Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Round 5: Laguna Seca Raceway AMAIMBNA SUPERBIKE SERIES Tommy Hayden (22) mastered the wet conditions to win the 600cc Supersport race by more than 16 seconds, leading the field the entire race. AMAIPro Honda Oils 600cc Supersport Series Round 5: Laguna Seca Raceway Rain· master Hayden By Paul Carruthers Photos by Henny Ray Abrams MONTER'EY, CA, MAY 2 here were some rider~ who looked skyward on Sunday morning and were thankful that the skies had opened and the Laguna Sec,! Raceway track was soaking wet. Yamaha's Tommy Hayden wasn't one of them. At the end of the race, though, it was Hayden who had the most to be thankful for, as he simply dominated the race, leading each and every lap and eventually pulling away to a 16.19-se.cond victory. Hayden was masterful in the appalling conditions - despite the fact that his rain-riding experience consisted of exactly one .club race from his youth. But it didn't matter as he stormed away from his front-row starting position to decimate the competition. "Coming into the race, I wasn't really expecting much," Hayden admitted. "I rode a club race once in the rain and that was pretty much about it. This morning I went out an'd my bike was so perfect - we were right there with what I thought it was going to take to win the race. Then it started raining and I was pretty bummed out about that. My expectations weren't very good for the race. I thought, '12th, 15th.' Top 20, I probably would have been happy with. I just got a good start. It probably • would have been better to follow, but I m got the holeshot and I just tried to ride en smooth and not crash. I started getting away. I just watched my board, stayed ~ smooth and kept getting a bigger lead. ~ I'm pretty happy with how things 18 turned out." T Second place went to Yoshimura Suzuki's Steve Crevier, one of those who were happy to see the wet conditions. Crevier couldn't match Hayden's pace but was plenty quick enough to finish second - the first podium finish of the year for the.defending series champion. Crevier knew the rain was his only hope and he took full advantage of the conditions. One of ti,e more remarkable stories of the weekend was the third-place finish of Chaparral Suzuki's Damon Buckmaster. Just three months after breaking his neck in a motocross riding accident'in Southern California, the 1998 Australian 600cc Supersport Champion finished third in what was his first-ever AMA 600cc Supersport race. The Australian started from ti,e fourth row after qualifying 20th, but he didn't waste any time in working past those who started ahead of him. At one point he started to close on Crevier for second pl.ace, but lappers thwarted his progress and he thought better of taking any undue chances. ''I'm actually quite happy that it rained today," Buckmaster said. "I know that rain is a great equalizer and we qualified 20th, which we were a bit disappointed with. Realistically, I should have been happy, but I'm being a little hard on myself. I'm a little bit rusty due to my lack of time on the motorcycle because of my neck injury I had on February 6. I'm really happy happy for the Mazda Chaparral Suzuki team. They did a great job and made me feel really welcome into the team once .again. I'm just happy to get a good result in my first race in the U.S. 1 must congratulate the guys - they rode really well. It was pretty dodgy out there, a fairly slick track, and I just did the best 1 could with what I had today and that was third today. I'm really pleased with that. Fourth place went to Yamaha's Jamie Hacking, the South Carolinian catching his teammate Rich Oliver on the final lap after clicking off the t~o fastest laps of the race on the final tWo go-arounds. American Honda's Eric Bostrom had his best result of the season in sixth place - and he was also the top Honda CBR600-mounted finisher. Yoshimura' Suzuki's Steve Rapp was seventh, followed by cautious championship points leader Nicky Hayden on the Erion Honda, Yoshimura Suzuki's Jason Pridmore and American Honda's Miguel DuHamel. Several of the top 600cc riders crashed in the miserable conditions, including Muzzy Kawasaki's Aaron Yates, Erion Racing's Kurtis Roberts and Chaparral Suzuki's Tom Kipp. • . Tommy Hayden's win was also important because it brought him within striking distance of his eignth-placefinishing brother, Nicky, in the championship point standings. After five of 13 rounds, Nicky Hayden leads Tommy Hayden by four points, 151-147, with Hacking climbing back into third with 120 points - just one point clear of Oliver and four ahead of Crevier and Yates, who are tied on 116 points. The race started under a steady rain and after three laps of practice to get the riders acquainted with the unfamiliar conditions. Apparently, that was just enough to get Tommy Hayden comfortable, because he' embarked on a Sunday morning ride in the rain that nobody else. could come close to matching. Hayden led Bostrom, Yates, Hacking and Crevier over the hill and into turn two. for the first time, and that was the last anyone saw of him. The Kentuckian put his head down and pulled away, looking like he had completely different tires than anyone else in the field. Be never put a wheel wrong in steadily draWing away from the rest, leading by 1.8 seconds after one lap, 4.5 seconds after fiye laps, 10.5 after 10 laps, and 15 seconds after 15 laps. He lapped consistently in the 2:02s while everyolle else fought hard to lap in the 2:04s. It was a good piece of work by thl;? middle Hayden brother. Crevier didn't take long to show that he was second best. The Canadian passed the three riders in front of him prior to the completion of the first lap and he was there to stay - happy to have the Suzuki b,!ck on the box but knowing he was no match for Hayden. "It was a good race for me," Crevier aid. 'We've been a little absent from the box this year. I've been doing so much moaning to Yoshimura Suzuki. We've got to get some power out of these things and we're struggling with these bikes. They just don't make dean power and I've been 'complaining about it all year. I don't know what Yoshimura wants me to say about ii, but they're still not running right and I still expect to see more out of those bikes this year. The rain equalized things for us. There were guys out there playing the points thing, while this year I have no points - so it was just a do-or-die situa-tion. I told the crew before the race, 'Make like a duck. Ducks like the rain, so think like a duck.' I just put my head down and tried not to slip too much. Damon (Buckmaster) was getting close, and with his sore neck, he probably wanted to ride pretty smooth. I just tried to be as easy and light on the throttle as possible and make consistent· . time. Tommy (Hayden) rode a great race and I can't take it from him." Behind Crevier came Buckmaster, charging through from seventh at the end of the first lap to take over third place from Bostrom on the fourth lap. He was never heafled from that point on, and he thought he might have had a crack at Crevier if not for some lapped traffic. He also wished he'd put in a better qualifyjng effort in order to have moved up a row or two on the grid. That would have made things easier, but his effort was impressive nonetheless. Hacking's race to fourth involved a bit of patience on his part. His bike didn't work well initially, but it came good and allowed him to gradually pick his way through the pack until he got by his teammate Oliver on the final lap. "I took it easy at the beginning of the race," Hacking said. "My bike was set up right for the beginning. I saw (Aaron) Yates crash and then I backed it down - finishing the race was the main thing. I got Rich (Oliver) in turn five on the last lap - he was too close to let go." Oliver, meanwhile, was caught by complete surprise, not knowing that Hacking was right behind him on the final lap. '1 got a 'Plus 5' on my board on the white-flag lap," Oliver said. "He (Hacking) really picked up the pace and I didn't know he was coming. I'm still happy with it. I moved up a. couple of spots in ti,e points." After being passed by Buckmaster, Oliver and Hacking, Bostrom lield on to finish sixth, al1ead of Rapp, Nicky Hayden, Pridmore and DuHamel. CII laguna Seea Raceway Monterey, California Results: May 2, 1999 600cc SUPERSPORT FINAL: 1. Tommy Hayden (Yam); 2. Steve Crevier (Suz); 3. Damon Buckmaster (Suz); 4. Jamie Hacking (Yam); 5. Rich QUver (Yam); 6. Eric Bostrom (Hon); 7. Steve Rapp (Suz); 8. Nicky Hayden (Han); 9. Jason Pridmore (Sux); 10. Miguel DuHamel (Hon); 11. David Wasson (Sux); 12. Bryan Kovarick (Suz); 13. Anthony Demo (Hon); 14. Takahito Mori (Yam); 15. Sean Kowalski (Hon); 16. Pnul H.arrell (Yam); 17. Rich Thorwaldson (Han); 18. Brian Parriott (Han); 19. Jess Roeder (Yam); 20. Stoney L1.nders (Kaw); 21. Blnke Lawson (Hon); 22. Kim Nakashjma (Suz); 23. Joshua Hayes (Suz); 24, Kurtis Roberts (Hon); 25. Scan' Sweeney (Hon); 26. Aaron Yates (Kaw). Time: 35 min., 02.7'15 sec. Distance: 17 laps, 38.046 miles Margin of victory: 16.199 sec. Average speed: 65.138 mph Fast'csllap: Jamie Hncking, 2:00.456, Lap 17. AMA 600« SUPERSPORT C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS (After 5 of 13 rounds): 1. Nicky ,-Iayden (151/2 wins); 2. Tommy Hayden (147/2); 3. Jamie Hacking (120); 4. Rich Oliver. (119); 5. (TrE) Steve Crevier/ A..:,ron Yates (116); 7. Miguel DuHamel (115/1); 8. Kurtis Roberts OOS); 9. Joshua Hayes (100); 10. Jason Pridmore (87); 11. Steve Rapp (84); 12. Tom Kipp (76); 13. Brian Parriott (74); '14. PauJ HarreU (72); 15. Sean Kowalski (62); 16. Eric Bostrom (60); 17. erIE) Tak.1hito MorilJa.ke Zemke (54); 19. Anthony Doran (48); 20. Todd Harrington (43). , Upcoming Rounds .Round 6: Braselton, Georgia, June 6 Round 7: Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, June 13

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