~~~~~~~~~_A_D~
__C_S6_00_m_d7_~_a_S~~~~~~7 ROAD ~CEB
DuHamlflawless in Kansas 600
e
;
By Pa u l Carruthers
Ph oto by Werner Fritz
TOPEKA, KS, SEPT. 8
ommonwealth Racing's Miguel
Du Hamel rode such a masterful
race at Heartland Park Topeka
that he made a normally exciting class
of racing rather dull.
Leading from start to finish, the
.French Ca n adia n and his Honda
CBR600 F2 blasted away from the pack
to win by an unheard of margin of
18.491 seco nds. DuHamel avera ged
79.573 mph in completing the 14 laps
of the 2.5-mile race track in 26 minu tes,
23.449 seconds.
A distant second place went to Two
Brothers Racing's Steve Crevier on a
similar Honda CBR600 F2 ahead of
the Yamaha FZR600 of Vance & Hinesbacked Larry Schwarzbach. 'Atlan tic
Motorsports Group 's T om Kipp and
self-sponsored J eff Farmer rounded
out the top five finishers.
DuHamel's victory, his sixth of th e
season, gives him a nearl y insurmountabl e points lead over Kipp, 120-86,
with two rounds and 40 points still
up for grabs.
In the Top Expert point standings
- for first -year AMA Pro license
holders and AMAlCCS Expert licens e
holders - Tripp Nobl es held on to
his lead with a seven th p lace finish,'
one pos ition behind John Choate, who
moved up from sixth place in the point
standings with his sixth pl ace finish.
Choate, inci den tly, was riding Rich
Arnaiz 's vacated Commonwealth
Honda CBR600 F2 in a on e-off opportunity he was given by team owner
Martin Adams. Nobles leads Choate,
104-75.
Fast heat race win ner DuHamel
blitzed off the start for th e 14-lap race
and never looked back. He led by 6.4
seco n ds at the si x -la p mark a n d
stretched to over 18 seconds at the
finish.
"They (hi s crew) gave me a plus 5
or plus 7 (on his pit boa rd) and I
thought 'really?' " DuH amel said. " I
just kept a good pace. You never know
- that time can go away."
Crevier 's race wa s also rather
uneventful, at least after some fairing
bashing with early second place man
Schwarzbach. Crevier got by the Texan
on the fourth lap and was never headed
as he tr ied in vain to run down
DuH amel.
Sch warzbach finished a lonely third
after being disposed of by Crevier and
the only real race came behin d him.
Two Bro th ers Raci ng 's Takanobu
Koyama was the first man to hold
down fourth place, but he was soon
dislodged from the postion by Kipp.
Shortly thereafter, Koyama tossed hi s
CBR600 away in the final comer. He
remounted, crashed again the following lap and then got going again to
fini sh 13tho
The crowd's attention then turned
to the battle for fifth between Choate,
. Farmer, Nobles and Doug Carmichael.
Eventually Choate and Farmer cleared
away from the other two with Farmer
getting the nod at the finish line.
" I didn't have much mid-range,"
Crevier said. " I couldn't get off the
corners. I hit Larry (Schwarzbach )
twice - maybe he was helping Miguel
(Du H amel)."
Schwarzbach concurred: "Maybe I was
holding him up a bit. I was trying my
damdest to keep him behind me." CN
C
Resul ts
REA T t : I. Tom Kipp (Hon); 2. T akanob u
Koyama (Hon );.5. Jeff Farmer (Han ); 4. John Choate
(Hon); 5. Doug Carmichael (H on ); 6. John jacob
(Ya m); 7. Roy Nicholson (H on); 8. Rona ld McGill
(H e n ): 9. Mike Himmelsbach (H on) ; 10. Gr eg
H utcheson (Ya m); II. Rod Brueske (Ya m); 12. Gary
Lenzmeier (Ya m); 13. Jorda n Brown (Yam); 14.
Michael Dy. (Ya m); 15. Many Coyne (Ya m).
-T ime: 9 mm., 36.353.
DUtancc~l s, 12.5 miles.
a
Av.rag. S
: 78.077 mph.
Victory: 0.198 sec.
H EAT 2: I. Miguel DuHamel (H on); 2. Steve
Crevier (H on); 5. LourySchwarzbach (Yam) ; 1. Tripp
Nob les (Hen): 5. James Lealie (Hon); 6. J im Sab in
(H o n ): 7. William Wh ite (Ya m); 8. Thomas Mon ta n o
(Ya m); 9. Joh n Stan ley (Ho n) ; 10. Fra nk Ha mpel
(Ya m); II. Joh n Beldock (Ho n); 12. joseph Pru ssiano (Hon ); 13. Michael Su Hivan (Yam) ; 14. J oh n
Weiss (Yam) .
T ime: 9 mi n ., 24.558 sec.
Distance:~ s, 12.5 m iles.
Ja
Average S
: 79.708 mph.
Margin 0 Victory: 3.288 sec.
600cc SS FINAL.: I. Migu el DuHamel (Ho n); 2.
Steve Crev ier (Hon) ; 3. Larry Sch warzbach (Yam);
1. Tom Kipp (Ho n); 5. JdC Farmer (Han); 6. John
Choat e (Ho n); 7. T ripp Nobles (Ho n); 8. Doug
Carmichae l (Ho n); 9. Ron al d McGill (Ha n ); 10.
j oseph Prussiano (Hon ); I I. Roy Nicolson (Hon);
12. Joh n Jacob (Yam); IS. Wil h am Whit< (Yam):
14.1'akanobu Koyaba (Hon); 15. Mik e H immelsba ch
(Ho n ); 16. J oh n Sta n ley (Hon ); 17. Grg< SPttd: 79.575 m ph .
Margin oCVietory: 18.491 sec.
600ccSS CSHtP POI NT STAl'lDlNGS: I. Migu el
Du H a md (120); 2. Tom Kipp (86); 5. La rry
Schwarzbach (70); 1. JdC Farmer (57); 5. T ripp
Nobl es (19); 6. Rich ard Am a iz (47); 7. j amie James
(15); 8. Takanobu Koyama (56); 9. S,eve Crevi et (32);
10. (T t E) J ohn Choate/Jim Lealie (30); 12. Michael
Bames (28); IS. Soott Zampach (27); 14. Mike Moores
(25); 15. (IlE) Doug Carm ichael /John j acob (22).
~brgin 0
Russell overcomes
mud slides
By Brent Plummer
TOPEKA, KS. SEPT. 8.
acing in a thundering downpour
that swept across the pl ains of
Kansas, Scott Ru ssell scored hi s
third straight 750cc Supersport win a t
Heartland Park Topeka to remained
undefeated in the class this year. And
more importantly, he wrapped up hi s
second stra ig h t 750 cc Supersport
Championship.
However, due to the rai n , th is one
was close. At the star t, Russell naturally -'- sat on the pol e. When the
green flag waved, so did Russell 's rear
tire: He spun it through the big puddle
that was the front stra ight. J eff Heino
was gridded immediately behind Russell, and almost ran over h im in an
attempt for the lead. The two ra n
dangerousl y near, and quit e slow
towards the first tum. Russell would
later elabora te: " I just spun it, and then
I was trying to get out of th ese gu ys'
way. I didn't want to be up there in
the front anyway, in case someone
tossed it away."
Surprisingl y, every one m ad e it
through the first turn without an
incident, but th en the race turned
chao tic. Britt Turkington led the pa ck
off the line into turn one, around the
first few tu rns , and stra igh t off th e
track in turn 10.
" I went off there and was trying to
get it turned an d then here .comes
Rus sell up in fro nt of me. Everybody
was everyw here on th e first two laps,
it was hideous, really crazy." Turkington said.
" I saw Turkington go straight, and
whoeve r was in secon d - Bue, I thin k
- he took off through the grass and
R
Miguel Du H amel (17) was perfect in 600cc Supersport as he won for a six th time.
I thought 'Yeah, I'm go ing to get these
guy s, and I tried to turn it, but the
bike went 'no,' and I went through the
grass," Russell said. " T u rkin gto n
already had his bik e turned coming
(towards me), and I thought 'Oh no,
I'm gonna T-Bone him ,' but I went
rig h t in fro nt of him."
L uckily, Ru ssell got his Muzzy bike
stop ped while remaining upright, and
rej oined
the
ra ce
m id-pack .
T urkingto n was more fortunate, reentering in the top three.
T itian Bue, Bob Sandy, an d Jeff
H ein o also followed Turkin gton off
the track, with th e latt er two going
dow n in the mud. H ein o rem ounted,
and promptly pulled in the pits with
an injured wrist. H e shru gged off th e
accident. " I saw this sign out th ere that
said 'Mud Slides,' with an arrow, so
I foll owed it, right off into th e bogs,"
He ino said.
San dy was ab le to cont in ue, thou gh
his bike fared a bit worse; he was blackflagged the next lap. A quick pit stop
to rip a flapping right fairing lower
off, and Sandy was back out. Normally,
the sto p would have cost him any
chan ce o f winning th e ra ce, but
everyone was ru nning so slow that 15
seconds in the pits really did not
matter.
Fast starter Tripp Nobl es was al so
off in the mud, though he did not make
it past th e turn eight chicane. A bit
dazed from the wreck, Nobl es left hi s
Honda CBR600 in fir st gear. With th e
tra nsmission engaged, the bike would
no t start, so he just sat there , until
abou t 30 seconds late r, he realized the
error, plunked it jn neutral, and was
o ff, somewhere around last.
With so many people down, Turkington, Dave Deveau, and Jacques
Guenett e were vying for the early lead.
Ru ssell soo n regrou ped, unshaken
from the three off-track excursions he
encountered, and took hi s accus tomed
spot, at the front of the pa ck. From
the re on, Ru ssell and T urkington, who
was running in second, would not
relinq u ish their spots, fin ishing in that
order.
The race for th ird was relegated to
Guenette, Sandy, Dean Mizdal and
Dave Deveau . Mizdal was th e first to
bo w out, losing a lap . whi le pi ckin g
mud out of hi s bike th at it scoo ped
up in a crash. Guenette too wo uld fall
- in spectacular fashi on - do wn the
front straight. H e slid at least 60 yards,
spinning on h is back the whole way.
After finally stopping, Guenette stood
u p, loo ked around , saw h is u nda maged bike and dashed for it. He would
remount in time to stay on the lead
lap, finishing ninth overall.
Scott Russell clin ched the 7SOcc Supersport title with an other victory.
Un offic ially, Sandy was running th e
fastest laps of th e race, which helped
. him take th ird overa ll, slightly ahea d
of Deveau. Trip p Nobl es stru ggled up
to fifth , with Mike Sullivan, Jam es
Schaefer, Louis Saccoccio, Guenette
and Robin Holida y staying relatively
upright to rou nd out the top ten. ar
Results
HEAT 1: I. Britt Turki ngton (Suz); 2. T itia n Bue
(Sur ); 5. Mar k McDani. , (Sur ); 1. T ri pp No bles
(Hon); 5. J am es Scha efer (Suz); 6. Sam McDon ald
(Sur ); 7. Dean Mizdal (Suz); 8. Mik. Surratt (Suz);
9. Da vid R05no (Suz); 10. John Erdrich (Kaw); I I.
John Stan ley (Ho n); 12. Louis Saccoccio 11 (Kaw).
Time 9 min.• 37.258 sec.
Di.stanCC:~l., 12.5 miles.
a
A.tt>g< S
. 77.955 m ph .
Mvgin Victory: 1.406 sec,
HEAT 2: I. Seen Russell (Kaw); 2. Ja cques
Ouenene. J r.. (Ka w); " Jeff H eino (Suz); 4. David
5.
Dev eau (Sur) ; 5. Bob Sanay (Kaw); 6. Owen w eichel
(Sur) ; 7. Robin H oli da y (Sur ); 8. Rusty Allen (Kaw);
9. Da vid Hansen (Suz); 10. Dennis Burke (Suz); I J.
Frank Hamed (Ya m); 12. Michael Dye (Sur) ; IS.
J. C H mo~ (Kaw).
C
Time: 9 mm .• 21.916 sec.
Di.stana:~ s, 12.5 milo.
la
A.tt>g< S
: 80.085 mp h.
Margin Victory: 12.215 sec.
750ce SS FINAL.: I. Scott Ru ",,11 (Kaw); 2. Britt
Turkington (Suz); 5. Bob Sandy (Kaw); 1. David
Deveau (Suz): 5. Tripp No bles l Hoo); 6. Michael
Sull ivan (Yam): 7. Jam es Schae B (Suz); 8. Louis
Saccocchio n (Ka w); 9. Ja cq ues G uenett e. J r. (Kaw):
10. Robin H ol ida y (Sur) ; II. Titian Bue (Sur); 12.
. Andrew Deatherage (Sur) ; 13. Dan Mizdal (Sur );
11. Davi d H an sen (Suz); 15. Mike Surratt (Suz); 16.
Sam McDonal d (Suz); 17. Den nie Burke (Suz); 18.
Rusty Allen (Kaw); 19. David Rosno (Suz); 20. John
Erdrich (Kaw); 21. Owen weicbel (Suz); 22. Mark
McDaniel (Suz).
Timc: 36 min .• 51.561 sec.
Distance: l 4 la ps . 35 miles.
Averag. Speed: 56.975 mph.
Margin o(Viclory: 56.5U sec. \.-7SOcc SS C'SHtP POINT ST ANDtNGS: I. Scott
Rus",11 (110); 2. Bri tt Turkington (97); 5. Jacques
G uenette, Jr. (8 1); 1. Titian Bu. (60); 5. Bob Sand y
(52); 6. Tripp Nobles (19); 7. JdCH.ino (17); 8. (IlE)
J ames Schae fer/Glenn Barry (55); 10. rr!E) Andy
Deatherage/Mike Moores (26); 12. LoUIS Saccoccio
(22); IS. Todd Hoge (19); 11. G
