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/127190
Jeff Farmer (86) leads Scott Russell (22). David Sadowski (25) and Jamie James (48) in the National. AMA Superbike Nati~nal Championship Road Race Series: Round 2 ocal hero Russell wins first National at Road Atlanta By Brian Catterson Photos by Greg Mitchell BRASELTON,GA,MAY7 Morrow, Georgia's Scott Russell won his first-ever National road race at his home track, the challenging 2.52-mile, 12-turn Road Atlanta circuit. From the looks of the 20,000strong crowd of highlypartisan Georgians, the 24year-old Yoshimura Suzuki 6 rider had a choice - win or be run out of the Peach State forever. Russell did what was expected of him, averaging 101.611 mph to take the victory by a 3.44-second margin over runner-up Vance & Hines Suzuki rider David Sadowski- and Yoshimura teammate Jamie James. "This one's the best because it's at home," said the redheaded Russell after the race in his customary softspoken southern drawl. Russell won $4170 of the $32,000 purse and picked up 20 points toward his championship hopes, and is now Lied for second in the point standings with Daytona 200 winner John Ashmead. Sadowski had to first get around J ames before setLing his sights on Russell, and closed the gaj:ldramaticall y before settl ing for second when he realized he was being out-ridden by the fleet Russell. Nevertheless, Sadowski's runner-up position, worth $2780, was the best-ever Superbike result for himseU and the Vance & Hines road racing team. Like Russell, Sadowski scored zero points at Daytona, and is now ranked fifth with 16 points. James' hopes of a win were dashed by a challering rear Lire resul Ling from a shock. absorber that lasted just five laps before fading. After a few vicious slides, James decided to cool it and take home some points, 13 to be exact. James picked up $1970 for his third-place finish, and now leads the point standings over ~ussell and Ashmead, 29 to 20. Behind the Suzuki-mounted trio came the Yamaha of Team Motorsport's ex-dirt tracker Richard Amaiz and the ex-Bubba Shobert Honda of Canadian National Superbike Champion Rueben McMurter. Ohio's Tom Kipp, Georgia's Mike Harth, Florida's Donald Jacks, Wisconsin's John Eidenberger and Oregon's Keith Pinkstaff rounded out the top 10 finishing positions; Kipp on a Wiseco Yamaha, the rest on Suzukis. James' handling problems started long before the National. His problems stemming from the fact that his Suzuki GSXR750 Superbike was sporLing a stock. swingarm and an aftermarket Fox shock. absorber. a combination that they didn't have time to dial in, after breaking two Yoshimura swingarms, one in Thuxsday's open practice, the other in Saturday's heat race. Thursday's incident was especially worrisome for the Louisianan as the shock parted company with the swingarm at the fastest section of the circuit, the 170 mph, Armco-lined. left-hander known as "the dip." James felt the bike drop to the ground and he skated along on the left lower frame rail for a moment before regaining control and bringing the machine to a grinding halt. The impact tore the shift linkage from the bike aDd left the former Team Suzuki Endurance rider with a sinking feeling. "The new Yoshimura swingarms have a brace where this one broke (a weld near where the linkage attaches to the swingarm)," he said. "But I'll have to use the same kind for the race. I hope it doesn't break. " When the replacement swingarm broke in Saturday's heat race with less dramatic consequences, the decision was made to utilize a stock. unit in the interest of safety. (James' teammate Russell had the newer type swingarm and was not affected.) James wasn't the only rider to have a scary moment as Dale Quarterley experienced two crashes during the weekend - a Superbike race-ending crash which occured when his Fast By Ferracci Ducati 851 's motor exploded and spewed oil on his rear tire, and an especially frightening fall in Friday's Pro Twins practice after he lost his brakes when the retaining pin fell out of the Brembo caliper approaching turn 11 (under the notorious Nissan bridge), a'site just past James' incident. Quarterky leaned the bike into the comer in an effort to slow the speeding number one machine, but lost the rear end of the bike momentarily only to have it regain grip and catapult him off the high side directly into a faraway tire wall. "1 didn't hit the ground until 1 smacked the tires," said Quarterley. Amazingly, _the resilient rider's only injury was a bruised right knee which was taped for the final. The bike was not as well off, and QuarterIey would have to ride his other machine in both the Superbike and Pro Twins races. Heat races McMurter led the pack uphill out of tum one to begin the first of two five-lap heat races (used to determine starting line grid positions), followed by Yamaha-mounted Mark Chin and Suzuki-mounted Otis Lance. The start was immediately red-flagged, however, when the Yamaha of Paul Schwemmer dropped oil just past the starting line and the situation was deemed unsafe by track officials. The halt came as a blessing to Lance since he'd crashed on the first lap and would now be able to regroup for the restart as the cornerworkers took a few moments to clean up the mess. When the green flag flew for the second time, it was the Zlock. Racing Suzukis of Charles Pittman and Keith Pinkstaff who headed the pack into right-hand tum one. Quarterley put the bellowing red Ducati twin into third place. and would lead the field across the stripe as the first lap