eROADRACE
Su erbike Road Race Series: Round 2
m
The pace car came out on the ninth lap after Jimmy Adamo's fateful crash. Eddie Lawson (7), Aaron Slight (62) and Scott Russell (1) bunch up behind.
Miguel DuHamel and Aaron Slight fought for the lead after Russell and Lawson pitted for new tires early in the race.
8
By the 16th lap, Polen and Edwards
were in the top 10, with Polen holding
down fifth and Edwards ninth. Russell
had dropped the pace into the 1:515 and
he and Lawson were well clear of the
battle for third between Slight and
Yanagawa.
On the 17th lap, Russell pitted for
fuel and a new rear tire. He returned to
the fray in 16th place after a pit stop
that got him in and out in less than 12
seconds.
For the next three laps, Lawson
would circulate alone. On the 21st lap,
Lawson pitted, taking on fuel and a
new rear tire. That gave the lead to believe it or not - Doug Polen. The
Texan was in front of a race between
Roche and Kipp with Russell and
Lawson back together again in fourth
and fifth.
Polen, who had started with a harder
compound tire than his competitors in
the hopes of only making one stop, was
starling to look like he'd made the right
decision. On the 25th lap, though, the
plan soured. Polen had used up the tire
before he'd planned, and he was forced
to pit for a new one. Without the benefit
of quick-change wheels, the Fast By
Ferracci crew sent Polen back out just
inside the top 10.
"I knew it was over," Polen said.
"The tire forced me in the pits. I went
an extra lap, but when I leaned to the
left it s~arted shuddering. Raymond
Roche came by me and pointed at my
rear tire, so I knew it was bad. I would
have won the race if the tires had lasted.
I had the gas consumption. The fuel
strategy was good. If the tire had lasted,
I would have won. When we had the
caution, I thought, 'They're finished,
I've got 'ern.' We had calculated that I
needed to corne in for fuel on lap 28 that meant for sure I could make it on
one fuel stop."
Edwards' day ended at roughly the
same time Polen's hopes for victory
