Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ m ['-... 00 0') ....... ~i '" .~ eo CN ~ CU ..0 8 Ea r l Roloff finis hed secon d aboard his Yamaha FZR1000 . cu ..... 0.. cu ir: Sco tt Gray set a Superbike lap record at Willow Springs when he powered his Yoshimura Suzuki to victory in the Formula USA race. He tumed in a one-minute. 27.1-second lap to best Wayne Rainey's 1:27.4 record. Former 250cc National Champion David Emde (4). rid ing a Yamaha. finished f ifth in the Formula USA Unlimited Motorcycle Grand Prix. trailing Suzuki-mounted James Domay and Budweiser Yamaha rider Jim Vreeke. Toyota/Budweiser/WSMA Formula USA: Round 4 Gray takes win, record at Willow Springs By Brian Catterson Photos by Beverly Gossman ROSAMOND, CA, SEPT. 6 Sco tt Gray won round four of the Form u la U SA Unlim i ted Mo torcycle G rand ' P rix Series a t Willow Spri n gs In tern atio nal Ra ceway. The Yoshimura Suzuki rider also 18 set a n e w S u perb i k e la p re cord o f 1:27.1. T h e p r e vious record '2 b . y Wayne o f .1. 7.4 was set Ramey on the factory Kawasaki G Pz750 d u ri ng his 1983 AMA Superbik e Ch ampionship-wi n ning seaGson. ked hi I F I ray par IS usu a orm u a USA mount, the Yoshimura Suzuki 1100 T ornado , wh en he was unable to set the suspension to his liking. H e e lec te d to us e hi s Suzuki. GSXR 750 Superbike, with which he ' had earned th e pole position for th e previous weekend's Sears Point AMA National. The series returned to Willow Springs a fter a three-month vacation to avo id th e hot desert summer. Defending Champion Earl Ro loff got th e holesh ot on his "Coors Silv er Bullet " Yam ah a FZRIOOO, but he wa s o ve rta ke n by Gra y o n th e a p proach to th e uphill , left-hand turn three. James Domay took third, with J im Vreeke, J eff Stern, Robert R einen , a nd David Emde close behind. Calvin Ra yborn III, sixth overa ll in the 1987 AMA 250cc Grand Prix points stand ings, was trying hi s hand a t Open class racing, and had hi s Yam aha FZRIOOO into eig h th p lace. H e wa s trail ed by Carry Andre w o n the Tea m H yper-Cycle Suzuki GSXR I IO both bik e a nd O: rider had just fin ishe d the 24-Hour End ura nce race. Yoshimura R &D/ M ot u l/ S h oeil Michelin/ Phillips 66/Mikuni/ N DI Kushitani/Tsubaki-sponsored G ra y was throwing the Michelin rad ia l- shod Suzu ki into right-hand turn four harder than anyone else. His second lap tim e wa s 1:27.81. By the end of lap three, he had a front straightawa y lead, and docked a 1:27.6 at 102.7 m ph. Bot h Rein en and Emde got past fifth place Stern during the third lap, and set thei r sights o n fourth place Vreeke, A la p later, 840cc Yama ha FZ-mounted Emde passed Suzuki GSXRIIOO rider Reinen for fifth past the start/finish line. The 1977 AMA Formula Two Cha m p ion Emde then passed the Yamaha FZ750 of Vreeke for fourth place d uring lap five. By the end of the fifth lap , Domay, who is healing we ll after his Lagu na Seca crash, was ho t on the hee ls of seco nd place Rol o ff. Yoshimura/ Mich elin ICRT/ Dr. J ohn 's Frame Shop-sponsored Doma y p u t h is Suzuki GSXR 750 right on Ro lo ff's back fender in hig h-speed turn nine, but Ro loff stretched his advantage down the stra igh t. ~ On lap seven, the " Ba tt le of the' Beers" continued as Vreeke put his "Budweiser Eagle" past Ernde 's " Miller American." Ernde, however, repassed Vreeke before the end of the lap. Domay, who had ridden for Team H yper-Cycle in the 24-hour, was holding up well , and began to really put the pressure on Ro loff. Doma y pulled alongside for the das h to the flag, but Dunlop / Cycle Racer/Fox Shox/Dynojet-sponsored Rolo ff took second by a wheel length. Vreek e sn uck past Emde atthe fin ish line for . fourth . Reinen took sixth, Stern seventh, Adams eigh th, Rayborn nimh, and Andrew 10th. Winner Gray finished 12 seconds ahead of Roloff. In the winner's circle, Gray explained that he stopped receiving " p lus five," so he kept pushing hard thinking Rolo ff . was right behind him. Gray won $1000 for his efforts, and now moves up in the point sta nd ings, just eigh t , points shy of lea der Rol o ff. Second place Rol off, when asked wh yhe didn't use "The Terminator" (h is 1986 ch a m p io n sh ip -win nin g Kawasaki 1000 Ninja ), replied, "Because it wouldn't have gone any fast er. " H e called 24-year-old Domay " o ne of the better up a nd coming riders. " R o lo ff won $750, and th anked Yamaha's Tim Norton and his mech anic Kevin Thompson for their help. . Domay won $500 and moved into third in th e points. About Roloff, he said, " I thought I co uld snea k around the o u tside, but he was going too fast. " • Results . 1. Scott Gray (Suz); 2. Earl Roloff (Yam); 3. James Dom ay (Suz); 4 . J im Vr eeke (Yam); 5 . David Emde (Yam); 6. Bob Rein en (Suz); 7. J eff Stern (Suz); 8 . Curt is Ad ams (Suzl; 9. Calvin Rayborn III (Yam); 10 . Carry A nd rew (Yam) . POINTS STANDINGS; 1. Earl Roloff (66); 2. Scott Gray (60); 3. James Domay (50); 4. David Emde (49 ); 5. Jim Vreeke (40); 6. Curt is Adams (35).

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