Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

ROAD RACE AMAIMBNA SUPERBIKE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AMAIProgressive Insurance Pro Thunder series Round 4: Willow Springs In1'l Raceway Adams at home "I was just trying way too hard and lost the back end jn turn five and threw myself off of it and that was it," Adams said. "I was done. I'm perfectly fine except for my right hand. I bruised it really bad." Miller, meanwrule, had a prototype exhaust bracket break, wruch let his exhaust canister drop down low enough that the next time he tried to turn right in turn two - it rut the ground and lifted the back of his bike up. He sajd he was lucky to save it, but he was soon shown the meatball flag. He finished 18th after a pit stop to fix the offending piece. After that, Batey moved up to the battle in which his teammate, Mike Smjth, was involved with Erion Racing's Tripp Nobles. Nobles had taken the holeshot to lead the early laps with second-raw-starter Smjth surprisingly right behind him. "I had a kickin' start," Smjth sajd. "I couldn't believe how 1 just slipped it. 1 was riding a wheelie and I'm like, 'Well, I'll just catch another gear: and I just kept riding it. 1 trunk 1 was second in turn one. I'm like, 'Okay, I'll take it.''' Nobles had looked set to run away with this one, pulling some 10 bike lengths on the rest of the field by the middle of the second lap. But after about five laps, Nobles began a· struggle with getting drive off the comer exjts in the critical fast turns - the ones Bostrom said he was cooling it through - and the CBR900RR rider began to fade. He did a good job keeping Smith behind him - all the way until the halfway mark, in fact - and the Valvoline rider would later pay the price for having to work so hard to get by. "My tires were starting to go from trying to get around Tripp (Nobles):' Smjth sajd. "I thought, 'Okay, this don't feel that fast: so I started spinning my tire up. Last time 1 was here 1burned up my tires so bad 1 couldn't even hardly finish the race - I had to block Tray (Batey, in Formula USA) just to get on the poillum:So trus time I'm riillng and thinking 'Well, these things are kind of going' and Tray - I looked back and I knew he was right there. So I kind of drifted a little wide and let rum come by and thought I'd just follow him and blow his doors' on the start/finish. And that sucker, he just kept on running in on down here in nine just like no tomorrow and I just had nothing for rum. The old silver fox got me." (Left) Eric Bostrom won the Formula Xtreme race, topping Tray Batey and Mike Smith. Tripp Nobles (87) finished fourth. (Above) Mark Miller (24) gets the jump on Shawn Higbee (3), Paul Harrell (47) and eventual race winner Curtis Adams (145). Ba tey had a fron t-row sea t for Smjth's attempts at passing obles, and was even able to make it past them both, only to be repassed in their heated midrace exchange. "Mike passed Tripp a couple of times but he was so tough he kept coming back:' Batey sajd. "I actually passed Mjke and Tripp on one lap in particular and was ahead of both of them and then they both passed me back on the front strajght at once. Tripp was going really hot at the beginning and it was all we could do to run rus pace. But he kind of chilled out a little bit and then Eric came through and gradually pulled away and had a good, smooth ride." Nobles ended his race in a tooth-andnw figh t for fourth place with Yamaha Rl-mounted Graves. "Graves was making good time on me in eight and nine:' obles said. "You know, whether I drafted l\im or just out-horsepowered him, 1 knew I had him if he'd gotten me, which he illd. He passed me twice." obles would always power back past Graves on the front straight and he held on to fourth. l~ Willow Springs International Raceway Rosamond, California Results: April 25, 1998 (Round 3 of 12) FORMULA XTREME Fl AL: 1. Eric Bostrom (Hon); 2. Tray Ba'ey (Suz); 3. Mike Smith (Suz); 4. Tripp Nobles (Hon); 5. Chuck Graves (Yam); 6. Michael Taylor (J

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