Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

ARHMA Historic Cup Series Daytona International Speedway Vintage race, and thanks to the legendary Yvon DuHamel, it captured all of the flavor that AHRMA could hope to muster during the two days of vintage racing at the Speedway. The 61year-old French Canadian returned to Daytona aboard Team Obsolete's exDick Mann BSA Rocket III and put on a whale of a show, proving that he could still be hell on the brakes while remaining fully involved in a threerider battle that lasted for most of the six-lap Formula Vintage feature. Although M-3 Racing's Adam Popp ultimately won the race aboard his immaculate Honda CR750, it was DuHamel who provided most of the fireworks during the race, passing early leader Hasse Gustafson and doing battle with Popp, especially on the infield, where DuHamel pulied off several passes - one of them being a heart-stopper around the outside of Popp in the West Horseshoe after Popp had passed him for the lead in the dogleg. But while f'uHamel had the experience, Popp had the power, and he used it to his advantage, pulling away from DuHamel out of NASCAR turn four on lap five. Although DuHamel would manage to cut Popp's 16 bikelength lead in half on the infield during the final lap, Popp still had 2.4 seconds in hand at the checkered flag. But DuHamel still stole the show. "I could do a little bit better with just a bit more training," DuHamel said. "This bike was sure different than the Harley that I rode yesterday. I like this one better. I could go deeper into the turns, but I made a few mistakes, and [ got tired. If not, maybe I would have won. I just want to thank Team Obsolete for working so hard, and my wife who takes care of me - dresses me every morning, and undresses me too." For Popp's part, he was impressed with DuHamel's performance on the infield, even though his Honda had the power to steal the win at the line. "I went to school on the old man for a while there," Popp said. "He's just awesome. Luckily, I had the power to get the job done. I'll bet he would have liked to trade bikes with me." Gustafson hung on for third, about another 2.4 seconds behind DuHamel at the line. "These guys are very fast," Gustafson said. "I tried. I couldn't hang with them on the banking. I lost them. But it was a very good race." Up until that point in the day, the only race that could match the intensity of the Formula Vintage race was the 500cc Sportsman event. It was there that Giannini Racing's Chris Marshall put together a great lastsecond draft pass to outgun Buff Harsh at the end of the six-lap race. Marshall had watched as Harsh pulled away to win the Sportsman 350 por- 58 MARCH 21:2001 • cue. e tion of the Classic '60s/Sportsman 350 event to open the day. Marshall had finished third in that one, claiming it was his own inexperience with the draft that had prevented him from challenging. He would prove to be a quick study, as he got off with Harsh to make it a two-man scrum for the win after the race was restarted due to a first-turn crash. Once clear of the field, Marshall held the lead for the first three laps before yielding to Harsh on lap four. He then came roaring back under Harsh in the International Horseshoe to retake the lead, but as the two came into the tri-oval to take the white flag, they were side by side, less than a wheel length apart. Marshall simply waited it out, and after they headed toward the trioval for the last time, he stepped out to slingshot past Harsh for the win. "I learned a few lessons I think," Marshall said. "That's what I was trying to do last time. I just tucked in behind him, and as we came off the bank I felt the draft kick in - you start going a lot faster. I motored right on by. It was the best feeling of my life." James Swartout was third. Christopher Spargo took the opportunity to pull away from his engine builder Harry Barlow in the Formula 500 race. The two Yamaha riders were the cream of the field, with Spargo - aboard what Barlow called "the A motor" - winning by a margin of just over seven seconds. "I've got to thank Harry for building the motors," Spargo said. "I've been riding this bike for five years now, so when you have times like this, where the wind is kind of goofy, it's kind of nice to be out there on something you're really familiar with. The wind is really strong today. It almost blew me off the track a couple times." Barlow's race was a bit more exciting, as Les Trotter pulled out all the stops in an attempt to draft past Barlow at the line. The finish was so close that Barlow actually thought Trotter had beaten him. In the same race, Jesse Morris picked up his second Sportsman 750cc win in as many years aboard his '68 Triumph 750. Morris held off David Temple for most of the race, after the two traded the lead back and forth early. Temple, the defending class champion, could not in turn hold off the advances of Tim Joyce, who got him at the finish line for second place. Morris was long gone by then, however, having amassed a 13.4-second margin of victory. "It ran about the same as it did last year, and I won last year: Morris said. "Who would have thought that it would be two in a row? My friend, David Temple, and I banged bars at one point, but it all worked out." n • _ • ARHMA Historic Cup Series Daytona International Speedway By HENNY RAY ABRAMS DAYTOI'IA BEACH, FL, MAR. 5-6 he less-than-c1assic races on the AHRMA program were a showcase for international riders, mostly Englishman, but with a Frenchman and ex-pat New Zealander thrown in. Advanced Motorsports' Jeff Nash is the defending AMA Pro Thunder champion. Credentials like that bring raised expectations, especially in a non-AMA race. Nash was supposed to win the Battle of the Twins Formula 1 race, and he didn't disappoint. The New Zealander, who now calls Texas home, got away with the fiverider pack, but quickly separated himself. By the third lap of the eightlap race, Nash's lead was over 1.5 seconds and he was trying to get away when he hit traffic at inopportune times. "I just had a moment with traffic, so I got caught up a bit back there in the chicane, twice in two laps," Nash said. "I was just trying to be careful. A lot of guys go a lot slower. A big speed differential." That allowed Munro Motorsports' Tom Montano to close right up, the pair dueling with their Ducati 748's, Nash just ahead with little room for comfort. "I just saw he was back there, I put my head back down and got away," Nash said. After seeing his lead shrink to less than one second, Nash wicked it up and was extending it when a red flag stopped the race on the seventh lap. T Montano was credited with second and David Podolsky was third on an Aprilia Mille. Podolsky ran much of the race alone, tire problems keeping him from making a charge on the leaders. "We had a little bit of a shagged tire," Podolsky said. "The Aprilia puts a little bit more weight on the front wheel than the Ducatis and we were chewing up some front tires, so we had a harder compound flown in. But with the snow in the northeast, we didn't get it down here." Nash was back in the final race of the AHRMA program, the Sound of Thunder, and his weapon was again the Ducati 748. Only this time, he didn't get away so well. "The bike died," Nash said. "I had to hit the button to start it. I don't know what happened. Electrical glitch of some kind." Once he found himself behind, he told himself to "just be patient and ride as hard as you can." Bill St. John had put his Ducati 800 into the lead off the start. No one challenged him for half of the race. It was then that it became apparent that Nash was on the move and probably had time to get the job done. "We had a good ride out front and Jeff got on by and he just checked out,"· St. John said. "I couldn't hang with him." Third went to New Yorker David Podolsky, securely in the spot, but unable to make a run for the lead because of the same tire

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