Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

ROAD RACE Sunoco Race Fuels Formula USA Eric Wood (7) leads Doug Toland (30) and a host of others in the EBC Brakes Sport Bike class at Daytona, a race won by Wood. about the rest of the field. With such a large lead, Bostrom had other concerns. "Y ou s tart shifting the bike smoother and thinking about things a little more," Bostrom said. "1 was happy to be within a second of our qualifying time" . He won the seven-lap, 25-mile race in 15 minutes, 27.326 seconds at an average speed of 96.743 mph. With no one pushing him, Bostrom didn't establish a record. But it didn't matter since he won by 10.338 seconds. "We hope we can do the same thing next week (in the AMA's Progressive Insurance SuperTwins race)," Bostrom said. Zemke watched Bostrom ease away and had the rest of the field to worry about. After he lost Bostrom's dralt, he knew the field had the draft on him so he had to "work hard to lose them." That he did, gradually. On the third of seven laps he had over three seconds and he opened it up slightly after that, adding a second by the end over third-placed Greg Hutcheson. Postrace dyno runs found that Zemke's 883 I?rod uced 67 horsepower, two over the 65-horsepower limit - he lost his points and his purse money, but not his finishing position. Hutcheson had taken over third in the parade on the first lap and never relinquished it. He made the occasional inroad into Zemke's cushion, but never was able to maintain the push. '1t was like I was getting closer, then each time J closed up I'd lose a little bit," the Kersting's Cycle Center-backed Hutcheson said. Behind the podium finishers, who were effectively decided on the opening lap, there was position changing. Matt Guidera held on to fourth on the second lap and kept Hal's H-D/Buell's Todd Evans at bay for much of the race. It wasn't until the final lap that Evans was able to sprint by to take fourth. About nine seconds behind them came a four-.rider pack, Brian Bodine moving from eighth to sixth on the final lap, passing Shawn Conrad and dropping Jody Hendley to ninth behind Lance Jones. Perry Melneciuc, who normally races a Yamaha TZ250 in the·AMA 250cc GP class, was 10th in his class debut (N Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida Results: March 2, 1997 (Round 1 of 10) H-D TWNSPTS: 1. Eric Bostromi 2. Jake Zemke; 3. Greg Hutcheson: 4, Todd Evans; 5. Matt Guidera; 6. Brian Bodine; 7. Shawn Conrad; 8. Lance Jones; 9. Jody Hendley; 10. Perry Mclneciuc; 11. Billy Graef; 12. Chris Bliss; 13. Shawn Russell; 14. Roger Hendricks; 15. Jason Kersting; 16. Arthur Wagner; 17. Stephen Vlasblom; 18. David Marva; 19. Ken Tessier, Wilbraham; 20. Michael Friberg; 21. Darryl Gadsby; 22. Scott Korol. Time: 15 min., 27326 sec. Distance: Seven laps, 25 miles. Aver.ge Speed: 96.743 mph. M.vgin of Victory: 10.388 sec. H·D TWNSPTS CSHIP POINT STANDINGS (Aite, 1 of 10 rou.nds): 1. Eric Bostrom (35/1 wjn); 2. Greg Hutcheson (32); 3. Todd Evans (30); 4, Matt Guidera (28); 5. Brinn Bodine (26); 6. Shawn Conrnd (25); 7. Lance Jones (24); 8. Jody Hendley (23); 9. Perry Melneciuc (22); 10. Billy Graef (21); 11. Chris Bliss (20); 12. Shawn Russell (19); 13. Roger Hendricks (8); 14. Jason Ken;ting (17); IS. Arthur Wagner (J6); 16. Stephen Vlasblom (15); 17. David Marvo (14); 18. Ken Tessler (13); 19. Michael Friberg (12); 20. Darryl Gadsby (11); 21. Scott Korol (10). Upcoming Rounds: Round 2 - Rosamond, Califomia, March 16 Round 3 -'Toronto, Canada, June 1 EBC Brakes Sport Bike Round 1: Daytona International Speedway By Henny Ray Abrams DAYTONA BEACH, FL, MAR 2 his one was as good as it gets. Eighteen riders were in the lead pack and the draft was so strong it would suck you in from 70 yards away. But if you were in the wrong place it would just as quickly spit you back several places. Trying to keep track of the leaders was futile and the rider who won the race only led at the very end. Penguin Racing School's Eric Wood took the victory after a crafty last lap and some luck in traffic. Erion Racing's Andrew Stroud and Doug Toland had spent much of the race at the front and either one of them could easily have won, as could Team LaBelle's Dave Sadowski, who took the lead in the chicane on the final lap. But on that last lap Stroud hit traffic in the chicane and Wood and Toland were able to sprint by, and Sadowski, without the benefit of the draft, found himself horsepowerdeprived and was shuffled from first to fourth. Stroud caught Toland's draft, but couldn't catch Wood, who rode low on the apron to avoid getting drafted, and won a sensational race. "When you look at the two guys standing next to me (Stroud and Toland) and realize they're world-class riders, I couldn't be happier," Wood said in Victory Lane. He explained his unique line on the East Banking by saying that he "realized there was a big freight train, but tlle distance around the bottom end of the speedway is less there and if anyone dropped down I'd hook into their draft. In the meantime I'd pick off a couple guys." "it really was anyone's race, it just depended on what position you were in on the last lap," Stroud said. "Doug (Toland) came flying by me at the end so J figured he got a good tow. Being in front coming out of the chicane on the last lap was not the place to be. J got T caught out by some lapped riders and lost my drive." The difference at the line was .019 of a second - Wood over Stroud with Toland just behind. Then, in quick succession, came Team LaBelle's Sadowski, in his inaugural ride on the Suzuki GSXR600, 4 & 6 Racing's Ray Yoder (who would later 10 e his points and purse, but not his finishing position, for using illegal fuel), Rick Kirk and Moto Liberty's Toshiyuki Kaku, who spent much of the race bumping into Sadowski. ''I'm up on the wall and the guy's bumping into me," Sadowski said. "It -was like NASCAR. Six different times he bumped me. He did it while I was going in a straight line. I went to outtlrake him and I said, 1 can't take this anymore' and I just gave him a little foot." Sadowski said that Kaku came over after the race and apologized. Wood completed the lo-lap, 35.6-mile race in 20 minutes, 9.152 seconds at an average speed of 105.992 mph. The race complexion might have been different had two of the top qualifiers not been disqualified after timed qua lifying. Ben Bostrom, who qualified on the pole, was Wed after his Zero Gravity Honda was found to be 1.5 'pounds below the minimum weight limit. Third-fastest qualifier Matt Wait was also removed from the field, his infractions being a motorcycle that was one-half pound too light and not in compliance with the spec-fuel rule. Regardless of their presence or absence, this was a quality field, evenly matched and it was apparent right from the wave of the green flag. William Luke, Richard Alexander Jr., Stroud and Toland jumped to the front with Toland taking over the lead by the end of the lap and Wood moving into fourth. The lead pack seemed to not diminish; it was just the opposite. There were about 18 riders nose-to-tail in the lead draft and no position was safe from attack, though it looked like Toland -might make a break on the second lap. He had a slight margin, then came under pressure from Alexander, who dropped low on the apron to take second. Just as quickly he was shuffled back to fourth behind Toland, Luke and Wood. Stroud found himself back in seventh on the third lap, up to fourth on the second, then into second on the brakes going into the chicane on the fourth, making it Erion Racing one-two. Their party was interrupted by Owen Weichel on the sixth lap when he got between them, with Yoder just behind and Wood lurking nearby. By now Sadowski was well into the top 10 and about , to move in on the top five. The lead pack lost two of its own on the seventh lap with Jeff Williams crashing in turn one and Frank Williams going down in the West End Horseshoe. Stroud somehow managed to hold onto the lead while chaos was going on behind him. He kept it until the ninth lap when Yoder made his way to the front, briefly, then got shuffled back to third behind Stroud and Wood, with Toland losing more ground. From early on everyone knew this one was going down to the last lap and it did. Stroud led down the back straight from Wood, then Yoder, Sadowski and Kirk. Sadowski took the lead going through the chicane just before'they hit traffic and Wood, who looked like he got held up, made the best of it. He used the low line .and as they went four wide to the line he used a different line and reached the line first. "I saw Dave Sadowski shoot out of the chicane," Woods said. "I thought, 'Oh man, that bike's fast: I just put my head down and figured the only thing to do was go where no one would follow me in the draft. J figured I'd go down pit lane and nobody would follow me, and it worked:' 'There were three lapped riders there at the apex," Stroud explained. '1 lost my drive. Right away I knew I was stuffed. Sadowski was the first one to pass me." "J tried real hard but I don't think there was any catching him," Toland said. "As everyone saw, a lot can happen in one lap. I looked back one time and there was a string of bikes as far as I could see. I looked back in NASCAR Turn Four and they all went by me. I knew I was in trouble then and that I'd have to ride hard to pull it out." Since he was down on power, there was no way that was going to happen. Post-race dyno runs showed Woods' Kawasaki to have about five more horsepower than the Erion Racing Hondas. SadOWSKi got shuffled back to fourth when his Suzuki suddenly wouldn't pull coming out of the chicane. "I was heading for the flag and it went dead," Sadowski said. "Without the draft it wouldn't go. It was frustrating for me to not have any horsepower. Every time I'd get going I'd ruin it with five or six life-threatening moves that I'd pull off." Sadowski also said that the racing was so close that Yoder rammed him from behind, but was able to keep going. "I thought he went down, but he's so strong he pulled it out." Yoder finished fifth just ahead of Kirk and Kaku with Rad Greaves eighth on another Erion Racing Honda. William Luke ended up ninth just in front of Weichel. CN Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida Results: March 2, 1997 (Round 1 of 9) EBC BRAKES SPORTB!KE: 1. Eric Wood (Kaw); 2. Andrew Stroud (Hon); 3. Doug Toland ~on}~ 4. David Sadowski (Suz); S. Ray Yoder O

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