Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Teamline 750cc Supersport champion couldn't help but make a joke about the disparity in age. "The sun got really bad. That was the toughest thing. And I thought to myself, 'Well, if he's going to catch me here, then he's a bigger man than I am,' because I couldn't see where I was going. And being so much older than him, my cataracts were blocking, and so it got kind of tough to see where 1 was going. "I always feel threatened by icky," he continued. "He's so mature for his age. That's the thing that just amazes me, even the way he speaks and things. I don't want his head to get too big. The thing is, he's probably the best teammate I've ever had. So watching him carrying the flag for us over the last couple of weeks, believe it or not, it's been good. I'm not jealous of him, and I know I'm still capable of winning races. I think I was pretty determined today, more determined than I've been the last few weeks to go out there and win; and I was just happy to do that." In addition to his physical limitations, Pridmore and the rest of the HyperCycle team were racing without team owner Carry Andrew. Ju t prior to the Sears Point race, Andrew was suspended by the AMA for the remainder of the season for various rules violations. (See Briefly.) Team manager Lance Holst said that Andrew was in the area and was being consulted by telephone during the weekend. . Pridmore completed the IS-lap, 37.8mile race in a new race record of 26 minutes, 13.050 seconds, at an average speed of 86.507 mph. Yoshimura Suzuki's Aaron Yate held the previous record of 83.859 mph. With the win, Pridmore stays in fourth place in the championship after five of 13 races, with 133 points. Leading the tables with ]47 is Barnett Tool & Engineering's Richard Aiexander Jr., the New Yorker finishing sixth after hurting his chances early by overshooting turn 11. Ricci Motorsports' James Randolph, who finished one spot ahead of Alexander Jr., is tied for second in points with San Gabriel Mountain Spring Water's Steve Rapp,iourth today, both at 139. Pridmore said that his strategy today was to get out front and get away. ''If I'd have been first or second or third, I wasn't going to wait around, I wanted to go and I wanted to get a little bit of distance," Pridmore said. '1 always watch my pit board pretty good. I saw it get up to three then I saw it go back to two. I knew I was running such a hot pace that if Nicky was going to catch me he was going to have to ride hard to do it. When I went to three I thought, 'Well he may have made a mistake.' So I thought, 'Let's get it to four,' and I made a mistake and it went back to two. It was one of those things where I knew that the pace that I had set, one of us was going to make a mistake, and I'd look back coming out of six the last lap and I saw Nicky was way back, so I thought, well, he may have made a little bit of an error somewhere and I was able to cruise it home." Hayden was second from the start and always in pursuit. The gap was constant for the first several laps, a little over a second, then it grew gradually to 2.43 at the halfway point. A lap later Pridmore bobbled coming 'out of turn ] 1, and Hayden closed right up. He kept the heat on for the final third of the race, nearly on Pridmore on the final lap before a mistake In righthand turn 3A cost him a shot at the win. "For sure it was kind of tough," Hayden admitted. "He got a' good start and AMAlEn Race Fuels &Lubricants 250cc Grand Prix Series Round 5: Sears Point Raceway Sorensen strikes the first couple of laps he put a little distance on me, and then we stayed the same for a long time. And then lappers kind of worked each way." Watching Hayden slide the Suzuki GSXR750, it was clear that he was on the gas. "Mainly just because I was pushing so hard," Hayden said. "I was really pushing, and 1 was getting in some big slides and everything, (turns) three, four, five, I think everywhere. I mean, Jason set a pretty good pace, and I thought I was going to catch him with about three laps to go, and then on the last lap, I got pretty close, and then I about threw it away. So I settled for second. "You win two in a row, it' kind of tough to lose. You get used to it, but hopefully I don't have to get really used to it." As definitive as first and second were, third wa a free-for-all, with three local riders, two on 600s fighting a third on a 750. The 600 riders were Parriott Motors' Brian Parriott, of Calistoga on a very fast Honda F3, and Steve Rapp of Lafayette, forced to ride his Suzuki GSXR600 after his 750 Suzuki expired on the first lap of qualifying. The pair was up against Santa Rosa's Randolph, who rode a Suzuki GSXR750. For the most part it was Rapp at the front of the trio when they crossed the finish line for the first six laps, then Randolph for a few laps, with Parriott taking the spot for good on lap 10 after they came through heavy traffic. The pass was a. bold one, on the outside of turn one with very little margin for error. But it worked and he held on for third, his best-ever AMA fini h and first podium. "n was incredible," an enthused Parriott said after finishing about 19 second.s behind Hayden. "Jason and icky checked out and I was hanging in there with Steve and James, and it was a good battle we had, and I finally sized them up to where 1 thought I could go by and passed there on the front straight on Randolph. It was kind of a fluke; 1 didn't think I was going to go by there. 1 don't know. He left the door open so I went." The move on Rapp was also forceful and effective. But, after racing the same machine in Sunday's Pro Honda Oils 600cc Supersport race, it was torn down and found to be illegal due to a number of engine modifications. Parriott knew it was coming, since he races the modified Honda in the AFM Formula Pacific Challenge at Sears Point. "I just come here to have fun," PiIl"riott. said after the disqualification. An exhausted Rapp, who qualified in three classes before this race, was fourth, then up to third after Parriott's removal, and said he was content that he was able to close up on Randolph in the championship. "I'm just beat," he said. "The first couple of laps I almost crashed, so I got hurt tllere. I backed off. Bryan (Parriott) is not in the points, so as long as I could catch Randolph I did all I could." Randolph finished fifth and was moved up to fourth, dropping around Just like old times: Jason Pridmore (1) ran away in 750cc Supersport class. six seconds back at the finish but 10 seconds in front of Alexander, who was in sixth on the second lap when he overshot turn 11, crossing in front of Parriott before gathering it up and just avoiding the barriers. That caused Alexander to lose touch, and he was briefly forced into defending his position. He even lost it for a handful of laps to Ricci Motorsports' Jimmy Moore, then Moore had a mechanical failure and dropped out on the 11 th lap as Alexander Jr. was pulling away. Alexander Jr. said his problems had begun even before he overshot turn 11. "The start of the race I thought was sour," Alexander said. "Randolph pinched me off the track totally in he first turn. I lost the lead pack. Then I caught back up. I made my move on Parriott in turn 11. The bike got all hopping, and somehow I saved it. I played with Jimmy Moore, and 1 was happy to get away." Sixth plac~ went to class newcomer Chris Carr. The former Grand National Champion wa making his racing debut aboard his Team Green Kawasaki ZX-6. Carr established himself in the top 10 and steadily moved forward. By the] Oth of 15 laps, he was by himself, leaving Racers Edge Performance's Dale Kieffer and Zero Gravity's Jake Zemke to fight over eighth. Kieffer took the spot on the 11th lap and held it to the finish, Zemke dogging him all the way, the pair both moving up a spot. Hooters Restaurants' Paul Harrell pulled well clear of Motorcycle Unlimited's Thomas Montano to take a secure 10th - and ninth when the results were revised - with Montano ending up 10th. 0; Sears Point Raceway Sonoma, Califomia Results: May 2, 1998 (Round 5 of 13) 7S0cc SUPER-SPORT FINAL: 1. Jason Pridmore (5uz); 2. Nick Hayden (Suz); 3. Steve Rapp (Suz); 4. James Randolph (Suz); 5. Richard Alexander Jr. ( uz); 6. Chris Carr (Kaw); 7. Dale Kieffer (5uz); 8. Jake Zemke (Suz); 9. Paul Harrell (5uz); 10. Thomas Monlano (Han); 11. Cory Call (Suz); 12. Mike Sullivan (5uz); 13. Mark Foster (Kaw); 14. Steve Teschke

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