ROAD RACE
AMAllfBNA SUPERBIKE SERIES
•
Mat Mladin 'said he would be returning to Aus, ,
tralia for the break, "I'm going home. after this
, race to·ride my motocross bike, ': Mladin said. "I
,can't be off q bike for another six weeks. it just
takes too long to get back up to speed,"
extr.a 90mpetilion.' and ultimateiy' Barrick dedd-ed to include everyone,6n the grid for the final.
"Two: extra rows would riormally have' been
excluded, bul'l decided to include them'because
of, what happened, Looking back we probably,
should h'ave gone arou'nd and informed everyone of the, change, 'Evetyone ,gets involved·in
:'what they're'doin'g in ihe pits and it makes it'
hard to hear announcements," Barrick 'continued'," in "another class': we 'wouldn't have had
this. problem b'e'cause, everyone in- the 'class
shows up at the game time and you can sort it
out. With two, heats, it's not like that."
, This year's AMA Superbike race at Laguna'
Sec'; Raceway marked tlie 25th anniverary of
the first-ever AMA race at the racing facility on
the Monterey Peninsula, In 1972" Cal Ray.born,
won the AMA Nalional at ,Laguna riding a
Harley-Davidson, Ironically, Rayborn's ~on"
Calvin Rayborn Ill, riICed a Har!ey'Davidson
VR 1000 at Laguna'in 19,97, Sadly.. , Rayborn ,
didri't start in the National after crashing on Sat- ,Surprisingly, Fast.By Ferracci Du'cati's Mat
urday and damaging his VR 1000, ,
'Mladin said that the Ducati is down on horse,power, "To tell'the truth, we're a little, down on
Who could blame Ben BOstrOm for raising his. 'horsepower," tv,ladin said.. "A~ mucb as everybOdy says the Ducati is the faStest thing out there,
expeotations, ,In wh'at was only his second
career outing on a, superbike. the Zero Gravity-, we've reaily struggied wiih comer speed and the
backed rider put his. Honda AC45' on the frQnt
punch off the·tums. I thought v.:e were going prettywell, but when I got .behind Doug (Chendler).i~
row. "I. came' here not expecting to. po well."
the 22-year-oiq- Californian said, "They (Hondai ,quaiifying'l knew we were going to have a bit of "
'want me to come here and learn and gO fast
treuble"His,bikeis reallyworkingwell.."'.
.next year. Bul.we' were right ther.. from the
start - only one spot off the front row (after FriThe top three finishers in the Supertiike Nationday's qualifying), Now my expectations keep
al were all former .500cc Grand. Prix rideri go'ing up, Maybe we can finish in the top fi"e, , Doug .Chandler:, Mat Mladin arid Miguel
The leam would be happy with. that ana I'd 'go .Duhamel. "It's good fQ.r. the series," Chandler
Attention AMA-snoppers ... the blue-light spedal
away with a smile," Bostrom went home 'smiling . said. 'The.se two guys next to me are as gooo
.'
in the world' 'given the
after finishing fifth'in the National.
at Lag',;na Seca -Raceway' was the Form\lla
.. :
. . . 'as anybodyright bikes. I. think it's aright opportu, Xtre"!. dass witn ,the' AtylA 'offeri~g half-price
boosHor the
niiy on tt:>e
entries in an effort to help fiU the grid' in the
Bostrom .recently went, snowboarding and can. . AMA ~eries .to 'have l~iS caliber e' trailer is a~tually·a for- '
, back.·end came around going into (turn) 1-1," a' bike National Champion~hrp i~ pre,tty,simp~ - .mer Smokin' Joe's team .unit·" "Itwas sittlng)n a ,
yard in' EI. roro (c:;alifornia),' so we made an offer
disappointed Rothman' said on Saturday morn-, follow the saine pattern that led him.to his, lirst
' t i t l e . "ldeal,ly, you v.:a.ni to get on the box eVery . on it," ,C.ook said: "It·took five g'uys a solid
ing,as,he'iced his:damaged wrist..
time, What gets me thinking' about being on the' week 10 peel all ,of the stic~ers off of it anc! sand,
box is when I won inthe title)'in '90 I was there
it for paint. We've' ,had ,the tractor completely',
With six weeks between the Laguna Seca found
in every, raCe, That's the ~Jream' So far, so" refurbished: bUI the inside is:still pretty bare',
. and the.~ext ,round 'at Road'America,in June,
900d. Chander finished third in the series open- ':We'r.e still working on if." .
er in Phoenix, second ,at Daytona and ,he came'
away from Laguna with the Victory: :
Former AMA Grand National dirt tn;c'k racer
.I;'" 'Eklu~d contesfed th'e 883 class at Lagutorrors in the first published' 250cc 'Grand :na Seca and ihus made a return io professional
, Prix heat grid sheets led to an'uproar,that' 'motorcycle racing for the firsf \lme since his
, resulted in everyone who participated'in the :near-fatal crash on the Du Quoin Mile in rg95,'
, heats being atile tg. rac~ 'in the' final. "There
Eklund,~the -nephew of. 1,979' AMA Grand
'should be two heat'races: with -no more' than a
National' Champion S.tev., Eklund, recovered
completely·from'the cra.sb but had vowed never .
, pne-rider 'difference in the ~timber'in, each,"
to compete, again, ."1 sa.id that .1' never would
, AMA's Roh earrick said, What happ~ned,wils
that the listings for ,tH'e grii:J$ generated at the .. (rap'e again) .. b'ecau'se I 'thought that. I n.ever
·AMP. office c.ontained eftors, The errors'were . coula,", he said, "For so long - even after loom.caught before the first heat race, but after .the . piete!y' reoovered.-.1 would ride my mountain
first heat-race grids werEi posled. New s~eets, . bike' or.ride my minibike: and I nevedelt strong,
were post~ and an~ounped five times over the . Tnen one day I was out riding witli (dirt tracker) ,
PA system, but it turned .out no! to be enoagh,. 'Brett Landes, and it was Iike'it all'came back at '
once..'But'this dea! is really just'forfun, i'm l,ike
,"Six, riders 'didn'l know, about it and thought
, they were in'the',second heat: S'O they:missed' 'six seGonds. off the pace., and I don't care, I'm
having 'a: ball. " Ekluno went O-n tO,finish iOth in
t.heir heat,." Barrick said. "I didn't want·tp
exclude those riders' so I decided'to add'them· ,the 883 final. Also "just having fun': were:AMA
Grand N.ational privateers Guy R,og.rs:
tp the:second .g~d,'" That Jed to' complaints froni
riders in the,second heat who felt they -poSSibly' Chance Darling a-nd Br.tt, t.aJ1deli, who
could have been ~nfairly' elimlnate.d. due, to the , finished 13th, 1-8th' and 19th: re pectiyely,
Briefly.--,-----~
..
a
,
(Top) Ben Bostrom
(11) leads Pascal
Picotte In their battle
for fifth. Bostrom
prevailed.
. (Above) Steve Crevier
put on an Impressiv.:
charged to fourth_
(Right) Mladin,
Chanron Vates (1 :28.359); 11. Thomas
Wilson (1:28.418); 12. Thomas Stevens (1:28.4.23); 13.
Tommy Hayden (1:28.678); 14. Gerald Rothman Jr,
('1:29.535); 15. Michaet Taylor (1:30,025); 16, Paul
Harrell (1:31.389); 17, TripF Nobles·(1:31,684); 18, Eric
Moe (1:32,312); 19. Michae Barnes (1:32,359); 20, Doug
Polen 0:32.843); 21. Quenni King 0:32.990); 22. Ia.roes
Randolph (1 :33.087); 23. Mario Duhamel (1 :33.338); 24.
Calvin Rayborn ill 0:33.488); 25. Christopher Rankin
(1:33.761); 26, Richard Alexander jr. (1:33,761); 27,
Mike Sullivan tl:34.310); 28. Mark Schellinger
(l:34.610); 29, Dale Kieffer (1.34,626); 30, Richard Kirk
(1 :34.877); 31. Dax Snow (1 :3~,893); 32, Bdan Gibbs
(l:34.924); 33, Roger Ben n (L35,135); 34, john jacobi
(1:35,247): 3S, Mike Krynock (1 :3S.290); 36, Anthony
Lupo (1 :35.421); 37. Ken Krebs (1:35,495); 38, Paut
Mumford (1:35.533)j 39. William Luke 0:35.536); 40.
james Milroy jr, (1:35,636); 41. john Hitton Jr,
(1:35,814); 42, Jimmy Moore (1 :35.865); 43. Victor
Cabrat (l :36.389),
SUPERlllKE NATIONAL: 1. Doug Chandler
(Knw); 2. Mat Mladin (Dud; 3. Miguel Duhamel
(Hon); 4. Steve Crevier (Han); 5. ~en Bostrom (Hon);
6. Pascal Picotte (Suz); 7. Chris Carr (H-D); 8. Aaron
Yates (Suz); 9. Thomas Stevens (Dud; 10. Tommy
Hayden (Kaw); 11. Michael Taylor (Kaw); 12. Tripp
Nobles (H·D); 13. James Randolph (Suz); 14. Dax
Snow (Suz); 15. Eric Moe (Kaw); 16. Dale Kieffer (Suz);
17. Mario Duhamel (5uz); 18. Rick Kirk (Kaw); 19.
Quenni Kipg (Suz); 20. Ken Krebs (Suz); 21. Mike
Krynock (Kaw); 22. Jimmy MOD're (Suz); 23. John
Jacobi (Suz); 24. Anthony Lupo ,(Suz); 25. Christopher
Steele (Suz); 26. John Hilton Jr. (Hon); 27. James
Milroy Jr. (Kaw); 28. Thomas Wilson Jr. (H-O); 29.
Paul Harrell (Yam); 30. Roger Bell n (Suz); 31. Tom
KiP? (Yam); 32. Brian Gibbs (Suz); 33. Doug Polen
(Suz); 34. Mark Schellinger (Yam); 35. Michael Barnes
(H·O); 36. Larry Pegram (Suz).
Time: 41 min., 17.800 sec.
Distance: 28 laps, 66.64 miles.
Average speed: 91.046 mph.
Margin of victory: 12.659 sec.
AMA/MBNA SUPERB IKE NATIONAL C'SHIP
POINT STANDINGS (After 3 of 10 rounds): 1.
Doug Chandler (99/1 win); 2. Miguel Duhamel (86);
3. Steve Crevi,er (81); 4. Pascal Picotte (79); 5. (TlE)
Mat MJadin/Aaron Yates (69/1); 7. Eric Moe (47); a.
Larry Pegram (46); 9. Tommy Hayden (42); 10. tripp
Nobles (41); 11. Paut Harrell (40); 12, (TIE) John
jacobi/Scott Russeil (37/]); 14, (TIE) James
Randolph/Dax Snow (36); 16, Dale Kieffer (34); 17,
Colin Edwards IT (30); 18. '{homas Wilson Jr. (29); 19.
Mike Krynock (28); 20. (TIE) Ben Bostrom/Tom
Kipp (26).
Upcoming Rounds~
.Round 4 ' Elkhart lake, Wisconsin, June 8
Round 5 - Loudon. New Hampshire, June 15
