Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

··:R AD. AC ·O E R u d3:PomonaFairplex :-:AMA250ccGrandR Series ·: on P rix : By Paul Carruthers Photos by Joe Bonello M ONA, CA, APR. 10 outhwes t Perform ance ' s Ric h Oliver felt the safest way to negotiate the 2.1-mile race track in the parking lot of the Pomona Fairplex was to negotiate it alone. And he d id ju st that in the 250cc Grand Prix final, running away to a con vincing 11.248-second wi n on a race track that's usu ally home to the cars of attendees of the Los . Ang eles County Fair. "I felt safer getting a lead and passing guys when I wanted to, rather than being in a group and getting forced into doing something," Oliver said after averaging 88 .853 mph in the 23-l ap, 48.3-mile race. "I got a lead right away. We started out here running 35s (1:35 lap tim es), then we went to 30s, 28s and I did a 26 this morning. In the race I ran a 24.6. I figured I'd run a few of those and ge t a way. No on e else could match that. I think we could have done low 23s with mo re practice time." The lack of practice time is well docum ented else w h ere in this issu e, and it ended up costing some more dearl y than others. At the conclu sion of the red-flag interru p ted race, it wa s Danny Walker finishing in the runner-up position on his Southwest Motorsportsbacked Yamaha TZ250, the Colorado resident getting the best of a near-race long battle with Donnie Hough. Hough, who also hails from Colorado, ended up fading towards the end of the race and was passed by the Motoworld Aprilia of Chris D'Aluisio. With D'Aluisio taking third, Hough was fourth with Zero Gravity's Nick Ienatsch filling the top five on his Yamaha TZ250. The race began with Oliver sticking finnly to his plan of running away and hiding. The Fresno, California, resident led by 1.24 seconds after only one lap and he continued to pull away at a clip of 1.5 to two se conds a lap until the third lap when the red-flag was thrown. Moto Liberty's Michael Barnes had cr ashed his Honda RS250, suffering a broken collarbone and bringing out the red flag. Ironically, Barnes had been one of the proponents of a rider walkout during Satu rday's heated riders' meeting. "I highsided over the bump," Barnes said of his crash. "I realized the AMA wasn't going to change their minds and that's why I raced. The show must go on. I do n't have any regrets. I regret not having the confidence in the AMA to homologate a safe, raceable race course. Usually every race track has one obstacle - not 14 of them. If that bump hadn't gotten me, one of them would have got me." The restart was a carbon-copy of the original. Oliver shot out front and immediately opened up a second and a half on the battle between Hough and Walker. That gap continued to grow by the lap until Oliver finally settled in with a 14-second lead, a gap he allowed to dwindle to 11.248 seconds at the finish . If you were hoping for a race at the front - you could forget about it after only one lap . And if yo u were hoping to watch Takahito Mori for more than a lap, you coul d also forge t about that. The Japanese rider crashed in the first comer, ending the da y for the secon d of the two Moto Liberty Honda RS250s. "Somethin g has to be done about that gu y," sixth-place finisher Chris Taylor said. "He passes you and then tries to take your wheel out. It's un-cool, Chris (D'Aluisio) rod e by and punched him in the arm. After the race he comes by here on his mini bike and flips me off." Alth ough the race for the lead was for all practical purposes over, the race for second stayed heated wi th Hou gh lead ing Walker and lo o king a li t tl e ragged in doing so . Walker sa id later (Above) Rich Oliver easily won the 250cc Grand Prix class In Pomona. (Left) Don Hough (50) leads Danny Walker In their battl e for second place . (Below) Chris D'Alulslo fought through to fin ish third after pass ing Hough late In th e race. that he had to tell the first-yea r 250cc rider to sett le down during the red-flag period. Walker follo wed Hough until the 13th lap before making his pass; Hough, though, retaliated, but only briefly. On the 15th lap, Walker was in second for good. And suddenly Hough had D' Aluisio hounding h im from behind. The New Eng lander had started in fifth, but had moved past Ienatsch and into fourth. That seemed to be where he was going to finish, but late in the race his charge suddenly had him chomping at Hough. On the 22nd lap , D'Aluisio moved in to third and it suddenly looked likely that he would also catch Walker: "I saw plus 3, plus 4 and then plus 2, on number 2," Walker ex p lained . " I though, 'Oh, shit, Chris is coming. I ran the last two laps pretty hard." And it was enough to keep Walker in second place with D'Aluisio settling for third. Hough and Ienatsch rounded out the top five. "I never improved," a disappointed Ienatsch said. "I nev er went faster. It' s really disappointing. I'd get on the brakes, get off 'em and coast in. I wa s braking too early, bu t 1 just kept doing it." Walker was p leased to ha ve this round behind him after struggling with whether or not to even race. "That's how fast he (Oliver) wanted to go and he did," Walk er said . "I had my limit and that wasn't it. I knew Donnie (Hough) was either going to bail or get tired from saving it. He was riding hard to go that fast." " I came very clo se to not ri ding," Oliver said. "The 250s would have taken the blame for the whole situation. We did n't tell them the y should o r shou ldn't ride. It was up to the individual. This is the last time this will happen to us. The pro moter did all he could. We have nothing against the promoter , the fans or th e o ther r iders who didn 't race." The tw o promoters of the race, Bill Marcel and Bob Bellino, stood at the bottom of the sta irs from the winner's rostrum and shook the hands of the 250cc riders when they stepped from the podium . "The crowd was a little less than we were hop ing for," Bill Marcel said. "But tha t' s the na ture of promoters. Everything has to be rig ht for ne xt year to happen. We have to have industry support, adequa te input or gu idance as to what's required - to have a track next year that d oesn' t gen erate what happened this year. We appreciate what the riders d id . Th ey raced for Race West and the fans. We did what we could and the y appreciated it - and tha t's a good relationship." a Pomona Falrp lex Pomona, Californ ia Resuhs: April 10, 1994 2SOcc CP: 1. Rich Oli ver (Yam) ; 2. Danny Wa lke r (Yam); 3. Chri s 0 ' Alui sio (Ap r); 4. Donal d Hough (Yam) ; 5. Nlck Ienatsch (Yam ); 6. Chris Taylor (yam); 7. Chuck Sorenson (Yam ); 8. Mike Sullivan (Yam); 9. Geep Terranova (Yam); 10. Christop her Ran kin (Yam); 11. Ma rk McDonal d (Yam); 12. Jason Paden (Yam); 13. Aaron Turner (Yam); 14. Bill Quinn (Yam); 15. G reg Esser (Yam ); 16. Bobb y Kei th (Yam); 17. Polan d Sa nds (Yam); 18. Bruce Lind (Yam ); 19. Leon Co rtes (Yam ); 20. Bill Borselli (Yam); 21. Don Grivalva (Yam); 22. Frank Aragaki (Yam ); 23. Wa rren Du na w ay (Yam ); 24. Billy Dalu (Yam) ; 25. Ta kahi to Moo (Hon). TI me: 32 minutes, 36.932 seconds. D istAnce: 23 lap s, 483 mi les. Avenge speed: 88.853 mph, M.ilrgin of victory: 11.248seconds. . AMA 250cc GRAND PRI X C'SHIP I'OINT STANDINCS (Af te r 3 of to rounds): 1. Rich Oliver (102/2 wins); 2. Danny Wa lke r (84) ; 3. (TIE) Donal d Hough /Nick Ienatsch (77); 5. Chuck Sorenson (71); 6. Mike Sullivan (68); 7. Chris D"Alusio (58); 8. Bill Quinn (53); 9. Chris Taylor (SO) 10. Christopher Ran kin (49); ; 11. Geep Terrano va (48); 12. (TIE) Greg Esser/ Aar on Tu rner (47); 14. (TIE) Al Salaverria !Jaso n Paden (46); 16. Mark McDo nald (36); 17. Jim m y Fili ce (35/1); 18 . Mi chael Bam.. (30) ; 19. Bru ce Lin d (28) ; 20. Bobby Keith (2h). . .... I-< ~ 13

• Cover