Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

AMA/Cirde Bell Pro Twins GPI and GP2 Series: Final round ROAD RACE e e Picotte wins, Real takes title in Miami By Paul Carruthers Photo by Henny Ray Abrams M I, FL, NOV. II IAM ast By Ferracci's Pascal Picotte was the class of the field as the Twins took to the streets of Miami for the final round of the series. The Canadian toyed with CiaCaMoto's Jimmy Adamo for seven of the 20 laps before clearing off to win by 16.918 seconds at an avera ge speed of 69.640 mph. Second place went not to Adamo, bu t to Dale QuarterIey. The New Englander fought through from a fifth -ro w start to take second in his first race aboard the high -tech Bimota Tesi. . Adamo ended up th ird . T he champi onshi p, thou gh , went to Pab lo Real and hi s GiaCaMotolTeam Leoni-backed Ducati. Real fin ished sixth in the race, but it was enough to give the consisten t Virginian the titl e over Adamo, 112-103. In GP2 action, Robert " Dr. Bob" Meister was pipped at the finish line ' by the Solid Gold-sponsored Honda of Ronald McGill. McGill, of Pennsylvania, bided his tim e before pounding on Meister as they exited tum lion the final lap. Meister was second wi th Minnesota's Scott Williams third. The GP2 championship was won by Stephen Mathews, fourth toda y, on h is Fast By Ferracci Ducati. Mathews topped Meister in the standings, 120107. The race began with Adamo lead ing Picotte, Warren Elliott, and su rp risingly QuarterIey, wh o had carved through traffic from the fifth row on the opening lap. Quarterley was th ird a lap la ter and he stayed there until the 16th lap, when he finally caugh t and passed Adamo. Picotte didn't wait th at long and he shot by the New Yorker on the seventh lap, instantly opening up a sizeable lead. "I was waiting for h im to catch u p," Adamo said. "I th ought I cou ld hang with him, but not today . Then Dale came by and I didn't see the white flag or the checkers. " At this point, Picotte led Adamo, 'Q uarterley, veteran John Long, Real , Nigel Gale, Elliott and Fabian Cortez. Meanwhile, the GP2 gang were on there way to th e front from their second wave start, with Meister leading a battle between McGill and Williams. Cortez eventually worked his way through to finish fifth , knocking Real back to sixth with Gale, Elliott, Michael Kraft and Bob Bossardet rounding out the top 10 GPI finishers. In G P2, McGill, using a Bridgestone Battlemax DOT tire on the rear of h is Honda in a mo stl y slick-tire-shod class, started to reel-in Meister and eventually zapped h im at the finish line. Williams held on to fini sh th ird. " It worked out real well ," Quarterley said. "It's easy to ou tbrake people on that bike - you just go in there, get it stopped and turn." Aft er thankin g Era ldo Ferracci, Picotte said: " It was not a very tou gh race. I thought Jimmy (Adamo) would foll ow me, but he didn't. I don't know why." 0'1 F 0 Results PR O TWINS G P I: I. Pascal Picotte (Due); 2. Da le Quarter ly (Due): 3. J am es Adamo (Duc); 4. J oh n Lo ng (Duc); 5. Fabia n Co rtez (Duc) ; 6. Pab lo Real (Due); 7. Ni gel Gale (HoD); 8. Warren Elliot (Due); ' 9. Michael Kraft (H· D); 10. Bob Bossard e t (H· D); 11. Dou gl as G ross (Duc); l2. Mark Reynolds (H o n ); 13. Mike T iberio (M·G); 14. Steve ASl'l and (Due); IS. Sha wn H igbee (HoD); 16. Brock Bigfart (H· D); 17. Ran dy Texter (H-D); 18. Scott Zampa ch (H- D); 19. J erry Wood (Due). Time: 25 min utes , 50.831 seconds. Distances 20 laps, 32 miles. Margin of viClOry: 0:16.918 seco nds .. Average speed : 69.640 mph. FINAL GPl POINTS STANDINGS: I. Pabl o Real (112) 2 wins; 2. J ames Adamo (103) 2 wins; 3. Warren Ell iott (83). 4. Nigel Gale (77); S. Pascal . Pirone (66) 3 win s. PR O TWINS GP2: I. Ron ald McGill (Hon); 2. Robert Meister (Ho n); 3. Scott Will iams (Due); 4. Stephen Mathews (Due ); 5. James Wh itaker (Kaw ); 6. Russ Mattso n (Hon); 7. Ma rcus Day (Kaw); 8. J ames McNulty (Hon); 9. J osep h Santa Maria (Due ); 10. Michael Belisle (Due); II. Eric La Cru ze (H·D); 12. Will iam Shanaman (Due); 13. Fran k Shickley (Due); 14. Michael ReiJJy (Hon); 15. Stan Friduss (M-G). FINAL GP2 POINTS ST ANDINGS: I. Stephen Math ews (120) 3 wins; 2. Robert Meister (108) 3 wins; 3. (TIE) Ron ald McGil llScott Will ia ms (93); S. Kiyo Wata nabe (65). -AMA/ CCS Harley-Davidson TwinSport Series: Final round ' Jimmy Adamo (26) leads eventual winner Pascal Picotte (68) in Pro Twins G P I. Scott Zampach won the race and the title in Harley-Davidson Twin Sport action. Zampach's crowning day By Henny Ray Abrams MIAMI, FL, NOV. 10 h e o u tco me of the H a rl eyDavidson Twi n Sports Series came down 10 Miami . One fina l race, one point between the top two rid ers in wha t was , arguab ly, th e closes t race series in AMA road racing his tory. . But it wo uld end, not with a ba ng, but wit h a pu ff of smoke. Tripp No bles ' n ormall y rock so lid Vic Fasola-tu n ed Bartels ' H-D 883, suffering m inor engi ne tro ubles that allowed Scott Zam pach to speed away to the ch a mp io ns h ip on the Don T illey Harley Sportster, " I've been aro und a long time," Zampach , of Milw aukee, said. "T ripp had a grea t seaso n. H e wo n both Top Expert classes. l owe a lot of the cham pionship 10 Don Tilley. But I have 10 tha n k my fathe r. We've been walkin g on the track all weeken d and I put it 10 good use and we got the pl ate ." " Even before il star ted smok ing I felt il a lill ie bit ," the Georgian, Nobl es said. " Scott came by ou t of the chicane and he ran a good race. Don Tilley builds a good engine. But I'd lik e to thank Bill Bartels for givin g me th e : cha nce and Vic Fasol a for bui lding my engines." Third , at some distance, was Nigel Gale, also Bartels' Harley-mounted as was ' fou rth place Mik e Hale with Chuck Blackmon fifth on the Macoo n Racing, Ear ls Sma ll's Harl ey entry. Zampach won th e 10-lap, 15. I-mi le race in 13 minutes, 50.409 seconds at an average speed of 65.028 mph. H is margin 'o f victory was 6.254 seconds. The race was waved off as the sun was setting late on Sunday aftern oon with Nob les leading th e first lap. T Zarnpach was qu ickl y by, thou gh Nobles stuck with him until the pair h it traffic near th e halfway point. Between slower riders and a sourin g engine, Nobl es' chances were evaporat ing and b y the sixth lap h e was about 2.5 seconds behind Zam pach with no hope of catch ing him. Nigel Gal e was th ird from the first lap on, hi s only cha llenge came from James Leslie who pressu red him until dro p ping out on the seventh lap. " I think he would have gotten me," Ga le later admitted. Lesl ie's depar tur e opened up fourth to Hale wh o'd started badly but work ed his way up th rough th e pack to take si xth at h alfway, then move p as t Blackmon on the sam e lap Leslie dropped ou t. 0\1 Results TWtN SPORT: I. Scott Zampaeh (H-D); 2. Tripp Nobles (H- D); 3. Nige l Gal e (H- D); 4. Mik e Hale (H-D); S. Chu ck Blackmon (H ·D ); 6. Roy Nicholson (H- D); 7. Sha wn H igbee (H-D) ; 8. Randy Texter (H· D); 9. Richar d Koehl er (H· D); 10. Eric La Cr uze (H· D); II. Bob Bossardet (H- D); 12. J erry Wall ace (H D); 13. Michael Krait (H -D); 14. J on Sta uffer (H· D); 15. J ohn Costa (H -D); 16. Brock Billart (H oD); 17. Lester Meuler (HoD); 18. Moe Wenguer (H -D); 19. J ames Leslie (H -D); 20. J ohn Lo ng (H- D). Time: 13 min.• 50.409 sec. Distan ce: 15.1 miles. Average speed: 65.028 mp h. Ma rgin of victory: 6.254 sec. fi NAL TWIN SPO RT C'SH IP POINT STANDINGS: I. Scott Zamp ach (186) 6 wins; 2. T rip p Nobles (179) 3 wins ; 3. Nigel Gale (138); 4. Randy T exter (101); S. Richa rd Koeh ler (74); 6. Micha el Krall (58); 7. Chuck Blackmon (50); 8. Andy Fenw ick (48); 9. Shawn Higbee (38); 10. Mike Hale (36). 11

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