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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128145
day's 30-minute Akrapovic Amateur
,GTU, Kern rode his Hooters/ Mountain Dew Suzuki to the lead on the
third of 12 laps. But it wasn't over.
Suzuki-mounted Jeff Walker came
back at him as the pair went back
and forth. Kern challenged on the
sixth lap, only to be rebuffed, then
made the pass on the eighth, losing it
on the ninth. Two laps later, Kern was
back in front and using traffic to
stretch his lead. The margin of victory over Walker would be 2.080 seconds for the 12-lap, 42.72-mile race.
Third went to Yamaha-mounted
Scott Cunningham, with Jorge Arana
fourth on a Yamaha R-6 and Leonard
Santangelo fifth on a Suzuki GSX-R600.
"Jeff [Walker) really rode well and
we taught each other some things out
there," Kern said.
Walker said the difference was in
the chicane: "He blew the chicane
one lap and the next lap I blew it."
The same cast of characters was
at it in the Amateur Middleweight
Supersport race, this one the first of
the five-lap, 17.80-mile sprints that
make up the bulk of the CCS weekend. Kern's teammate, Christopher
Tardieu, got the jump, with Kern in
tow and soon to take over. By the
second lap, Kern was out front and
leaving the pack on his way to a
9.580 second win.
At the end of Friday's racing, Kern
said the Hooters/Mountain Dew Suzuki GSX-R600 was "bone stock when
it came here. We had one hour to put
in alJ new parts. I'm just thankful to
be here, let alone finish."
Scott Cunningham moved into
second on the final lap, dropping
Tardieu to third. Jeff Walker was
fourth and Leonard Santangelo fifth.
Early on a warm but overcast and
blustery Saturday, Kern got back to
winning. In the second race, the
Speedscreen Amateur Unlimited
Grand Prix, Kern moved his Suzuki
GSX-R750 into second on the second
lap. Kern tracked down and pressured early leader Ralph Fernandez
into making a mistake and running
his Suzuki off the track late on the
fourth lap. That let Kern and Yamaha-mounted Chris Murray-Audain
Kem (81Ie.ds Leonerd Sent8ngelo
(1 001 In Amllteur HellVYWelght
Superblke. Sentengelo was third, bu1
he later won the AmlI1:eur H8lIVYWeight
Supersport and Amateur Open
Supersport cl......
speed past and into the winner's circle. Fernandez recovered for third.
Kern's margin over Murray-Audain
was 1.840 seconds.
"I got a terrible launch at the
start," Kern said. "The bike almost
stalled and I went from the second
row to almost last. I worked my way
to the front and on the last lap I made
sure that I didn't overcook the chicane. It's really bad over there
because of the rain this morning and
a cone [set up in the chica£\e to
change the angle of re-entry onto the
banking] was knocked out on the
track. I went ahead and started weaving a bit just in case someone was
trying to draft me."
Murray-Audain had the same reaction to the reconfigured chicane exit.
"It was pretty sketchy through the
chicane on the way out," he said.
Tardieu and Kern renewed their
rivalry on Suzuki GSX-R600s in the
Amateur Middleweight Superbike
race. Tardieu again took the early
lead, with Kern moving up from his
fourth -row start to hook onto' Tardieu
on the second lap. Leaving the
infield, Kern took the lead; Tardieu
took it back before Kern blew by on
the backstretch and into the chicane.
Kern was better onto the banking on
the next lap and was able to break
the draft. Tardieu never gave up but
ultimately lost by 2.460 seconds.
Kern said that since he had no dirt
bike experience, he was stillieaming how
to sUde the Suzuki on the comer exits.
"That's what I'm working on the
most," he said.
"I made a mistake or two," Tardieu
said. "I'm still learning the track, just
trying to push it a little deeper."
Jeff Walker took third from Scott
Cunningham on the final lap, with
James Davidson fifth.
Kern was part of a five-rider break
at the start of the Amateur Heavyweight Superbike class, but not for
long. Kern made his own break on
the second lap and sped away to an
easy win, 14.140 seconds at the end
of the five-lap, 17.80-mile race. Kern
averaged 105.118 mph.
"I wasn't really optimistic about
the Suzuki 750 with the way it handled in the first race," Kern said. "We
just made a couple of adjustments to
the front end because it was a little
schizophrenic. I was just trying to be
consistent with the laps because I
knew [Jeff] Walker was coming. He is
a heck of a good rider."
Walker was second and Santangelo third, about eight seconds back,
with another eight to John Briody,
then Scott Cunningham.
Sunday's weather was the worst of
the three days. Light rain early on
would tum to steady rain in the afternoon. For the National Road Race
Series Amateur Open Supersport, the
wind was blowing, but the rain held off.
Kern took the early lead and
looked like he might disappear, only
to discover that his rear Pirelli tire
was shot. Kern said the tire had four
races and two practice sessions on it.
"I decided to shut it down early,"
Kern said.
Kern slowed dramatically on the
banking on the final lap, allowing
Leonard Santangelo to speed to the
win. Kern was second by 4.390 seconds, with Urayoan Torres third. The
top three all rode Suzuki GSX-R750s.
Santangelo also narrowly won the
Amateur Heavyweight Supersport
race, over Jeff Walker. The margin at
the end of that one was just .610 of a
second.
Kern took the lead from teammate
Tardieu on the second of five laps in
the Amateur Middleweight Grand Prix
class and quickly pulled away, winning by 12.850 seconds. Tardieu held
on to second, well in front of Santangelo, who came under late attack
from Peter Holmes. The top four all
rode Suzuki GSX-R600s.
Rain was falling for the Amateur
600cc S\!persport class, but it dido't
slow Kern down. Away to an early
lead, he looked to be having his way
when Diego Rojas made a late run,
coming up just .226 of a second
short.
Ferreira first put his Suzuki SV-650
into the winner's circle in Friday's
Amateur GT Lights, beating Team
Pro-Motion's Darren Danilowicz and
Moon's Super Cycle's Gregory Moon
and his Honda.
Ferreira took the lead from Holley
on the second lap of the Amateur
Ughtweight Supersport race, holding
him off for a few laps before puJling
quickly away. Holley was second,
with Shannon Santoni third.
On Saturday, Ferreira again beat
Danilowicz, this time in the Amateur
Lightweight Grand Prix. Shannon
Santoni was third. The top three were
all on Suzuki SV-650s.
Ferreira's final win came in the
Amateur Lightweight Superbike
where. perseverance paid off.
Danilowicz appeared to have the race
well in hand when Ferreira made a
late charge to take the victory.
cue' •
"It was just - I can't describe the
feeling," he said. "He had his head
down the whole time I was just chasing time. I thought it would n'ever
end."
"I didn't let him get me. I was trying," Danilowicz said. "We got kind of
tangled up with some lappers in the
chicane. He closed up on me. He just
kind of closed up right there."
Tom Holley was third after swapping the spot back and forth with
fourth-placed Keith Sanderson. "I had
the motor to pull him on the banking," Holley said.
eN
llaytsu Interutioul $peenny
llaytsu Buc:b,
Resultl: Man:h 2-3, 2002
FIerI'"
AM GTO: I. Robert Kruger (SU1); 2. Jeff W.lker
(Suz); 3. Leonard Sentllngelo (Suz); 4. Ralph
Fem.ndez (Suz); 5. Scott Cunningh.m (Due).
TIme: 28 min., 54 sec.
Distance: 12 laps, 42.72 miles
Average speed: 88.692 mph
Margin of victory: 0.094 sec.
AM GT UGHTS: I. Alex Ferreira (Suz); 2. Darren
Dtmilowicz (Suz); 3. Gregory (Hon); 4. Tom Holley
(Suz); 5. Shannon Santoni (Suz).
Distance: 12 laps, 42.72 miles
AKRAPOVIC AM GTO: 1. N.th.n Kern (Suz); 2.
Jeff W.lker (SU1); 3. Scott Cunnlngh.m (V.m); 4.
Jorge Arana (Yam); 5. Leonard Santangelo (Suz).
Tune: 29 min., 47.510 sec.
Distance: 12 laps, 42.72 miles
Averege speed: 86.037 mph
Margin of victory: 2.080 sec.
OlTRA·l./W sPTsMN: 1. H.rry B.rlow (V.m);
2. David Roe (Yam); D\.tJne Francis (Yam).
Distance: 5 11lIpS, 17.80 mlles
AM l./W sPTsMN: 1. Jecquelyn H.lp. (K.w); 2.
Duane Francis (Kaw).
Distance: 5 laps, 17.80 miles.
AM l./W s/sPT: 1. Alex Ferreiro (Suz): 2. Tom
Holley (suz): 3. Sh.nnon Senteni (Suz): 4. O.rren
Danilowicz (SUl); 5. Teny Walker (Suzl.
•
Distance.: 5 11lIpS, 17.80 miles
AM MIW SPTsMN: 1. Gregory Moon (Hen); 2.
J.y C.rpentier (Apr); 3. Bruce K.hlhemer (Apr); 4.
MacAllister Griffiths (Apr); 5. Jemes Martin (Apr).
Distance: 5 laps, 17.80 miles
AM MIW s/sPT: 1. N.th.n Kern (Suz): 2. Scott
CUnningham (Yam); 3. Chris Tardieu (SUl); 4. Jeff
W.lker (Suz); 5. Leon