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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127748
ROAD RACE North American Super Bike Series Rounds 5ยท6: Road Atlanta RACE TWO The heat began to rise both on the track and in the pits as the superbike teams rushed to further adjust for the weather, while some simply were forced to make repairs from race one. When the start flag dropped, Pittman on his Zlock Racing Kawasaki came out in frorit with Pinkstaff's Zlock Kawasaki in third. Sandwiched between was the Tucker Racing Yamaha of Michael Fitzpatrick, trailed by Real's Ducati in fourth and Batey in fifth. The noticeable absence among the lead pack was Nobles. Steve Griggs had provided a rep.1acement engine for the ZEFCO team, but repairs didn't get made quickly enough and Nob.1es was forced to start from pit road. To make matters worse, the new motor had a standard gearbox and lacked top speed on the back straight, leaving Nobles to ultimately finish ninth. Lap number two saw Real and Batey both pass Pinkstaff as they closed on the leaders. On the very next lap the pair disposed of Pittman and started pressuring the Tucker Racing Yamaha of Fitzpatrick. The gritty Columbia, Mary- . land, rider bared down and gave an outstanding effort, only to Jose the lead on lap four to the hard-charging Batey. On lap nine, he also succumbed to Real. Batey was untouchable, clicking off Jap times in the 1:25 range to eventually win by 4.81 seconds. Real crossed the line in second with Fitzpatrick, Yates, and Todd Harrington rounding out the top five. "The pace was faster (than the first race)," Real said. ".1 thought that Fitzpatrick would make a move to go with the leader, but he never did. My engine was down on power when it got warm. I'm looking long term at the points championship." By George Roberts BRASELTON, GA, SEPT, 17 hat a difference a day makes, and sometimes even half a day. Sunday morrung's practice session for the North American Super Bike round at Road Atlanta looked a lot like Saturday's session rainy and dark. But by the time the first of the two legs got underway, things were completely different. The sun was out, the track was d.r:ying rapidly, and the teams were scurrying to adjust to the changing conditions. But none of this seemed to matter much to Martini Racing's Pablo Real. The Miamian vaulted himself into second position in the inaugural NASB Championship with a win and a second place in the two-leg format. Real and his Ducati won the first race before being beaten in the second by Valvoline Suzuki's Tray Batey. At the end of the day, Real's 1-2 tally had pulled him to within one point of championship leader Keith Pinkstaff, 135-134. Pinkstaff ended the day with fifth-and sixth-place finishes. W RACE ONE The first leg saw Joe Pittman on his Kawasaki 750 jump into the lead coming through turn two, followed by the Honda CBR600 of Brian Gibbs - but all this was for naught as three midpack riders crashed between turns one and two, bringing out the red flag. On the restart it was pole-sitter Tripp Nobles who grabbed the early lead, followed closely by Batey and Real. Pittman and Gibbs didn't fare as well in the second start, this time heading up the hill in fourth and fifth, respectively. (Above) Pablo Real vaulted himself to within a point of championship leader Keith Pinkstaff with a 1-2 tally In the North American Super Bike round held at Roed Atlanta. (Right) Tray Belay was Impressive In the second leg at Road Atlanta, winning easily after getting the better of Michael Fhzpabick (89) and Pablo Real (29). Batey settled in behind Nobles and ahead of Real and a closing Aaron Yates. The four-rider group held their positions until lap seven when Real moved around Batey and set his sights on Nobles. '1 held to the first guy and waited for the last lap." Real explained later. Nobles led every lap of the race and appeared to have the field covered. Not so, however, as Real caught and passed the Kawasaki-mounted Nobles on the back straight section of the track before "Gravity Cavity." Unable to respond to the attack, Nobles se.ttJed for second. "The motor blew, I think it's a valve," 'the Macon, Georgia, native said. Batey rode his Valvoline Suzuki to a respectable third-place finish, crossing the line just in front of Yates' Suzuki and Keith Pinkstaff's Kawasaki. Vic Fasola, Nobles' tuner, worked feverishly between races to swap the powerplant in the Kawasaki superbike. AMERICAN SPoRTBIKE Road Atlanta fans were treated to a close and exciting race as the NASB version of 600cc Supersport racing proved to be one of the most entertaining of the weekend. The lead changed hands at least six times, and the top-three contenders brought the fight all the way to the final lap. Once again, the back straight was the deciding factor in the outcome. On the first lap, Kevin RentzeU's