e fin al laps. H e had bett er drive o rr
the co rners, but I h ad better braking," said Sm rz afterwards . " If every thing had been eq ua l to the end I'm
n o t su re w ha t th e o u tco me wo ul d
have been . I wa nt to th ank Phil Flack
for a ll the work he's don e o n m y bik e,
a nd m y sponsors Sure-Fire Distr ibu ting and Waynt'Svill e (North Caroli na)
Cycle Center. The folks at Michelin
have also been a big he lp .'
" It's about time my luck started
turni ng," said B raun~ ck. " I didn't
thi n k I wou ld ma ke a sho wi ng in
win ner's circle becau se I oversho t th e
ch ica ne twi ce durin g th e race. Th e
la st tim e I left m y braking point wa y
lat e in a n a tte mpt to ca tch Smrz a nd,
ins tea d, oversho t th e chicane a nd let
him ge t away. Foster H ar rison gave
me a help in g hand wi th m y bike this
weekend, bu t other than that I' m a
to tally self-sponsored priva teer."
" Trn di sappointed ," sai d Baldwin ,
" w ha t else ca n I say? I lost th e front
brakes o n abou t lap 23 in th e infield
an d began pumping th e lever furio us ly hoping to a t least get a little
spe ed scrubbed o rr. I thought I had it
made. Then I hita bump at th eexit to
the oval portion of the circu it and
found mysel£ sliding down th e track.
I tried to ca tch back up, but you can't
ride hard on th is track without an y
•
front brakes."
Result s
1. Gregg Smrz (Yaml; 2. Doug Braunecl< (Yam); 3.
M iles Baldwin (yam); 4 . Rusty Sharp (Yam'); 5 . Norm
Smyser (Yam); 6 . Steve 8aron(Yam); 7 . MarkJones
(yam ); B. Harry Klinlmann (Kaw); 9. Rich Chambers
(Yam); 10 . Hap Ealon (Yam); 11. Uri Bergba um
(S Ul); 12. Jeff Heino (S Ul); 13. Dave Schlos ser
(Yam); 14 . John Long (Yam); 15. Kurt Liebman n
(Yam); 16. Henry DeGouw (Yam); 17. Kerry Bryanl
(S Ul); I B. Ed Mu llineaux (Kaw); 19. Doug Libby
(Yam); 20 . Rick Orlando (Han).
TIme : 47 min.. 47 .995 sees.
Average speed: 94 .B96 mph .
FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIESPOINT
STANDINGS : 1. Miles Baldwin (49 ); 2. Gregg Smrz
(46); 3. Doug Brauneck (4 1); 4 . M ike Baldwin (40 );
5. Steve W ise (29); 6. Nicky Richichi (26): 7. Mark
Jones (23); B. (TIE)Jeff Heino/Kenny Roberts/R usty
Sharp (20).
AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP /
CAME L PRO SERIESPOINT STANDINGS : 1. Randy
Goss (1491 2. Ricky Graham (1431 3. J ay Spring ·
;
;
stee n (133); 4. Bubba Shobert (1OBI; 5. Scon Par ker
(96); 6. AlexJorgensen (90 ); 7 . SIev e Eklund (64); B.
GaryScolt (6 1); 9. M icl