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/126925
Richard Moore (183) leads winner Ben Williams. Joe Solis (356) and Steve Reynosa (173) in Honda Interceptor Series action; Solis took second. Moore finished third and Reynosa ran off th.e track and didn't finish. Scott Gray (0) came back from his serious Sears Point crash in May to win the Formula USA race; here he leads Earl Roloff. AFM Budweiser/Toyofa/Coca-Cola Formula USA and Kerker Su~rbike Series: Round 7 Gray comes back'to Willow Springs By John Ulrich ROSAMOND. CA, AUG. 24 Scott Gray rode Kevin Schwantz's Yoshimura Suzuki GSXR750 Superbike to win the seventh round of the Formula USA any thinggoes series at Willow Springs International Raceway, riding with surgical screws in both ankles and a 1 plate holding his left forearm together. It was Gray's first Superbike ride since his serious accident at Sears Point two months ago, and although he complained of severe pain in his arm, it was obvious that Gray hadn 'tlost any of his trademark hard-riding aggression on the nice track. Gray came £rom behind to take the lead, stretch it out and win handily, turning significantly faster lap times than the competition on a hot desert day in front of a. sparse turnout of spectators. "We came out on Thursday to test," said Gray after his victory. "To go through turn eight at race speed takes lots of nerve and my nerve was gone. It took me about 45 laps or 50 laps to get my nerve back," Come race day, there was no question that Gray's nerve had returned. Formula USA points leader Jim Vreeke jumped into first place off the starting grid on his Kerker-sponsored Yamaha FZ750 Superbike, with Earl Roloff second on his Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Superbike and Doug Toland third on his stock Suzuki GSXR 1100. By the end of one lap, Gray had moved into third; half a lap later he was second and he pulled alongside Vreeke - on the outside - around fast. sweeping turn' eight. The pair flew around the curve side-by-side but Gray didn't get past until a few turns la ter. Once in front, Gray was gone, turning low 1:28s to Vreeke's high and mid-. :28s and I:29s, building the lead from two seconds to three seconds to more than four seconds at the end of eight laps. Meanwhile, Vreeke was secure in second, about six seconds in front of Roloff; Toland came £rom five seconds behind Roloff to twO seconds behind on the last two laps, with Malcolm Hill and Chris Steward fifth and sixth on their GSXRs. "I thought we might get a (Superbike) lap record if it was a lillie cooler,"· said Gray after thanking sponsors Shoei, ND, Dunlop, Yoshimura and Jim Williams. "But it was just too hot." The rear Dunlop slick on Gray's bike was blistered at the end of the race. With Gray silling the event out, Vreeke dominated the Kerker Superbike race after passing early leader (and second-place finisher) Walt Nit-' to; NillO is also on the comeback trail from injuries, riding the Curt Jordantuned FZ750. Gray had earlier raced in the Open Stock Production and 750cc Stock Production events, rounds of the Suzuki GSXR Cup Series, finishing second behind Steward in Open and withdrawing from the 750 race with handIingproblems. In the Open race, winner Steward and Gray both ran experimental Dunlop M207s while third-place Toland ran Michelin HiSports. Gray's tire blistered in that race also, but Steward's looked fine. Richard Moore won 750cc Stock in a runaway, ahead of James Domay, David Langford and Toland. Domay was later disqualified for illegal airbox modifications. Points leader Bill DeBere sat out the Honda Interceptor Series race after blowing up his bike's engine in . practice, and the race turned into one of the day's best. The ballie for first place was between Ben Williams, Joe Solis, Moore and Steve Reynosa, and who would win wasn't determined until the final lap. In early laps, the top four positions changed several times per lap, on one lap Reynosa charging from third to first into turn one only to watch Solis move from second to first into turn two with Williams pulling up alongside around turn two. Solis led laps six and seven with Williams right behind and Reynosa just behind him, Moore fading and fa11ing behind. But on the last lap, Williams drafted past Solis approaching turn one and Reynosa closed up. Entering turn three, a slightly banked uphill left-hander, Reynosa tried to out-brake into the lead and ran off the track; Solis grabbed a big handful of throttle and slid his bike's rear end, gelling completely sideways, his feet flying 0(( the' pegs as he wrestled to avoida high-side. That gave Williams a couple-of-seconds lead, and he crossed the finish line first; Solis was second with Moore third and Reynosa riding back into the pits across the infield, disgusted. Then Solis protested Williams' engine, because Williams had said that his bike had a five-angle valve job and, unknown to Williams, rules only allow a three-angle valve job. A teardown revealed that Williams' Honda had a three-angle valve job, and it turned out that Williams' mechanic. Dan Freeman, told Williams that the bike had a five-angle valve job, in the hopes that Williams would then ride faster. It seemed to have worked, and the protest was thtown out. • Results FORM. USA: 1. Scott Grlly (Suz~ 2. Jim Vreeke (YamI; 3. Earl Roloff (Kaw). . KERKER SB: 1. Jim Vreeke (Yaml; 2. Walt Nitto (Yaml: 3. Kenny Kopecky (Suzl. i'iONDA VF500F; 1. Ban Williams (Honl; 2. Joe Solis (Honl: 3. Richa,d Moore (Hon). OPEN STK PROO: 1. Chris Steward (Suzl; 2. Scott Gray (Suzl: 3. Doug Toland (Suzl. 750 STK PROD: 1. Richard Moore (Suzl; 2. DAve langford (Suz); 3. Doug Toland (Suzl. SOD STK PROD; 1. Don canal (Yam); 2. Jim Jepsen ('l:am); 3. Steve cardillo (Yam). 450 STK PROD: ,. Dean Mizdal (Yam); 2. Men Lewis (Yam); 3. Brad Fa.irbanks (Yam). OPEN MOO PROD: ,. Chris Staward (Suzl; 2. Many Siegal (Suz); 3. Bob Reinen (Suzl. 750 MOD PROD: 1. Mika Minnig (Suz); 2. James Domlly (Suz); 3. Chuck Graves (Suz). SOD MOD PROD: 1. Earl Roloff (Kawl; 2. Steve Cardillo (Yam); 3. Jim Jepson (Yam). 450 MOD PROD: 1. Stuart Wilken (Yam); 2. Dean Mizdal (Yam); 3. David Deveau (Yam). OPEN 'SS: 1. Kenny KopeckV (Kaw); 2. Many Siegel (Suz); 3. Chris Mallory (Suzl. 750 SS; 1. Malcolm Hill (Suz); 2. Pat Ryan (Suz); 3. Chuck Graves (5uz). . SOD SS: 1. Terrv Statum (Yam); 2. Dennv Doheny (Rll<); 3. Pete carroll (Kaw). 450 SS: 1. Blaine Ida (Yam); 2. John Wells (Yam); 3. David Para (Yaml. SINGLES: 1. Denny DohertV (Rtx); 2. Bud Rogers (Yam); 3. Egon Flory (Hon). OPEN TWINS: 1. Trevor Dunn (Duel; 2. Bill Fennessev (Yam): 3. Hugh Vanderlord (Yam). 750 TWINS: ,. David Gibbons (Yam); 2. Rob Tulvie (Nor); 3. Aaron Rueger (Ducl. OVER 40: ,. Ray Adams (Suz); 2. Dennv Fryer (Hon); 3. Dennis Kunster (Ka"l. OPEN GP: 1. John Geyar (Suz); 2. Michael Earnest (Kaw); 3. Gram Buhler (Kaw). F-l: 1. Jaff Stern (Suzl; 2. Pat Ryan(Suzl: 3. Vinca Costa (Kaw). F-2: 1. Chris Hughes (yam); 2. James Henderson (Yam); 3. GonIon H_mark (Hon). F-4: 1. Man Winiarski (Hon); 2. John Irvine (Hon). SIDECARS: 1. Peter Essaff/Adrienne Greenlaw (Kaw); 2. Phil Wilson/Mike Taylor (Kaw); 3. James Kinne/Bob Kellogg (Kawl.