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Round 9:Sears Point Raceway (Left) Jamie J ames s pr ays th e bu bbly on Edwards. (Bel ow) Scott Gray (18) managed to beat Takahlro Sohwa f or fifth place; i1 was Gray's be st performance of th e season. Although the battle went to the wire, it was obvious that James wasn't going to take any chances. Picotte took advantage of James' championship dreams to nab second at the line. James, though, held off Sadowski to finish third. "The closing laps were easier on me than those at the halfway point," said James, who was racing with an injured hand after crashing on Thursday. "At first I wa s really trying to figure out who was around me and who I was racing with. I didn't want to be a real burden to an ybody because I had knocked th e pace back a good bit. But then I didn 't want e ve r yb ody to pass me either, because that would put me too many points back. I started setting a pretty good pace and go t in behind ,Dave Sadowski. I let him go by because he looked like he wanted to go faster than I did at the time. I hooked in behind him and followed him. He was rid ing really good and smooth and was going plenty fast enough for the way I needed to be riding. Toward the end it looked like he started having front tire trouble. I though t maybe Sohwa was catching me, an d I knew I could go a little bit better without taking any super risks. I managed to get by Dave and then Pascal showed up. He was also wanting to go faster than I needed to be . going. I just rode it in real conservatively. These guys didn't try to make it hard on me or anything and my hat's off to 'em." Picotte realized he had taken advantage of James on a da y when the Yamaha rider wasn 't prepared to put up his best fight. "It always feels good wh en you 're on the box," Picotte said. "It's been really hard all weekend long. I don't know why - I just wasn't really comfortable with the track. I was a little bit scared and it took me awhile to get faster and faster. I wasn't able to stay with Coli n a nd Tro y, and Jimmy (James) also those guys were going too fast for me. When Troy crashed Jimmy slowed down - half a second, easy. So it was more the kind of pace I was able to do . I know when Sado w s ki went by me, Jimmy turned around and saw him . He let him go. Jimmy was not making mistakes, but he was thinking about the championship. He usually rides much harder than that. Then Steve (Crevier) crashed and Miguel (DuHamel) slowed down, so I guess it was kind of a lucky second." After working his wa y past Sohwa, Gray eventually settled into a comfortable fifth place, a spot he would hold to the flag: "I got a great start, but then it vapor locked," Gra y explained. "It was sp uttering and spitting and I thought it was something else. I just lost all of my momentum. I got past Sohwa and started going . I was catching those guys, but I got balked in traffic and there was no way I was going to catch them . The bike was great and it feels good after being out of it for so long." Quarterley, who beat Stevens for seventh place behind Sohwa, continues to struggle and now plans on running his last year's chassis with a new motor, beginning with the WERA Pro Series race at Portland next weekend: HI just paced myself by Tom (Stevens)," Quarterley said. "We had a really good race. I ran with him , ran with him, ran with him and he lost the rear once. After that he let me have it, and I put my head down and ran two good laps to get clear." "Th is place brings out all the problems with our bike," Stevens said . HI just rode around and finished the best I could finish. We'll keep working. It'll come." a Sears Po int Race way Sonoma, California Results: August 21, 1994 SUPERBIKE QUALIFYING , 1. Troy Corser (1 minute. 40.855 seconds); 2. Colin Edw ards Il (1:40.914); 3. Jamie lames (1,41.431 ); 4. Scott Gray (1:41.748); 5. Pasca l Picotte (1:41.856); 6. Mig uel DuHamel (1:42.053); 7. Steve Crevier (1:42.211); 8. Fred Me rkel (1:42.241); 9. T akah ir o Sohw a (1 :42.662) ; 10. Thomas Stevens (1:42.876): 1 J. Tom Kipp (1,43 .259 ): 12. Mike Smith (1:43.327); 13. Da vid Sad ow sk i (1:43.693); 14. Donald lacks (1,43.799): 15. Brad Hazen (1:43.799): 16. Kevin Mag ee (1:3.919): 17. Dal e Quartcrle y (1:44.105): 18. Ca lvin Raybom III (H 4.821): 19. Eric Moe (1:44.934); 20. Fritz Klin g (1:45517): 21. Tripp Nobl es (1:45.776): 22. Nick Felli (H6.145): 23. Keith Pinkstaff (1:465 89); 24. Dan Turner (1:47.171); 25. Robert Mesa (1:48.790); 26. David Kieffer (1:49.993); '17. John McMahon (1:51.501): 28. Matt C u s am an o (1:56 .108); 29 . Ed wi n Wo o (1:56.838) . Vance & H'ines'Yamaha's Ja mie Ja me s sudden ly . find s him self leading both the U .S . Superbika National ,Championship and tne AMAlCC S ,600cc Championship -. even after having his points taken .away at Road America for passing under a wav ing yellow flag . ' It's ·kind of .a dream come true for me : 'James The dilfenlnce ' in .the early-season Coli n said. "I've been 'working really hard for the past five years . I've had it in my grasp and things Edwards and the Edwar ds of, late is vislole. The 20'year'0ld has regained the, confi dence have' happened. That's the way it is. You have he was full of as an 18-year-old on a Yamaha ' ' to be patient and just keep digging and maybe .TZ250. "Since Mid-Ohio I've just had my head ,things will come your .way. I'm a firm believer on.-Edwards said . "Iknow I can beat these that everYthing happens for areason, I hate to see that Tro y crash ed out , but I did have a guys. I've just got to gei mysetupriqht and my attitude strai ght.That's 'what I did at Brainerd, . considerable arnou ntot po ints taken away here andat Mid-Ohio before that." The timing . from me earlier in the year that I may riot have deserved Thi ngs have ' gotten turned around on Edwards' charge couldn't have come at a for me now and I'm thankful for it." . beller lime. The ,T exan's two-year contract lNith Yamaha expires 'at the endof the season, and he has become hot property once again .. · Silly sea son update:' Atthough it appears that Jamle ,Jam es and Co lin 'Edward s will stay Despite talks with Eraldo Ferracc l , many expect Edwards to again sign a lucrative con - · with the Vance & Hines Yamaha team in' 1995, the res t' of the superbike slots seem fairly tract with Yamaha . .o pen, With Mike Hal e ' already signed to ride Smokin ' Joe's Hond as next season, the secPrivateer David Sadowski rode his brand new ,Fast By Ferracc i-preppedDucatl at S ears .ond sUperbike ride on the Camel-backed team appears to :be w ide open as ma ny be liev e Point, but he crashed the' bike a.fter only two Mik e Sm it h \Viii jump to either Eraldo Ferrac- ' . ' . . TWO-li me AMA 250cc Grand Prix National Champion Jim my ·Fllice was a spectator at the Sears Point ,National.' Filice's future is still uncertain. 'but a retum to AMA racing is a possibility ; most likely in the superb ike class. FiI~ ice also reports that his status as a Wild Card entry for the upcoming Unite d States Gra nd Prix is in jeopardy because of a lack 'of equipment. If Filice opts todo the ' race . it Will be aboard the 1993 Yamaha TZ250 on which .he ' won the.'93 AMA title. If Filice deci des not to . cornpete .iit is likely that Chris O'Alu ls io will join Ri ch Oliver as ' the American' Wi ld Card entries. '. '. . · Acc'ording to Sears Point Ha.ceway. an est imated 26,000 specta tors attended the AMA ' U.S. Superbike Nationa l Championship round , over the three days of qualifying and competi .'. ' . tion. SUPERBIK E N ATI O N AL: J. Colin Ed w a rds II (Yam); 2. Pasca l Picotte (Due); 3. Jami e James (Yam); 4Dav id Sad ow ski (Due) : 5. Scott Gra y (Du e); 6. Takahiro Soh wa (Ka w) ; 7. Dal e Qua rterlcy (Kaw); 8. Thom as Stev ens (Suz) : 9. Donald Jacks (Suz) : 10. Brad Hazen (Due ): 11. Cal vin Rayborn III (Kdw); 12. Fritz Kling (HD): 13. N cl Felli (l(aw); 14. Keith Pinkstaff (l(aw): 15. Tripp Nobles (Ka w ); 16. Er ic Moe (Kaw); 17. Dan Turner (Yam); 18. Robert Mesa (Yam); 19. David Kieffer (Due); 20. Kevin Magee (Ha n); 21. Stev e Crevier (l(a w): 22. Migu el DuHamel (H-D); 23. Troy Corse r (Due); 24. Tom Kipp (Suz). Time 43 min; 6.987 sec. DisWlu: 25 laps. 625 miles. Average Speed: 86.9754 mph. Margin of Victory: 3.734 sec . AMA us, SUPERBIKE c-SHIP POINT STANDINGS (Afte r 9 of 10 rounds); 1. Jamie ja mes (248); 2. Troy Corser (245/3 wins) ; 3. Taka hiro Sohwa (230); 4. Pascal Pico tte (213/ 2 wins); 5. Steve Cre vier (212); 6. Colin Edwards II (208/3 wins); 7. Dale Qua rterley (19n; 8. Thomas Stevens (166); 9. Mike Smit h (156); 10. Fred Merkel ( 15~): 11. Tom Kipp (149); 12. Brad Hazen (137): 13. (TIE) Fritz Kling/ Eric Moe (115): 15. Kevin Magee (113); 16. (TIE) Dan Turner/ Davi d Sadowski (110); 18. Donald Jacks (96); 19. Scott Gray (94); 20. (TIE) Miguel DuHamel/David Kieffer (82). Upcoming Round: Rnd 10 - Atlanta. Georgia. September 17-18