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butt, I can get him on the power. The Triumph is just way faster than the Buell. And I thought in the beginning, 'Oh my God, it's going to be a great race' and unfortunately, problems arose. I was sweating him pretty good. I think we all watch each other's times in practice and stuff, and him and Mark (Miller) were kind of picking up the pace and I thought it was going to be a tough race. Luckily, it wasn't too tough:" .After finishing second for the third race in a row, Harrell continues to hold the championship lead. His 117 are seven better than Adams, with Higbee third at 105 after the fourth of 13 races. None of the top three were the least bit threatened by the rest of the field. There was a spirited fight for four,th, and it went to the wire, but it was 26 seconds behind Higbee. Not that that decreased the intensity of the battle. It was a three-way race for fourth for the duration, Kiyoshige Watanabe pitting his Nankaibuhin-Takamatsu Honda Hawk 800 against the Orange County Triumph 900 of Michael Gage, and Nick lenatscJ::1 on the Wood-Rotax 600 single. The trio formed by the third lap and were never very far apart. Watanabe and Gage went back and forth, Ienatsch lurking just behind, sometimes losing ground, but always able to make it up within a lap with exceptional cornering speed. What he lacked was enough horsepower to make a run on the straightaways, and to the line, and that determined that it would be a two-rider battle for fourth, with Ienatsch watching it close up. The pair swapped the spot back and forth, Watanabe looking like he might be able to hold it at the line for the duration, then Gage coming back and drafting by to start the 14th lap. Watanabe sat on him for a while before making the pass and holding the spot through the final arcing turns eight and nine. Gage made his final run, using the draft, but came up about half a wheel short. He ended up fifth in front of Ienatsch. The first to cross the line in single file be)tind the top six was Ducati-mounted Paul Orlandi. He was alone mucl, of the race and comfortably in front of Schnur Racing's Ducati SuperMono-mounted Larry Schnur at the fi.nish. Schnur had to shake San Jose BMW's Kurt Mund, an early nemesis who would finish ninth, the last rider on the lead lap. Finishing 10th, the first of the lappers, was Thomas Tucciarone on a Ducati 900. 1'N Willow Springs International Raceway Rosamond, California Results: April 26, 1998 (Round 4 of 13) PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE PRO THUNDER FINAL,!. Curtis Adams-{Tri); 2. Paul Harrell (Tri); 3. Shawn Higbee (Bue); 4. Kiyoshige Watanabe (Hon); 5. Michael Gage (Tri); 6. Nick lenntsch (W-R,); 7. Paul Orlandi (Due); 8. Larry Schnur (Duc); 9. Kurt Muod (BMW); 10. Thomas Tucciarone (Due); 11. Ben Welch ('Pri); 12. Michael Dube (Hon); 13. Lloyd Johnson (Due); 14. David Hull (Due); 15. Robert Gonzales (Duel; 16. Patrick Cody (Muz); 17.]ames Uckwar (Tri); 18. Shawn Conrad (Bue); 19. Thomas David Hull (Due); 20. Mark Miller (Bue). Ifime; 2) minutes, 42.080 seconds. Distance: 151aps, 37.5 miles. Average speed: 103.381 mph. Margin of victory: 4.230 sec. PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE PRO THUNDER C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS (Afler 4 of 13 rounds), 1. Paul Harrell (117/3 wins); 2. Curtis Ad.ams (110); 3. Shawn Higbee (105/1); 4. Thomas Tucciarone (93); 5. mE) Michael Gage/Mark MilJer (86); 7. Thomas David Hull (85); 8. (TIE) James Lickwar/C,aig McLean (72); 10. Paul Orlandi (72); 11. Bill St. John (66); 12. Nick J~nalsch (63); 13. Kurt Mund (62); 14. Robert Gonzales (58); 15. David Hull (46); 16. La"y Schur (44); 17. Michael Dube (41); 18. David Kieffer (38); 19. JGyoshige Watanabe (34); 20. Ben Welch (33). Upcoming Rounds: Round 5 - Sonoma, California, May 3 Round 6 • Braselton, Georgia, May 31 STREETexcel Sinter compounds from SBS - the best in sintered metal replacement pads with specifically engineered compounds for front (HS) and rear (lS). These Sinter compounds provide the ultimate In smooth, quick stopping power with formulations that allow for faster cooling and minimum to no fade, even under heavy use and repeated h~rd braking. ~==~-;;;;;;~=~f:;;;;;;, At a time like this, you shouldn't be asking yourself "How are my brakes?" Visit your nearest dealer today to find out which SBS brake pads are the right choice for you. SBS - THE POWERTO STOP YOU. ---