Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127805
"':'
......"
",..
".. .
..
.
"I knew if I could stuff him - there's
no way you can pass him dean, he just
knows every inch of the race track - and
get around him he'd hold up the whole
gang," Sadowski said. "So I drove it into
tum three (on lap two) just total berserk,
right on the inside, lifting the rear wheel
in the air, caught my downshift just in
time to throw it in, and got around him.
But I think he expected me to do that,
and he moved over and gave me about
the four inches I needed to dear handlebars, and I commend him for that."
Wood was using the soft-compound
Dunlops (881 rear).
"They would rip for 12 laps and the
last five," Wood said. "That.was the sacrifice for running the soft tire. The thing
kinda went off a little bit, but it was
good enough to just maintain a nice fast
, pace and keep the distances you got by
using it in the beginning."
. Within a lap Stanton had passed
Wood, and then Batey and Hacking. The
three Valvoline Suzukis held second
through fourth in formation for most of
the rest of the race until Hacking went
down in tum one on lap 13. It was too
late to catch Sadowski, who had accumulated a 4.I-second lead by lap eight.
Batey made a few cautious outbraking
moves on Stanton in turn three but
dearly did not want to risk taking both
of them out.
"Stanton had a really good pace
goin'," Batey said. "I've turned faster
lap times than that this weekend, and I
can do 'em if I have to, but it's a little
sketchy. I smacked myself pretty hard
this morning - it didn't make me dizzy
but it kinda shook me up. I was gonna
be right there in case someone made a
mistake. All day I've been a little cautious dimbin' this hill [tum four] where
I tossed it - when I was foUowin' someone they'd gain a little on me and then
I'd gain it back goin'down. I Imew I
wasn't going to pass anyone there."
Behind them Wood was alone, followed by Metzger, Jenkins (who would
crash in tum four on the last lap), and
Kling, battling his way up through the
field from his back-of-the-grid start. In
the closing laps, Kling got by Jenkins
and Metzger for fifth, while Fitzpatrick
held seventh and local Seth Hahn
passed Ray Yoder for eighth.
"The morning race was really not
good for our setup," Wood said. "We
needed about 30 degrees more in the
track temperature. In the afternoon it
was there and then after the big red flag
delay the track started getting cold
again, and I went, 'Oh, man, we're
gonna lose it!' I ran the same tire (a
Dunlop 881) that Kipp, DuHamel, and
Chandler ran during the ational here,
and it has to have a warm track to work.
That's all we had, nothing softer. They
worked great in the second race between races we made no other
changes. "
"If Sadowski's motor had gone, or if
he'd had had a problem, we'd have
been right there," Batey said: "Besides, if
Stanton had won, Chris Weidl [Stanton's tuner] was gonna have to run
naked down the front straightaway. I
didn't want to miss that by any means."
As the series heads for the Daytona
finale in two weeks, Batey holds a 30point lead over Sadowski with Stanton
another 11 points back and Kling nine
points behind Stanton. A win is worth
35 points, second 32. So Batey would
have to either not finish or finish very
far back for one of the other three to
have a chance.
"The monkey's getting lighter now,"
" Batey tuner Jerry Daggett said.
But the last word goes to perpetual
optimist Sadowski.
:-i"""''''~~~~
.
-
"Hope y'all come down to Daytona
to see me win this championship," Sadowski said. "It's mine - they just don't
know it yet!"
{N
New Hampshire International Speedway
Loudon, New Hampshire
Results: OCtober 5-6, 1996 (Round 8 of 9)
FORMULA USA QUALIFYING HEAT RACE 1: 1.
Don Munroe (Kaw); 2. Tray Batey (Suz); 3. David
Sadowski (Hon); 4. Scott Zampach (Tri); 5. Jamie
Hadcing (Suz); 6. Andy Deatheeage (Kaw); 7. Chris Bliss
(Suz); 8. F,eddy Maruca (Yam); 9. Steve Cooke (Due);
10. Michel Amalric (Yam); 11. Noel Brown (Suz); 12.
Paul Giandinoto (Due); 13. Jim Bonner (Yam); 14. Bill
Himmelsbach (Hon); IS. Jeff Williams (Hon); 16. Eric
Gulbransen (5uz); 17. Adam Lew(., (Tri); 18. Jason
Bachhorer (Suz)
Time: 6 min., 23.860 sec.
Distance: Slaps, 8 miles
Aver~ge speed: 78.310 mph
Margin of vidory: a.uo sec.
FORMULA USA QUALlFY1NG HEAT RACE 2: 1.
Fri.tz Kling (Yam); 2. Sean Sweeney (Due); 3. David
Stanton (5uz); 4. Michael Fitzpatrick (Kaw); S. Eric
Wood (Kaw); 6. B,.., Metzger (Hon); 7. Neil Jenkins
(Yam); 8. Brian Kent (Suz); 9. Seth Hahn (Suz); 10. John
Scheehser (Yam); 11. Ray Yoder (Kaw); 12. Mark
Kowalski (Yam); 13. Arfstarco Azcona (5uz); 14. Charles
Small (Kaw); IS. Ko,y Rooks (Yam); 16. JelfTey Stem
(J