Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

TAMPA STADIUM - FEBRUARY 12, 1994 - 7:30 PM West End Horseshoe. He was towed back in, and the crew went to work on the machine. Back out a little while later, DuHamel made flying lap and turned in a handtimed 1:58.5 on cold tires . The next lap was almost a second quicker, a 1:57.5, which is over seven seconds slower than Scot t Russell's p ol e-sett in g tim e of 1:50.194 fo r th e 1993 Daytona 200 . DuHamel pitted on th e next lap a nd both he and Kling went ou t sporad ically unti l abou t 4:25 p.m., when DuHamel had to be towed in on e more time. At 4:45 p .m. DuHamel appeared to be ge tting u p to speed when the bike suddenly slowed cornin g ou t of the chican e, eve n thou gh the engi ne sounded strong. DuH am el coasted past th e east gra ndstands looking down at the left side of the bike, apparen tly checking to see if the cha in had come off. Since the engine didn't sound off no te, it is likely that he was the victim of a blown clutch. After repairs were made both he and Kling were back out, both bikes on the track u n til darkness began to set in at 5:30 p .m . Wha t kept the bikes on the tr ack was probably the discovery of a temporary solution to what seems to be an electrica l gremlin, though this could no t be independently confirmed. "I do n't know if we want to get into what our problems were," Gom per said when questioned if the VR-1000's down time was indeed ca used by electrica l problems . . It is known that the bike uses an alternator to cha rge the battery which is needed to drive the fue l pump for the Weber injection system. For four da ys, over tw o tes ts, they apparently chased the problem to littl e avai l. The solution to th e electrical problem was likely to disconnect the alternator en tirely and run the bike off the battery as a total loss system . Obviously, they couldn't run it as a total loss system for 200 miles, and Du Hamel' s best lap times were behind him though they d idn't ha ve to stop as frequently. "What you saw was really negative," Gomper said from the Harley-Davidson factory in Milwaukee. "That's what we intend ed. O u r last day was very encou r a ging. We learned a lot. We stayed ou t there with both bikes un til 5:30 and they were running g ood through the infield ." The team is planning to test at least once more, probably at a Moroso Motorsports Par k in West Palm Beach, Florida, and may test further at the Harley facility in Talladega. Follow ing the first test, the team said privately that they'd come to Daytona with low expectations, and failed to meet them . When reached via telephone foll ow in g th e test, Gomper was upbe a t. "We 've got a lo t of d e velopment work to do and we're scrambli ng to get ready for Daytona," he said. "We didn't plan on th is be in g w orry-free. Th at ' s wh at testing's all ab ou t. We d id n't go th er e to se t any track rec ords or anything." Though ra tes va ry somewhat, Daytona usually gets $3500 a da y to rent the track which means that Ha rley wa s set back $14 ,000 for their two, two-day tests. Cer tainly if DuH am el could ha ve kep t the bike runni ng long eno ugh to sort out the suspension - a Pens ke Indy car unit in the rear and upside down forks in the front - and gearing, he may have lowered his lap times somewhat. Still, not being able to lap consistently at a competitive speed does not bode well for the fledgling effort, and the likeli hood increases that it will not make its d eb u t until the AM A season is well underw ay. m AMIJ A'DUNL O P I'';', , Slick With Us S A N C TI O N ED While in Tampa make p lans to visit some local attractions • . . Busch Garde ns and the beautiful Clearwater Beaches!! a Here's your cha nce to get TH E HOT TICKET - when you order this form you get a FREE ACTION PIT PASS which will get you into a spec ial Pit Area w here y ou can w atch the stars and their mechan ic s get ready f or the SUPERCROSS SHOWDOWN! Plus . .. a FREE EARLY ENTRY PASS to w atch Practic e & Quali fying Races. D--t-=:;~==~ TA MPA AIRPORT ORDER THE SE SPECIA L TICKETS NOW! 1. Convenient - No w aiting in li ne t o buy tickets. 2. The best seats in t he house reserved for you. 3. Save time and MONEY! $16.00 in FREE PASSES with this Offer. 4. This Offer available only to you, our Preferred Customers. , RAMADA~ (813) 877-606 1 Rate: $55.00 Be Sureto Mention Supercross when making reservations ALL OTHER SEATS AND REGULAR PRICED TICKETS AVAILAB LE THROUGH 2iZ~.5'7E"n" r,CKSY (407) 839-3900 - (407) 966-3309 - (81 3) 287-8844 (305) 358-5885 - (305) 523-3309 • (904) 353-3309 HOST HOTEL Tampa Stadium . . 4732 N. Dale Mabry Hwy. Tampa. FL 33614 --t-. . MAIL TO: PACEISUPERSPORTS Supercross Tickets 10460 Rooseve lt Blvd., #315 St. Pete rsburg , FL 33716-381 8 Make chec ks payab le to PA CEI SUPERSPORTS . Ticket orders with money orders orcash iers checks will be processed first. Orde rs with personal checks will not be filled until chec ks clea r. DO NOT SEND A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE. -------------------------------------------PLEASE PUT AN "X" IN THE AREA YOU PREFER TO SIT IN (SHADED AREA) BEST AVAILABLE WILL BE SENT All ticket orders for Orlando must be postmarked by January 28, 1994. This offer cannot be combined with any other discounts or coupons. PLEASE SEND: "HOTTICKETS" X$20 - Adult # of Tickets "HOT TICK ETS" X$10- Youth (' 2 & Under) # Of Tickets * Add $6 PER ORDER handling charge PAYABLE TO: PACEISUPERSPORTS + $6.00 I TO TAL ENCLOSED $ Name Address S~Zip City ACTUAL TRACK MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY DaytimePhone ( - l What~s on your mind? S endaLEllER tothe EDITOR! 1994 WORLD CUP ICE SPEEDWAY JAN. 1&8 AReo ARENA SACRAMENTOI RACING BEGINS AT 8 PM TICKETS ON SALE AT ARCQ ARENA BOX OFFICE ALL BASS nCKEI CENTERS • TOWER • THE WHEREHOUSE • SELECT RALEY'S • CHARGE BY PHONE [916J 923-BASS J AN. 28 SAN DIEGO SPORTS ARENA MAR,13 FAIRBANKS, AlASKA • CARSON CENTER MAR.14 ANCHORAGE, AlASKA • SULLIVAN ARENA * * * * TENTATIVE - CHECK PRIOR TO DA TE NEW WSRAlI.C.E. WORLD HEADQUARTERS 01994 l.e.E. P.O BOX 2627, SILVERTHORNE, eo 80498 . 1303l 262-9067 11

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