Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Round 1: Daytona International Speedway AMAILOCKHART-PHILLJPS 750cc SUPERSPORT SERIES By Paul Carruthers Photos by Henny Ray Abrams DAYTONA BEACH, FL, MAR. 5 he burning question "Who is Josh Hayes?" was asked after qualifying for both the 600 and 750cc Supersport classes at Daytona International Speedway. Hayes answered the question with an exclamation mark on Friday afternoon, posting two wnvincing rides on his Michelin-shod Valvoline EMGO Suzukis. Nbne, though, was more impressive than his runaway victory in the 750cc Supersport final. Hayes was one of two men who came into the 750cc Supersport class as replacement riders for injured racers. Hayes was brought into the Valvoline team to compete in the class only a few days before the ,event, replacing the injured Ryan Landers, and he made the most of the opportunity to ride to a relatively unchallenged victory - his first in AMA Supersport racing. The other replacement rider was Chaparral Suzuki's Tom Kipp. The veteran Kipp was brought into the new team when Australian Damon Buckmaster as injured in a motocross riding accident, and he, too, made the most of the opportunity, finishing third in his and the team's first outing. In between came the hard-riding Jimmy Moore on the Ricci Racingbacked Suzuki GSX-R750. Moore and Kipp went back and forth for the majority of the race, but they couldn't keep pace with Hayes, and the 23-year-old from Gulfport, Mississippi, ended up winning the race by 4.023 seconds. "I've got to put a thanks out to Suzuki for having the confidence in us to' come out here and run strong," Hayes said after his win. "It's really great to come out here and ride with the' caliber of riders like these. I've always been reading about them, but I've never had 0::-::- ,.: _ 24 the chance to gQ out there and race with them. It was really a lot of fun. These guys ride awesome, and they'll make you ride hard the whole race. I sure am glad I wasn't back there with the beatin' and the bangin'." Fourth place wenUo Hayes' Valvoline teammate Grant Lopez after a racelong battle with Chaparral Suzuki's defending class champion, Richard Alexander Jr. Behind those two came Hooters Restaurants-backed Jamie Bowman, Motorsports Suzuki's Brian Gibbs and James Randolph on the Copier Discount Warehouse Suzuki. It was 1-800-CYCLEGEAR's Jake Zemke who managed to hold off the .advances of the first 600cc motor<;ycle in the field, the factory Yamaha ridden by Tommy Hayden, to finish ninth. Hayden was just behind in 10th. The IS-lap race began with Bowman leading the way in to the In terna tional Horseshoe after getting around pole sitter Kipp. Bowman's lead was shortlived, lasting only until the pack hit the banking for the first time. At that point, he was passed by both Kipp and Hayes, with Hayes leading the way to end the opening lap. From there, the youngster simply started pulling away. He led by.a second after four laps, 2.7 seconds after seven laps, 3.8 seconds after 10 laps and then he held the cushion to the flag, ultimately winning by 4.023 seconds and never appearing to put a wheel wrong. In his wake he left the fight for second to Kipp and Moore. The pair swapped the spot continually, with Kipp's wheels in line and Moore's wheels anything but. The Eugene, Oregon, resident had missed on his setup and was simply riding through his problems. Kipp didn't like what was going on around him and after the race he was livid - in a way that longtime Kipp watchers had never seen. "First, 1 really want to say that I'm happy to be back here at Daytona and really happy to be back in the winner's circle so soon," Kipp said after barely losing to Moore at the finish line. ''I'm really grateful for the opportunity that Suzuki has given me, along with Chap- , arral. It feels great to be back here. A couple of weeks ago, I didn't have much lined up, but it's a good thing. We got on the podium and I'm really happy. As far as the battle for second went, I got beat at the line. 1 don't usually ridicule people for their riding, but I have to say that was some of the sloppiest riding I've ever experienced. 1 hope this is the last time this season that this is going to happen; it will be the last time that 1 put up with it." Moore, who matched his career-best finish from last year's season finale with second place, stood by what he'd done. He said he didn't have much of a choice. "1 did my best to set up the bike the best 1 could, but 1 think 1 missed it," he said. "I was riding very hard to beat Tom (Kipp), and I did. I'm sorry that he feels that 1 was out of line, but 1 think if he remembers back when he was really hungry, he might remember some races like that. I don't Have any problem with it; I thought it was a very good race. Tom definitely came out of the corners better than 1 did, but I think I got into the corners better than he did. 1 was able to pass him going into th'e chicane and into turn one. There were other places that I would catch him, but he definitely had the edge coming out. At one point in the race, we came up on a lapper and the lapper didn't really know we were coming. It looked like he was going from the outside of the turn back into the middle of the track. At the last minute, he looked over his shoulder, saw us comiitg and decided to stay on the outside of the track. I had the option of creaming into the back of him or avoiding him. I knew Tom was right close to me, so 1 had to run off the track. That was kind of a hairy moment, but I was able to come back from it and do well." With Hayes riding off in the distance and Moore and Kipp locked in a heated battle, the pack tried in vain to keep pace. Those doing the best job in the next.group were Lopez and Alexander, who managed to put a little gap between themselves and Bowman. Alexander had ruined his chances to run a t the front when he botched his qualifying session by crashing in the second horseshoe. He was fortunate enough to walk away with just a bruised foot, but he was unlucky in that his crash came before he was able to post a quick' lap. Thus he started from the third row and could only watch as the lead group pulled away. In the end, he finished fifth. . "Basically, coming from the third row was where it all started," Alexander said. "I had to go through the guys and 1 was by myself on the banking. Then 1 got hooked up with Grant (Lopez). I had more grunt, but he had more top end. It came down to a last-lap dash, and [ thought 1 had him - but 1 missed it by a foot. It was mind over matter. [ was in a lot worse shape here last yeiu (when he rode with an injured shoulder'). I'm happy to come away with some points. It was fl good weekend until I got to qualifying, but we'll go to Phoenix and kick some butt." The fact that Hayes won was a surprise in itself. The fa~t that he was able to get away from the pack was even more surprising - unless you were Hayes. "We'd watched qualifying and the way the Jap times happened," Hayes explained. "The tire we were on was definitely the tire we were racing with. There was only one tire available to us,

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