Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Round 8: Brainerd Interna tional Raceway (Left) Miguel DuHamel had the crowd In an uproar when he took the lead In the Superb lke Nationa l. DuHamel led until ru nni ng off the track, but he still came back to fi nish a close fourth. (Below) Th is was the lead group exiting turn nine. They were never farther apart than th is and the outcome was In doubt until the very end . A lap later, though, and it was Edwards at the front for the first time as he led James and Picotte, with Corser slipping back to fourth, just ahead of the extraordinary DuHamel. Edwards would lead the final laps, but never by much. The difference was a bold move through lapped riders. "I saw the perfect opportunity," Ed wards said. " I wanted to ge t ' e m before tum four, but I didn't catch 'em until right before six. I just sp lit ' em, then I put my head down and nailed it from then on." Then in the final comer, everything ne arly wen t wrong for the Texan: " In the middle of the race it started vibrating like hell," he said. "In the last comer the transmission went. I did the parad e lap in first gear." The backmarkers had balked the 22year-old Corser, ending his hopes for victory: "He stopped in the comer and I almost hit him. Miguel (DuHamel) lost the back end at one po int and we almost connected. I re all y went through on e and tw o hard that lap . I got back up there, but I knew I didn't have what it took to strike. The hand's hurting pretty good right now. At half distance it was a little sore and I dropped back. I figu red I'd try hard the last half-dozen laps ." "Colin made a move through tw o guys that was incred ible," a visibly dis. appointed James sai d . "I was in the wrong place with two laps to go. I was just doing all I could to find a po sition to ra ce. Wh en I wa s in the lead I never looked back and I should have. That not looking back stuff is bull. I th ou ght I had one gu y, then there were two guys all of a s udden . And then there w as an other one." Corser held on for second, but onl y because DuHamel went sideways on the .Brieflv.·. . was second. I flopped it in and it went b ig- tim e sid ewa ys . Tro y a nd Ja m ie stuffed me real hard and then Jamie protected his line in (tum) 10. Pass ing on the outside with the tire the way i~ was wasn't possible. We ha d second plac e. In my m ind , w e h ad second . I w as th inking ab out wi nni ng today, an d I was the only guy who got aw ay. I need to ha ve a talk with the team becau se I wasn't getting any plus or minus signs on my pit boa rd. I' m hap p y. Hey, we got a fou rth - a t Bra inerd . The whole team deserves a big pat on the back - it was quite an achievement." With his confid ence soa ri n g, Edwa rds s u m med u p his wee ken d : "Whenever you win one, all you've got to do is win two." (N Brainerd Internat ional Raceway Brainerd, Minnesota Results: July 31, 1994 SU P ERBIKE QUA LIFYIN G: I. Coli n Ed wa rd s II (1:40.320/ 107.656 m ph); 2. Troy Co rse r (1:40.610); 3. [a mie j ames (1:40.699 ); 4. Fred Merkel (1:41.116); 5. Miguel DuHamel (1:41.172); 6. M;ke Sm ith (1:41.484); 7. Ta kahi ro Sc hwa (1:42049); B. Steve Crev ier (1:42563); 9. Pascal Pico tte (1;43.220); 10. To m Klpp (1:43.305) ; 11. Kev in Magee (1:43.349); 12. Da le Quarterley (1:43.488); 13. Scott Gray (1:43514); 14. Brad Hazen (I: 43.69B); 15. Fritz Kling (1:44.541); 16. Eric Moe (1:45.443); 17. Tripp No bles (I:45 .n 1); 18. Donald Jacks (1:46.545); 19. jo hn Hilton (1:47.756); 20. David Kieffer (1:48.207); 21. Steve jo hnson (H8.770); 22. Dan Tumer (1:49.497); 23. John jacob (1:49.544); 24. Mik e Wa lsh (1:50.884); 25. john McMahon (1:53.597); 26. Roger Hendricks (1:53.740); 27. jelf Ste m (1:55.026); 28. Matt Cusumano (1:57.236). SU PER BI KE NATIONAL: I. Co li n Ed wa rds II (Yam ); 2. Troy Co rse r (Due); 3. J.lmi e Ja mes (Yam); 4. Miguel DuHa mel (H-D); S. Ta kahi rc Sc hwa (Kaw); 6. Pascal Pico tte (Due); 1. Ste ve Cr ev ier (Ka w); 8. Brad Hazen (Due); 9. Tom Kipp (5uz ); 11. Scott Gray (Due) ; 12. Do nald jacks (Suz ); 13. Fritz Kling (H-D); 14. Eric Moe (Kaw ); 15. Da le Q u a rte rley (Ka w ); 16. Da vi d Kieffer (Du e); 17. Dan T urner (Yam); 18. Joh n Jaco b (Yam); 19. Steve Johnson (Ka w); 20. Mike Wa lsh (Yam); 21. Roger Hendricks (Suz); 22. Mike Smith (Hon); 23. Jeff Stem (Suz); 24. Joh n McMa hon (Ka w ); 25. Fred Me rkel (Kaw ): 26. Tripp No bles (Kaw). lime: 35 minutes. 51.349sec. Dista nces 21 laps. 63 miles. Average Spttd:: 105.422 m ph . Milrgi n of Victo ry: 0.664 St.'C. U.S . S UP ERBIKE N AT'L C'SH IP POINT STA N D ING S (Af te r 8 of 10 ro u nds); 1. Troy Co rser (234/3 wins); 2. Jam ie James (218); 3. Takahiro Soh wa (205 ); 4. Steve Crevier (202); 5. Pascal Picotte (178 /2 w ins ); 6. Da le Quarte rley (173); 7. Colin Edwa rds II (171/2 wins); 8. Mike Smith (156); 9. Fred Merkel (152); 10. Thomas Steven s (143); 11. Tom Kip? (142); 12. Brad Hazen (116); 13. Kevin Magee (102); 14. Eric Moe (100); 15. Da n Turner (%). final lap, going sideways and allow ing Corser and James to slip by. "In turns one, two and three, I was merciless," DuHamel said. "I was quite a bit faster through there. After aw hile they knew I would be out there so they started runnin g me out to the g rass. Going into the chicane on the last lap I the wheel simply came olf. Then Ihe wheef M · freelance [oumalist Dean Adams, who ironically is a fri end o( Kipp' s. "1\ hit me ·in the 'abco rnen - the lower abdomen; Adams said. · "I Was wearing a fanny pack and a smashed a role of film Ihal was in it: I actually kind of caughl lhe wheel. There's pastureseverywhere oullhere, and the wheel has to hit me." Nealier Kipp or Adarnssu ttered any injury. Colin Edwards II earned $4250 of the $25,000 · Superbike purse in Ihe Suzuki-sponsored race · at.Brilinerd. Troy Corser look home $2850 and Jamie James pocketed $1~ . . Anotherwho was lucky to escape serious injury was Yoshimura Suzuki's Tom Klpp. The Ohioa n crashed his :GSXR750 Superliike Dale Quarterley inilially thoughlhis problems When Jamie James was asked after the race when ·the front whee l carne off as he firsl In the Superbike National were lire related : ·if that was the most fun he'd had dur ing a touched the brakes at the entrance of iu rn . Then he noticed oil on his boot after Ihe botts Superbike National, the well·liked Louisianari three . As it turns out, one of the Yoshimura . had come outot the chain drive cover: ~r just . said: 'When I win 'em, 1 have more fun, actual- . crew had failed to secure the forI< to the front droned around to make sure we finished; the Iy. That was an ·awful hard ride nol to win. I wheel properly.and when Kipp hit the binders . New Englander said . ~W8 werea lot closer guarantee they got their money's worth today."

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