Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Cycle News 1996 10 30

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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ROAD RACE Sunoco Race Fuels Formula USA Series. Final Round: Daytona International Speedway Ben Bostrom (B). leads Matt Walt (1), Eric Bostrom (21) and eventual winner Dave EstOK In the Harley-Davidson TwinSports class at Daytona. \0 0\ 0\ ,.....; 0' crJ I-< Q) .g tJ o 14 age speed of 103.642 mph. Second was inherited by David Lillard. , "There's nothing wrong with second place behind Mike Ciccotto," Lillard said. "If you've watched him all weekend, he's hauled butt." Ciccotto did it on the Luke's Honda/KWS machine, but on his borrowed bike he was suddenly vincible. While he struggled to catch up, the competition out front in the Amateur Middleweight Supersport was intense. Glen Goldman took over first early, with Keith Wilson going with him and Ciccotto moving into third on the second lap. As the top two sped away, Ciccotto got hauled in front behind and was passed on the fourth lap by Kenny Allen on the Peter Allen Electric Honda 600. Goldman used the brakes to get Wilson in one on the final lap, Wilson closing up in the chicane, then going low on the banking and using a slingshot pass for the win. "1 tell you, that was a little too close," Wilson said. "1 came together with him on the straightaway on the next-ta-Iast lap and almost wrecked him. He came up in his draft pretty quick (on the final lap) and 1 just dove down and tried to get away from him." Wood got away from the 49-rider Expert Middleweight Supersport field early on, clearing out with Mooney as Luke gave chase. Halfway in, the margin was better than two seconds, not much, but enough to keep anyone from catching Wood's draft. He crossed the line 2.541 seconds in front, winning the five-lap race in 10 minutes 11.540 seconds at an average speed of 104.785 mph. Second was decided on the fourth lap when Luke went by Mooney and tried to get away, only to get run down by Mooney before holding on to win by about a wheel. Mid Cities Motorsports' Glenn Curtiss was fourth in front of Marietta Motorsports' Drew Lincoln. Lincoln was the first Honda after four Kawasakis. Grigg led the Expert Heavyweight Superbike race for the first two laps, Wood second and Eric Moe moving into third as the lead trio split on the third lap. Wood took over the lead on the backstraight and then Grigg low-sided going into the chicane trying to re-pass him. That left it to Moe to get after Wood, after watching Grigg crash, and he was up on him going into the first tum to start the final lap. Wood made sure he never got any farther. Even though he was in the perfect spot for the last lap draft pass, Moe . couldn't make the best of it after Wood used all of the banking to take the win. The pace was hot, Wood winning the five lap race in nine minutes, 38.403 seconds at an average speed of 110.788 mph. The margin of victory was 0.201 seconds. Third was a three-rider shootout, with number-one plate holder King holding off Cordero and Real, all three South Floridians. Wood's toughest fight was in the Expert Middleweight Superbike where he had to deal with Luke and Mooney again. Unlike the earlier r~ce, this one was a battle all the way. Wood didn't get the best of starts, un;lble to use his second-row position to jet into the lead, instead hitting the banking on the first lap in fifth place. He picked off another pair of riders and was in third entering turn one on the second of fi ve laps. By the time he got to the first horseshoe he was in second, n~arly crashing and losing a number of spots. Again, he would go through the field, up into second in the chicane later that lap and trailing Mooney until they hit the banking on the third lap when he drafted by for the lead. Mooney struck back, but Wood used his brakes to take it back in the chicane and Luke was also by Mooney soon after, blitzing him on the East Banking and getting Wood soon after. Late on the fourth lap, the top two pulled away to settle their feud. After going back and forth, it came down to the final lap, with Luke blowing by on the West Banking, Wood reeling him in, the pair side by side with Luke getting it by the width of a tire after going low on the banking. "1 think you just saw a preview of tomorrow's EBC Brakes Sport Bike race," Wood said. "We've got about 10 of us that are going that fast. That was just a mad drafting war." Wood won his third race after having run third on his Kawasaki ZX7R in the Unlimited GP. The first attempt at a start was red-flagged, a gift to Dutchman's Kling. He'd started on the 10th row, but was up to fourth when the red flag was thrown on the third lap and Kling would begin the restart from the front row. Making good use of his good fortune, Kling was immediately out front, with Hough by in one and two, Kling by on the West Banking, Hough in front at the stripe. The race was three laps this time and Hough was in front into the chicane on the final lap. Kling went low to take the lead, Hough came back even lower and took the win by a scant 0.020 seconds, less than half a bike-length. Woods was a close third, then Moe getting the better of Ken Krebs for fourth. Because the race was red-flagged, there was no accurate time of race or average speed. Hough's first win had come in Friday's Expert Solo GTO, a race in which he took the lead on the second lap and held the spot pretty much the entire race. On the 11 th of 15 laps, Steve Grigg was in front with Custom Glass Company's Shane Prieto a trailing third. Hough retook the lead in the first horseshoe on the 12th lap, the pair swapping again before the lap was out with Prieto biding his time. Three wide on the banking the next lap, Hough held onto the lead, but Grigg was in front going into tum one on the 14th lap, the same lap that Prieto's race ended. He had a frightening rear tire blowout on the front straight, the rear wheellocl

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