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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127748
·ROAD RACE
. AMA National Ch.ampionship Road Race series
Final round: Firebird International Raceway
(Left) Team Erion Racing
(1) leads Cycle Motion
Racing (46) In the
SuperTeams final. Cycle
Motion took the win and
the title.
(Below) A horde of
Harley's attack Flreblrd.
The race was won by Ben
Bostrum (11) over Shewn
Higbee (1).
Mark McDaniel, Yates and Wilson in
tow as the pack completed the first lap
of the 22-1ap race. On the third lap,
Merkel crashed hard, losing control in a
fast right-hander, clipping the wall and
running the length of the wall before
finally getting tossed to the ground. The
red flag carne out and the race was put
in a holding pattern that lasted well
over 45 minutes.
Kipp rode back to check on his fallen
rival before pitting with the rest of the
class to await the restart.
When the race was restarted, the
drag race to the first turn was nearly
identical to the previous one. Wilson led
Kipp with McDaniel, Yates, Randolph
and Lupo in tow. Bostrum led a second
group that featured David Roy and
Miyagi.
Wilson continued to lead, pulling
away from Kipp, who suddenly had his
hands full with a charging Yates. The
first of the top runners to go was Randolph, who was recently let go by
Kinko's Kawasaki and was back on a
Suzuki for this race. The Northern Californian crashed in turn 12 while battling
with McDanieL
The next to go was McDaniel, though
he remounted, pitted and eventually
pulled out for good.
On the 11th lap, Wilson crashed out
of the lead: "It was in the left-hander
where everyone had crashed and there
was oil dry down over there," Wilson
explained. "I was pushing, but I felt I
could go faster. It really caught me off
guard. It just folded under; it's just one
of those things."
Wilson's demise left Yates with the
lead, though Kipp shadowed his every
move. On the 15th lap, Yates was
slowed when he ran into the back of
Brian Catterson, who was being lapped.
That allowed Kipp to squeeze through
and from there he galloped away to victory, topping Yates by 1.516 seconds at
the finish.
"Four or five laps from the end it felt
like it was running out of gas:' Yates
said. "I was going to come in, but it
worked and I just kept going. I tried
catching him, but it was way too late. I
hit the lapped guy pretty good; he just
cut down in front of me."
Kipp was pleased to have earned the
title, but disappointed that Merkel, his
friend and rival, was in hospital.
"The track was brutal," Kipp said. "I
almostllitched it a few times. I feel real
fortunate. I still didn't have it locked up
even with Fred out; Tom Wilson could
have still won it if I crashed out. I didn't
want to give up; I wanted to win this
title in style."
Jim Leslie seemed well on his way to
finishing third, but he too crashed out on the last lap. Bostrum, meanwhile,
managed to run up the
inside of Lupo in the final
corner to take the final
rostrum spot.
'
"I w asn' t sure if I'd
finished third," Bostrum
admitted. "I thought top
five, but then I saw Rick
(Hutchins) was holding
up three fingers. I don't
think I've ever been so
happy. Everyone jumped
on the bike to fix it after
the crash. Everything just
worked. The last comer
was just a long dirt track
corner and I slid it right
past him (Lupo). I've got
big goals but everything
has to fall into place. Another (Mike)
Hale, that's what I'm hoping for."
a
Flrebird International Raceway
Chandler, Arizona
Results: September 23, 1995
750cc SUPERSPORT FINAL: 1. Tom Kipp (Vam);
2. A.uon Yates (Suz); 3. Ben Bostrum (Han); 4.
Anthony Lupo (Yam); 5. Mark Miller (Kaw); 6. Jim
Lestie (Suz); 7. Rad Greaves (Hon); B. Hikaru Miyagi
(Han); 9. Tripp Noble. (Kaw); 10. Oav;d Roy (Kaw);
11. Stu Morrison (Han); 12. Marcus Hubbard (Hon);
13. Mnrk Black (Suz); U. Tommy Lynch (Suz); 15. Clint
McBai.n (Hon); 16. Jim Lester (Y