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Lockhart-Phillips USA Unlimited Super-bike Final Round: Daytona In rnational Speedway F-IISA Buell Ughtning Series Final Round: Daytona Intematilul Speedway F-IISA "rilia Cup Challenge fmal Round: Daytona International Speedwly Race-winner Thad Hallasmer (118) leads thirdplace finisher Jeff Wood and runner-up Brian Krcaget In Aprilla Cup action at Daytona. STORY AND PHOTO BY HENNY RAY ABRAMS DAYTONA BEACH, FL, OCT. 21 J he Aprilia Cup Challenge at Daytona International Speedway was a countdown to the end. Five riders at the front, then four, then three, with the winner and class champion to emerge from the lead trio. Three wide they came down the front stretch: Action Motor Sports' Thad Hallsmer, Speed Werks Racing's Brian Kcraget, and Penguin Racing School's Jeff Wood. They'd been together the whole race, the survivors in the 25-rider field, and now one of them would win. Wood had taken the lead with an inside pass of Hallsmer in turn one on the final lap, the trio shuffling on the back stretch with Wood taking the lead into the chicane, a sitting duck for sure, but not a wounded one. He was clearly not the fastest of the three and wouldn't be able to make up for lost time in the infield, as he had most of the race. On the run to the stripe, Hallsmer and Kcraget both drafted by Wood with Hallsmer winning by .484 seconds and Kcraget just .44 of a second in front of Wood. Winning the class championship made the closeness of the finish less painful for Wo~d. "I knew it was going to be like this," Wood said. "I'm kind of the fat boy for this class. It was fun. We did what we had to do. I knew Brian IKrcaget] would be up there and Thad [Hallsmer]. From the beginning of the weekend, he was the guy to beat. So I'm just happy to come home third and take home the championship." Wood had come to Daytona just a point in front of Copier Discount Warehouse's Dan Fischer. Fischer was at the tail end of the lead group of the start, never better than third, though ahead of Wood for a brief time. The other rider in the original lead five was Shannon Silva of Blackmans Cycles. Silva was the first of the five to T 16 OCTOBER 31,2001 • cue become a non-factor, running off the track in the West End Horseshoe, turn five. That mistake wasn't critical, running straight in the chicane later the same lap was. He was done, destined to finish eighth. Fischer was at the back of the pack on the sixth lap, looking off pace. By the seventh he had little hope of staying with the leaders and on the final lap slowed on the track between the East Banking and the trioval. Kcraget agreed that he had a weight advantage over Wood and that it had made a difference. "That was a heck of a drafting war and Jeff [Wood] was riding like a man out there on the brakes," Kcraget said. "But we had the draft on our side and I got a little weight on him. It was a great bout. I probably should have followed Thad [Hallsmer] to the finish line. Anyway, I wound up second." Nearly 17 seconds back was the battle for fourth, as good or better than the fight for the front. Blackmans Cycle's John Lemak took the spot with Advance Autobody's Joshua Sortor, Big Show Racing's Brian Salazar, and James Monson in his shadow, the quartet covered by .142 of a second. l:III ~~Splh.y ~ 1Ieadl, flarilIa 1IeSII1b: IIctaIIer 19, 2181 [1Iaouod II APRIUA CUP CHAllENGE: 1. Thod Holism..: 2. Brian Kcraget; 3. Jeff Wood; 4. John Lemllk; 5. Joshull Sortor; 6. Brian Selazar; 7. James Monson; 8. Shennan SilvlI; 9. Mike Kindelin; 10. Thomas Fournier; 11. Eric Stephenson; 12. Paul Hopkins; 13. Marl< Reynolds; 14. Chod Heoly; 15. Brion Rooch; 16. Daryl Woodward; 17. Gus Holcomb; 18. Dennis Nourry; 19. Jeremy Bonnett; 29. Nicole Hoffman; 21. Robert Orr; 22. Bruce Jacobs; 23. Dan Fischer: 24. Andras Mak; 25. Ben Matheson. Time: 17 mlns., 29.244 sees. Distance: 8 laps, 28.48 miles. Averoge speed: 97.716 mph. Margin of victory: 0.484 sec. APRILIA CUP CHALLENGE C'SHIP POINTS STANDINGS (Arter 6 of 6 rounds): 1. Jeff Wood (95/2 wins); 2. Dan Fischer (78/1): 3. Shzmnon Silva (77/1); 4. Thod Hollsmer (69/1); 5. Brion Kcroget (65/1); 6. Joshuo Sortor (53); 7. Derek King (36); B. John Lemok (35); 9. Gus Holcomb (23); 10. Andre Costonos (21); 11. Aoron Clork (20); 12. Vicky JocksonOBell (IB); 13. TIm Knutson (16); 14. Poul Hopkins (15); 15. (TIE) Marl< Reynolds/Brion Rooch (13); 17. Thomos Foumier (12); lB. (TIE) Michael Honnos/Joson Morse (11); 20. Brion Solazor (10). •• n • _ IS STORY AND PHOTO BY HENNY RAY ABRAMS "lFhe one and only blemish on il Michael Barnes' Buell Lightning Series season was a second-place finish in the second round at Willow Springs International Raceway. The Kosco Harley-Davidson/Buell, Innovative Motorcycle Research-backed rider was so dominant that he'd clinched the class crown in the fifth round of the six-round series. Any doubt about his intent at the final round at Daytona International Speedway was erased very early on. Going down the backstretch on the second lap Barnes had close to a three-second lead and he was just getting started. The lead would grow every lap until Barnes had 8.441 seconds in hand at the end of the eightlap, 28.48-mile race, which he won in 16 minutes, 42 seconds at an average speed of 98.533 mph. "Even though I won by a big margin, I still go out there and I ride hard," Barnes said. "And there's still much of a chance of me crashing as any other race." With such a big lead, it seemed odd that Barnes was looking back toward the end of the race. It wasn't because he was under attack; rather it was to watch the race for second. In the thick of the mix was Belgian Jeff Vermeulen, Barnes' teammate in World Endurance races, who was making his first visit to the high banks of Daytona. Vermuelen was tied up with veterans Richie Morris and Jeff Johnson to the end and Barnes knew from experience how it would end. "I was checking him out on the white flag lap," Barnes said. "I saw him leading the group and then I was like, man he's going to get schooled, he's going to get schooled so bad." In fact he was educated in the fine art of drafting by Morris, a former Daytona resident who now lives in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin .. Hal's H-D/Buell's Morris, Vermue- Michael Barnes was In a class of his own in the Buell Lightning race. len, and Hoban's H-D/Buell's Jeff Johnson all had a shot at second, with H-D of Frederick's Bryan Bemisderfer just losing touch with the pack at the end. Three wide into the trioval on the final lap, Morris used the slingshot to draft by Vermuelen for second. Johnson was third. "I gave Rich,ie [Morris J a little present," Vermeulen admitted, "because we had a little coming together in practice." But Vermuelen's Buell Lightning was two horsepower over the limit and he was disqualified, moving Johnson up to third behind Morris, and ruining what the Belgian described as a "perfect weekend." "I've been around this place a few times," Morris said. "It was Jeff's [Vermuelen] first time here. I knew he didn't want to lead going into the chicane on that last lap. I know I didn't want to. I was hoping nobody came up behind me. I knew I could get by Jeff when we came out of the chicane. I just didn't know if someone else was going to get me." Morris finished just .15 of a second in front of Johnson. Bemisderfer was a lone fourth about 2.7 seconds back with nearly 25 seconds on Brian Bodine, fifth on the New Castle H-D/Buell machine. l:1li De,- latemati_1 Speedway IIaybu 1IeadI, Flerida Rasuhs:1lctaller19,ZlOl [Reua.11 BUEll UGIfT1'I1NG SERIES: 1. Michoel Bomes; 2. Richie Morris; 3. Jeffrey Johnson; 4. Bryan Bemisderfer; 5. Brian Bodine; 6. Chad Healy; 7. Steve Luxem; 8. Gregory Avello; 9. Paul James; 10. Jeff Harding; 11. Douglas Burton; 12. Brian Frank; 13. Tony Martin; 14. Jason Smith; 15. Anthony Fanie Jr.: 16. Tripp Nobles; 17. Daniel Bilansky; 18. Mark Reynolds. Time: 16 mins., 42,000 sees. Distance: 8 laps, 28.48 miles. Average speed: 98.533 mph. Margin of victory: 8.441 mph. BUELL LIGHTNING SERIES C'SHIP POINTS STANDINGS (After 6 of 6 rounds): 1. Mike Bomes (145/5 wins); 2. (TIE) Jeff Johnson/Richie Morris (64); 4. Tripp Nobles (52); 5. Brion Bodine (51); 6. Bryan Bemisderfer (50): 7. Jason Smith (41); 8. Brion Fronk (35); 9. Doniel Bllonsky (34); 10. Steve Luxem (29); 11. Chod Heoly (27); 12. Jeff Vermeulen (26); 13. Justin McReynolds (25/1); 14. Mork Reynolds (24); 15. Gregory Avello (23); 16. Anthony Fonlo Jr. (16); 17. Timothy Johnson (12); lB. Joseph Hommond (11); 19. Paul James (10); 20. D8rren James (8).