Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ 1989 AMA National Road Race preview ! etter t an ever? O"l ~ Road At/lUIta Braselton, Georgia By Brian Catterson ery. When was the last time that happened? hen Camel withdrew their upport of the AMA's National Superbike ChampIOnshi p, cri tics said that it was the beginning of the end. No sponsorship money means no series purses, which translates to no riders and no fans. It's easy to be pessimistic. Fortunately, the AMA didn't see it that way. The loss of Camel dollars could have been their signal to drop the uperbike class, instead shifting their focus to concentrate on the highly-successful, and competitive, Supersporl classes. But the AMA stood by the Superbikes, and has decided to use this year as a transi tional period, a time for selfsurvival until major sponsorship can be found for the ensuing season( ). And so far, the AMA's decision seems to have paid o££. Despite the fact that Superbike riders now compete for individual race purse only, there i a plethora of competitive rider/machine combinations contending this year's series. The Daytona 200 was proof - seven leaders on four di££erent brands of rna hin- Superbike Moroso Motorspofts Park West Palm Beach, Florida 4 The favorites are always the teams with the most money - they have the best equipment and, perhaps more importantly, the best riders. This year's picks have to be Yoshimura Suzuki's talented newcomers, ScOtt Russell and Jamie James. Both riders established themselves through WERA endurance racing last season - Solmax Racing USA for Russell, Team Suzuki Endurance for James - as well as AMA/CCS and WERA sprint racing. They know the tracks, they have the desire, and they know that nothing looks better on a resume than a National title. But both suffered at Daytona. Russell was involved in a starting line collision and mechanical problems robbed James of almost certain victory. James, however, came away second in points, while Russell was pointless, so the Georgian will have to play catch-up at the remaining races. This ought to be interesting ... But before you place yOUT bet, remember that if Daytona proved anything it's that there's no such thing as a sure thing. History has shown that the annual 200-miler bears little resemblance to the season's outcome. Hot on the heels of the Yosh boys comes Vance &: Hines' David Sadowski. "Ski" moved to Georgia recently to. concentrate on his racing and training in a more temperate climate than his native Northeast, and he'll be anxious to prove hi worth to his new team. This is Sadowski's first year on premium equipment, and he showed that he was a deserving recipient by leading the 200 before suHering clutch problem. Flying the Yamaha banner is Team Motor Sport's Richard Arnaiz and Phil Kress. Arnaiz is an ex-dirt tracker with a competitive streak and a taste for champagne, who led Daytona with his "slow" backup engine until crashing. Kress is a Sears Point hotshot itching to establish himself on the National circuit after suffering injuries at Mid-Ohio and missing part of last season. Either could score. Over at Kawasaki there's the Rob Muzzy-prepared ZX7 ridden by Doug Chandler. Chandler's Daytona was somewhat of a disaster - the Salinas, California, dirt tracker-turned-road racer suffered through handling problems and was ill the morning of the 200, missing the race. Muzzy blamed lack of adequate testing for the handling problems, and has been testing recently at southern California's Willow Springs International Raceway with Scott Gray. The Kawasaki should be ready in time for Road Atlanta, so look for "Mr. Third Place" Chandler to return to his rightful position at the head of the pack. What about Scott Gray? The northern Californian was dropped from the Yoshimura squad after Just one season, allegedly for costing the team too much due to his all-toofrequent crashes. Nevertheless, he proved that he has what it takes to be a front-runner. Gray was absent from Daytona, and was injured testing recently, but look for him to make an impact later in the season, perhaps on Kawasaki machinery. The dark horse in the Superbike class must be Pro Twins Grand Prix class Champion Dale Quarterley, now riding an Eraldo Ferracciprepared Du.cati 851 in the Superbike ranks as well as in Pro Twins. Any questions regarding the competitiveness of the twin-cylinder machine were answered at Daytona where Quarterley ran at the head of the field, even leading briefly, before electrical problems halted his charge. Keep an eye on the red-headed, 28year-old at the tighter tracks, especially at New Hampshire International Speedway (formerly Bryar Motorsporr Park) in Loudon, New Hampshire, the track this Rockland, Massachusetts, resident calls home. The only question is whether the Fast By Ferracci crew can cope with the extra work entailed in runnIng yet another machine in their already bursting racing stable. What about Honda? American Honda is spending their racing budget this year on Bubba Shobert's Grand Prix effort, so there isn't an official team for the U.S. Nationals_ The only Honda homologated for AMA Superbike competition is the aging VFR750 Interceptor, a machine that we're told Honda's racing department said would never win another Superbike race. John Ashmead proved them wrong at Daytona, .and could do so again (although the Floridian has threatened to switch to Kawasaki midseason). Ashmead should run away at his home track, Moroso Motorsports Park, a facility the AMA will visit for the first time at the end of this season. Other Honda hopefuls' include New Englander Richard Schlachter, who's come out of retirement to ride a George Vicensi-prepared VFR, and Canadian Rueben McMurrer, provided he gets another Honda ride in the U.S. McMurter's priority is the defense of his Canadian National Superbike Championship. Superbike privateers who could pull o££ a surprise include Kevin

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