Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

likewise a good distance ahead of 10th-placed Roger Lee Hayden on the Bruce Transportation Group Honda. This one took two attempts to get going, though both were strangely similar - too much so if your name is Kurtis Roberts. The first part saw Bostrom storm away from the start line with Hayden in tow. Roberts, the polesitter, was in a hurry, however, and he quickly blitzed past Hayden and set out after Bostrom, who by this point was already storming away. Roberts, though, crashed out of the race in turn six, the last corner that leads to the front straight. That left Bostrom well clear of the pack, but a red flag was shown when Elton Curry crashed in turn two and was motionless on the racing line. Curry was transported to the hospital with facial cuts and a concussion, according to the AMA. That gave Roberts the reprieve he needed. Or did it? The restart was very similar to the first go, with Bostrom charging away and into the lead, followed by Roberts. Gobert, however, had put a soft tire on for this one and wasn't about to let Bostrom get away. He quickly passed Roberts going into turn four and the race was on. Those three quickly pulled clear of the pursuing pack and it appeared that it would be a three-rider battle to the end. The end, however, came quickly for Roberts, as he crashed in the exact same place on the third lap. "I thought, 'You've got to be kidding me,'" Roberts said later. That left two at the front and it rem a ined that way for the duration. Gobert was close, but not close enough and Bostrom took every punch the Australian threw at him. "I got sort of a gimme on the first one with Kurtis [Roberts] crashing and some poor tire choices or what not," Bostrom said. "It was kind of a bummer to get the red flag. Then I was trying to put in some good lap times and we were, mid 56s ... that's about as quick as it's been all weekend and we stayed down there. Anthony [Gobert] wasn't giving me anything, he kept coming and coming. Finally, I don't know what happened, but Anthony had some issues and we got a little gap. I kept trying to stretch it out and the lapped traffic was definitely interesting. One lap I'd get a half second and the next lap he'd get that half second back again. They can really tum the tide of the race. Even on the last lap, I had sor=ne guy trying to take me out on the back straight. He just kept running me wider and wider and wider. I was like, 'Dude, what are you doing?'" Gobert's gamble on tires paid off as he was at least able to keep Bostrom honest. That wouldn't have been possible if not for the red flag. "The first part of the start I chose a hard tire and it didn't seem to be work- ing for me," Gobert said. "When they red-flagged it, I said, 'I've got nothing to lose, so let's just put the soft one in.' The soft one was good for the first few laps. I was sitting behind Eric fairly comfortable. I felt good. Then after only six or eight laps it [the tire] started coming down pretty quick. I don't know what Eric chose, but he was hooking up a little bit better. I had that tn my head for two or three laps. I was kicking myself for making that decision and while I was kicking myself he was getting away. 1 said, 'Well, I might as well make the most of it and just flog the tire and if it doesn't last, well, at least I didn't let him run away with it.' I kept digging deep and I changed my riding style a lot as the race went on, I started standing it up and it seemed to be working for me. I was a little bit quicker in some areas, but he was faster in oth· ers. I'd get the incentive and catch him a bit and he'd eke a little bit here and there. He'd get held up and he'd come back to me, but then I'd get held up as well. I needed some lapped riders to bring him back to me and it didn't quite happen for me. I finished second and you can't take anything away from Eric - he's been riding great this year. I hope one of us can stop him in the next couple of races because it's getting pretty ridiculous." Yates had fought through from seventh on the opening lap of the restart. laps and I started hearing him. On the last lap he made a move on me and he had a good bit of speed going. I just let off the brake and kept going in there and stayed right there. We hooked it left and he stayed out there. We drove to the next tum and I ran off in there pretty good. He stayed there and in the final tum I tried to creep it around slow and get it turned good and maybe mess up his drive, but I guess he had a gap there and got turned good and got a good drive. He made it pretty close there at the end." Hayden was fourth, with Hacking fifth. DuHamel, who was riding his back-up bike after ghost-riding his number-one bike into a wall on Sunday moming, finished sixth and now has his work cut out for him if he hopes to stop Bostrom from earning his first-ever AMA 600cc Supersport title. 1:1II Eric Bostrom (32) had a race-long battle with Yamaha's Anthony Gobert (161. Bostrom eventually finished 1.134 seconds ahead of Gobert to take his third win of the year. Defending 600cc Supersport Champion Kurtis Roberts (1) didn't Just crash once in the race, he crashed twice, and they were in the exact same place, the final comer leading onto the front straight. A red flag allowed him to restart the first time, but he wasn't so lucky the second time, and his race was over. Pilees Peak Intematiolllllll8ceway founDin, Colanda Results: August 2&, 2001 600cc S<1PERSPORT FINAL: 1. Eric Bostrom (Kaw); 2. Anthony Gobe:rt (Vam); 3. Aaron Yates (Suz); 4. Tommy Hayden (Yam); 5. J8mie Hecking (Suz); 6. Miguel DuHamel (Hon); 7. J8ke Zemke (Hon); 8. Josh Hoyos (Hon); 9. Aaron Gobert (Yom); 10. Roger Lee Hayden (Hon); 11. VlI1cent HlIskovec (Suz); 12. Dovld Ortego (Suz); 13. Tyler Wodsworth He picked off riders methodically, knowing that it was a long race. He made it all the way to third, though not without a bitter last-lap fight with Tommy Hayden. "My qualifying didn't really go all that good, so I had to start good ways back," Yates said. "You can't really do too much down there in tum one; you've just got to let everybody kind of get in line. I had to pick through people. It turned out pretty good. I'm just glad to finish a race again after missing some races. It just feels good to back up here." And of the battle with Hayden... "I got by him with a pretty easy pass and just kind of blocked him out," Yates said. "My board kept showing me 'Plus 0' so I knew he was there. I never really heard him, but then we got in some traffic in the last (Yam); 14. Robert Christman (Yam); 15. Matt Zurbuchon (Vom); 16. Jeffrey Togert (Hon); 17. Justin Roellin (Suz); 18. Rick H09ge (Vom); 19. Jason Chisum (Kow); 20. Robb Moron (Vom); 21. Juslin Bloke (Hon); 22. Donald Medinll Jr. (Vom); 23. Martin Sims (Yam): 24. Geoffrey Peste! (Yam): 25. PllUJ Nofziger (Vom); 26. John Hopkins (Suz); 27. Kurt Mannor (Hon); 28. Stuort Stratton (Vom); 29. Gregory Glennie (Vom); 30. Donold Blottert III (Vom); 31. Kurtis Roberts (Hon); 32. Elton Cuny (Vom). TIme: 27 min., 31 . 154 sec. Distance: 29 (llpS, 38 miles Averoge speed: 83.145 mph Margin of victory: 1.134 sec. AMA 600cc S

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