Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

edge in power, however slight, and it allowed Picotte and 'Pegram to lead across the line at the halfway mark, Yates back in the pack but soon to join them as they hit the chicane on the 11th lap. ' At this point there were 11 riders in the lead pack, though none of them could consistently stay in front of Picotte. Regardless of where he was during the lap, he led at the stripe every lap from the ninth one forward, bu t got down to business in the final five. "The last five laps I really put my head down and I was sliding the thing as hard as I could," Picotte said. "And I was just going a little slower, going in to be able to keep the inside tight line. I went slower to go faster. That's what I did. I was a little faster than everybody in the chicane. So I said I just need to get'a really good drive up that banking and probably I'd be able to stretch them Like a few tenths, few tenths, and few tenths and that's what I did. Because on the infield I don't think I was gaining anything." His only drama came on the 15th lap when he dodged Brazilian Victor Braga going into the chicane, dirt tracking through the inside of the corner without losing his spot. "I hit the backmarker and he just took my line so I had to do some riding on the dirt," Picotte said. The first of the lead pack to drop back was Pegram. He ran straight in the chicane on the 14th lap and dropped back,. eventually coming home 14th. "[ missed it," Pegram said of his mishap in the chicane. "I got in there hot. By the time I got going I was three seconds behind ninth." That moved everyone up a notch with Crevier second in a battle with Hacking, who suddenly disappeared from the front on the 16th lap. He later explained that the front end of his Kawasaki inexplicably jumped up "like it hit a speed bump," the windscreen hitting his helmet as he entered turn one. He Tan off the track, tapping the hay bales before rejoining the race to finish 17th. Tha t left the lead quartet as Picotte, Crevier, who got a big boost off the draft to move into second on the 17th lap, Yates and DuHameL They raced to the line, and it wasn't to Crevier clear who finished second. . "I think 1 was actually fourth," Crevier said after having to draft back . past Yates. "Boy, that Aaron (yates), is he ever big and does he give you a lot of air. Aaron Yates is a wind tunnel. [ haven't been getting off the turns too well and Miguel (DuHamel) can turn his bike better than I can. I was just in a lucky spot. I came out of the chicane fourth, now I'm here and I'm happy to be here." "It was a really tough race with a lot of drafting out there," Yates said after the photo finish. "It was pretty wild tha t we were running that close. It makes that much difference when you get in the draft. You can just swing around. people. "I was trying to get us all together. As soon as (Crevier) shot by I saw Miguel (DuHamel) on the other side and (Crevier) set me back up and just managed to get third," Yates said. DuHamel was fourth, then Bostrom who realized he made his move too late. "I was riding too hard in the back," Bostrom said. "When I finally got to the front, things were all done. Every (Left) Miguel DuHamel (1) and Larry Pegram (72) take to the high • banks of Daytona International Speedway. (Below) The lead pack hits the chicane and this time it's led by Aaron Yates (20), followed by Jamie Hacking (2), Steve Crevier (4) and Miguel DuHamel (1). time I'd make a p.ass on someone they'd just draft back by because everyone can draft on the straightaways. They just work the draft and slingshot by so it made it really tough. Toward the end every time I'd pass a guy I'd just try to put a little distance between me and him in the few corners. That way I'd be the drafting guy and he'd be drafting off me." Sixth went to Matt Wait who spent the early part of the race just pacing himself to stay with the lead group. "The bike ran good, but not as good as the Suzukis," he said. "I couldn't draft them. I could only draft if'we were two abreast. r .had to outbrake them in the infield. That was the only place I could pass. I got sucked in behind Ben (Bostrom) but I couldn't even draft him. I followed him as long as I could and pulled out, but I didn't have any steam. My bike was beside his at the finish line. I'm just happy I finished and didn't fall down like I did at Phoenix." First Yamaha honors went to Team Oliver Yamaha's Ri'ch Oliver. Oliver had been spooked by what he perceived as oiron the track in qualifying and ended up back on the 10th row. Oliver started 39th and lost a spot on the start, entering. turn one in 40th place. He was one of the many beneficiaries of the red flag, adding a tooth to his rear sprocket during the break after discovering early in the race that it was redlining everywhere. "I couldn't pass anyone," Oliver said. On the restart he graduatly made his way forward, joining the top 10 with aboul five laps to go and "chipping away, a guy each lap, a guy each straight," until he realized, "that's the front of the field." Oliver said he was stronger in the high-speed comers and chicanes, but "they still get me on drive, spinning it sideways and getting off the corners." His plan at the end was to avoid being drafted, which he accomplished and finished seventh in his second four-stroke race in 11 years. "I rode hard, but safe, and had an open mind, available to learn." His lap times dropped from a 2:01.59 in qualifying, and 58s in untimed practice, to 56s in the race. ~ Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida Results: March 9, 1997 (Round 2 of 11) PRO HONDA OllS 600« SUPERSPORT, 1. Pa cal Picotte (Suz); 2. Steve Crevier (Hon); 3. Aaron Yates (Suz); 4. Miguel DuHamel (Hon);.5. Ben Bostrom (Hon); 6. Matt Wait (Hon); 7. Rich Oliver (Yam); 8. Mike Smith (Kaw); 9. Larry Pegram (Suz); 10. Douglas Toland (Hon); 11. Mark MiUer (SuZ)i 12. Jason Prldmore (Suz); 13. Eric Bostrom (Han); 14. Tom Kipp (Yam); 15. Richard Alexander Jr. (Suz); 16.. Andrew Stroud (Han); 17. Jamie Hacking (Kaw); 18. Doug Polen (Suz); 19. Tommy Hayden (Kaw); 20. Eric Wood (Kaw); 21. Rad Greaves (Han); 22. Toshiyuke Kaku (Hon); 23. Kenichiro Iwahashi (Han); 24. Ray Yoder (Kaw); 25. Owen Weichel (Kaw); 26. Pablo EsCalante (Hon); 27. Masahige Hasegawa (Hon); 28. Vittoriano Guareschi (Yam); 29. Ken Krebs (Suz); 30. Jim Lester (Suz); 31. Kent J(unitsugu (5uz); 32. Thorvald Saeby (Han); 33. Thomas Montano (Hon); 34. Erik Schnackenberg (5uz); 35. Peter Linden (Hon); 36. Mark McDaniel (Suz); 37. Dag-Steinar Sundby (Han); 38. Chuck Sorensen (Han); 39. Jordan Szoke (Han); 40. Martin Johansson (Han); 4.1. Bryant Soberg (5uz); 42. Seth Hahtl (Hon); 43. Luis Noriega (Hon); 44. David McPherson (Kaw); 45. Luke Yarbrough (Hon); 46. Monte Nichols (Hon); 47. Karl Lowry Jr. (Han); 48. Keith Marquez (5uz); 49. Jeffrey Curtis (Suz); 50. Micah Stevenson (Kaw); 51. Michael Conlon Jr. (Suz); 52. Stephen Beattie (Han); 53. Mike Klein (Han); 54. Victor Braga (Han); 55. Jack Pfeifer (Han); 56. David Wasson (Han); 57. Richard Shaw (Yam); 58. Richard Maron (}{aw); 59. Daniel Fischer (Kaw); 60. Bradley Zajic (Hon); 61. Mario Duhamel (5uz); 62. Jeff Williams (Hon); 63. Dale Kieffer (5uz); 64. Nelson Perez (Kaw); 65. Harold Winkles (Yam); 66. John Cable (Han); 67. Massimo Meregalli (Yam); 68. Dax Snow (Suz); 69. David McGrath (Suz); 70. Todd Harrington (Kaw); 71. Marc Underberg (Hon); 72. Greg Kahle (Suz); 73. Jeff Kramer (Hon). Time: / A due to red na~. Distance: 18 laps, 64.08 miles. Margin of Victory: 0.180 sec. Average Speed: N / A due to red flag. PRO HONDA OilS 600« SUPERSPORT C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS (After 2 of 11 rounds): 1. Pascal Picotte (71/2 wins); 2. Aaron Yates (62); 3. Miguel DuHamel (59); 4. Steve Crevier (58); 5. Ben Bostrom (54); 6. Rich Oliver (46); 7. Mike Smith (43); 8. Jason Pridmore (42); 9. Mark Miller (41); 10. Andrew Stroud (40); 11. (TIE) Jamie Hacking/Dougla' Toland (38); 13. Larry Pegram (37); 14. Tom KiP? (33); 15. Richard Alexander Jr. (30); 16. Eric Bostrom (29); 17. Kenichiro Iwahashi (27); 18. Matt Wait (25); 19. Rad Greaves (22); 20. Todd Harrington (18). Upcoming Rounds: Round 3 . Monterey, California, April 20 Round 4 - Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, June 8

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