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Fonnula USAlBuell Lightning Series Round 5: Portland International Raceway By HENNY RAY ABRAMS PORTLAND,OR,SEPT.9 M inutes after Michael Barnes won the first leg of the Formula USA Unlimited Superbike race, he was again at the front of an angry pack, only this time they were Buell Ughtnings - but the result was the same. Barnes didn't have to fight for the Buell win like he had in Superbike. The Kosco Harley-Davidson/Buell rider was the leader from the start, with only a very late challenge from Hal's H-D/Buell's Richie Morris to ruffle him. Time ran out on Morris, and Barnes had his third win in a row, after the earlier Sportbike and Superbike races, and his first championship. "This has been a great day so far," Barnes sa id after beating Morris by 0.489 seconds in the Buell Ughtning Series race to take the class title with a race remainIng. "I can't say enough for Rich Cronrath and my Kosco Harley-Davidson/Pirellibacked Buell." Cronrath, who owns Innovative Motorcycle Research, was new to team ownership this year, and Barnes gave him the best intro he could. "This is Rich's first year in road racing," Barnes said from the podium. "What better can you do than win the championship in your first year in road racing? We've gotten all the pole positions and we've won all of them except for Willow, with Justin McReynolds, who put in a really good ride at Willow. I'm just ecstatic to be up here again." The season has gone so well that Barnes has been hearing the sniping from the enemy camps. "These bikes are perfectly prepared," he said. "People have been talking about us cheating all year long, but that's the first thing I told Rich [Cronrath) this year at Daytona that we've got to have an honest game here, because I just don't like messing around with that. There's been a lot of rumors going around. It's really disappointing, but it's the bike and it's me, and we deserved it. It has been legal every single time, under 90 horsepower and 431 pounds." Barnes admitted that Morris gave him a scare in the 12-lap, 23.04-mile Okay, this is getting old: Michael Bames holds up yet another trophy after winning the Buell Lightning race. race, even considering his return from his start-line injuries in the Daytona 200. "I was a little worried about Richie Morris," Barnes said. "He's been just fighting hard. Even with the injury that he's coming back from, he's charged harder than anybody. Considering his injury, he's a big worry, and he gets faster and faster every race since Daytona. It's really a pleasure to be able to beat him." For Morris, the race was over almost before it started. "I missed a gear at the start, and I lost Barney," Morris said. "I don't know what place I was in, like eighth or ninth, I don't know. I had a lot of people to pass. I really put my head down." Morris was alone in second until the final few laps, when he was caught from behind by the dueling pair of Tripp Nobles and Hal's H-D/ Buell's-Daniel Bilansky. "I don't know if I cooked my tires, but I was sliding really bad so I backed out of it and kind of took it easy for a couple of laps and I looked back and saw those guys coming so I made sure I kept a good distance," Morris said. "I had a little more in me if I needed it." Nobles lamented his lack of power in his New Castle H-D Buell. It took him several laps to get up to fourth place, tailing Bilansky until passing him on the ninth of 12. Bilansky took it right back, the pair not letting up on each other until the final inches, with Bilansky running into the back of Nobles at the stripe. "We just got a stocker, and they're killing us in the midrange," Nobles said. "I can't make it up. They just go big and restrict it down, and it just kills us in the midrange. I thought I could make it up, but when I got pulled in on him on the last lap, I thought if I get far enough .around him, I can get Richie [Morrisl. Couldn't get by Richie. [Bilansky] actually came back by me on the back straight, and I dove up under him in that left/right and he ran into the back of me right here at the startfinish line. When he went to draft around me, he ran into the back of 0: U 0: •• me with his brake lever. He didn't mean to." Behind Bilansky came Hoban's H-D/ Buell's Jeff Johnson, who was by himself. Johnson's championship hopes were dashed by Barnes, who goes to Daytona with an insurmountable 49-point lead, 120-71. Morris is third at 64. eN PDr1Iand bItImIlItio.... IIKeway PDr1Iand, 0....... Resalts: Septelllber 9, ZOIl lllound 51 BUEU. UGHTNING SERIES: I. Michael Bames: 2. Richte Morris; 3. Tripp Nobles; 4. Daniel Bllansky; 5. Jeff Johnson; 6. Bryan Bemisderfer; 7. Brhm Bodine: 8. Darren James; 9. Brian Frank; 10. John Snell: 11. Gregory Avello: 12. Michael Moriarty; 13. Jeff Vermeulen; 14. Steve Luxem; 15. BHllzlupp. TIme: 14 min.. 54.00 sec. Distance: 12leps, 23.04 miJ6 Average speed: 96.644 mph Margin of victory: 0.489 sec. BOELL LIGHTNING SERIES C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS (Alter 5 of 6 rounds): 1. Mlch.el Bemes (120); 2. Jeff Johnson (71); 3. Richie Morris (64); 4. Tripp Nobles (52); 5. Brion Bodine (41); 6. Jllson Smith (40); 7. Bryan Bemlsderfer (39); 8, Daniel Bilansky (34); 9. Brian Fl"llInk (32); 10. Justin McReynolds (25): 11. Mark Reynolds (24); 12. Steve Luxem (21); 13. Chad He.ly (16); 14. (TIE) Anthony Fanie Jr./Gregory Avella (16); 16. Timothy Johnson (12); 17. Joseph Hammond (11); 16. JeffVemneulen (10); 19. D."en James (6): 20. William Finnerty (7). Upcoming Round: Round 6 - Daytona Beach, Florida, October 21 n. _ S • SEPTEMBER 19, 2001 35