Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Zing he did one turn late r. Through tum nine the former F-USA champion got a wheel in and the two leaders were side by sid e through the corner .wi th Oliver able to secure the lead. Graves tried for a few laps to stay with the new leader but found himself running out of pavement th rough tum nine on lap four and backed off after that. "I really like the pavement," said Graves. "Rich was riding the wheels off that th in g, and I just really wanted to make sure I finis hed to get as m a ny po ints as I possibly can ." . Th e real ra cing began with th irdplaced Martin. The Texan was hounded througho ut the race by the two Virgini a Breeze riders, Tay lor and Szarek, as well as Team Oliver's Ch uck Sorenson. T a yl o r m a na g ed to p a s s Ma rti n throu gh turn six and w as ab le to hold the Suz uki rid er off for two lap s, but the cagey ve teran ma de it back by on lap nin e to secu re the final podium spot. Yamaha TZ250-mounted Sorenson managed to get as high as third but ultima tely finished in fift h place be hind . Taylor. Pole-sitter Sadowski go t off to a bad start, his mount suffering reported ignition d ifficulties and on the fourth lap he (Above) The fight for third place provided the real excitement in the second race. Shown here leading the pack. Martinwas hounded by Chris Taylor (28). Local racer Curtis Adams (partially hidden) and Glenn Szarek (6). the riders swapping posit ions frequently through the final laps . (Left)Double winner Rich Oliver lets the champagne fly on the cold Easter Sunday. The podium looked like this for both races - Oliver on top. with teammates Chuck Graves (left) In second and Michael Martin (right) in third. Rain delayed the first F-USA race until after lunch. Fortunate ly the foul weather gave way to less foul weather and the race was held on a dry track. was third from last, the bike sounding like it was running on two cylinders. He was able to work up to a disappointing ninth-place finish , and could only hope for a better resu lt in the second outing. Race two began much like the first with Martin blasting off the line in front , only to have the door slammed shut on him in tum one by his teammate Graves. Oliver started much the same as before and hit the first tum a little off the pace, but he was soon past Martin and dose on Graves. At the end of the first lap the to p th ree ca me across start I finish in dose compa ny . Oliver only had to wait until the second lap in tum two to find his way aroun d Graves with a dramatic insid e pass. In the past Graves had the reputation of owning "The Fastest Road in the West," but not on this day. That was the end of any dicing for the top two rostrum positions. The most hotl y contested race of the da y w as for the third position, with fou r rid ers swa p pi ng positions co u n tless times and performing seemingly impossibl e passin g maneu vers. Martin d om inated the position for much of the race, but he wo u ld la ter struggle w ith rear tire gri p. "I was sliding around a bit coming over the brow in tum six so I had to be a little careful; it was kind of messing up my drive down the back straight," Martin said . There were three other riders jus t waiting for such opportunities. Virginia Breeze-mounted Szarek and Taylor traded positions twice on the second lap behind third-placed Martin, chal lenging the Texan every step of the way. Their battle was soon joined by local sensation Curtis Adams, who was wringing everything he could from his 1989 Fastline GSXRllOO endurance bike. What he gave away in horsepower he certainly made u p for in corne r speed and darin g. After his eigh th-p lace finis h in the first race - a res u lt of ba d tire choice, h e said - he came ou t for ra ce two a nd push ed the limits to no en d, finding grea t pa ssing success in the very fast tum eig ht, on theoutside, flanking two othe r rid ers. "Each of them were lookin g like they were h avin g a little bit of a problem getting thro ugh so me of the faster turns," said 10-year Willow veteran Ad ams. By the six th la p Ad ams h ad found h is speed a n d pursued Taylor a n d Szarek - who were running side by side - closel y down th e front s tra igh t. He managed to make a pass on Szarek earl y on the seven th lap, forming what the ann ouncer ca lled a " Virg in ia Breeze sandwi ch." Szarek squeezed h is OW01-framed Yamaha 1()()() back by the Californian on the next lap, but found him self trailing the local racer again after being passed, on the ou tsid e, in turn eight. The two rid ers battled for the advantage through th e length of the front straight and Adams managed to hold the p os itio n only to be repassed later in the next lap, displaced once again to sixth. By this time Sorenson had joined the others in the battle for third but was bringing up the tail of the pac k in seventh - where he wo uld ul timately finis h. Martin led the five riders ou t of tum seven n ose-to-t ail, an d e nteri ng turn eight Ad ams mad e his last-ditch bid for the final rostrum position moving, once again, to the outsi de, where he was able to get in between the Yamaha rid ers. As the trio entered the final tu m they were runnin g three wi de - Szare k, Tay lo r, Adams - none w illing to give the position away to the othe r. Martin barely led the pack as the y were set to drag race down the final straight. Adams had a slight speed advantage exiting the tum and looked as though he might challenge Martin for third. "I thought I could have something for them on the last lap and I got by Szarek and Taylor and got right up beside Mar tin:' said Adams. But that was where his power handicap took its toll and he just didn't have the accele ration to stay with the newer machines. Martin crossed the line th ird, followed by Taylor, then Szarek - so close were they that there was some post-race confusion as to who actually took the spot. A d isap poin ted Adams came across in sixth place, with Sore nson placing seventh. Sadowski reappeared for the second race ninth on the grid as a result of his finish fro m the fir st time, his ignition troubles apparently sorted . But the New Englander who now calls Georgia home was unable to fini sh - th is time as a l~ result of a fried dutch. Willow Springs International Raceway Rosamond. California Results : April16, 1995 RACE ONE: 1. Rich Oliver (Ydm); 2. Chuck Gr aves (Suz); 3. Michael Ma rtin (Suz); 4. Chris Taylor (Yam); 5. Ch uck Sorenson (Yam); 6. Glenn Szarek (yam); 7. Jeff Stem (Kaw); 8. Curtis Adams (Suz); 9. David Sadowski (Hon); 10. Kent Kunitsugu (Yam); 11. Tracy Mcln tyre (Hon); 12. Ouis Voelker (Ho n); 13. Dean Vincent (Yam); 14. Tokey Beck (Sox); IS. Lance Holst (Suz ); 16. And y Milton (Hon ); 17. Cli nto n Wh ite ho use (Ya m ); 18. Michael Mcin tyre (Hon); 19. Frank Aragaki (Yam); 20. Ben Welch (Yam) . Time: 13 min.. 5324 sec. Disu.ntt: 10 laps, 25 miles. MArgin of Victory: 5.56 sec. Average Speed: 108.01 mph . RACE TWO: 1. Rich Oliver (Yam); 2. Chuck Graves (5uz); 3. Michael Martin (Sw;); 4. Glenn Szarek (Yam); S. Chris Tay lo r (Yam); 6. Curtis Adams (Suz); 7. Cluck Sorenson (Yam); 8. Ken t Kunitsug u (Ya m); 9. Chris Voelker (H on) ; Jeff Ste m (Ka w) ; 11. De an Vincen t (Yam); 12. Tracy Mcln tyre (Hon ); 13. John Hilton (Hon); 14. Michael Mclntyre (Hon); 15. Clin to n whiteh ou se (Yam ); 16. Andy Milton (Ho n); 17. Lance Holst (Suz) ; 18. Frank Ar agaki (Ya m); 19. Ben Welch (Ya m); 20. Tokey Beck (Sw;) . Time 13 m in., 59.50 sec. Dista nce: 10 laps, 25 miles. Margin of Victory: 5.06 sec. Average Sp eed: 107.209 mph. FO RMULA USA NAT'L CHA M PION SH IP POI NT STA ND ING S (After 1 of 5 rounds): 1. Rich Oliver (40 points /2 wins) : 2. Chu ck Craves (34); 3. Michael Martin (30); 4. Chri s Tay lor (24); 5. Glenn Szarek (23); 6. Chuck eff Sore nson (20); 7. Curtis Adams (18); 8. J Stem (IS); 9. Kent Kunitsugu (14); 10. Chris Voelker (11); 11. Tracy Mcintyre (9); 12. Dcan Vincent (8); 13. David Sadowski (7); 14. John Hilton (3); 15. (TIE) Michael Mclntyre! Toke y Beck (2); 17. (TIE) O inton Whitehouse /Lance Holst(I). Upcoming rounds: Round2 - Braselton. GA, May 29-30 Round3 - Grattan, MI, June 24-25

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