Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

pick th e b ike u p a nd then had a h ard time ge tti ng the bike to restart, He managed to do both a nd put in a d ete rm ined ride to m ove ba ck up to fi n ish n inth. " I got in a little h o t, and lost the fro nt," Smith ex p la ined lat er. "Th e gambli ng ma n gamb led a lilli e too much. " Spencer then cru ised unmolested to the victory, the fift h National win of his career. . Wi th Smith gone, Q ua n erl ey too was a ble to cru ise, th o ugh he spe d up la te in th e race whi le tryin g to pu ll away from th e phan tom rider h e though t wa s ca tch ing hi m . "The tires wor ked great," Q uan erl ey, who o n ly 'q ua lified 16th, said, " It's reall y unbeliev able h o w we ll th ey worked. I dropped a seco nd th e la st three laps beca use I was a frai d so mebody was behind me. Wh en Sm ith crashed I just st uc k to wha t I was doing because Freddi e (Spe nce r) wa s gone. The bik e rea lly didn 't run rig ht all weekend. We got it right on Sa turday afternoon, so I rea ll y o n ly had 10 laps on a real motorcycle." P icotte, too, had a lonely rid e to third, though it was hardl y uneventful: " It was sca rv in the infield, like I was ' on bearings;" Pi cotte sai d . "I would lose th e front , a nd o pe n the gas - if not, sure I fal l. " Then came Kip p , proving patien ce Mi ke Sm it h en ded u p cra sh in g while tr ying to ca tch Freddi e Sp en cer. to be a virtue as he bided hi s time; waumg for th e track to dry and fo r hi s interm ed iat e tire to stan work ing p ro perly. Russell was next, then came Turkington , h is poor 1992 lu ck staning to fin all y tu rn" around, Ada mo, Kress and Po len. Stevens , who had been invo lved in the Kress (who was getting the be tt er of both th e Nationa l and World Superbike Champi ons on hi s Michelin rain tire-filled Kawasaki ) a n d Po len battle, cras hed o n th e lith lap but esca p ed withou t injury. " It sh ou Id have gone bett er th a n it did, " Po len sa id.. " Bu t it didn 't. The suspension could have been be tter , a n d tires weren't th e on ly problem ." eN snencerslides to Texas n_o1e O Freddie Spencer's wi n was the secon d sin ce he began his AMA Superbike comeback, _ ne th in g beca me clear during qualifying o n Fridav a n d Sa rurda v - T exas World Speedwa y was sti ll a very sli p pery ra ce crack. W hen all was said a nd done it was Two Brothers Racing 's Freddie Spencer (righ t) slitheri ng his wa y arou n d th e slick I.8-mile track th e quickest, a verag in g 96.33i mph w ith hi s o ne -m in ute, i,264seco n d lap. Spencer clocked h is qu ick tim e du ring Sa turda y morning's second session, an d spent Saturda y afternoon scu ffing-i n tires in p repara tion for Su nday's Nationa l. . "T h e bik e's working really good," th e th reetim e World Cham p io n sa id , "This tra ck is hard o n fronts (tires), but we qualified this morning o n th e race set u p, so I'm happy a bout th at ." Weat her reports for ecasted a 60% cha nce of ra in for th e Na tio nal , causing riders 10 wo rry a bo u t what problems a wet T exa s Worl d Speed wa y wo uld present, " It p uddl es rea l bad o n th e in sid e of th e trac k:' Spe ncer sa id. " It'll be a nightmare if it does rai n ." Spence r, wh o was running a t the front a t las t year's Nat ional h ere until chunking h is rear Mich el in tire, p redi cted th at th e race pace would be similar 10 his qua lifyi ng ti me s: " I th ink for su re the first 10 la ps will be run in th e lo w to m id i s. I ran six laps a t lo w is a nd the tire looked good. If yo u gel o ff li n e, it's real dirty a nd it 's real sim ilar to la st year. Bu t we 're n ot even in the same boa t as last year wi th tires. Last yea r was j u st a bad ch oice - the tire was too so ft. " Onl y .02 1-of -a-s econd behind Spencer wa s Muzz y Kawasaki 's SCOl! R u ssell , last yea r's T exa s World winner. "It's p re tty da m n slick ou t th ere," th e G eo rgi a rider sai d. "It's tough to pa ss he re beca use it's a o ne -li ne deal. H o pefully I won 't h ave to pass. The bike 's worki ng good. It 's just a ma tter of savin g what I've got: ' The th ird rider in th e I:Oi bracket was Fast By Ferracci 's Worl d Su pe rb ike C ha mpio n Do ug Pol en , rid ing in his first- ever Nationa l in h is h o rne sta te. " We' re gelling th ere," th e Co rint h, Texas, resident said , " It 's difficult, you defini tel y -don' t want to get off line or yo u get into some interestin g pavem en t. It 's kind of a n eat dea l racing h ere because it 's th e first time a ll my fa mil y a nd people ca n co me a nd wa tch . It 's 200 m iles away , but in T exas 200 mi les is like be ing in your backyard. I th ink everyone will try a nd do 6s (\ :06) - this isn 't a pace race . T ha t's what's neat abo ut it - i t' Il just be let 'er ri p the whole race , " R ussell didn 't concur with the Du cati rider on the subject o f tire wear: " No t on' my bike," he said. ''I'll have trouble if I push it too hard." Vance & H in es Yam ah a 's J a m ie James filled the from row aft er click ing off a 1:08. l i 9 in the final s ession. James said he and th e team had more work to do during Sunday morning's wa rm-up session: " But I doh 't think we're too far .off," he said. . Polen 's Ducati teammate Pa scal Picotte ( 1:08.534) led the second row , edging Camel H on da 's Mike Smi th ( 1:08.553) , Muzzy Ka wasa ki's Thoma s Stevens ( 1:08.590) and Yosh imura Suzu ki's Britt Turkington ( 1:08.88 1). Camel Hon da 's Tom Kipp led row th ree, ahead of Larry Schwartzbach , who was returni ng 10 actio n on the Vance & H ines Yamaha after injuring his knee a nd breakin g his co llarbone at Laguna Seca in April, top privateer Christian Gard ner o n th e Gol d H ill Racing Yamaha a nd Yo sh im ura Suzuki 's Dave Sadowski. In a ll , 24 riders q ua lified for th e Superb ike Na tiona l. Thomas Stevens (I ) and Doug Polen didn't fare well ; Tom Kipp (16) fini sh ed fourth, N ew Englander Dale Q u arterley m a tched hi s ca reer best with a secon d place fin ish. R esults Q UALln'I N G: l . Freddie Spencer ( I miilU te.07.264 m M' nds/96.337 mph ); 2. Scott Ru ssell (l:07.283); 3. Do u g Polen (1;07.794); 4. J ami e J ames (1.08. 179); 5. Pa sca l P icone {l ;08.53'1 ); 6. Mik e Smi th ( I ;08.553); 7. Thomas Stevens (1:08.590): 8. Britt T ur kington (1;08.88t); 9. Tom Kip p (1;08.963); to. Larry Schwarzbach ( 1:09. 025); II. C hr is tiana Gardner (t:09.202); t2. David Sadowski (I;09.74t );13. Jimmy Adamo (1;10.538); 14. Phil Kress (1 ;10:573); 15. Eri c Moe (t;t I.l85); t6. Dal e Quanerley (I;tl.296); 17. Cra ig Gl eas on ( I :11.569 1; 18. Robe rt Me is te r (1; 12.3M); i s, Bob Sa nd y (1; 13.021); :!O. Pabl o Real ( \: 1 ~. 060) ; 21. J oh n Ashm ead (1:13.388); 22. Lou is Saccocc io (1; 13. 16); 23. Robert Wright (1;14.057); 5 2·1. Larry Loc klear (I;J 4.-178). NAT IONAL: I. Fredd ie Spencer (Hun ); 2. Da le Q uarter ley (Ka w) : 3. Pasca l P icone (Due): 4. Tom Kip p ( Han ); 5. S CO ll RU S!l t"1l ( Ka w) : 6. Br ill Turkington ( SUL); 7. J imm y Ada mo (Due); 8. Phi l Kn"M { Ka w): 9. Mike Sm ith (Han ); 10. Doug Po len . (D uc); . II. Pablo Rea l (D uc ); 12. Larry Locklear (Ka w): 13. Larry Schwarzbach (Ya m) ; 14. Bob Sandy ( Ka w) : rs. John Ashm ead (Ka w) : 16. Cra ig G leason (Suz]: 17. Robert Wright (S UI ); 18. Thomas S(('Vt"fU ( Ka.....): 19. Louis Saccoccio (Ka w ): 20. Dave Sado..... ski (Suz]: 21. Ro bert Meister (Yam) ; 22. Eric Moe ( Ha n ). Time 26 mi n .,.E,3.46j sec. Distances 20 la p s. 36 m iles. Average Speed s 80.324 mph. Ma rgin o( Victory: 10.655 sec. SUl'ER BIKE C'S H IP POINT STANDI NG S, I. Seen Ru ssell (66/2 wins ); 2. Mik e Smith (47); 3. Do ug Pol en (43); 4. Pascal Pi cotte (36); 5. (TIE) Thomas Stevens/Tom Kipp (33); 7. Da le Qu ar terl ey (32); 8. Jamie James (3 1); 9. Freddie Spencer (26); 10. Dav e Sadowski (2 1): 11. (T IE) Steve Creviervj im my Adamo ( J8); 13. (T I E) Bri ll Tu rk in gt on/ Sco u Zampa ch (15); 15. Ph il Kress (12); 16. Larry Schwarzbach (10); t7. Michael T aylor (9); t8. (TI E) J ohn Ashmead/Eric Moe (7); :!O. Pab ln Rea l (6). 5

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