Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

"I wanted to let Dave (Estok) get a little bit ahead of me coming out of the chicane so I could get a drive to the finish line and not be right on his tail," Wait said. '1 hung back through the chicane and then just pinned it coming out of the Chicane. He had quite a distance on me, but I just reeled him in and drafted past him." Wait's joy was short-lived, however, after he was found to be in violation of the 65-horsepower rule, as was Black. According to an N ASB press release, Wait's Mitchell's Modesto HarleyDavidson was measured at 65.4 np with Black's Miller Electircal Construction bike at 66. The riders were not disqualifed and the race results didn't change; however, they both lost championship points and prize money. Since the World Finals is based on aggregate points from the two races, it effectively ended Wait's hope of retaining his title. According to John Wait, Matt's father, the team had dynoed the bike before the race and it came in at 63.9. Asked how it could gain one and a half horsepower in a race, Wait answered: 'We say it's impossible. We've worked with a dyno the past two years and it should have stayed within two-tenths or dropped, if anything." As a precaution against getting DQ'ed from the second race, the team was going to dyno the bike after the morning practice and tune the bike accordingly. Of the two, Estok's win was faster, the Floridian averaging 97.515 mph for the seven-lap, 25-mile race while Wait averaged 96.748 in winning the first one. Wait also won the Expert U.s. TwinSports class of the Championship Cup Series, beating Mike Black and Roger Reiman. Three core riders dominated both racers - Wait, Bostrom, and Estok - with a fourth rider in the mix both times. In the first race it was Black, though Hal's H-D's Brian Gibbs was right up front in the early going. Bostrom led on the second and third laps, and also the fourth as he and Wait got a slight gap from Estok and Black with Nobles in fifth. Then Estok jumped up and joined the lead group leaving Black to Nobles, who wouldn't complete the sixth lap after breaking a piston. Then there was a foursome at the front, leading for much of the final two laps and into the chicane. With four riders all hooked up, there was little chance he would escape a draft-pass. He didn't. Swarming to the line, it was Wait getting by, then Bostrom going low under Black to take third. "I was looking back to see where Ben and Mark Black were on the last lap," Wait said. "I was kinda wanting them to pa s me because I wanted to hang back in third or fourth. I decided that as'long as I was in second, that would probably be enough for me to get a good draft and go for the win." "Matt was the smart one that held back," Estok said. "When I got the lead coming into the infield I figured somebody else would pass me before then, but they just held back and let me lead out. I tried slowing down going into the chicane." "1 had a move all set up:' Bostrom said. "On the last lap, Mark Black - 1 don't know what he was doing in the chicane, he was parked in there - and that let the other guys kind of break away." Black was fourth, then came Gibbs, John Ashmead and Hal's H-D & Buell's Todd Evans. The leading quartet in the second race was Estok, getting a flyer, then Wait, Eric Bostrom and Ben Bostrom. Nobles was part of the early mix, then lost a little ground which he couldn't regain. Eric Bostrom first led on the third lap, though Estok was quickly by and holding on until Ben Bostrom came by on the fifth lap. The order was changing several times a lap, mostly in turn one and into the chicane. As expected, it came down to the final lap chicane to checkers run - Ben Bostrom leading Estok, Wait, and brother Eric onto the East Banking. All four went high up on the banking, then swept down for the final surge. Estok would get it by a length of a wheel. "On the warmup lap, I broke the rear brake lever off and 1 rode the whole race without it," Estok explained: "It was hard for me to get into the comers and my arm was starting to pump up from using the front brake so hard. Then my tail section started to come off, so I was lucky to stay up there. I thought 1 passed Ben too soon. 1 didn't know who won it, either. Ben thinks he won it and I don't really know because it was so close at the line and I'll take it." "The last lap was terrible because nobody wanted to lead:' Bostrom said. "They let me lead and 1 wanted to go as fast as T could. I went through the chicane and went right up by the wall figuring all these guys would go low, then I could re-draft them. 1 thought it worked and I'm sure I won that race." Eric Bostrom was a close third, then Wait and Nobles, all alone in fifth. Chris Bliss won a race-long battle for fifth, taking it from Black and Brian Gibbs. 0 Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida Results: October 1g:.20, 1996 HARLEY·DAVIDSON TWIN SPORT WORLD FINAL RACE ONE, 1. Matt Wait; 2. Dave Estok; 3. Ben Bostrom; 4. Mark Black; 5. Brian Gibbs: 6, John Ashmead; 7. Todd Evans; 8. Chris Bliss; 9. Lance Jones; 10. Brian Conley; 11. Sho;i Amada; 12. Richie Morris; 13. Michel Ama.lric; 14. Michael Friberg; 15. Frank Stroman; 16. Alan Eadie; 17. Brian Bodine; 18. Mark Reynolds; 19. David McGrath; 20. Kiyoshi Okulcawa; 21. Devin Battley; 22. Steve Blackburn; 23. Roger Reiman; 24. Jeff Harding; 25. James Whitaker; 26. Shawn Blackbum; 27. Jon Stauffer; 28. Scott Korol; 29. Tom Cleppe; 30. Tripp Nobles; 31. Eric Bostrom; 32. Chad Healy. Time: 15 min. 27.278 sec. Distance: 7 Japs, 25 miles, Average speed: 96.748 mph: Margin of vidory: 0.161 sec. RACE TWO: 1. Dave Estok; 2. Ben Bostrom; 3. Eric Bostrom; 4. Matt Wait; 5. Tripp Nobles; 6. Chris Bliss; 7. Todd Evans; 8. Mark Black; 9. Brian Gibbs; 10. John Ashmead; 11. Lance Jones; U. Richie Morris; 13. Brian Conley; 14. ShOji Amada; 15. Kiyoshi Okukawa; 16. Roger Reiman; 17. David McGrath; 18. Michael Friberg; 19. Brian Bodine; 20. Alan Eadie; 21. Frank Stroman; 22. Mark Reynolds; 23. Steve Blackburtl; 24. Devin Battley; 25. Jeff Harding; 26. James Whitaker; 27. Shawn Blackburn; 28. Scott Korol; 29. Ron McGill; 30. Chad Healy; 31. Michel Amalric; 32. Jon Stauffer. Time: 15 min., 19.982 sec. Distance: 7 laps. 25 miles. Aver~ge speed: 97515 mph. Margin of victory: 0.015 sec. HARLEY·DAVIDSON TWIN SPORTS WORLD FTNAL C'SRIP POINT STANDINGS (After two of two rounds): 1. Dave Estok (67/1 win); 2. Ben Bostrom (62); 3. (TIE) Otds Bliss/Todd Evans/Brian Gibbs (48); 6. Lance Jones (42~ 7. Brian Conlev (39~ 8. RidUe Morris (38); 9. ShOji Amada (37); 10. (TIE) Eric Bostrom/ Mkhael Fribe'g (30); 12. Matt Wail (28); 13. (TIE) Tripp Nobles/Kiyoshi Okukawa (27); 15. (TIE) David McGrath/Brian Bodinel Alan Eadie/Frank Stmman (26); 19. John Ashmead (25); 20. (TIE) Mark Black/Roger Reiman. ESC Brakes Sportbike Series Final Round: Daytona International Speedway Harrington, barely By Henny Ray Abrams DAYTONA BEACH, FL, OCT. 20 odd Harrington shot from third place in a four-rider pack exiting the chicane and used a high line to draft to the narrow win in the ultra- T competitive EBC Brakes Sportbike finale at Daytona International Speedway. The 4&6 Cycles-backed Kawasaki rider got the better of Lee Productions' Dave Sadowski, the Georgia veteran continuing his late-season push in the class on a borrowed motorcycle, and Bandit International's Matt Wait, who was a very close third. Tommy Hayden, Muzzy Kawasaki's newest recruit, finished fourth in his first ride on the Muzzy 600. "That was a pretty exciting race and 1 wasn't sure how it was going to turn out because I haven't raced much against these guys with the rules the way they are:' Harrington said. "I knew it was gonna be tough to win this thing because 1 was down a little bit on horsepower:' the Honda-equipped Sadowski said. "I neMed the draft to make the pass and 1 had to tuck in every 33-year-old bone I've got to try to get by these kids." The championship, however, already belonged to Greenwood Motors'ports'. Reuben Frankenfield who had an off day and ended up 27th on his Kawasaki. Jim Lester took second in the eightrace ·championship, his 144 points 29 less than Frankenfield's. Steve Johnson, 13th today on the Top Line Cycle Honda, finished third with 139 points. Harrington completed the 10-lap, 35.6-mile race in 19 minutes, 57.307 seconds at an average speed of 107.040 mph. His margin of victory over Sadowski was 0.185 seconds. The Illinois rider had taken the lead on the first of 10 laps with an aggre sive move into the chicane. Hayden was an impressive second, mixing it up with the veterans and assisted by an admittedly fleet motorcycle. Honda-mounted Wait was next, then Sadowski and Jamie Hacking. The order started shifting on the second lap when Hayden ran it hard into the chicane, holding the point for a couple of laps until Harrington stuffed up the inside of him in the West End Horseshoe. There was more shuffling on the next lap with first Sadowski leading, then Wait, then Harrington, with Wait back in front for the end of the lap. The top three of Wait, Sadowski and Harrington started to put some ground on Hayden just past the halfway point; Todd Harrington won the EBC Sportbike final after a close four-way battle. but just as quickly Hayden reeled them back in. He seemed to be having a hard time getting onto the banking, though he could stick with them through the infield. "I made a big mistake getting on the banking," Hayden said. Yet he was on them for the final run, the leaders having put enough space between themselves and Hacking to prevent him from spoiling their party. He would finish a solid fifth. Wait led lap nine, Harrington took over on the 10th and final lap, the lead quartet weaving their way through the infield for the last time. A crash in the West End Horseshoe caused a waving yellow so there was no passing there and Wait led them through with Harrington, Sadowski, and Hayden unable to make a move. They hit the banking with Hayden going high, the other three down low. The trio hit the brake markers first with Wait leading Sadowski and Harrington, and Hayden bringing up the rear. Then carne the most important part of the race - chicane to finish line - and Harrington was the master. "Tommy Hayden's bike was a missile and 1 think I had a little bit of steam on these guys, so the last lap 1 wanted let Dave get in front of me so I'd have a two-bike draft at the line and it worked out easier than 1 thought it would:' Harrington said. '1 was just in the wrong spot on the last lap, I guess:' Wait said. "I needed to someone to draft with and 1 chose to lead. It was kind of my fault, but it was a great race between the four of us." Then came Hayden, close, but not close enough. "On the last lap l kind of messed up the chicane. 1 didn't get a very good drive:' Hayden admitted. Behind Hacking came Matthew Winnacker, mostly by himself, and Fila Sportswear / Penguin Racing School's Eric Wood, who beat Honda Canada's Jeff Williams to the line by half a bikelength. 1"1'1 ---,------Continued on page 61 1.0 0\ 0\ ,..-l o ("t) !-< OJ .g ti o 15

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