Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

said after later being penalized. "He (the starter) flinched and everyone went. 1 didn't even lead into the first turn. They didn't do the start the same. 1 was over there coun hng for the other races; 1 watched all of 'em (the other races)." Hale knew right away that Smith was effectively out of the race, bubt didn't stop him from constantly hounding the Ducati rider. . "As far as 1 was concerned, Smith wasn't in the race," Hale would later say. "My dad showed me 'pol' early in the race. 1 knew what happened; 1 saw his number on the board." Smith's problem wasn't the only one for the Ferracci crew. On the second lap, Buckmaster crashed, taking Sohwa with (Above) Miguel DuHamel (17) holds off Tom Klpp (16) In their heated battle for second place. DuHamel took the runnerup spot and with It the AMA SUperblke National Championship. (Left) Steve Crevier (14), Kipp (16), Thomas Stevens (11) and Spencer (19) race In the early going. ond lead, 1 chiUed out and just brought it in. I was careful in traffic; aggressive, but careful also. They've (lapped traffic) cost me before and 1 wasn't going to let 'em do it to me again. When everything's right, it's kind of easy." Kipp wasn't pleased with what he called bad comerworking, but he was happy nonetheless with his performance: "It's a one-line race track and there was some bad comerworking, bad communication here today. There are two spots to pass and then half a track of waving yellows. 1 just did my best to hold him (DuHamel) off. He had a lot on the line today and hvasn't going to do anything to jeopardize him in any way." Fourth place ended up going to Crevier, but only after Spencer had a few front-end slides and a run-in with a fallen lapped rtder. . "He crashed right in front.Qf me," Spencer said. "And then another guy moved over and that slowed me. 1 saw Steve (Crevier) was there but the front end started pushing. There wasn't much 1couId do." Crevier was incensed over the starting procedure. '1t's not good," the Canadian said. "Everybody jumps. They've got to nail more than just (Mike) Smith. It's pathetic. Guys in the second row were going by me. Then 1 got stuck behind Jamie (James) and (Dale) Quarterley and you can't pass them easily. It's KiRJ) quick throughout ance &: Hines Yamaha's Tom Kipp (right) joined Muzzy Kawasaki Pascal Picotte as the only two-time pole winner of the 10race-old season with his performance on the 1.6mile Firebird International Raceway. Kipp was fast on Friday, and slightly slower on Saturday but still nobody went any quiclcer. "The last two laps were beautiful laps," said Kipp, who clicked off a record-setting oneminute, 8.1S1-second lap On Friday before following it up with a 1:08.191 on Saturday. "We don't have to change anything on the !:?ike. All we have to do is put a full tank of fuel in it and 1 think we'll be all set. We made some pretty substantial changes and it all worked. It was just some stuff we didn't get a chance to try all year long. The key is to get the bike to flick. It'll be a tough race. I'm just going to go out and run hard." Kipp ended up besting Muzzy Kawasaki's late-season bloomer Steve Crevier, with the Canadian clocking a 1:08.269 in the final session to keep his strong end-ofthe-season run in tact. But qualifying is qualifying. Was he ready to win a race? "I've been ready to win all bloody year," Crevier said. "We're always playing with the chassis to try and help get traction. Late in the race we're always struggling with that and I lose a lot of cornering speed. Here, I think it's going to be the same for everybody. I think we have as good a chance here as anybody." The key for the Muzzy boys seemed to be the fact that not much has changed with the motorcycle of late: "Since the World Superbike race at Laguna we haven't changed much," Crevier said. "We went back to what's worked. in the past and the changes are minimal at this point. My goys are working together really good and we're starting to carry some momentum. I think we'll be okay today. The AMA has said they're watching the starts more because everybody's been jumping. I never want to risk being black-flagged so I don't jump, and that's been hurting my starts." The third fastest of the superbike men would be a no-show on Sunday. Yoshimura Suzuki's Fred Merkel was air-lifted to a local hospital on Saturday after crashing out of the 750cc Supersport final. Fortunately, Merkel's injuries weren't as severe as originally thought, but the Californian did suffer broken ribs and a collapsed lung. Needless to say, he was still in the hospital on Sunday and would be kept for observation until Monday. The final spot on the front row was held by Mike Hale, the Smokin' Joe's Racing Honda rider clicking off a 1:08.372. "I'm ready," Hale said. "If it behaves itself, we'll be up there." Hale had gone through three clutches in his Honda RC45 prior to the race, including one during Sunday morning's warm-up session. In all, nine riders circulated in the 1:08s, with Fast By Ferracci's Mike Smith, Smokin' Joe's champion-elect Miguel DuHamel, Fast By Ferracci's Freddie Spencer, Muzzy's Pascal Picotte and the returning Jamie James on the second Vance &: Hines Yamaha all under 1:09. Yoshimura's Thomas Stevens, Ferracci newcomer Damon Buckmaster and regular Takahiro Sohwa completed the third row, all in the l:09s. Smith missed most of the final session after suffering a blown motor - the fourth of the weekend for the Ferracci team. V '--- .....,......:..:....:..: him and knocking two of the factory Ducatis out of the race in one comer. "1 just lost the front," Buckmaster explained. "1 ran in a little hot and the track was a bit greasy. 1 didn't need to crash. I'm okay, I'm just pissed. I don't normaUy crash in a race." The third Ferracci bike was stiU at the front - at least visually - as Smith continued to lead, with Hale charging after him. Meanwhile, those two had opened up a substantial gap to the group behind them - all of whom, including DuHamel, were following Quarterley. "1 got a great start, but then there was bumping," DuHamel said. "1 felt like a pinball out there. 1 think 1 bumped with Steve (Crevier) and somebody else. For some reason those holes looked bigger. But when 1 got there they got real small quick. That allowed the first two guys to get away. 1 really wanted to try and win again. "Then Dale (Quarterley) was on a mission to make a name for himself and 1 had to wait for him to calm down. I knew they were pulling away, but 1 had to take my time to get Quarterley and Jamie (James). They had a steady gap and 1 went as fast as 1 could, thinking that maybe they'd get into it and allow me to get close enough to smell blood. 1 didn't want to chunk my tire. 1 was thinking all the time; 1 didn't want to take any stupid c/1ances out there." It wasn't until the fourth lap that somebody put a move on Quarterley and it was James. DuHamel followed his lead a lap later. By the end of the sixth lap, Hale led James and DuHamel by just over eight seconds. Kipp was also on the move, the Yamaha rider moving around both Quarterley and James to take over fourth (really third, when you remove Smith from the equa- tion). And Spencer, too, was heading to the front, moving into what would be fourth place on the 10th of 29 laps. Then came a gap to a Quarterley, James, Crevier, Stevens, Picotte pack, and a smaller gap to Harley's Chris Carr and privateer VR1000-mounted Michael Barnes; Chandler was fighting for 12th with Canadian Michael Taylor. Kipp took over second place on the 12th lap with a pass on DuHamel; the same lap that Hale finally moved around Smith. Kipp would even go as far as pulling out a gap over DuHamel, but by the 19th lap they were locked together again. Theirs would be a battle to the finish, with DuHamel nearly crashing on the exit of the final comer as he made certain Kipp couldn't pass on the inside. "Completely controlled," DuHamel said with a smile of his last-comer scare. "I just turned it in tight in case Tom (Kipp) had an idea of stuffing it under. It was nothing too crazy - thank God we've got the bike dialed in so we can get away with that. I would have slid across the finish line; there's no way I'd not cross the finish line." . Hale, meanwhile, had crossed the line 10 seconds' earlier after what he called a relatively easy race. "I was just riding my own race," the Texan said. "1 just wanted to conserve my tire - that's something I've learned this year. The biggest problem was a waving yellow flag. 1 didn't know if 1 could pass him (Smith) or no. 1 finally got him between the the chicane and the sweeper. 1 had my plan going into the race; I knew what 1 was capable of. We had some bad luck during qualifying with some mechanical stuff, but we knew we had a good race setup. "Once 1 got to a 12, 12-and-a-haLf sec-

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