Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

were never headed as they clicked off lap tim es in the hi gh 1:13s and low I:14s to bu ry Ru ssell and Stevens. Spencer won hi s World Ch amp ionships by bein g able to maintain quick lap tim es even after hi s tires went off, and he won hi s first race in six years by doing th e same. With the 29-year-old Spencer pulling, aw ay up front, th e a tte ntion focused on two th ings: Wou ld h is tires be able to take the abuse he was giving them; if they cou ldn 't, would Russ ell be able to put Spencer between himself and Stevens to win th e cha mpio nsh ip? For those waiting for Spencer or his tires to quit, the wai t was lon g. Russell tried in vain to reel-in Spencer, a nd Stevens was content to sit and watch, confident that Spencer wasn 't going anywhere. "I was just hoping th at' Freddie could do it," Stevens said. "I was hoping he could keep it together. I think the restarts hurt us and if I had it to do over, I'd put a new front tire on as well. The front was pushing pretty good, and I was just doing th e best I could. " Russell never gave up, and stayed within four seconds or so of Spencer: "I kept him about the same distance and closed a little bit at the end," a disappointed Russell said. "I just wasn 't comfortable with the bike. In the end I just gave it heck; I was just trying to catch Freddie and it wasn't happening. " The battle for fou rth look ed to be settled between Vance & Hines teammates Jamie James and Schwartzbach. But Schwarzbach would run out of track at the end of Biscayne Boulevard and run up the escape road, rejoining th e race to finish 10th; and James would crash while battling the pain of his still-injured shoulder. " I didn 't have bra in fade, I had body fade," James said. " I really had no business being out there," . With James out, fourth was tak en over by Smith, with Picotte hot on his heels. The Fren ch Canadian didn' t waste tim e in disposing of the Georgian and he eventually pulled clear to finish a lonely fourth. Smith, meanwhi le, did likewi se to Arnaiz, wh o in turn barely held off Baldwin at th e fini sh lin e. - " I th ink the fro nt end is bent," Jamie James (2), Pascal Picotte (34) and Jacques Guenette, Jr. (39); James and Guenette crashed, Picotte finished fourth. Arnaiz said. " It would just load up on th e brakes. I just had to back off and finish. " Behind Baldwin came Kipp and Quarterley, who had shoulder pains of his own. The New Englander had crashed while testing a Bimota Tesi in Misan o, Italy, only two weeks before and had separated a shoulder. Spencer was visibly proud of what he'd accomplished: "It feels like it used to, and that's hard to exp lain," he said. " I think I appreciat e this (winn ing) more now than before. I've been having fun and there hasn 't been an y pr essure, so I' ve been abl e to focus more on the race track. "It's very satisfying - a lot of people said there was no way I'd ever.win a race again..It'll be nice going into next year with a little momentum." Picotte, riding the same Ducati that Doug Polen rode in his few AMA appearances this season, rod e through hi s problems. " I was hav ing tr.ouble with th e transmission," he said.. "I have it so I can shift like a street bike. Nex t week (at th e Dunl op tire tests at Day ton a ), I'm going to learn to rid e with the shifting pattern of a race bik e. But. I managed to pass them back; I did n 't want to fini sh eig h th." . Lynch was forced to drop ou t of th e Fast Freddie on pole in Miami M iami's 1.5l3-.mile street cour se is as daunting as they come in AMA road racing. An abundance of wall-lin ed corners, chain-link fences and chicanes made of tires face riders when they race through the streets of downtown Miami. It putS the majority of the racers in a rather solemn mood, and nobody claims to be putting out 100 percent. Yet it certainly appeared that Freddie Spencer (right) was giving it his all during Saturday's timedvqualifying isession s. Nobody slid their Superbike around the streets of Miami with the same aut hority as Spencer, and consequently, nobody went quicker during qualifying. The three-time World Champion clicked off a one-minute, 14.184-second lap during the second of two timed sessions for an average speed of 72.792 mph, and his .first pol e position of the year and first since Daytona in 1987. The Michelin-shod Two Brothers Racing Honda rider seemed to enj oy the istop-and-go, square-off-the-corners approach that a quick lap here requires. . "It's a little hotter today and it'll be harder on tires and brakes," Spen cer said all Sunday morning. "We tried all the tires and we've picked the only on e tha t will work - it's the one that will hook up and hopefully last th e distan ce." Surpr isingly, Spen cer wasn't very cri tical of th e race track: "It's not that bad for a street circu it. It's tough and there's no room for error, " he said. " I'd ha te to be coming down here with the championship on the line like Thomas (Stevens) and Scott (Russell)." , French Canadian Pascal Picotte was the second q uickest rid er around the circuit that combines portions of public roads and the road course that snakes through race with four laps to go : "I was running a good pace, but it star ted knocking and I had to back off," he said . Jacques Guenette, jr., was another notable who didn 't finish. The Fren ch Canadian crashed while racing for fourth with Picotte, Smith, and Arnaiz. Spen cer p ock et ed $9200 o f th e $50,000 Superbike purse. ' l:N Results QUAUFYING: I. Freddie Spencer (1:14.184/ . 72.792 mph ); 2. Pascal Picott e (1:14.39 1); 3. Migu el DuHam el (1:14.55); 4. Thom as Steven s (1:14.571); 5. J am ie J ame s (1:14.602); 6. Scott Ru ssell (1:15.055); 7. Ric hard Arnaiz (1:15.177); B. Jacques Guenette . Jr . (1:15.933); 9. Larry Sch warzba ch (1:15.977); 10. Dale Qu arterl ey ( I: 16.137); II. Mik e Baldwin (1;16.264); 12. Tom Kipp (1:16.3 18); 13. T ommy Lyn ch (1:16.500); 14. J im my Adam o (1:16.655); 15. Mik e Sm ith (1:16.793 ); 16. C h risti a n Gardner (1:17.33 1); 17. Ru eben McMurter (1:17.430); 18. Eri c Moe (1:17.989}; 19. Ph il Kress (1:18.067); 20. J oe Brett William s (1:18.119); 21. J ohn H opperstad (1:18.730); 22. Crai g G lea so n ( 1:19.407); 23. Bob Sa ndy (1:19.930); 24. J ohn Ashmead (1:20. 155); 25. G lenn Barzy (1:20.493); 26. John Lon g (1:20.590): 27. Mike Sulli van (1;20.916); 28. Pabl o Real (1:21.234); 29. Dean Mildal (1:21.463); 30. Je ll H eino (1:21.591); 3 1. Rick Shaw (1:21.683); 32. J ohn Cox (1:22.723); 33. Cha rles Te rrell ( 1:22.956); 34. Warren Elliott (1:23. 174); 35. Bruce Nield (1:24.112); 36. Bobby Franklin (1:24.629); 37. J ean Dierickx (1:25.455); 38. Step he n DeCam p , (1:26..072); 39. Bri tt T urki ngton (1:28.132); 40. Kevin BlalS (1:30.360). SUP EllBIKE NATIONAL: I. Freddie Spen cer (Ho n) ; 2. Sco tt Ru ssell (Ka w); 3. Thomas Steven s (Yam) ; 4. Pascal Picotte (Due); 5. Mike Smi th (SUl) ; 6. Ri chard Am ai z (H on ); 7. Mike Baldw in (Hon); 8. T o m Kipp (Yam ); 9. Dal e Q uar ter ley (Ha n); 10. " Larry Schw arzbach (Yam) ; II. Jimmy Ada mo (Duc); 12. R ueben McMu rt er (Ha n); U . Phil Kress (Kaw): 14. Bob Sandy (Kaw); 15. J ohn Hop perstad (Yam ); 16. Eric Moe (H on) ; 17. J ohn Ashmead (Kaw); 18. Cra ig Gleason (SUl); 19. Pab lo Real (Due); 20. Ch ristian Gardner (Yam) ; 21. J eff Hein o (Suz); 22. Mike Sullivan (Silz); 23. Rick Shaw (Yam ); 24. Bruce Nield (H on ); 25. Kevin Blai s (Kaw); 26. Bobby Franklin (Kaw); 27. Tomm y Lynch (Suz); 28. Jacques G uene tte, Jr. (Kaw); 29. Miguel DuHamel (H on) ; 30. J amie j am es (Yam ); 31. Sleven DeCamp (Suz); 32. J oe Brett Wilham ' (H on) ; 33. Jo h n Lon g (SUl); 34. Warren Ell io tt (Due): 35. J ean Dierickx (Suz). Time: No ne due to red fla g. Distance: 30 lap s; 45.39 mil es. Average Speed: Non e du e to red na g. Margin of Victory : No ne du e to red flag. AMA SUPERBIKE C'SHIP FINAL POINT STANDINGS: 1. T ho mas Stevens (12.3) 1 win ; 2. Sco u Ru ssell (121) 4 win s: 3. Migu el DuHam el (88) 1 win ; 4. Jam e J am es (73) I win; 5. Richar d Am aiz 62); 6. Dal e Qu arterley (60); 7. Pascal Picone (51); 8. Fredd ie Spe ncer (48) 1 win : 9. J acq ues Guenette, Jr. (46); 10. T om Kipp (44); I I. T om my Lynch (37); 12. Rueben McMu rter (31); 13. Mike Smith (30): 14. Jimmy Adam o (26); 15. J ohn Hopper stad (21); 16. Larry Schwa rzbach (17); 17. (TIE) Brad Hazen/Joe Brett Will iam' (16); 19. (TI E) Doug Pol en /Steve Crevier (15). Bicentennial Park. Picotte was aboard Doug Polen's Fast By Ferracci Ducati, but finall y h ad it set up to suit.his riding style rather th an Polen's. He clicked off a 1:14.391. "The races before I never really opened the gas," Picotte said. "I like to slide and in qualifying Lwas sliding everywhere. We've changed the.rid e height, dropping the front 30mm to help me turn ' it. We're also using carbon fiber brakes and it seems easier to Clip the bike left and r ight. It's a good track for the Ducat i because there are a lot of stop and go corners." Miguel DuHamel put the Camel-backed Commonwealth Honda in the middle of row one with a 1:14,550 lap. "I wasn 't too disappointed because I though t we had another session today," DuHamel said on Sunday. "I'm on the front row, so I'm fairly happy. The bike 's working good. I think the pace will be hi gh 13s, low 14s; I'm exp ecting a fast pace. " It 's a nice track layout. I think there are some safety features that need to be added. But I'd like to see us come back next year and for years to come. I don't think it would take a lot of work to make it a lot safer." Of the two in a heated battle for the Superbike National Championship, Thomas Stevens had the best of it during qualifying. His 1:14.571 put his Vance & Hines Yamaha on th e fron t row, while Scou Russell ended up sixth fastest for a spot on row two: In between came Jamie James, the last man in the 1:145 at 1:14.602. "We're not changing our game pl an," Stevens said. "We (Stevens and mechanic J im Leonard) are working on our race setup. I'm going to do 13s and 14s in the race; I'm not just going to try to win , I'm going to win - u nless someth in g happens to Scott (Russell) and then I may change my plan. This place you have to ride 90 percent - a big m istake here will hurt you. The bottom line is my safety, and -this plac e isn 't very safe." While Stevens seemed confident, Russell was some what per plexed: " I' ve got some things to work ou t I:m th e superbi ke," he said. " I' ve got some stu ff to th ink abou t tonigh t. I've got a fron t end p ush and I almost tossed it away today. I just want to get it right before I try hard. Freddie's going fast, bu t he hasn 't fin ished toO man y races. But I' ve got some work to do." DuHamel's team mate Rich Amaiz, Vance & Hi nes ' Larry Schwarzbach, and Dale Q uarterley rounded out the 10 fastest q ualifiers. 7

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