Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128145
Championship Cup Series Daytona International Srneedway (Above) J_n DISalvo (40) dives under Jetr Wood (9) on his way to winning the Expert MIddleweight GP cia... (Lettl Nathan Kern celebrates his victory In the Amateur 600cc Supersport cIa... time to the youngster every time they came off the superspeedway. Wood held on for second, with Hermersmann third at the line after losing the front end and almost crashins in the chicane on the last lap. Harwell and his Arclight Suzuki GSX-RI000 came on strong Sunday to capture the win in the $3000 Expert Unlimited Grand Prix. Suzuki 750-mounted Eric Wood held the early lead over a pack containing at least half a dozen riders, but Harwell and Acree - also on a 750 - soon emerged from that pack, and the three riders began to pull away from the rest of the field. Harwell used his 1000's speed to good advantage, drafting from third to first in the trioval on lap four. He maintained the lead back to the line "This bike is just unbelievable," Harwell said. "I had a lot of horsepower on Lee and Eric, being as that they were on 750s, but they were better than me on the infield. I've also lost weight [15 pounds] so that I can keep up with these little guys." There were at least two other close finishes in the Expert ranks on Saturday, and Hermersmann came up big in one of them. After trailing 4&6 Racing's Larry Denning for most of the Expert Middleweight Superbike final, Hermersmann drafted past him at the finish line, taking the win by half a bike length. Shaun Harris of Rochester, Michigan, came from the ninth row on the grid to finish third. "I just tried to hang close to him [Denning]," Hermersman said. "On the last lap, I just got a good drive out of the chicane and got a good draft off him to take the win. I think I surprised him." Speedwerks' Steve Keener came out just ahead of a similar drafting battle for second place in the Expert Ughtweight Superbike race on Saturday. Keener led every lap across the start/finish line, but Aprilia 316mounted James Monson and motor- cycle auctioneer Jerry Wood, on a Ducati Supermono, kept pace, the three running nose to tail and side by side on the banks for most of the race. In the end, Keener's top speed on the front stretch made all the difference, as he claimed victory by a scant .580 seconds. "I noticed yesterday that when we had the wind with us, I was running into the rev limiter," Keener said. "But today, with the wind coming the other way, I figured that it would be just right. I was just riding my race and trying to have fun. The weather wasn't perfect. The wind was killing us." Although Wood finished third in the final run to the flag, he was perhaps sporting the biggest grin of the weekend. "That's CCS racing at its best," Wood said. "Here we had a fourstroke twin, a two-stroke twin and a little single-cylinder, and you could have thrown a blanket over the three of us. You don't get rides like that. It's just a dynamite race when you get guys that close." 1:11 HENNY RAY ABRAMS DAYTONA BEACH, FL, MAR. 2-3 athan Kern swapped his Ford . Bronco for his first motorcycle three years ago. A year ago he took up racing, making his debut at the imposing Daytona International Speedway. Over the course of the season, he rode in just seven meets over five weekends. This weekend, n 14 MARCH 13,2002· cue •• Kern rode a pair of Hooters/Mountain Dew Suzukis to seven Amateur-class wins, and nearly eight, through a year' 5 worth of volatile weather on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway in the three-day Formula USA Championship Cup Series program. "This is overwhelming," the New Jerseyan said. "This is the most amazing experience of my life. n _ VII' • Time: 9 min., 43.370 sec. Distance: 5 laps, 17.80 miles S/SGL: 1. Elliot Burgess (MuZ); 2. Jerry Wood (Due); 3. Gory Cotterell (Due); 4. Herbert Robinson (BMW); 5. Clive ChittY. Distance: 5 laps, 17.80 miles. EX HW SIB: 1. Michael Himmelsbach (Apr); 2. Scott Hermersmann (Suz); 3. Darren Luck (Suz); 4. Chris Ulrich (Suz); 5. Anthony Fania (Suz). Time: 9 min., 35.180 sec. Distance: Slaps, 17.80 miles Average speed: 111.409 mph Margin of victory: 1.300 sec. EX l./W SIB: 1. David Yaakov (Suz); 2. R. Todd Keesee (SUI); 3. Erick Maillard (SUI); 4. Brian Suffridge (Suz); 5. John Linder (Suz). Distance: 5 leps, 17.80 miles EX l./W SPTSM: 1. E. Cory Pigman (Lav); 2. Paul Conley (MuZ); 3. Trey Godwin (Kaw). lime: 12 min., 8.550 sec. Average speed: 109.845 mph Margin of victory: 11.230 sec. EX l./W SIBK: 1. Steve Keener (Suz); 2. James Monson (Apr); 3. Jerry Wood (Duc); 4. Tim Hall (Suz); 5. John Under (Suz). Tune: 10 min., 51.700 sec. Distance: 5 leps, 17.80 miles Average speed: 98.327 mph Margin of victory: 00.580 sec. EX H/W S/SPT: 1. Lee Acree (Suz); 2. Eric Wood (Suz); 3. Scott Herwell (Suz); 4. John Ashmead (Suz); 5. Joson DiSalvo (Suz). Ttme: 9 min., 39.270 sec. Distance: 5 leps, 17.80 miles Average speed: 110.622 mph Margin of victory; J 1.980 sec. EX F-40: 1. Rick Shew (Suz); 2. Joe Ribeiro (Suz); 3. Robert Caraway (Suz); 3. Richard Croly (Suz); 5. John Long (Suz). Time: 10, min., 19.430 sec. Distance: 17.80 miles Average speed: 103.450 mph Margin of victory: 04.960 sec. USGPRU 125 GP: 1. Brion Kcroget (Apr); 2. Oerrin Mitchell (Hon); 3. Steve Genter (Hon); 4. Bill Cole (Han); 5. Dale Greenwood Jr. (Han). Time: 17 min., 45.480 sec. Distance: 28.48 miles Average speed: 96.227 mph Margin of victory: 4.540 sec. EX M/W GP: 1. Joson DiSalvo (Han); 2. Jeff Wood (Suz); 3. Lee Acree (SUI); 4. Steve Johnson (Tul): 5. Shoun Horrls (Suz). Time: 10 min., 04.000 sec. Distance: 17.80 miles Average speed: 106.093 mph Margin of victory: 00.580 sec. THNDRBK: I. Jeff Johnson (Bue); 2. Bryon Bemisderfer (Bue); 3. Tim Hall (Suz); 4. Arthur Wagner (Han); 5. John Long (Due). Time: 11 min., 41.521 sec. Distance: 17.80 miles Average speed: 94.180 mph Margin of victory: 16.745 sec. EX UIL GP: I. Scott Harwell (Suz); 2. Eric Wood (Suz); 3. Lee Acree (Suz); 4. Fritz Kling (Suz); 5. Mike Himmelsbach (Apr). Tune: 9 mins, 43.000 Distance: 5 leps, 17.80 miles Average speed: 109.914 mph Margin of victory: 0.053 sec. Things happen for a reason and I just can't thank God enough. I can't thank Steve DeKamp at Hooters Suzuki enough." Fellow Amateur Alex Ferreira's four-win weekend was nearly obscured by Kern's success. Ferreira was aboard a 2wf.com-backed Suzuki SY-650. Canadian Robert Kruger was another multiple winner, taking two wins on his Suzuki GSX-RI000, the first in the 30-minute Amateur GTO and the second in the five-lap Amateur Unlimited Supersport. Kern actually won eight races if you include Thursday's 200-mile Engine Ice Team Challenge. Returning to Daytona, where he made his race debut, Kern handled the bulk of the riding on the KSU Consulti~g Suzuki GSX-R600 to win the GTU class and humble the larger GTO bikes. Kern rode 44 of the 56 laps, with veteran Michael Barnes riding the other 12 laps. It was in another extended race that Kern earned his first win. In Fri- ~I~IS'II~··t u.,D1II Buell, n..... "'Ib: MIIn:l1 2-3, 2IG2 EX GT UGHT5: 1. Steve Keener (SUl); 2. James Monson (Apr); 3. Tom Hall (Suz); 4. Aaron Risinger (Apr); 5. Brion Kcr.get (Apr). Ttme: 30 min.• 10.230 sec. Distance: 12 laps, 42.72 miles Margin of victory: 15.070 sec. EX GTO: Scott Harwell (Suz); 2. Fritz Kling (Suz): 3. Chuck Huha.. (Suz); 4. Eric Spector (Suz); 5. Shown Higbee (Suz). TIme: 30 min.• 35.260 sec. Distance: 12 laps, 42.72 miles Average speed: 83.798 mph Margin of victory: 0.500 sec. AKRAPOVIC EX GTa: 1. Scott Greenwood (Suz); 2. Josh Hayes (Suz); 3. Jason DiSalvo (Han); 4. Michael Bomes (Suz); 5. Lorry Pegram (Suz). TIme: 30 min., 32.91 sec. Distance: 9 laps, 32.04 miles Margin of victory: 0.590 sec. QP SGl: 1. Brien Kcrtlget (Hon); 2. Dtlrrin MItchell (Hon): 3. Steve Genter (Hon); 4. Dole Greenwood Jr. (Hon); 5. Steve Wenner (Hon). Distance: Slaps, 17.80 miles Championship Cup Series Amateurs By Distance: 5 lops, 17.80 miles Average speed: 87.956 mph Margin of victory: 1.740 sec. EX M/W SPTSMN: 1. James Monson (Apr); 2. Arthur Wagner (Hon); 3. Brian Sal..ar (Apr); 4. Bob Close (Due); 5. Charles Bumett (Hon). Tune: 11 min., 15.170 secs. Distance: Distance: 5 laps, 17.80 miles Average speed: 94.909 mph Margin of victory: 0.300 sec. EX M/W S/SPT: 1. Jeffrey Wood (Suz); 2. Lee Acree (Suz); 3. Scott Greenwood (Suz); 4. Robert Jensen (Suz); 5. Scott Harwell (Suz). Tune: 10 min., 08.490 sec. Distance: 5 laps, 17.80 miles Average speed: 105.310 mph Margin of victory: 00.250 sec. EX l./W GP: 1. Joson DiSalvo (Han); 2. Ty Plz (Yom); 3. Greg Esser (Han); 4. Steve Genter (Hon); 5. Jerry Wood (Yom). Time: 10 min., 14.980 sec. Distance: 5 laps, 17.80 miles Average speed: 104.199 mph Margin of victory: 26.130 sec. EX M/W S/BK: 1. Scott Hermersmann (Suz); 2. Lorry Denning (Yom); 3. Shoun Harris (Suz); 4. Matt Furtek (Yom); 5. Brion Salazar (Suz). lime: 10 min., 13.420 sec. Distance: 5 11IpS, 17.80 miles Average speed: 104.464 mph Margin of victory: 00.280 sec. EX S/TW: 1. Thomas Fournier (Due); 2. Nelson Suarez (Due); 3. Fred Stucky (Due); 4. Kiyoshige WoIlItanabe (Hon); 5. Carlos Meclas (Due). Tune: 10 min., 10.920 sec. Distance: 5 leps, 17.80 miles Average speed: 104.891 mph Margin of victory: 00.980 sec. EX (JL S/SPT: 1. Lee Acree (Suz); 2. Scott Herwell (Suz); 3. Fritz Kling (Su,1): 4. Tim Bemisderfer (Han); 5. Geoff May (Suz).