Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Doug Polen's plan to make only one tire change didn't work out; he. finished fifth. Ohio's Tom Kipp ran out of gas, but still finished sixth in the Daytona 200. Eddie Lawson won his second Daytona 200 after catching Scott Russell on the final lap. Russell, Picotle take Twin 50s M UZzy Kawasaki's Scott Russell dominated the first of two Twin 50s, but the sto of the second 50-mile qualifying race 70r the Daytona 200 by Arai was the man who finished third - four-time World ClIampion Eddie Lawson. Lawson and the Vance & Hines Yamaha started at the back of the second Twin SO, after encountering problems with an engine in the morning practice session that kept him from posting a qualifying time, but it didn't matter much. The Californian put on the kind of display that you'd expect from someone with his credentials. After half a lap lawson was 13th, after a full lap he was eighth; two laps later he was third and he took the lead for the first time on the sixth lap. On the 12th lap, though, lawson was forced to pit with a chunked rear tire. No matter. He rejoined the fray in fifth place, and quickly moved through to finish third behind the Ducatis of race winner Pascal Picotte (above) and runner-up Raymond Roche. "I didn't plan on that type of race," Lawson said. hi felt like an idiot out there, but the motorcycle was so good it made me look good. It was kind of scary. I went into tum one (on the first lap) and everybody stopped - I didn't know what happened. It was pretty hairball. They were parked out there. ''The rear tire got a little squirrelly, so it was better to be safe tbansorry." Picotte, Who won a Twin 50 here last year when Scott. Russell was forced out of the race on the final lap, was the benefactor of Lawson's tire failure, and he didn't even know he'd won until he was told in victory lane, Daytona's winner's drde! hi thought I was second," the French Canadian sa.id. "Eddie (Lawson) went by me and he was gone. Thank you, Eddie." . Fast By Ferracci's Doug Polen, last year's pole sitter, also had a tire problem. Polen O\'iginally pitted thinking that the front tite was the culprit, but once mechanics checked the Ducati. they discovered it was in fact a problem with the rear tite. His tire change took much longer and he ended up finishing 23rd, ironically his rac1n3 number. Roche, who announced that the Daytona 200 on Sunday will be his final race, was pleased with his second-place finish: "It's okay," he said. "I'm happy to be here. There's good sun. I'm on holiday. It's a fast holiday, but it's okay. Fifty miles is too lo11g for me - 200, I don't know if I can finIsh." Canadian Jacques Guenette Jr. 6nlshed fourth in the seco.nd qualifiel' after his racelong rival Christian Gardner crashed on the last lap. Floridian John Ashmead, England's Mark Farmer, Yoshimura SuzUki's Thomas5revens,Yamaha ofJa.cksonville's Michael Barnes, Gennany's Wolfgang Hambach and Ireland's Eddie Laycock rounded out the top 10 finishers. • Notably non-finishes in the seco.nd Twin SO were Vance &: Hines Yamaha's Colin Edwards II and Camel Honda's Torn Kipp. Edwards' Yamaha quit in the second h0rseshoe on the second lap while he was running third. I

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