Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

'So u th ern California Suzuki rider Chuck Graves was a force to be reckoned with ,as he won both the A and B Su persrock ra ces and finis hed fift h in F-USA . .as a seven-second lead , h is o fficia l margin o f victory was j ust 4.6 seconds. " I go t ca ugh t in lapped traffic and they (Sado wski a nd Steven s) ca ugh t up a little. so I th ou ght, 'Wh y push it?' I th ink I lapped one guy three times: ' sai d Gra y, w ho's spo nso re d b y Yoshimura, Motul, Mich elin , Kush itani , Ara i, Wax Sh op, RK, Ohlins a nd Pegasus Automobili. G ra y won 3200 o f the $10,050 F- USA purse, plus continge ncies. The two V & H Yamaha p ilo ts ran seco n d a n d third t he e nt i re r ace di st ance, Sado ws ki lead ing Stevens since lap eight. But o n the fin al la p. Stevens went under h is tea m ma te into -the aweso me hi gh -sp eed turn eig h t .where he prom pt ly lost th e fro nt end in a bi g way. t Sad owsk i picks u p th e sto ry: "I was thinking , 'Whoa, T homas, you 'r e o u t o f shape, th en sudden ly so was I! 1 _ cou ldn' t beli eve th e smoke com ing off T ho mas ' leg," Sadowski said. Both ride rs made mi racul ou s saves. but Stevens agai n lo st th e front end in th e fin al . tu rn, a nd Sadowsk i' used th e mi scu e to edge Stevens by half a :wheel a t th e fin ish line. " We were both pacing eac h o ther, " sai d Sadow ski after th e race . " Sco tt { G ray) outrnotored us here. and ma ybe •outrode us since th is is h is home trac k. .1 feel fortunate to finish secon d , cons iderin g I was ori a 750." • " We were pretty close a ll over, said Stevens. " I seemed to be a ble to close a little on Dave in turn eigh t, but hi s bik e pulled m in e on th e straigh ta way . I k ne w he was co mi ng, a nd sure eno ugh, he was righ t th ere." Although Burke felt he had a shot .a t th e win, his ill -sound in g Yam aha let him down ; nevertheless. he was , hap p y with hi s four th -p lace finish : " I .kno w Van ce & Hines isn' t do in g th e .who le F-USA Seri es. a nd I don 't th ink Sco tt (Gray ) is, so I can go to Sea tt le [with th e points lead ," Bu rke sai d. ., Once clea r of th e pack behind h im , Smi th ran solo' 10 finis h fifth , with JG ra ves a n eq ua lly lon ely sixth. Oliver j ~o t the best of his gro u p to fin ish ,se,ven th . _; H a rth cu t a swa th through traffic to fini sh eigh th, followed by Ada ms a nd H all , wh o sai d he felt he rod e poorly a ll weeke nd. G reen e ou tpaced teammate Quarteri ey a nd th ey fini shed 11th and 12th, resp ecti vel y, Green e being ca ref u l not to cras h th e '86 GSXRIIOO which was slat ed 10 be so ld after th e race. New Zealander Brian Bernard fin ishe d 13th on a Yamaha FZR , follow ed by J eff H agan, who was riding an essen tially stock GSXRIIOO-powered m achine after his primary F-USA mo tor sp u n a bearing. Kress backpedal ed a nd ended u p edging Lee Sh ierts' TZ250 to fini sh 15th, th e fin al pursepa ying po siti on. S print races T he featured su p port race was th e Ca lifornia Superb ike Sch oo l Cha llen ge, whi ch pitted 10 to p , riders agains t eac h 'o ther o n th e sch ool's essent ia lly eq ua l Dunlop-sh od Ka wa sa ki ZX6 Ninj as. Fittingl y, Ca lifornia n Kent Kun it su gu wa s th e w inn er , nipping Chuck Graves at th e fini sh line. G ra ves ca me back to win two o f th e th ree Su pe rs tock ra ces , rid in g h is Dun lo p-sh od Suzukis to wins in both th e Open a nd 750cc classes. Curtis Adams challenged Graves for th e O pen class win , but Adams cras hed unhurt in turn nine wh en G raves suddenly chose a different lin e. leaving Adams with no wh ere to go . Mike Smi th , Britt T u rkingto n, J oe Pittman a nd Brad H azen followed G ra ves" th e en tire field on Suzuki GSXR IIOOs.In th e 750cc ranks. Sm ith fruitl essly chased G rav es, w ith Yoshimura S u per sport pil ot T ommy Lynch ca tch ing and passin g H all for third. Everyo ne kno ws Lyn ch is a teen ager. but whe n he showed u p a t th e tra ck with chicken pox it o nly stre ng the ned th e im p ressio n. T ur kington worked hi s way up fro m a lo wl y, ninth-place sta rt to finish fifth ; like th e ot hers, T urk was Suzuki GSXR750mo u nted. Reigning ARRA n um ber o ne N ick Ien a tsch won th e 600cc Superstock race after a titan ic tu ssl e wi th fe llow Yam ah a FZR600 pi lo t David Devea u. Tea m Ha m mer support ri der T ur kington led early o n hi s underpowered Su zuki Ka tana , but he was caught and passed a nd then nearl y cras hed when he ra n into Ien a tsch 's rear tir e in tu rn four. Turk ington pu t hi s foo t down hard to save it, hi s foot Caught on th e H all lea ds Bar ry Burke and Cooley through Willow Sp rings' tu rn four. Burke worked h is way th rough the pack to fin ish fourth despite a split ex ha ust syste m. Nick Ien a tsch chases David Devea u and Britt T urkington early in th e C S uperstock race. Ien a tsch p assed both to win. wit h Devea u seco n d a nd T urkington third. track 's edge, a nd he ended up kicking h im self in the back o f the head; he fin ish ed a di stant th ird. Turkin gt on 's fell ow T eam H ammer su p port rid er Don Ca ne t o n a Ka tana and Rod H olland o n 'a Yam aha rou nded o ut th e ,lOp five. leN R esu lts f · USA: 1. Scou Gr a )' (Slll ); 2. D.I\ t" Sad ow ski (Yam) ; 3. T homas Steven s (Ya m ): 4. Rar ry Bu r ke (Ya m ); 5. Mi ke Sm it h (S UI ); 6. Ch uc k Graves (Suz): 7. Richard Oli ver (Y::I m); 8. Mik e H arth (SUI); 9. C uni s Adam s (S UI ); 10. Ku rt H all (5 u/) : 11. Donnie Green e (S UI): 12. Da le Quan t'rll'Y (S uI:): 13. Brian Bernard (Yam) ; 14. Jdf H aga n ( S U I); 15. Ph il Kress (Yam) : 16. Let.' Shi ert s (Yam) : 17. And y Fen w ick (Ya m); 18. G u ill erm o Villarreal (S UI) ; 19, Brad H a ven (Ya m) ; 20. w ee Coo ley (S Ol ); 2 1. Da le Kieffer (Yarn ): 22. T rip p Nobl es (S UI); 23. Sean O sowsk i (Su I); 24. Clinton Whi tehou se (S UI); 2!). J(W Bren Will iam s (H u n ); 26. Peter Chri stensen (Ya rn): 27. Kt'IJ Reynolds (SUI ); 28. Don Caner (SUl); 29. J oe Pi ttm a n (SUl); 30. J O (' Aria!'O (SUl); 3 1. Keu Eva n (Kaw) : 32. Rod ne y Sherman (Yam); 33. Dar rel l Cli nger man ( Ya m): :H. Dean Mi zdal (SUt ); 3.1). J o hn L ivin K, Su/ ); 36. Jim Ma lo u in (Yarn); 37. Ra y Smi t h q A SISTK: I. Ch uck Graves (SUI ); 2. Mik e Smi th (SUI ); 3. Britt 'Turkingt on (SUI); 1. Jot" P itt ma n (SUI): 5. Br..d H az... (SUI ). n A PR O D: I. Ton y Atwat er ( SUI ). BS/BK: 1. ] rrry Elml (Ya m) : 2~ Jol.' Bren Will ia ms (Ho n): 3. Tony Atwa ter (S UI ); 1. Fred Rad for d (S Ul) . S S/STK: I. Ch uck G ra \'~ (S UI); 2. Milt" Smi th (SUI ): 3. T ommy Lynch (SUI): 4. Kurt H a ll (Suz): 5. Rriu Turk in gto n (SUl). B P ROD: I . Aver y St e wa rd ( S UI) : 2. Sco u Eich berRhn- (Sul). C S/B K: l. J am es Henderson (Yam); 2. Micha el Earnes t (Ya m): 3. Rodnev Sh erm a n (Ya m ): ... Brian Burchan (Ya m ); 5. M i l ~ Methershea d (H o n ). C S/ STK : I . Ni ck Iena tsch (Yam) ; 2. Da vid Deveau (Ya m) ; 3. Bri ll Turk ingt on (S UI); 1. Don Ca ner (S UI ); 5. Rod H o lla nd (Ya m ). C P ROD: I. H arol d W i llk l t"~ (Y am ) ; 2. G n' K Blikn (Yam ): 3: M ilt"s Met hershea d (Ho n] : 4. Brian Bur chan (Ya m): 5. Leonard Kirsu nser (Yam) . D S/BK: I. Scot t Blo w (Yam) ; 2. Mich ael H ug hes (Yam): 3. j. An d rew Milt on (Yam );4 . Da vid Stod da rd (Ya m): 5. Kevin j ohnson (Ya m ). D PROD: I. Leonard Kirsunser (Ya m) ; 2. William Syf an (Su}'). CL BMN: I. J. Andrew Milt on (Ya m): 2. Kevin j o hn so n (Ya m ). ( Hon) . T 'imer 29 mi n.• 21.75 M' c, Distance: 20 lap s. 50 m iles. Aver age Speed: 102.17 I In p h CAL S/ BK SCII C IIA L: I. Kent Ku ni tsu gu : 2. Chu ck G roins; 3. David Devea u: 4. Da le Quarterl ev: 5. Xie-k lenat sch . F:2 : I. Ben william s (Yam ): 2. See n Blow (Ya m ): 3. Durrell Par ker (Ya m ). A S / BK: I. G ui llerm o Villa rrt'al (Su v): 2. Cl imon whuehou ,e {Suz ]. 19

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