r - -_ _-----.:.-
A_M_Al_C_CS_H_ar_Ie-..,oOavidson Twin S orts Series: Round 1
ROAD RACE ~
!
Dave Sadowski (25) used a borrowed bike to win the 750cc Supersport final
could speculate on what could happen,
but nothing's firm. We drove 1850
miles to get here. It was all for one race
- that was the incentive. I put all I had
into it. I've been building houses in
Georgia and praying for something to
happen."
Sadowski's win was his first in AMA
sprint racing since he wrapped up the
AMA/CCS 600cc Championship with a
final round win at Willow Springs in
1990.
Second place went to Class Racing's
Jason Pridmore on a second Z:X-7, with
Yoshimura Suzuki's Britt Turkington
bringing home the first of the new
GSXR750s in third place. Three of the
new GSXRs filled the top five with
Turkington, his teammate Donald Jacks,
and Valvoline Suzuki's Chuck Graves
also aboard Suzukis.
For the first time in a few years,
Suzukis
actually
outnumbered
Kawasakis in the race, 16-14, with the
750cc Supersport grid swelling tQ 36 riders wit/l the six 600s that also competed.
It was one of those Suzukis that led
the way into turn one at the start of the
32-lap final as Turkington led Sadowski,
James Randolph, Pridmore and Gerald
Rothman Jr. into the double apexed turn
one.
Six riders ended up breaking away at
tne front with Turkington leading
Sadowski, Pridmore, Kling, Graves and
Jacks in formation. Turkington led the
first six laps, but then Sadowski took
over at the front. Jacks, meanwhile, had
moved up to fifth, putting himself in
contention after coming from eighth on
the opening lap and catching the lead
group.
On the eighth lap, Graves started to
lose touch with the lead quintet, his
Suzuki suffering from a myriad of
problems including a loose footpeg and
a malfunctioning rear shock. Sadowski,
meanwhile, started to open a gap on
the others as the leaders barged
through traffic. On the ninth lap, Jacks
moved into fourth place with a pass on
Kling.
Lap 13 saw Pridmore move past
Turkington to take over second as traffic began to thicken for the lead group.
That traffic basically ended Jacks'
charge as he got the worst of things and
lost touch with the four leaders.
Sadowski seemed to be,able to work
magic with the lapped riders as he
pulled clear on Pridmore on laps 15 and
16, only to be caught again on the 18th
lap.
By the 20th lap, the race turned into a
Sadowski/Pridmore duel, with
Turkington and Kling having a similar
battle over third place.
Again, it was Sadowski's prowess
with traffic that made the difference and
he was able to stretch his advantage
over Pridmore in the final laps, finally
winning by some four seconds over the
Californian.
"There were two distinct points
when I thought I had him." Pridmore
said later. "But he just got through traffic better. I want to say that all the stories about Dave Sadowski being a rough
rider just aren't true - it was a pleasure
riding with him."
Kling all but handed third place to
Turkington when he ran straight in turn
one on the 29th lap, rejoining the pack in
sixth place, a position he would hold to
the finish.
Jacks had a lonely ride to fourth, easily beating Graves who held off Kling.
Rothman, Patterson, Robert Wright and
Muzzy Kawasaki's Japanese import
Takahiro Sohwa rounded out the top 10
finishers.
"I just had a setup problem,"
Turkington said. "I had a front-end
push on the banking. I'm happy with
the new Suzuki. I think with a few more
races we'll be on top. I had a little bit of
a problem with traffic, but I think everybody did."
"I just want to thank (Rob) Muzzy for
helping me," said Sadowski, who also
received backing from AGV Boots/
Bieffe/Dunlop (Rob Muzzy /Motul/
Gaulfer Brakes/Power Mist.
CN
Results
7SOcc 5S FINAL: 1. Dave Sadowski (Kaw); 2. Jason
Pridmore (Kaw); 3. Britt Turkington (Suz); 4. Donald
Jacks (Suz); 5. Chuck Graves (Suz); 6. Fritz Kling (!et (6); 26. Mark Black (5);
27. Dave Rosno (4); 28, Don Roberts (3); 29. Kel
Davidson (2); 30. Lome Banks (1).
Scott Zampach (1) led Nigel Gale (3) early in the Harley race, but Gale eventually won.
Second day win to Gale
By Henny Ray Abrams
GOODYEAR, AZ., FEB. 15
t began on Sunday and ended on
Monday and when it was finally over
Bartels' Harley-Davidson's Nigel
Gale. had narrowly won the opening
round of the Harley-Davidson Twin
Sports series at Phoenix International
Raceway.
H-D of Jamestown's Shawn Higbee
was 2.981 seconds back in second with
Tilley's H-D's Scott Zampach dropping
to third after his shifter fell off in the latter stages of the race.
"I had a great race," Gale said after
completing the 17-lap race in 20 minutes, 33.596 seconds at an average speed
of 74.417 mph.
The first attempt to start the race
came on Sunday, but a persistent rain
and a four-rider, first-lap crash caused
the day's program to be scuttled.
Monday the weather was better, with
intermittent sun and clouds and a pack
of 21 Harley 883 Sportsters roaring into
turn one just after noon. Gale was away
first in front of Higbee and Zampach;
Richard Koehler was fourth on the
Suburban H-D entry with Low Country
H-D's Chuck Blackmon fifth.
Zampach made his move into the
lead on the third lap, passing both
Higbee and Gale, with Higbee tagging
along into second, only to be quickly repassed by Gale.
By the fifth lap the top three had separated themselves from the pack with
Koehler all alone in fourth ahead of
Bartels' H-D's Mike Hale, Moroney's HD's Jeff Heino, and three-time Grand
Natiohal Champion Jay Springsteen on
another Bartels' mount. Hale was on the
move and caught Koe!;Uer to take over
fourth on the seventh lap.
Zampach and Gale, who've battled
for ownership of this series for the past
few years, gained some breathing room
on Higbee just past the halfway point.
Zampach could pull away from Gale
from the minute they entered the banking out of the infield back to turn one
where GaJe would eat up the difference
with braking.
But Zampach's luck was about to
I
change and the race would be decided
when it did.
"At the halfway mark, in tum four,
my shift lever broke off," the defending
National Champion said. "These bikes
aren't like the Japanese bikes. Our shift
pedals bolt on. I had to try to shift with
my hand.. It's very tricky going into turn
one at 120 mph, and try to let go of the
handlebar to downshift."
It would take a few laps for Gale to
get by, and once he did he had to contend with a charging Higbee. The finish
would be close, but it would go to Gale.
"I had a great race. Scott had some
problems, but he had a good race considering the problems he had," Gale
said. "I'm glad ';He got better weather
today."
"That was quite a race," Higbee said.
"The bike hasn't had any development
done on it. It was nmning real strong at
the beginning and slowed down a little
at the end:'
"It's a long season," Zampach said.
"Last year I left Daytona with no points
and it worked out okay."
Hale finished an unchallenged fourth
with fellow dirt-tracker Springsteen fifth
after passing Koehler in the final stages
of the race. The trio of Lancaster HarleyDavidson's Randy Texter, Citrus
Heights H-D's Scott Gray, and Heino
were next across the line.
m
Results
HARLEY-DAVIDSON TWIN SPORTS, J. Nigel
Gale; 2. Shawn Higbee; 3. Scott Zampach; 4. Mi}o, Hale;
5. Jay Springsteen; 6. Richard Koehler, 7. Randy Texter;
8. Scott Gray; 9. Jeff Heino; 10. Fabian Cortez W; II.
Andy Fenwick; 12. Chuck Blacktnon; 13. Robert
Cunnington; 14. Tony Montenegro; 15. David Stevens;
16. Carl Legaspi; 17. George Elwers; 18. Tony Donahue;
19. Joe Winsto.n ill; 20. Thomas Moore; 21. Billy Graef.
Tim~:
20 mins., 33.596 sees.
Distance: 17 laps, 27.2 miles.
Aver.3ge Speed: 74.417 mph.
Margin of victory: 2.981 sees.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON TWIN SPORTS C'SHIP
POINT STANDINGS, 1. Nigel Gale (35); 2. Shawn
Higbee (32); 3. Scott Zampach (30); 4. Mi}o, Hale (28); 5.
Jay Springsteen (26); 6. Richard Koehler (25); 7. Randy
Texter (24); 8. Scott Gray (23); 9. Jeff Heino (22); 10.
Fabian Cortez (21); II. Andy Fenwick (20); 12. Chuck
Blackmon (19); 13. Robert Cunnington (18); 14. Tony
Monte.negro (17); 15. David Stevens (16); 16. Carl
Legaspi (15); 17. George Elwers (14); 18. Tony Donahue
(13); 19. Joe Winston (12); 20. Thomas Moore (11); 21.
Billy Graef (10).
11
