Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

LOCAL EVENTS Robert Miller (31) won twice at the Miller High-Life F-I GP Series at Willow Springs. PREM sou NO\': I. JeU Eh ngs (Ma l). PREM 500 AM; I. [rie T ucker (BSM; 2. Da vid Bw two r lge!>01l (Mat). i R E): 3. Fred BU . PRE M 500 EX: I. Mati Hi lgenberg (Ric) ; 2. GrCJI: Owen ( SSA) . P RE M O PEN T W sov. I. ~1"a r ~h Ru n yon ( 1-1 ·0 ). PR EM OPF.N·n\, AM : I. DOlV(' Ro~ (T ri ). PREM O PEN TI\' EX: 1. Gr eK Owen (T ri). Miller time at Willow Springs RR By Eric Vincent ROSAM OND, CA,JUNE 14·1 6 Ro bert Mill er grab bed hi s first victo ry in th e Mill er Hi gh-Life Form u la O ne Grand Prix Seri es a t the sixth rou nd o f Amer ica n Road Racing Association co mpe titio n at' Wil lo w Sp rings In tern a tio nal Raceway. Mill er 's wi n ca rne in th e absence of Ch uc k Graves. the defendi ng Formula I class cha mp ion and u ndefea led leader in th e 1991 seri es. T he day 's racing got o ff to a poor sta rt when, in the second race of th e day, th e 600cc Stock Production even t. four rid ers went down in d ifferent co rners of th e track after o il leaked fro m one of the motorcycles in th e race. T he oil ex tended fro m th e turn two area th rou gh tur ns seven and eigh t. The race was immedia tely red-flagged and ARRA o fficia ls spen t th e next hour and a half removin g the oil from th e co u rse. Most o f the o il sweep used to clea n the track had been dispersed by th e tim e. th e F-l rid ers left th e starti ng grid, bu t it would have an impact in the race o n Bruce T ebo, th e fastest rider in practice and the F. I favorite. Mill er led the race from start to finish on his Dunlop-shod Suzuki GSXR llOO, ope n ing up a sizab le lead from the drop o f th e gr een flag. Tebo had a poor star t, and it took nearly a lap befo re he moved into third place o n hi s Del Amo Suzuki- sponsored GSXRIIOO. Kent Kuni tsu gu was in seco nd aboa rd his Yamaha TZ2 50 a nd Tebo was closing ra pid ly on him as the two rid ers came down the front strai gh t to sta rt th e seco nd lap. However . Ku n itsugu used th e nimble Dunlop- shod T Z to h is advantage in the light corne rs and held Tebo o ff for o ne more la p. . For th e next two la ps, thes e two rid ers repeat ed thi s performa nce where Tebo wou ld take second on the fro n t stra igh t bu t wou ld then be pa ssed by Kunitsugu by turn two . On lap lour, however, T ebo took second place for goo d, puttin~ Ku nitsugu in third with Michael Graves nding fourth. H aving passed Kunitsugu, T ebo set his sights o n Miller, and by lap seven, he had closed the gap a nd the rider s were side by side entering tum one on the eigh th lap. In the tum th ree a nd four area, Tebo appeared read y to gr ab the lead when he slowed suddenly alter enco u n tering som e of the lingering oi l sweep' in turn lo ur . T his took the heat off Miller, a nd Tebo was una ble to mou nt another cha llenge. Miller took th e win, with Tebo seco nd, Kunitsugu in third ' and Graves in fourth. " I was right on Miller com ing th ough turn three so I tried 10 Slay a litt le wid e and get some dr ive down th e hill o n him," sa id Tebo. " I ran into so me oil sweep that no o ne had ridden in all day lo ng a nd the back end went way wide. I saved it but it too k me a co u p le o f tu rns 10 feel co nfiden t with the rear tire beca use I wasn't su re if it wa s oil o n the track o r if I was leaking oil." Mich ael Graves, Ch uck 's brother, fin ished fourth in the F-I even t. His performan ce was hindered by an overhearing engi ne o n hi s Yamah a T Z250 ca use d b y so me header ins u lati o n wrap he was testing o n th e bike. He rem oved the wrap for th e Formula T wo race lat e in th e day, a nd had no coo ling pr oblems as he took the win in tha i even t. Resul ts 500 NOV : I. Kyr Sha rp (Yam ); 2. Ken Besser (Yam ); :J. Brem VandrnbrrK (Yam ); 1. Ca r!o!iT ava res (Yam); 5. Roberto T orres Iv am). 501·699 NOV: I. Brad Uselma n; 2. Thom a, Cfl i1d~ (Yam) ; 3. Do nnvve va nce (Yam ); i . J o hn Brady (Yam ); 5. Do mi n ick 8(y Klein (Ya m) 50: I. J on Ch am p lin (Yam); 2. j osh T o unge u (Va m); 3. Sh aw n WOldt' (Yam); 4. Tim Win (Ya m ). . SR: I. Gf'Or~ Byer!> (Ya m ); 2. J im Kiuma.:tiP.tt}.., ., Lee.. Edinger (Ya m); 1. N iek Sim mo ns (Ya m ). CO MBO; I. Kurl Marnur (Ya m ); 2. Bill Mill" J r. ( K

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