Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127671
- but his chances of victory went out the windo w in turn five. "I had a little bra ke prob lem," Corser said. "But I hit a false neu tral going in to five and there was nuthin' I could do. I'm hap py. I've been struggling all week here. I just need som e more lime - I still haven't sussed it out. I'm p retty su re I would have been up there at the end. " With Corser slipping back to sixth, it would be up to Ed w a rd s, James a nd Merkel to pressure Picotte. Sadowski was h aving brake problems of his own, and wo uld be forced to settle for what would eventually end up being fourth place. "We stretched the service interval at Laguna Seca and it crac ked the cases," Sado wski exp lained of his pre-race problems. "The ro tor magneto hit the stator an d screw ed it up. We replaced everything electrical and it ran like a top . With ou r limited practice lim e, we ende d up rebuilding the shock right before the race and I also made some gearing changes. On lap five I was second and think ing, ' Ma n, I ca n w in this thing.' Then the lever started coming closer and closer to the bar and it w as 'Oh,no.' I spe nt six lap s trying to crank the lever out. I go t to it three limes and got eigh t clicks out of it. I just couldn't stop, but it was a good lesson in front-wheel plowing." The wild race at th e front saw Edwards, James and Merkel seriously cut into Picotte's 2.83-second lead; on the 14th lap, the lead was only .44-of-a-second over Edwards - but then disaster s tru ck the youngster as he crashed in turn 14. The two Fast By Ferraccl Ducat is of Pascal Picotte (21) and Troy Corser (19) ran one-two for a few laps; Picotte ended up winning while Corser finished fourth . "In tha t corner y ou go in, lose the front, give it gas, get the front back and go . It's th e sa me th in g th ro ugh th ere every lap, like clockwork. That lime I lost the front, gassed it and wham - I'm outta there." The Texan gash ed on e of his fingers, bu t ot her than that he was unhurt. With Edwards out, the stage wa s set for a hectic last lap. Picott e had a lead, but he threw that away when he ran off the track - again in turn 8. That allowed James and Merkel to close right back in, and the race went to the final corner. A comer that featured a waving yellow flag due to the Edwards incident. James pulled out from behind Picotte goin g into tum 14 for the last time and do ve under the Ducati rider, pushing the French Canad ian wide on the exit. James led as they headed u p the hill toward s the checkered flag, bu t he missed a shift and Picotte was able to draft by to win by half a wheel at the flag. Merkel cou ldn't do anything but watch. The controversy started to brew when it was reported that James had actua lly made the pass on Picotte un der a w avin g yellow flag. Since comer workers didn't report the incident to AMA officials, no immediate penalties were assessed. They would come, though, much later.