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/126927
Mike Harth (89) wrapped up the Heavyweight Superbike title. Kevin Rentzell (48) leads Tommy Sloan (614). Bryan Schwing (233). Billy Kelly (191). Steve Nardiello (92) and the rest of the pack in F-1 action. Malcolm Tunstall took the Pro-Am runoff lead after Gene Church pitted .with a fried clutch. Tunstall then cruised to the win on his Bimota Ducati. • I AlfA/CCS P,..Am Road Race Series: Round 5 Harth, Rentzell take titles at Road Atlanta By Randy Marrs BRASELTON, GA, SEPT. 7 The deciding round of the National Pro-Am series was· held at Road Atlanta today and when the day ended Mike Harth, Kevin Rentzell and Bill" O'Shea had all put the sealer on' their National championships. Harth will wear the number one plate in the Heavy. . . weight Superblke cla~s ~lth 10 Rentzell and O'Shea doing the same in the Formula/Two and Supertwins classes respectively. The first race of the Pro-Am runore saw Gene Church debut the Hog/ H-D/Buell which he will use in next year's BaTT competition. Also in attendance was Malcolme Tunstall on the Syd's Cycles Bimota/Ducati. Locked up in a very dose chase for the Supenwins Pro-Am title were O'Shea, Wisconsin's Alex Bub on a H-D 1000 and Eric Phillippe on his 759 F-I Ducati..Silting on the pol~ for the 12-lap fmal was Ro~rt Stem bugler on an 850 MO\.l,l-GuZll. At the drop of the green, Church got a fantastic start giving him the holeshot and lead by the time the pack of roaring twins hit Road Atlanta's turn one. By lap four Church hada comfortable lead with Tunstall working his way into second. Ron Banon was third on an ex-Syd's Cydes Ducati with Phillippe fourth and James Stewart rounding out the top five. The next lap Tunstall came around with the lead as Church entered the pits ending his debut of the Buell with a cooked dutch. Tunstall proceeded to pull away from the twins field with Barton second, Phillippe third, Stewart fourth and Raben Ronchelto on an H-D fifth. Pro-Am title' contender Bob crashed with Brad Joyce in turn seven ending any hopes he had of l4lking the National title. By lap nine Ronchelto was pUlling pressure on Hardy, but ran out of time as Tunstall took the win. Following Tunstall came Barton, who was later disqualified for using an illegal bike. Phillippe moved into second, third went to Stewart, fourth to Hardy and fifth to Roncheuo. National Supertwins champ O'Shea finished seventh overall earning enough points in the previous four rounds on his 850 Moto-Guzzi to take the title. Although he crashed, Bub finished second in the series. Third went to Eric Phillippe, fourth to Frank Shockley and fifth to Jimmy Adamo. "I burnt the dutch up on the start and it was slipping a liule too much for me to finish," Church said afterwards. "I may have not been able to beat him (Church), but 1 think I could have put a lot of pressure on him at the finish," Tunstall said. "He got a good five bike length lead on me at the start, but 1 moved up pretty fast." The race for the Heavyweight Superbike Expert Pro-Am champ would be a come-from-behind win for Harth. Series point leader Joe Nelson only had to show and place to take the National title, but he was a no-show. Rentzell sat next to pole siuer Tommy Blackwell who immediately jumped into the lead aboard his GSXR750 Suzuki with Harth right on his rear tire. Mark Chin held a distant third, but had a good advantage on fourth place Troy Sorenson and Bryan Schwing. By lap six it was still Rentzell and Hanh leading, Chin third with Soren on dosing. Ron Ewerth and Tommy Sloan were now on the move and gaining on fifth place Schwing each lap. Hooked up in a tight draft for eighth through II th were Bill Kelly. Cathleen Coburn, Doug Whelan and Steve Nardiello. On lap seven Sloan moved around Ewerth to take over sixth while chasing after Schwing. Lap eight Rentzell turned a 1;31.4 lap time trying to hold ore Hatth on the DMR/Harth Racing/Tsubaki/Cyde Performance/Shoei/SuperTrapp/ Dunlop Yamaha FZ750. On the next lap they were two abreast coming down the front straight with Harth taking the lead. Sloan, meanwhile, had moved around Schwing to take over fifth. On lap 10, with two left, Rentzell went back in front to take the hard-fought win. Harth was crowned National champ and said, "This fells great. I actually got Rentzelltwo times, Kevin's come a long way and it feels great to be the Pro-Am National Champion. 1 really concentrated on this title this year andoweanawfullottoa lotofpeople who helped me out." Joe Nelson finished second in the series, Mark Eidenberger third, Mark Chin fourth, and fifth in the series went to Carl Mufley. Following Rentzell and Harth in the final were Chin, Sorenson, and Sloan. The title for Formula Two would turn out to be as good a race as the Heavyweight battle as Greg Tysor jumped out front on his Yamaha FZ600. Needing to finish only 10th or better to take the Pro-Am title in Formula Two was Rentzell on the' Yamaha/Kayo/Yokohama/RSC/ Spectro/Diamond FZ600. Tysor had Malcolm Tunstall to contend with by lap three with the Bimota rider taking the lead the next lap. Soon it was a four way draft with Tunstall, Greg Esser moving into second on his R 250 Honda. Robert Mawson on the ex-Garry Griffith TZ250 third and Tysor falling to four·th; Rentzell ran a distant sixth. Tunstall had some room by lap seven as Esser and Mawson were locked in a dose race for second with Tysor now dropping to a distant fourth. The pace Tunstall and Esser were selling proved too much for Mowson who crashed. Esser now closed on Tunstall and dove underneath as they emered turn oneonlap 10. The next lap saw Tunstall back in the lead and set for a last lap shoot-ouL Tunstall and Esser came out of turn 12 side-by-side with Tunstall going wide and forcing Esser wide also. Esser rode onto the speed bumps, but held on and beat Tunstall by inches. "I thought 1was going fast enough to kl;;ep the lead but he got by me, so 1 cranked it up," Esser said. "lout braked him coming into tum II; 1 went wide and cut back across. 1 could hear him coming." Following Esser and Tunstall were Tysor, Pete Frost and Rentzell taking fifth and the title. Second behind Rentzell for the title were Pete Frost, Robert Von Nesson, Joey Whittington and Greg Esser. • Results SUPERTWlNS NOV/EX: 1. Malcolme Tunstall (Bim); 2. Eric Phillippe (Cav): 3. James Stewart (Nor). F·' : 1. Kevin Rentzell (Suz); 2. David Reed (Yam); 3. Marl< Chin (Vaml. MDLWT SUPERBIKE NOV: 1. Paul Bray (Yam); 2. Donald Jacks (Vam); 3. Danny Roberts (Kaw). MDtWT SUPERBIKE EX: 1. Malcolme Tunstall (Bim); 2. Greg Tysor (Vam): 3. Kavin Rentzell (Yam). HVYWT SUPERBIKE NOV: 1. Ben Beasley (Yam); 2. Jimmy Mosely (Suz); 3. Danny Roberts (Kaw). HVYWT SUPERBIKE EX: 1. Kevin Rentzell (Suz); 2. Mike Herth (Yaml: 3. Mark Chin (Yam). F-2 NOV: 1. Ben Bea.ley (Yam); 2. Donald Jacks (Yam); 3. Patrick Harris (Yamt. F·2 EX: 1. Greg E...r (Hon); 2. Malcolme Tunstall (Bim); 3. Greg Tysor (Yam). UNLTD SUPERBIKE NOV: 1. Ben Beesley (Yam): 2. Jimmy Mosely (Suz); 3. Pat Johnson (Suz). UNLTO SUPERBIKE EX: 1. Mike Harth (Yam); 2. Kevin Rentzell(Suzl; 3. Mark Chin (Yam). LTWT 2 NOV/EX; 1. Tom Kipp (Yamt. 2. Robert Wollis (Yam); 3. St..... McClinto9< (lion).