Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Round One: Daytona International Speedway NASB~BCSPORTmKESER~S (Left) Frank Stroman led the way to the Expert Lightweight . Sportsman race. He also won the Expert Lightweight Superbike class. (Right) Christopher Boy (50) leads Greg Doney (36) in the Expert Lightweight Sportsman race. Boy, who dropped to fourth in ihis race, won the Expert . Heavyweight Sportsman race. 18 with first Ken Krebs and then Cycles of Palm Beach's Michael Luke sticking to him. Saeby was quick on the banking and he made a bold move, nearly three wide, in the fast left-hand kink to get the lead on the fifth lap. Luke wasn't having it and retook the front spot on the back straight, leading across the stripe on lap six before Saeby used the draft to take the lead into the chicane, only to lose it at the line. Luke started the last lap in the lead; with Saeby and Krebs close behind. This was their order exiting the chicane - it was anyone's race. Luke, however, was pushing the wind and would have the hardest time. Saeby knew what to do by now, using the draft to nudge Luke by 0.177 seconds. Krebs finished third. Krebs, however, would later be disqualified, and Mark Lawson was awarded third. The final victory for Saeby came in the afternoon's Expert Middleweight Su persport class. This one was close all the way. Todd Harrington led Saeby from the midpoint on, only.to get snookered with a draft pass at the line. Saeby's margin of victory was 0.177 seconds after he completed the sevenlap, 17.8-mile race in 14 minutes, 35.020 seconds at an average speed of 102.526 mph. Of his two wins, the Expert Lightweight Sportsman was by far the easiest for Frank Stroman. There was virtually no competition for 14m, and he won by 16.224 seconds, racing his Kawasaki 597 twin to victory in 15 minutes, 20.121 seconds at an average speed of 97.500 mph: "Seems like I'm cornering a little better than the other guys," Stroman said. "Through the' chicane, 1 think, I'm picking up a lot of speed with my late breaking going in the chicane and also turn One." In Friday's penultimate race, the Expert Lightweight Superbike, Stroman saddled up the Kawasaki again, this time lurking near the front before making a dramatic and decisive move'at the. finish. Stroman was up to third on the sixth of seven laps after running fifth for much of the early gOing. Ducati-mounted Christopher Boy and Beach Sportcycles' Yamaha 4QO-equipped Ron Perry were the early pacesetters. Stroman's chances cijpn't look good, with Boy using traffic well to gain what looked like a significant edge. On the final lap, it all changed. Boy's bike .slowed with an engine misfire (he and Perry were running out of gas), and Stroman caught the draft of the leaders, moving from third to first entering the chicane on the final lap. From there he. held the power on and shot across the line 0.319 seconds (about half a wheel) in front of Perry. C&W Cycle Works' Greg Doney finished third, with Boy dropping to fourth. "I don't know what happened to the two guys that were leading most of the race," Stroman said of the two who were getting low on fuel. "I just nailed it through the chicane and made the pass to take over the lead. I never dreamed I would be able to catch those guys." . Boy was trying to win his second race in a row when he faltered in the Expert Lightweight Superbike race. Just a race earlier, he'd made short work of Greg Doney in the Expert Heavyweight Sportsman event. Doney was away first, and Boy was back in the pack before quickly moving forward to take over the lead on the third lap. From there, he steadily pulled away, eventually winning the seven-lap, 25-mile race by 8.127 seconds in 15 minutes, 25.459 seconds at an average s~ of 96.838 mph. "At the beginning, 1 was just pacing myself," said Gulfstream, Florida's Boy. "About halfway through the race, 1 started picking up the pace. I could feel my bike start shaking when someone came up to draft me on the banking. After I pulled out a gap on second place, I started looking back coming out of the horseshoe to gauge my lead." Ron PeiTy, who finished behind Stroman in the Expert Lightweight Superbike race, earned his lone win in Friday's 30-minute Expert GT Lights race, but only as a result of a disqualification. Perry was in front of the 16-rider field on the second of what would be a 14-lap race. Boy soon joined him and held the spot until both were passed by Norwegian Oistein Borch on a Honda RS250. Borch went on to win comfortably. The only problem is that the RS-250 is illegal in this class (an RS-125 would have been legal), and thus he was disqualified. That gave the win to Perry, who was a comfortable second, with Richard Inman second on a BMW 650, and Doney third. Boy ran into problems and dropped out on the lOth lap. "I've been having problems all week with my bike leaking oil," Doney said. "I think 1 finally got it solved just before the race. I had a good time chasing down Greg Doney. Then Chris Boy and I hooked up for a few laps and were drafting back and forth with each other. During the final laps, I was just hoping that the engine would make it to the checkered flag." Canadian Mario Martin won a pair of races on the Hooters Suzuki and led a third race. The first win for Martin was a runaway in Sunday's opening event: the Amateur Heavyweight Supersport race. There was a red flag on the third lap, but that didn't stop' Martin. He picked up where he left off and won by an impressive 14.446 seconds at the end of the seven-lap, 25-mile race. Martin completed the race in 14 minutes, 32.913 seconds at an average speed of 102.773 mph. Second went to Oubhouse Restaurant's Jeremy Steiner, on a Suzuki, with ProFab Motorcycle Service's Joseph Capelli, also on a Suzuki, third. On Friday, Steiner had pushed his Oubhouse Restaurant Suzuki GSXR-750 into the lead on the 13th lap of the 30minute Amateur GTO race. The Daytona Beach resident, a recent transplant from Maryland, then sped away to take the win, with fellow Floridians Kevin Novak and Raife Snover second and third, respectively, on their similar Suzukis. "That is just an awesome feeling, to win here," the 25-year-old said. "The tart of the race was really dicey. Bikes were darting everywhere. I battled with a couple of guys early on, but my bike was set up really well for the infield and that's where I was making good time." Martin was back in the Amateur Middleweight Supersport race, but this time he was in for a fight. He led a three-rider breakaway on the' back straight of the first lap and held on for another before Page Gaithings drove by him on his Honda. Martin soon took the lead back, then lost it, taking it back on the run from the chicane to the line. It was close - 0.348 seconds - at the end of the five-lap, 17.8-rnile race, which he completed in 10 minutes, 48.318 seconds at an average speed of 98.840 mph. Gaithings was the shadow in second, with Lightning Fast Racing's Sean Steinbrueck, on a Honda, third. The race Martin led was Friday's Amateur GTO. He pulled in while in front on the 13th lap, and the race was eventually won by Jeremy Steiner. Other multiple winners included Arthur Wagner, who won the Amateur Lightweight Sportsman and Amateur Lightweight Grand Prix on his HarleyDavidson 1200. He also finished second in the Amateur Lightweight Superbike contest. Shannon Santoni won a pair of races on his SWS Racing Yamaha FZR400, the Amateur Grand Prix Lights and the Amateur Lightweight Superbike. CfI Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida Results: February 26-28, 1999 AM GTU: 1. Robert Michael (Hon); 2. Chris Tardieu (5uz); 3. Jason Gray (5uz); 4. Dave Ferrell (Kaw); 5. Atlanta Fritz (Hon). Time: N/ A, due to red flag Distance: 7lups; 25 miles Margin of victory: N/A, due to red flag AM eTO: 1. Jeremy Steiner (Suz); 2. Kevin Novak (5uz); 3. Raile Snover (502); 4. Robert Goudy (5uz); 5. Bob Shy (Y.m). Time: N/ A, due to r.ed flag Distance: 14 laps; 50 miles Margin of victory: N/A, due to red fJag EX GT LIGHTS: 1. Ron Perry (Yam); 2. Richard Inman (BMW); 3. Greg Doney (Hon); 4. Jerry helton (Yam); 5. Herbert Bridwell (Hon). Time: 30 min., 3.586 sec. Distance: 14 laps; 50 miles Average speed: 99.482 mph Margin of victory: 34.026 sec. AM CT LlCHTS: 1. Shannon Santoni (Yam); 2. John Linder (Yam); 3. Russ McCallister (Yam); 4. Joseph Miles (Han); 5. Jim Hunter (Due). Djstance: 7 laps; 25 miles EX GTO: 1. L..,rry Pegram (Dud; 2. Rad Greaves (5U2); 3. Jamie Bowman (Suz); 4. Grant Lopez (Suz); 5. Ed Bartoli (5uz). Time: N/A, due to red flng Distance: 12 laps; 42.72 miles Margin of victory: Nt A, due to red flag EX CTU: 1. Joshua Hayes (5uz); 2. Ken Krebs (Yam); 3. Ed BurtoH (Suz); 4. Thorvald S.,eby (Yam); 5. Roland Sands (Hon). Time: 30 min" 9.056 sec, Distance: 15 laps; 53.4 miles Margin of victory: 0.669 sec. EX UW CP: 1. Greg Esser (Hon); 2. Christopher Ulrich (yam); 3. Perry Melneciuc (Hon); 4. John Burgoyne (Han); 5, Distein Borch G-Ion). Distance: 7 laps; 25 miles AM UW CP: 1, Arthur Wagner (H-D); 2. Ward Wilson (Yam); 3. Shannon Santoai (Yam); 4. Rodney Goddard (Han); 5, Geunther Weick-ert (Due). Distance: 7 laps; 25 miles AM M/W S/BK: 1. David Moser (Suz); 2. Jason Gray (5uz); 3. Dave Ferrell (lSaw); 4. Page Gaithings (Hon); 5. Courtney Bennett O

• Cover