Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Left) Mike Smith (68) rode hard as a fill-in rider for Scott Russell. (Right) Ben Bostrom rode mostly alone to his third-place finish. He is tied for third in the series standings after two roOnds. a fact that didn't go unnoticed by' Mladin, who quickly disposed of Yates and then Bostrom as he frantically rushed to get close to his countryman. "1 knew I had to get past quick," Mladin explained. "Anthony was pulling a bit of a lead. All weekend I've been very fast from the kink here all the way to the exit of the long right-hander. That part there is a spot 1 knew 1 could pass if 1 lined it up right and was close enough exiting the turn-two right-hander. Fortunately, Ben ran a little wide out of the right and had to get it back in to the left. I was already out there, waiting to come across. But I knew I had to get past. I couldn't do it with Anthony because he was taking a similar line to me." By the time Mladin was tucked neatly into second place, Gobert had almost a one-second lead. Mladin didn't waste any time in eliminating that margin and by the seventh lap the pair were locked in combat. And it wouldn't change. '1 tried to make a bit of a break here and there and either Mat would pull me straight back in or I'd get held up a bit by a lapper," Gobert said. "I didn't want to put it in the bales, so 1 was a little hes- itant with the slower guys because you never really know where they're going to go. I was being a bit cautious. I knew where Mat was quick from last year, so I was trying to hug the inside and protect the lead. 1 didn't want to have to burn the tire trying to go back around him." For the rest of the way the pair stayed together, with Gobert at times gaining a second or so but Mladin always able to get it back. By the 36th of the 42 laps, however, it looked as though Gobert had things under control as he opened a gap of 2.5 seconds on Mladin. But you don't get the reputation of a bulldog for nothing, and Mladin was soon clawing his way back. "Anthony got a bit of a break on me, about three seconds," Mladin said. "I put my head down and caug~t it back up, but 1 just didJ.,'t have enough today to give to him. He was fast where he needed to be fast, and that was exiting the hairpin. 1 was fast where 1 didn't need to be fast." When they started the final lap, only half a second separated the two. Gobert then made his turn-two mistake, but Mladin wasn't close enough. He was on his rear tire as they charged down the short back straight toward the bus-stop hairpin turn nine, and Mladin gave it everything he had. It wasn't enough, though, and he couldn't match th.e pace of the Ducati on the exit and the run through the final corner. "He was as hard on the brakes into the hairpin as 1 was and without taking "Us both off the race track, I couldn't have got past going in there," Mladin said. "So, essentially, I had to settle for what I had. When he made his mistake down here, I ~asn't close enough - I was still closing on him at that stage. If I was close enough, I could have maybe stuck it in there, but at the time I wasn't close enough." Gobert knew it was a close call. "I made a big mistake down here," Gobert admitted. "My knee-scraper was gone and once I upped the pace on the' last lap, I was trying to dig it in more to get traction on the bike. When I dug it in, it pushed the rear out. I was panicking a bit because I was drifting out; if Mat had been on my bad< tire... I was waiting for him to go up the inside and then it would have been a waste of 42 laps. I got on the gas and dug it in again, and the second one was nearly as big as the mst one. I just got composed. I didn't think Mat would want to stick it up the inside in the hairpin because I'm pretty good on the brakes. [ was hoping he wouldn't shove it in and risk taking us both out. It turned out really good for me, really." Mladin knew what he was up against could remain intact. "The Ducati may not be thEl best in practice or the best in qualitying, but ,I believe it will be for the race," Bostrom said. "The bike does save its.tires nioely. But the last J5 to 20 laps, we'll be skating. I hope we still have the edge." , going in and was pleased to be leaving with the lead in the cl13mpionship. "He did a better job today and we're .• happy with second," Mladin said. "We knew it was going to be a tough race. I've ridden a Ducati around here and 1 know how they work around here. They are a little better on tires than what we've got, so we're happy with how we went." Shortly after being passed by Mladin, Bostrom knew that he'd advance no further than third. That position, however, came pretty easily, and all he did was ride around and learn. It was high-speed high school, and Bostrom emerged with a passing grade and a third-place finish. '1 got a good start, a good jump, but 'Go-Show' (Gobert) got a better start," Bostrom said. "I just tried to hang with him a bit. Then Mat (Mladin) came by me and I was wa tching his lines. I was just trying to learn as I rode, because these guys were outriding me. I was trying to follow their lines and see what they were doing. They started to get away from me, so I just tried to practice the whole race. I never stopped pushing, but these guy kept getting away. I thought maybe they'd come back, but they never came back. Everything went really well. The bike ran well and the team did a good job of setting it up .. I've just got to get a little bit quicker on it/' Picotte's run to fourth place was a bit more eventful, as he had to work around his teammate Smith and Muzzy Kawasaki's Yates, though Yates made When asked if he'd be on the bike for Willow, Wiison said: .. , don't think so, I'm still waiting to hear the exact verdict on that." Scott Russell (pictured) looked better tharl most expec,ed he American Honda's Eric Bostrom was forced to withdraw from would when hI' showed up at the' Doth the AMA Superbike and: 600ce Supersport races at Phoenix Georgian Mike' Smith was rjding, the Harley-Davidson VR 1'000 race track, 'though his face was when he discovered that he still wasn't strong enou!)h to. race . as a last·minute replacement for Scott Russell, who was on hand ,still badly swollen on the left side, . after b(eaking his left ankle at Daytona. "It sorta ,,!orked on the but is still ,recovering from the injuries he suffered in an altercation Russell recently underwent 600," Bostrom said. "I could shift and change direction pretty at a bar in Daytona prior to the 200. Smith was called the surgery in Atlanta, In which doc·· decent. I could have gottEln 'around fair, but the superbike was Wednesday prior to Thursday's practice after landing in Okla· tors placed three titan'ium plates in impossible. I couldn't power-Shift the thing. You have to be bar- homa. where he was scheduled to meet up with a friend. 'He flew his broken cheekbone: The docbaric 00 the thing and I couldn't get. it to ,turn into left-handers. I in on Thursday and practiced while wearing Russell's leaihers and tors advised against Russeil racing · was faster on the 600 than the superbike, but I didn't want to set helmet. "Scott brought mine in from Atlanta and his were in the .in Phoenix due te> a la~k of periphmyself back. We'll be 100· percent for Willow and we'll start our truck," said Smith, who is also Russell's brother,in-Iaw. 'Smith was· eral vision. The Georgiarl said he'll season there .... Bostrom's team had fitted his RC45 with a heel given number 90 instead, of his customary 68 because until race definitely be back for the·next week he wasn't even licensed by the AMA for the 1999 sease;,". shifter to try to help ease the burden on his injured left ankle, round of the series at Willow .. Smith, who will only race the bike here, as Russell is 'scheduled fa Springs, You don't come to Phoenl>< International Raceway without hearing retum for the next round at Willow Springs in April, said the VR is the gripes of tbose frustrated by just how dangerous the facility is much improved from his rides on the bike last year, "It will get it Harley-Davidson team maMger for motorcycles, This year was no different. By the time 'Saturday on," Smith said. "It runs good. It definitely ain't 13 mph down at afternoon rolled around, the Medivac helicopter had already been Brainerd anymore. It handles .good. and they've done a lot .to ii - Steve Scheibe said that no timetable had been set on when Wilson would get fo retum. "We're working on what we're going used four times. "The track's poor," AMA Superbike National clutch, brakes..... to schedule: Scheibe said. "We're. looking at our testing plan." Champior\ Ben 'Bostrom said. "It's not everywhere, but it's got a few bad spots. It's got a few spots where there's just no runoff. If Prior to getting the call from Harley, Smith was a working man When asked il there would ever be three factory VRs on the grid, you crash In certain spots, YOll go straight into a wall. We should back home in Georgia, "I was working with my Bobcat last week, Scheibe said: '''We'd run t~ree bikes ilthe rleed anses." Th~ situfind a new track. It's fine and dandy until someone.gets killed." pulling up some plants and stuff, and driving my dump truck ation with Wilson is a difficult one because Harley wasn't certain around - without my CDO license, It's day by day, man, day by that he'd ever ride again after his horrific accident at Loudon last Those who left in' the heli.copter included, former Canadian Super.· day. If I win and these fellows here let me by, I might just. be year. "He didn't know if he wanted to ride again," Scheioe said. "We .couldr(t count on him. He rode again at Road Atlanta on a . bike' Champiorl ,Michael Taylor, who suffered a broken pelvis • back." wet raCE! track and he was okay with that test. The next step is a after hitting th~ wall in turn nine during Friday's Formula Xtreme Pr;3ctice; Ty David Piz, who was in intensive care and still being Steve Crevier was using a ,brand-new Yoshimura Suzuki GSX- more s.erious test. and we'll go from there," , , R750 after his Daytona brke was destroyed in his high-speed evaluated for neck injuries on Sunday moming after cra'shing in turn 11 during Saturday'",' 250c, Grand Prix practice; Takahito crash in the dogleg during the 200. Crevier had probiems with the Yoshimura Suzuki's Mat Mladin was a happy man at Phoenix Mori, who was scheduied to be released from intensive care'on fuel-injection system on Friday and completed only two laps dur- and,it had nothing'to do with. race resuits. Mladin made a hole-lnSunday. after suffering int~r·craniar bleeding after crashing in For- ing the first official qualitying session, He ended up finishing 11 th one during a round of golf prior to the race weekend at the Estralla Park course in Phoenix and ended up posting a 75. Mladin's mula Xtreme practice on Friday; and Grant Lopez, who suffered in the National. ace came on a .195:yard par three, with th~ Australian usin,g a five · an open fracture to his ieft pinkY. finger after orashing into a wall Ohioan Thomas Wilson is scheduled to test the VR 1000 with ·iron. "It never moved from the pin: Mladin said. "I thought, 'This on the outside .of turn SIX. . . the hopes of being able to reiur'T) to racing followin.g his horrific' is going to be close.' Then it disappeared." ·.As· for the four-year undefeated. streak pastee;! by Ducati at orash ,at Loudon last year_ Wilson is hoping to test the ~ike, most. Phoenix Inte.mational flaceyvay,. Bostrom was fairly cOrlfident it .. likely at Gingerman RaceWay in .Mlchigan, in th.e next few weeks. Yamaha still doesn't' have the new'R7 sup.erbike and, according

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