Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

AMA Circle Bell Pro Twins Series: Round 6 .-----------,.---~ R AD R C e O AE e Craig Shambaugh (7) passed Frank Shockley (5) and held off Pete Johnson (14) and Scott Williams (72) to top the GP2 class: Points leader Fabian Cortez had trouble, James wins, clinches title, Shambaugh pulls an upset By Brian Catterson Photos by Larry Lawrence , LEXINGTON, OH, AUG. 5 amie James took his sixth consecutive victory of the year to clinch the AMA Circle Bell Pro Twins GP I ass title with two rounds remaining at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. "It looks like I'm going to lose my Superbike title to Doug Chandler, so it feels really good to win this one an y titl e ' is a good one," said the surprisi ngly unemotional Fa st By Ferracci Duca ti rider after the race. James earned $1275 of the $7000 Pro Twins purse for his day's work, pl us two $5000 bonuses fro m series sponsor Circle Bell and Ducati importer Cagiva North America for wrapping up the title. At Mid-Ohio, James did what he has in each of the previous rounds of the series.- cruise 10 the win - and today, it was especially important that James cruise. The 29-year-old Prairieville, Louisiana resident had crashed one of his two 88&c Desmo twins in practice and would have to use the same bike in both of Sunday afternoon 's feature races. He 'd need to nurse the bike in the Pro Twins race to save it for th e later Superbike final. But while the day was a stellar one for James, his teammate Fabian Cortez did not fare as well. With rain threatening right up to the start of Sunday afternoon's Pro Twins final, tires were a big question mark. and Cortez wound up being caught on a dry track with rain tires. It was not a conscious decision, however - it's just that there wasn 't enough time for ' the crew to switch both riders' tires prior to the starL And with James looking to clinch the GP I title today, the decision on whose tires wou ld be changed was obvious: J a mes went out with a hand-cut rear an d slick Iro n t Du nl ops , while Cortez h eaded out on full-w et Yokohamas. Continuing the recent trend, former Class champ Jimmy Adam o put his G iaCaMotol Arai /F&L Racing Fuelspo nsored Ducati into the lead at the tart, on ly to be pa ssed by J am es. But oday it loo k J am es far less time to get pa st Adam o, as he did so on the inside I of the first tum. Two Brothers Racing's Kevin Erion also got a good start, and the Honda Hawk rider began pressuring Adamo right away, attempting to go around the outside in the right-hand hairpin called the Keyhole on lap one. Adamo, his Ducati fitted with Dunlop slicks, first held off Erion 's attempt and then promptly repassed James for .rhe lead going through the esses. However, that too was short-lived. and James was back out front by the time the leaders reached the back section called Thunder Valley. It was there that Erion ma de his move on Adamo, going underneath him in the right-hand, downhill tum eight, For a moment, it appeared that there might actually be a race Ior the Pro _ T wins GPI win l However, it was only an illusion, and as James ' quickened his pace and customarily motored off into the distance, Erion held off Adamo until lap four when the Long Island. New York resident repassed the southern Californian to again take second place. As the 17-1ap race wound down. the lead trio stretched it out somewhat, but a glimpse of James near the end gave Adamo all the incentive he needed to tum it up: "When I saw Jamie I thought I might get 'ern. but it was too late," Adamo said. At the finish, Adamo had narrowed the gap from some seven seconds to just .692. Erion seemed more aggressive than usual, and after the race he admitted that this was indeed the case: "I saw those guys (James and Adamo) were being kind of tentative at first, and I knew I cou ld go that fast. The only place they were going faster than me was on the back straightaway," he said. However, Erio n's tuner Mike Velasco had gambled that it might rain lightly, and when the track rem ained dr y Erion's hand-cut soft Dunlop slicks were worn to a frazzle. Ohio's Chris Thomas finished a very lonely fourth , well behind the leaders and the on ly other GPI class rider on the lead lap, wh ile Pablo Real was victorious over Kurt Liebmann in their battle for fifth place; al l three were Ducati 851-mounted. The real race today was in the GP2 class, where five riders engaged in an almost race-long dice for the lead. Two Brothers Raci ng 's Pete Johnson put his 700cc Honda Hawk into the lead at the start, with Cortez initially holding second on his Ducati 750 SPOlL However, Cortez' race was ill-fated, and he began to drop positions lap after lap; on lap five. he retired to the pits with virtually melted tires. The FBF crew quickly changed wheels and tires and sent him back out, but his reward would be a pathetic 16th place. out of the points and a full five laps behind the leaders. Bob Griffiths' day was equally disappointing. The Road America winner held second in class on his RaceCo Moto Guzzi early o n, but he crashed alone in tum one to end his day on lap six. Johnson cruised alone and unchallenged out front until lap seven, when a pack of four Ducati riders incl uding Craig Shambaug h, Frank Shockley, Scott Williams and Rich Paxson, sudden ly caught up. "I saw a '+8' on the pit board so I started to slow down, but then I didn't get any signals for a couple of laps. All of a sudden, four guys went around me in the Keyhole," Johnson said afterward. . Johnson immediately quickened his pace and set about reeling in the new leaders. Shambaugh and Shockley were engaged in warfare, and Johnson could at first climb only to third. Th e threesome then began to trade the lead back and forth. and in the end Sham.baugh held off Johnson to take a welldeserved win , his first of the year. Johnson finished second, Shockley third and Williams a close fourth; Paxson lost touch with the group and settled for fifth . Despite the outcome, Cortez still has a healthy 13-point lead over Shambaugh in the GP2 class point standings, 83-70; Johnson is third with 50. t:II Resu lts GPI: I. Jamie James (Due); 2. James Adamo (Duc); 3. Kevin Erion (Hon); 4. Chris Thomas (Duc); 5. Pabl o Rea l (Due); 6. Kurt Liebmann (Due) ; 7. Alan Hip~51ea l (Yam); 8. John Virgadamo (Due); 9. DaVId Kieller (Due); 10. Walt" Sakowski (Due). GP2: I. Craig Shambaugh (Due); 2. Pel" j ohnson (Ho n); 3. Frank Shockley (Due); 4. Scc u Williams (Duc); 5. Rich Paxson (Duc); 6. ]ussi Hautanierni (Due); 7. Randy Kim ec (H · D); 8. William McGill (Hon); 9. Mike T iberio (M-e ); 10. En e Phi llipe (M· e ); II. Mark Reynold s (Hon); 12. CUrl Kimb1«Kaw); 13. Sherry Dowling (Kaw); 14. Joseph Santoro Jr. (Kaw); 15. Eron flory (BMW); 16. fabia n Cona (Due); 17. Robert erilfi ths (M·G ); 18. Clark e Ohrstrom (Bue). Time: 28 m in., 40.080 sec, Distana: 17 laps. 40.8 miles Avera.seSpeed: 85.391 mp h MaJlPll of Victo ry: .69'2 sec. e PI POINT STANDINGS: I. Jam ie james (120); 2. james Ada mo (77); 3. Kevin Erion (68); 4. David Kidfer (43); 5. Pabl o Real (38); 6. Kun Liebmann (29); 7. Alan Hippensteal (28); 8. Doug Brauneck (27); 9. Olris Thomas (20); 10. John Virgadamo (18); 11. mE) Randy Ren frow/ Dale Quarlerley (16); 13. Walter Sakowski (15); 14. (TIE)Thi

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