Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship Final Round: Virginia Inter ational Raceway AMAlBue11 Pro Thunder Series Round 9: Virginia International Raceway teammate, protecting him from attack? It appeared Hopkins was struggling, but no one knew why. It was only after the race that Hopkins revealed it was a steering-head bolt. "I didn't know he was having trouble," Lopez said. "I didn't know something broke, either. But as a matter of fact, I do recall that lap right before I got by him, a part, a bolt or something, hit me up there in the back side, and that must have been whatever it was." Lopez seized an opening that Hopkins left early in the lap. "1 knew he was running good, and he had it under control," Lopez said. "I didn't expect him to drop back to fourth. I figured he would come back past me again. I didn't realize something had broke." Hopkins explained that, halfway into the race, the bolt broke and he was having some trouble with the front end. "So that's where, maybe it was noticeable, where I dropped back pretty far," Hopkins said. Graves Motorsports Yamaha's Buckmaster was having problems, but that was nothing new. Even though he'd come to the track a week earlier to race in a WERA event, the Australian wasn't comfortable or confident. Buckmaster started out fifth, passed Bruce Transportation Group's Josh Hayes for fourth on the fourth lap, then lost the spot on the 10th. Hayes would continue to move forward, finishing third, with Buckmaster falling to fifth, one spot behind Hopkins. Buckmaster closed to within 2.7 seconds of Hopkins on the 13th lap before Hopkins got back on the gas, adding 1.7 seconds in one lap, then pushing the gap to over five. The title was his. "This is great," Hopkins said. "I'm just kind of taking it all in. I'm really happy. I can't say enough about the team. It's my last race for them, and they deserve this championship just as much as I do, for sure. The team's awesome." Hopkins said it was his last ride for the team and that he expected to race for the Red Bull Yamaha WCM team in next year's 500cc World Championship. I:N Bv PHOTO BV BRIAN W Iaodls: Ser' Thomas Montano (14) took another step toward a likely Pro Thunder Championship with his victory at VIR. Here he bat1les with Dave Estok (2). who ran Into mechanical problems and was forced out of the race. . . 21. 2111 I..... IJ LOCKHART-PHILLIPS USA FORMULA XTREME=: 1. Aaron Gobert (Vam); 2. Grant Lopez (Suz); 3. Josh Hoyes (Hon); 4. John Hopkins (Suzl: 5. Domon Buckmoster (Vom); 6. Tom K.pp (Suz);. 1. Frond. Mortin (Suz); 8. Joke Zemke (Hon); 9. Mike Ciccotlo (Suz/; 10. Steve Grigg (Kaw); 11. Scott Harwell (SUI; 12. Geoff May (Suz); 13. Mauro Ceredo (5u,); 14. Chris VoelKer (Hon); 15. Scott CllIrpenter (Suz); 16. Jamie Thompson (Suz); 17. Mllrk Miller (Hon)' 18. Michael McAllister (YBm/; 19. Chris Ulrich (Suz); 20. Tim Bemisderfer (Suz ; 21. Thomas MontlllnO (Duc); 22. Roger Lee Hayden (Hon). time: 25 mins., 6.322 sees. Distance: 17 laps. 38.25 miles. Average s~e:d: 91.821 mph. Margin of Vk:tory: 2.788 sees. FINAL LOCKHART-PHILLIPS USA FORMULA XTREME CHAMPIONSHIP: 1. John Hopkins (256/2 wins)' 2. Damon Buckmaster (255/2); 3. Grant Lope~ (232); 4. (TIE) Josh Hayes/Joke Zemke 220/1)' 6. Aaron Gobert (219/1); 7. Mark MI!ler 174)' 8. Roger Lee Hayden (160); 9. Tom KIPP 149/1); 10. Joson Pridmore (75/l~; 11. Chris Voelker (72): 12. Rich Alexander (71 ; 13. Jomie Thompson (b7); 14. Mauro Cereda (59 ; 15. Chuck Ailen (54)' 16. Eric Erling Hou90 (SO); 17. Jomes Bonner (45); 18. Andrew Deotheroge (44); 19. Robert Meso (42); 20. Owen Richey (39). 1 20 OCTOBER 10, 2001 • cue I J. NELSON ith a 61-point lead and one race remaining, Munroe Motors' Tom Montano should be the Buell Pro Thunder-class champion. But in the final tally, each rider's two worst finishes will be discarded, meaning that the champion won't be known until the curtain on the season falls in the final round at the WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta in four weeks. Whether he should be champion already or not, the Ducati-mounted Montano rode like one at Virginia International Raceway, prospering in a race that claimed a number of his peers. First out was reigning class champion Jeff Nash, who crashed his Advanced Motorsports' Ducati in Saturday's heat race and was too hurt to start on Sunday. At the start, there were four riders hard at it for several laps before the field sorted itself out and attrition began to take its toll. Tilley's H-D/ Buell's Tripp Nobles led laps one three and four, teammate Dave Estok leading two and five before giving way to Hal's Performance Buell's Mike Ciccotto who led three out of four laps, losing it to Estok on the seventh. Montano first took the lead on the 10th lap, taking it from Ciccotto who dropped to third behind Estok, but in front of Nobles. Nobles was first out, crashing on the 11 th lap and possibly Yirlilli.llwlliiwtll .1......, 1Itwa, VIrgiIolw HENNV RAV ABRAMS • n __ s separating his shoulder, according to team owner Don Tilley. After that it was Estok and Munroe taking turns at the front, Estok for laps 11 and 12, Montano from 13 on, Ciccotto in third until Estok hit trouble. It came on the 16th lap and Montano was right there. "The Buells, one of the things we tried to do this year is get off the line and run with them and press them," Montano said. "Sooner or later something's going to give on them. I don't like to win that way, but it's part of the game, so we've all had our difficulties this year." Montano said that he got stuck behind a lapped rider when Estok came past, only to run into trouble a few corners later. Estok's Buell balked and Montano was back in front in turn one. "I thought his bike broke, so 1 didn't think it was him and I heard one come up the inside and I thought it was Tripp [Nobles] for a minute and I realized, it's Dave [Estok], he got his bike going, but right there on the exit of one he put his hand up and I was already committed to the inside and he was moving over trying to get out of the way, and he didn't realize I was there, so I hit him. Bars went sideways, I almost went down, but thank God I didn't. From then on, I just watched my board and had a pretty good lead and I just cruised it around." Estok's team owner Don Tilley said they didn't know what happened to the bike. "We don't know what it was," Tilley said. "It popped like it was the ignition." Another possible cause was a faulty valve in the gas tank overflow line. Estok dropped back to eighth. Montano would go on to win by 17.016 seconds, Mike Ciccotto moving into second with Estok's retirement, and Chris Normand third, but not for long. After celebrating on the podium, and attending the post-race news conference, Normand was disqualified for having an underweight motorcycle. Up to then, he'd done everything right, getting on the podium in his first Buell Pro Thunder race. With one round remaining, Munroe leads Ciccotto and Nash, who are tied in points. Montano has 279, with Ciccotto and Nash second at 218. Yi'lliai.llwtemwtional ......, AIIIiiI. V'qinia 1IeslI1ls: Septa...... 3D, ZOOI l.....d 9J BUELL PRO THUNDER: 1. Thomas Montano (Due); 2. Mike Ciccotto (Bue); 3. Thomas Fournier (Due); 4. Steve Keener (Suz); 5. Dovld Kieffer (Due); 6. Steven Wodsworth (Due); 7. Josh Bryon (Bue); 8. Dovid Estok (Bue); 9. Poul Morch (Due); 10. Deborah Venega (Due); 11. Mark Gardiner (MuZ); 12. Tripp Nobles (Bue). TIme: 26 mins., 17.060 sec. Distance: 17 laps, 38.25 miles. Averoge .peed: 87.702 mph Margin of victory: 17.016 sec. BUELL PRO THUNDER C'SHIP POINTS STANDINGS (After 9 of 10 round.); 1. Thomos Montano (279/2 wins); 2. (TIE) Mike Cicc:otto (218/1 )/Jeffrey Nosh (218/2): 4. Dovid Estok (213/1); 5. Tripp Nobles (150/1); 6. Mike Krynock (131); 7. Chorlie Hewett (126); 8. Dovid Kieffer (120); 9. Deon Mi,dol (99); 10. Ricky Lund9ren (96); 11. Thomos Foumler (78); 12. John DU90n (51): 13. Steven Wadsworth (43); 14. Richard Haas (42); 15. Mork Gardiner (40); 16. (TIE) Michoel Barnes/Michael Hardin/Peter Monson/Calvin Sprenger (39); 20. Eric Wood (38/1). Upcoming Round: Round 10 - Braselton, Georgia, OCtober 28

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