ROAD RACE
AlIA Superblke National Championship Road Race Series
BRAINERD, MN, JULY 14
i~ a puff of smoke at the end
of 'Brainerd International
Raceway's ultrafast first corner, the complexity of the AMA Superbike National Championship ·took a
drastic turn, the pendulum ta~ing a
giant swing back toward Smokin' Joe's
Honda's Miguel DuHamel and away
from Muzzy Kawasaki's Doug Chandler.
Chandler's race ended and his championship hopes were dashed in a' single
blow on the ninth lap when his Kawasaki failed him while he was lying second,
a fitting on the water pump breaking off
and causing the engine to lose water
and eventually expire. Chandler nursed
the bike back to pit lane, but there was
nothing that could be done to save his
day. Meanwhile, DuHamel was able to
finish a safe second, topping Vance &
Hines Yamaha's Tom Kipp and
Yoshimura Suzuki's Mat Mladin in a
mad dash to the finish line, his championship hopes suddenly rekindled.
All of this happened well behind the
race winner: Fast By Ferracci's Nessan\0 dro Grarnigni. The Italian has now raced
0\ a superb ike four times, and he's won
~
~
~ ::.~~~~:::~JZ,~~~t~
s:~~~
~r coming under sunny Minnesota skies
.?;-
2-
6
today. While his first win showed his
wet-weather riding mastery, this one
proved that Grarnigni is no slouch in the
Round 8: Br~nerd International Raceway
