Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127851
Over t h e n e xt fo u r laps, G r aef str etched a sma ll lead over fellow Wisco ns ini te Co nra d in th e race for seco nd . Con rad, in turn, managed to se p arate himself fr om ye t an othe r race r fr om W isconsin, To d d Evans . A pparentl y, W isconsi n , in a d diti on to prod u cing some grea t H arl ey-D a vid son s, also p rod uces some fine H arl ey racer s. IDEMITSU AMER ICAN GRA ND PRIX The be st race of th e day fo r the pa rti san fans w as th e 125C'c Grand Pri x race, w it h loc al favorit e Iso p ush in g to a n upset victory over perennial class w in ne r Iizuka, Si lve rman Muse um Racing' s Vicky Ia c k s o n- Be lt pu ll ed off one of her p a tented s ta rts a n d led th e pack into t u r n o ne, b ut by th e seco nd lap her teamma te Iizu ka, Iso a nd Marcello del Guidice h ad all w orked th eir w ay p ast. Th en Ii zuka and Is o s ta rte d t o pull away. Des pite a co ns ta n t w obb le o n th e fr o n t s t ra ig ht, Iso w a s a b le to s ti ck beh ind Iizuka for th e firs t port ion o f th e race. At abo u t h al f-distan ce, the wobble inex p lica b ly d isappeared, and on th e fifth lap Iso drafted into the lead on th e long front str aight. Iso had h is r un at th e front; the n lizu ka m oved back to th e lead enteri n g tu rn seven . O n th e s ix t h la p, Is o repassed d own th e straight, but Iizuka re t urn ed th e favor in turn th ree . Iso g ra bbed the lead again in tu m six , Iiz u k a go t i t back in se ven an d th e y stayed only feet apart fo r th e final th ree laps. Both w ere w a iting fo r th e o ther's mi stake, but one w as ne ve r made. Iso fo un d himself where he w anted to be a t th e end , right on li zuka's rea r whee l as they en tere d the lo ng fron t s t raig h t with the checke red flag w aiti ng a t th e end . Iso th e n pulle d o ff a pe rfect draft pass, edging Iizuka by in ches a t th e flag - much to th e d elight of a really p umped crowd. Thi r d place w a s ta k e n by del Gui di ce , w ho h a d a b u sy da y : The Flor idi an cra s hed in th e morni ng sessio n. a n d t h en sa ng: the Nat iona l An them during the pre-race ce remonies. Jackson-Bell kept ch arging fo r fo urt h, closely pu rsued by Rolando Quinte ro and Ch ris Ulrich. Iso had fin ished secon d to lizuka last year a t Portland. After his m ost recent win, he announced he w as retiring from racing. " I' m retired," he sa id . " I wan ted to come back here and wi n this race befo re I stop ped. I ha ve no re grets now th at I ' ha ve to stop racing ." Is o is goi ng t o Ja p an t o s t u dy t o become a p hys ical therapist, and sees little likelih ood of co ntinu ing radng . » EBC BRA KES SPORTBIKE Tw o m o re Oregon race rs made th e winner's circle in the 600cc EBC Sportb ike class, with Da vid Cook o f Medford a n d Don Beck lin of Gra nt s Pass sa ndw ich ing cI~lSS poi nts leade r Eric Wood. J a s on Fra s er, a n o t h e r No rt h wes t fav orite. from Snohom ish, Wi:lshington. led the first tw o lap s, th en lo, t two pos itions wh en h l.!' had to sta n d it up fo r a second in holm nine. Fraser then w orked h is w ay back to th e lead over the next two laps, held the position over a fou r-w ay battl e fo r first for se veral laps - then cam e to a full sto p o n the n in th lap, le a vi n g C o o k a n d W ood to figh t it ou t for th e flag . At th e fin is h , it w a s Ya m a h a· moun tt>d Coo k over th e Kawa saki o f W o o d a n d th e Yamaha of Becklin. HARLEY-DAVIDSON TWINSPORTS Billy Graef led the 883cc H a rley ra ce fr om s tar t to finish , figu rin g to " ru n hard and stay out fro n t. If you back o ff a t all, th ey'll be on you ." Sim ilarly, Tod d Evans had se pa ra ted from th ird pl ace and gai ned a litt le on Graef. but never really go t close enough to ge t in his draft. Evans lost se veral places on the first la p into tum one whe n his Harley wouldn't go into to p gear, but h e w orked his w a y back in to second p lac e q u ick ly whe;' a m o re deliberate style so lved his shifting pro blem . Shawn Conrad , w ho had crashed in th e pre ced in g EB C S p or tbike race, a d mi tted to bei n g a little te nt a ti ve a t first. But he go t things go ing tow a rd the e nd of th e ra ce to m o ve pas t Shaw n M cNary , Greg Hutche so n a n d Br ia n Bodine for a sp ot on th e podium. '" Portland Internationa l Racew ay Portland. Oreg on Results: July 20, 1997 (Roun d 4 01 9) F·USA RA C E ONE: 1. Tr.l Y Ba l.. y (Suz); 2. Fritz Kling (Yam); 3. Dave 5dduw!old (H, m); 4. Grit nl LofW'Z (5uz); 5. St..ve GriU (1.1w:); 6. Ja<;on Fraser (Hon); 7. Lee Shi f'rt." (S u z ); S. And y De ath er age ( Ka w ); 9. Curti ~ Adams (H on ); 10.. Michael Fitzpatrid. (Kaw); 11. Joe " Pittm an (""w); 12. Eric Wood (K.l w ); 13. Ion Burtnes. I {Suz}: 14. Mark Lonmtz (Suzt IS. Devin Battley (Yam ); Ib. Roben Underwood (Yam ); 17. Todd H.-rtne!>sy (H -D). Timr. 14 min.. 55.981 sec. Dbt.l.n~ 13idps. 23.4 mih. A"PI"~fl' 5po..-d: 101 lO2:i mph. r.b rgi n o f Victory:: 4.496 <;«. F-USA RACE TI" O: 1. Tra y Balt')· (Suz); 2. Grant Lopez (S u z) ; 3. Steve Grigg (Muz ): 4. Jua n Fra ser (Hool: 5. Cum , Adam s (Hon) ; b. [A"(" Sh il'f'tll {Suz l; 7. Andy De.lth('ra~ (Kaw); 8. Mich.lel Fitzp3tt'id (K.a.w ); 9. Eric Wood (K.l.w); 10. Joe Ptttman (K.aw); I I. Mul Lonentz (Suz ); 12. Mike Su lliva n (Suz ); 13. Jon Bu~s (S u ;r: ); 14 . o.-vin R,tt t l.. y (Yam); 15. Do'l vid Sad o w ..k! (l Ion); 16. Sha wn Hi gbee (Suz); 17. Jory Arm (Suz); 18. Fritz Kling (Yam ). T ime: n / 3 Dillt.l. nc~: 13 lap ". 23.4 mile s. A Vl"rdSl" SP~l".J ; n/ o!l Motrgin of Victory: n la EBC BRAKES SPORTBIKE: 1. David Cook (Yam); 2. Eric Wood (Kaw); 3. Don RfflJin (y.l.m); 4. Mark Reed (lGtw ); 5. Troy RUf