Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(Above) Ontario Mota Tech'sJohn Ashmead leads the Superbike start ahead of Merkel (1) , McDonald (29), Filice (17), McMurter (24) and Orlando (1 2). (Below) Chandler races Schlosser (59), RS500 vs. TZ750. . Superbike Cham p ionship with an easy wi n in.the crash-inter- 12 the chicane while Ren fro w was on the brakes early and q u ickl y back o n the gas. Ren fro w closed on Bal dw in on the nearly one-mile long run lO the checkered flag . To brea k th e draft . Bal dw in bega n to wea ve a bit in the fi na l 100 yards, but Ren fro w h ad already brok en o u t of the dra ft a nd was a lo ngs ide in a dra g race lO th e fin ish. Baldwin pulled ahead in th e fina l 50 feet to win . Miles Baldwin , Sch lac hter and Labro sse sped past w it h Ch ivi ngto n, in an imitatio n of a m an beating th e backs ide of hi s do n key to u rge hi m on , barely holdi ng o ff Bra uneck for ' sixth after h is mo unt slowed in the fina l laps. Ada mo an d Reed led 10th pl ace Cha nd ler. " It was a close race all the way and I rea lly didn 't kn ow if I was going lO win it," sa id Baldwin. " Even afte r we crossed the fin ish lin e I was n' t comp letely sure I d id . I did weave a bit beca use at the speed we were goi ng th e draft is so cr itical that brea king it even for a spli t seco nd ca n ma ke the differen ce." " I enjoyed it, but it wa s one to ugh race," said Ren fro w. " I guess I was a fra ction o f a horsepower short . I followed Mike into th e ch ica ne a nd got o n th e br ak es a bit ear ly so I co u ld ge t a run on h im co mi n g o u t o f th e chica ne . I go t a good drive an d a good drive off the banking lO close ri gh t up on h im . H e mo ved down as we h it th e front stra ig h t and I moved a longside . From th ere it was a p ure ra ce to th e fin ish." " I guess I h ad the best sea t in the house on the battle in front of m e," said Miles Baldwi n abo u t h is third . p la ce fin ish. " Ini tia lly, I was watchin g three in front o f me, but when Rich (Schlach ter) ran off I in her ited his p lace. I was waiting for Mike or Randy to strike a bit o f trouble so I co u ld ca pita lize o n it, but neit h er did a nything wro n g. Even though I h ad a cus hion o n Ri ch , I rea lized he would try to p u t the p ressure on, so I had to keep look in g over my sho u lde r for him. Alex Cameron, my tu ner, deserv es a lo t of th anks for bu ildin g me a stro ng bike a nd without Shoei, m y ma jor sponsor; I wou ld n' t be rac• in g ," Results t . M ike Baldwin (Han); 2. Randy Renfrow '(Hon l; 3 . M iles Baldwin (Hon ); 4 . Richard Schlachter (Hon); 5. A lan Labrosse (Hon); 6 . Dan Ch iv ing t on (Yam); 7 . Dou g Brauneck (Ya m); 8 . J immy Adamo (Cagl; 9 . David Reed (Yam); 10 . Doug Chan dler (Hon l; 11 . John Long (Yam ); 12 . Jo h n Bett encoun (Hon l; 13 . Hap Eat on (Yam); 14 . J oey Sommers (Yam). TIME: 4 3 min .. 2 1.999 sees. AVERAGE SPEED: 104.570 mph . FORMU LA ONE POINT STAN DINGS: t , Rich Sch lach ter (63); 2. M ike Baldwi n (561; 3 . Randy Renfr ow (4 2); 4 . Wayne Rainey (4 0 1; 5 . A lan Labrosse (391; 6. Doug Chand ler (381; 7. M iles Baldwin (37); 8 . Ooug Brauneck (35); 9. Dan Chi. vington (3 11; 10. Freddie Spencer (20). CAM EL PRO SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. Doug Chandler (1271; 2 . Bubba Shobe rt (120); 3 . Scott Pearson (931; 4 . Ted Boody (92); 5 . Scott Parker (82); 6. Richard Sch lachte r (63); 7. (TIE) RonnieJoneslTerry Poovey( 59 t 9 . (TIE) Chr is Carr I Randy Goss l Al e. Jorgensen (58); 12. M ike Baldw in (56); 13 . Pete Hames (52); 14 . Jay Spr ingsteen (441; 15 . Randy Renf row (421 16. Wayne Rainey ; (4 1); 17. Steve Eklund (40) ; 18. Alan Labt"osse (391; 19. M iles Baldwin (371; 20 . Ooug Brauneck (35). AltA Supe,."ike Championship Series: RoundS Four in a row for Merkel By Henny Ray Abrams LONG PON D, PA , J U N E 22 Honda's Fred Merkel moved one step closer to retaining h is rupted Superbike final a t Pocono Interna tional Ra cewa y. Merkel dueled with Sports Afie ld 's Rueben McMurter an d Ontario Moto T ech's John Ashmead for th e first 121aps , but aft er a red n ag ca me out due to severa l oil slick-i nd uced cras hes a nd th e ra ce wa s restarted with II laps to run , Merkel sp li t from th e field a nd wo n by ove r 18 seco nds . Ash mea d fini sh ed seco nd a nd Florida 's G len n Barry , on th e H onda o f Barto w en try, wa s h anded th ird whe n Super Team's Jim Fil ice lost th e fro n t end in a slo w turn o n th e fina l la p. Bettenpurple Racing's J ohn Bett en court shadowed Barr y in fourth a nd Mike H arth was ' fifth. Merk el , via hi s fourt h straight win , leads the ser ies wi th 96 points to Ba rry's 53 w ith Ash mead in thi rd with 45. By th e end of th e first lap of th e first h ea t, Merk el held a 2.5 seco nd lead wh ich wo u ld stre tch to 11.24 a t th e en d o f th e five-lap affai r. Merk el was crusing co mfortably a t a mi d 1:38 seco nd pace an d runner-u p fi nis he r Ashmead just co u ldn ' t keep up. T h ird went to Fi lice wi th Bett en cou rt just nipping Rick y Orlando for fourth. Merkel's heat wo u ld prove to be the fastes t a nd put h im on th e pole for the final. . The seco nd heat p rov ided th e best rac ing o f th e day wit h th e McDo nal d Racing/Bell /Wiseco Ya maha FZ750 of Sa m McD ona ld pi tted agai nst McMu rte r o n the ex -factory Honda. McDo nald pulled o ut to an early lead, turn in g laps in the low 1;40s with McMurter tryin g to ge t back into h is d ra ft. T he di fferen ce at th e end was abou t six bikeleng th s in McDona ld 's favor wi th third pl aced Barry a bo u t 5.5 secon ds beh ind. Fourth went lO Mike H arth an d fifth to J on Gra y, McDonal d 's win ni ng time wa s 8:29.9 44 'co m pared to Merkel's 8:18.9 13. A two-wave sta rt in th e fin al was used for th e 33-rider field , with Ash- ' mead leadin g Merkel, McMurter, McDonald a nd Fi lice in to the new turn o ne. Bett en court was in sixth with Ricky Orlando o n the MPC Honda in seven th over G lenn Ba rr y. Quickl y two races fo rmed. Out fro nt Merk el, Ashmead an d McMurter were circ u la ti ng as a tri o in th e lead. McDona ld was a safe fourth ahea d of Filice, with th e race for sixth heating u p between Betten court , Barry , H arth an d Orla ndo . Orla ndo was th e first ou t with mach in e trouble. T here was th e feeling th at a t any time Merkel co u ld pull o u t to a lead with h is la p limes a second behin d wh a t he did during the h ea t race. On th e seven th o f 22 laps th e lead tr io began to ge t into traffi c a nd it a ppeared th at Merkel would be gone . But a lap la ter Ashmead had tak en th e lead back with Fi lice ca tch ing McD onald in fif th . Ba rry an d Bettenco urt were still going a t it for six th . G oin g into th e ch ica ne on th e ninth lap. th e p lug th at sea ls th e area whe re th e sta rte r motor was removed from ca me loose on th e Am ol Preci sio n H onda o f Kurt Li ebmann. The entra nce to th e ch ica ne was o iled up and Li ebmann wa s down a long with Fred G iaimo. A lap later McDonald Came in lO th e co rner on ly to find a co mer worker cleaning the oil -covered fast lin e, but with no oil n ag being presented. McDonald chan ged lines, hit th e oi l and was highsided when the front end ca ugh t dry pavement. H e was taken to a loca l hospital , trea ted for a sore sho ul der a n d released . Also go ing down was T eam America 's Dave Busby, a nd the red n ag was flown when Bruce Nield on the Performa nce Engi neering Honda wen t down in the high speed tu rn seven just before th e front straightaway, h itt in g th e wa ll. Watching th e ac ti on in th e ch ica ne was "former ra cer David Emde, " When Leibmann ca me in he wa s spew in g oil a nd th e guy behind h im went down. H e n ever even had a chance to hit th e brakes. T he n th ey put th e yello w n ag out a nd cleaned th e bikes off th e track . but th e girl was ho lding th e o il n ag wh il e she was wa vin g th e yellow. Wh en Dave ca me th rough h e h ad no chance." On the restart , Ashmead led Mer kel, Fi lice, Bett encourt , H art h , Lance J ones a nd Barr y. By th e th ird lap Me rkel was o ut front a nd on th e fourth lap Ash mead had lost th e leader 's dr af t. McMurter had sta lled o n th e lin e a nd was a way dead last but p assing riders a t every opport u n ity . By th e sixt h lap McMurter was fourth beh ind Merk el, Ash mead and Fil ice a nd a hea d of th e Beuencourr / H arth/Barry batt le , but a la p later h e slow ed co m ing o ut o f the ch ica ne. " It was ei th er a dropped valve or a broken wrist p in . I think it let go en teri ng the ch ica ne," a disconsolate McMurter said . Merk el turned u p th e boost a nd was gone and had over a 6.5 seco nd lead on Ashmead wi th Filice a nother fou r seco nds back . Bett en court was fo u rth, Barry fifth, a nd H art h sixth. Bu t Fi lice, sti ll pus hi ng for seco n d, dropped it in a slow left-hander in the infie ld on the final lap . Although he tried lO restart, it was lO no a va il. T hat left the ba ttl e for third to Bettencourt a nd Barry. At th e fin ish lin e it was Merk el , Ash mead and Barry barely - ove r Bett en court. " We h ad so me p robl ems so we cha nged th e jetting betwee n the two races," Bar ry began. " I ha ve to give credit lO my mech anic, J on Roberts, because h e ba sicall v do es a ll o f th e work. l told hi m it ~'ouldn't pull top gear so we cha nged it and we were raci ng wi th J ohnny B th e wh ol e way." Ashmead wa s ecsta tic in winner 's circle. " We're gett ing real close now. H opefull y we' ll giv e Fred a ru n for h is money real soon. I was ridi ng ca u tio us because I missed second off the sta rt and co uld hear metal grind. I had to shi ft slowly a n d th e tire started goi ng bad. I kn ew there was no wa y of catching h im . H e was go ne ." Results 1. Fred M erkal (Han); 2. J oh n Ashm ead (Han); 3. Glenn Barry (Honl; 4 . J ohn Bett en cou rt (Hon); 5 .

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