Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

ROAD RACE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ROAD RACE SERIES Jason Pridmore won the first 750cc Supersport final of the year. h was Pridmore's first win since 1993 and marked a full recovery from his badly broken leg. brain was still working at that point and 1 thought, 'Well, don't do anything stupid and have us both fall on the last lap.' 1 just ran it in there hard enough to see if 1 had a chance on the inside, but 1 was on the brakes too hard and my rear end was coming around and sliding quite a bit. 1 just waited until everything settled down and Aaron went inside of me." The low-key Yates was pleased enough with second place. "It went re<\lly good," he said. '1 got a pretty fair start and I knew the race would have a long line of folks going pretty much the same speed. 1 just tried to ride smooth and stay relaxed, just tried to work my way around guys. I worked right up there, got by a couple of guys and got up there with 'em. I tried to ride a smart race and I ended up finishing second. The bike has its advantages, but others have their advantages. They're all really close, and they all seem to even ou t. I think this shows that our bikes aren't really all that fast, so it's going to be really close racing all year." Bostrom was close, after using traffic to his advantage, but not close enough and he was left wanting for more laps. "I felt fast and we were moving forward," Bostrom said. "I got fired up toward the end and I was JUS! getting a guy every lap. That last lap was a cluster and 1 guess we needed a 3O-lap race. 1 really didn't think we were going to win, but we'll get 'em next time." "[ knew the young kid (Hacking) had the pole position," Picotte said. "And 1 knew we had to put a little pressure on hiJ:n and that's why he did a few mistakes. 1 wa n't surprised to see him up there because in qualifying he showed that he could run reany fast and the Kawasaki is a really good bike. It showed that we need to work even harder because he's right there with us. I figured he might make a few mistakes because he's not really used to that having Miguel, me, Aaron behind him. We have a lot more experience and we put some pressure on him." L'" Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix, Arizona Results: January 16, 1997 (Round 1 of 10) AMA HP4 PRO 011.S 600•• SUPERS PORT ANAL: 1. Pascal Picotte (Suz); 2. Aaron Vates (Suz); 3. Miguel DuHamel (Hon); 4. Ben Bostrom Q-tan); 5. Steve Crevier (Hon); 6. Andrew Stroud (Hon); 7. Jamie 10 Hacking (}(aw); 8. Jason Pridmore (Suz); 9. Rich Oliver (Yam); 10. Mark Miller (Suz); 11. Mike Smith (Kaw); 12. Kenichiro Jwahashi (Hon); 13. Todd Harrington (Kaw); 14. Doug Toland (Han); 15. Tom Kipp (Yam); 16. Larry Pegram (Suz); 17. Richard Alexander Jr. (Suz); 18. Dale IGclfer (Suz); 19. Rod Greaves (Han); 20. Eri. Bostrom (Han); 21. Jack Pfiefer (Han); 22. Dax Snow (Suz); 23. Ken Krebs (Suz); 24. Ray Yoder (Kaw); 25. Robin Holiday (Hon); 26. Brian Parriott (Han); 27. Thomas Montano (Hon); 28. Michael Noschese (Yam); 29. Daniel Fischer (1{.aw); 30. Roger Bell 11 (Suz); 31. Tommy Hayden (Kaw); 32. Chuck Sorensen (Hon); 33. Mike Ciccotto (Kaw); 34. Matt Wait (Han); 35. Karl Lowry Jr. (Han). Time: 26 min.• 59.173 sec. Distance: 251aps, 37.75 miles. Aver<1ge Speed: 83.933 mph. Mugin of Victo!}': 0.260 sec. AMA HP4 PRO 011.S 600•• SUPERSPORT C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS (After 1 0110 rounds): 1. rascal Picotte (35/1 win); 2. Aaron Yates (32); 3. Miguel DuHamel (31); 4. Ben Bostrom (28); 5. Steve Crevier (26); 6. Andrew Stroud (25); 7. Jamie Ha.king (24); 8. Jason Pridmore (23); 9. Rich Oliver (22); 10. Mark Miller (21); 1 I. Mike Sm;th (20); 12. Kenichiro Iwahashi (9); 13. Todd Harrington (l8); 14. Douglas Toland 15. Tom Kipp (6). on; Upcoming Rounds: Round 2 - Daytona Beach, Florida, March 9 Round 3 - Monterey, California, April 20 AMA Teamline 750cc Supersport Round 1: Phoenix International Raceway By Henny Ray Abrams PHOENIX, AZ, FEB. 15 ason Pridmore vanquished. the demons of the past few years with an emotional win in the Teamline 750cc Supersport race in his first ride on the.HyperCycIe Suzuki. After suffering three different breaks in his leg over the past two years, and a winless drought that dated back to 1993, Pridmore was flawless on a sunny day in Phoenix. After enduring three false starts, Pridmore jumped from the pole position to the lead,. set a comfortable pace, opened up a safe cushion and avoided the carnage that marked the first race of the 1997 AMA road race season. When the race was red-flagged, on the 23rd of 25 laps, Pridmore had about a three-second lead, good enough for him to climb to the top of the box. '1' m SO excited," Pridmore said after winning his first race since Sears Point in 1993. "I just want to say I dedicate this victory to my late mother-in-law who passed away in January to cancer. I don't mean to get emotional but I'm just happy to win this for her." Just behind Pridmore wa where some of the best racing wa taking place. Pridmore's teammate Mark Miller hooked up with Zero Gravity Racing's Ben Bostrom in a fight between horsepower and handling. Miller's Suzuki GSXR750 was best on the straights, but Bostrom's agile Honda CBR600 was the answer on the brakes and in the corners. On the lap the race was stopped, Miller was in second. But the final scoring went to the end of the previous lap, the last one the entire field had completed, and, for that one, Bostrom was ahead. "Me and Mark (Miller) were going back and forth," said Bostrom, who had entered the race on a whim. "[ had him covered in a few spots and he had me covered in a few spots. We just kind of seesawed back and forth. Actually we were just going to do it for fun. We didn't have our bikes set up for the 600 qualifying. I was pretty disappointed. I'm on the fourth row. Our times got better. We definitely went faster than in qualifying." "Me and Ben were swapping really good," Miller said. "He had me covered in a couple of the slower corners. It's something I need to work on. 1 had a definite 'advantage on the straightaways." Well behind the lead trio came Team Suzuki Sport/Hudson Valley Racing's Richard Alexander Jr. The New Yorker settled into fOllIth early on and never made a move in either direction. As the race progressed he made it clear no one would cl1allenge him. The battle for fifth was less decisive. Eventually it went to OATS Racing's Dale Kieffer, but not without some work. Kieffer was mired back in 11th on the second lap and quickly made his way through the field. He was up to seventh by the eighth lap and lOlaps later he was between Hooters' teammate Brian Gibbs and James Randolph. He got,Randolph on the 21st lap to take fifth. All three were Suzuki GSXR750mounted. Gibbs and Randolph followed, then came former Japanese IT-Formula One Champion Kenichiro Iwahashi on a Moto Liberty Honda 600. Bells Suzuki's Rad Greaves and Moto Liberty's Chuck Sorensen (Honda 600) rounded out the top 10. Because the 21-lap race was redflagged there was no official time, average speed or margin of victory. By leading the most laps on the way to his fourth career 750cc Supers port win, Pridmore earned an extra point which gives him 36 and puts him at the top of the standings after the first of 10 races. Bostrom is second with 32 followed by Miller with 30. The first race of the season seemed to take forever to get started. Actually it was 40 minutes. Scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m., it was green-flagged for the third time at 4:10. Miller had gotten the jump on the first two tries, but it was Pridmore out front in the third, never to be headed. It was the strategy he'd hoped to employ and it worked. '1 wanted to get out, try to get a little distance, and then let the race pace come my way," Pridmore said. "I wanted to be the one that paced the race and I was real fortunate to be able to do that right off the ba t. Mark and I both discussed it before the start of this race. Ben would be really hard to pass in the corners because of his little 600, because he goes in the turns so deep. So we had to take advantage of our motor right off the line to get in front of him and try to get away." Once away, he was gone. The only impediment to his victory was the increasing number of crashes. "I could see it all over the track," Pridmore said. "Mass carnage going on. It was just a matter of time before the AMA called the race." Bostrom had begun to pester Miller on the second lap. He ran up the inside of Miller in the hairpin going onto the barlking, only to get outpowered on the run to the banking. It worked for another la p before Miller got wise, then Bostrom began to use turn two to his advantage. '1 kept passing him in the hairpin, but he'd use his motor to get by me," Bostrom said. ''I'd use the 600 to outbrake him. But that wasn't working. 1 was wearing out tires, basically. I ran under him in two, the same place he ran under me on the last lap. You kind of fly in there hot and drift out wide for corner three. He set up a little bit and I stuffed it under him and made enough of a gap that he couldn't keep passing me on the straightaway, and then the last lap he passed me back - did the same thing 1 did to him." With scoring reverting a lap it didn't matter. And by then they were happy to see the race end. "Everyone had the same obstacles," Miller said about the crashes that ended the race. '1t was really not a big deal. 1 didn't want to put anyone else in jeopardy. 1 just wanted to get through there clean." Alexander ran the race by himself, not challenged by the battle for fifth, whicl1, at one time, involved five riders, with two more not far behind. Kieffer took the spot on the 20th lap after pas ing Gibbs. Randolph moved by Iwahashi for good on the 21st and final lap. t:N Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix, Arizona Results: February 15, 1997 (Round 1 of 10) AMA TEAMLlNE 750<. SUPERS PORT ANAL: 1. Jason Pridmore (Suz): 2. Ben Bostrom (Hon); 3. Mark Miller (Su.z); 4. Richard Alexander Jr. (Suz); 5. Dale Kieffer (Suz); 6. Brian Gibbs (Suz); 7. James Randolph (Suz); 8. Kenichiro Iwabashi (Han); 9. Rad Greaves (5uz); 10. Chuck Sorensen (Hon); 11. Chri.s Rankin (Suz); 12. Mark Millamel (Suz); 13. John Jaco\); (Suz); 14. Jack Pfeifer (Hon); 15. Oax Snow (Suz); 16. Ray Voder (Kaw); 17. Joseph Prussiano m (Suz); 18. JimmJ< Moore (Suz); 19. Seth Hahn (502); 20. Thomas Montano (Han); 21. Dean Mizdal (Suz); 22. Roger Heernsbergen (Han); 23. Ken Krebs (Suz); 24. Roger Bell II (Suz); 25. Brian Parriott (Hon); 26. Shane Clarke (Suz); 27. Terry Teske (Suz); 28. James Romero m (Hon); 29. Mike Sullivan (Suz); 30. Daniel Fischer (Kaw); 31. Eric Bostrom (Hon); 32. Akiharu Shigeno (Suz); 33. Craig Dabbs (Sux); 34. Todd Harrington (Kaw); 35. Boyd Bruner (Suz); 36. Mike Desmarais (Suz). Time: / A due to red flag. Distance: 25 laps, 37.75 miles. Average Speed: N/A due ~o red flag. Margin of Victory: N/ A due to red flag. AMA TEAMLINE 750cc SUPERSPORT C'SHlP POINT STANDINGS (All", 1 0110 rou.nds): 1. Jason Pridmore (36/1 win): 2. Ben Bostrom (32); 3. Mark Miller (30); 4. Richard Alexander Jr. (28); 5. Dale Kieffer (26); 6. Brian Gibbs (25); 7. James Randolph (24); 8. Kenichiro Iwahashi (23); 9. Rad Greaves (22); 10, Chuck Sorensen (21); 11. Chris Rankin (20); 12. Mark McDaniel (9); 13. John Jacobi (18); 14. Jack Pfeifer (17); 15. OBX Snow (16); 16. Ray Yoder OS); 17. Joseph Prussiano III (14); 18. Jimmy Moore'(13); 19. Seth Hahn (12); 20. Thomas Montano (11). Upcoming Rounds: Round 2 - Daytona Beach, Florida, March 7 Round 3 - Monterey, CaHfornia, April 2~

• Cover