Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Moroso Motorsports Park: Marco Martinez (1) leads Shane Prieto through tum 10 during the GTO contest in West Palm Beach, Aorlda. contests. He also finished second in Heavyweight Superbike. He led the entire GTO race from start to finish with a consistent 1S-bike-length lead over Prieto. Matt Griffin nailed the holeshot in the Heavyweight Supersport race, but Martinez took the lead before the end of lap two, with Luck close behind. When Luck crashed in the front chicane, Bowman took over second and closed in. Martinez took the checkers by less than a bike length. Bowman disqualified himself from the event, stating, "I have a 3mm overbore and I didn't want to be a cheater." Bowman finished first in the Unlimited Supersport race but disqualified himself from that event as well. Jim Pihokken nabbed the holeshot, with Martinez on his tail. Luck and Prieto battled side by side for third. By lap two, Prieto was in second, with Bowman close behind in third. Before the end of that lap, Prieto maneuvered around Martinez to take over first place. Shortly thereafter, Bowman worked his way into second. Then Prieto low-sided in turn nine, crashing out of the race. Out front, Bowman maintained his lead to the checkers. Bowman announced his upcoming hiatus from racing after this event. He will undergo corrective surgery related to his October 1999 incident at Daytona. Bowman made podium in every Shootout race this year. On this weekend, he won the Heavyweight Superbike race and finished third in GTO. "Everyone watch out when I come back," he said. Another big podium finisher was Erick Maillard. He won a total of three races - GT Lights, Lightweight Superbike, and Lightweight Supersport and finished sixth in Lightweight Grand Prix. Todd Keesee nailed an early lead in GT Lights, but Maillard 46 MAV29.2002' cue' _ took over after passing him on the first lap and dominated the rest of the race. Behind him was a three-way battle for second between Keesee, Greg Lynch and Eduardo Cenzano. Maillard took the checkered flag without challenge and Cenzano won the battle for second. The Lightweight Supersport race started with Keesee leading the field, but Maillard was close behind. About halfway through, he made his move to the front and to victory. And Maillard led Keesee again in the Lightweight Superbike event. Darren Luck was on the podium more times than any other competitor. He finished seven races in the top four, and went home with three firstplace trophies, for the GTU, Middleweight Supersport and Middleweight Superbike races. The GTU was one of the more exciting events of the day, as Prieto nabbed the holeshot and early lead. Luck pulled out a very impressive late-braking maneuver going into turn six to take second place. The race turned into a two-rider battle for the lead as they swapped positions all around the track, but just before the white-flag lap, Prieto low-sided in turn 10 and knocked himself out of the race. The Middleweight Supersport race started with a five-bike collision in turn two. Andre Bibeau nailed an early lead, but Luck quickly took over. He opened a gap on the rest of the field and never looked back. By the end of the race, he had a fivesecond lead over second-placed Pedro Valiente. Pat Mooney had been caught up in the turn-two collision, but by the time the checkered flag flew, he had maneuvered through the rest of the field to finish third. These three went at it again in Middleweight Superbike. Mooney took the holeshot, but Luck was not far behind in second, and halfway through the race he took over the lead. Meanwhile, Valiente worked his way through traffic and into third. They held those positions to the finish line. eN ManIso MetDnporIs ....... West ...... Buch, Florida IIalIIts: April 21, 2102 AM GTO: 1. Rolph Fernandez (Suz); 2. Ernesto Menendez (Suz); 3. Scott Cunnjnghem (Duc); 4. Richard Sennak (Hon); 5. German Vacca (Yem). EX GTO: 1. Marco Martinez (Suz); 2. Shane Prieto (Suz); 3. Johno Bowman (Suz); 4. Darren Luck (Suz); 5. Jim Pihokken (Suz). AM GTa: 1. JUSlyn BrodJey (Vam); 2. Chris Hunt (Yam); 3. John Petino (Yem); 4. Antonio Piccioni (Yam); 5. German Vacca (Yam). EX GTU: 1. Darren luck (Suz); 2. John Ashmead (Suz); 3. Thomas Pfuner (Suz); 4. Pedro Valiente (Vam); 5. Andre Bibeau (Vam). AM GT LIGHTS: 1. Terry Walker (Suz); 2. Aiex Ferreira (Suz); 3. Kenneth Bebout (So2); 4. Edwerd Alvarado (Suz); 5. Joe Bennardl Jr. (Hon). EX GT LIGHTS: 1. Erick Moillord (Suz); 2. Eduerdo Cenzano (Hon); 3. Gregory Lynch (Suz); 4. Steve Wenner (Hon); 5. R. Todd Keesee (Suz). l/W SPTSMN: 1. Antonio Caparros (Hon); 2. Arthur Radford (MZ): 3. Marc Fortune (Due); 4. Jim Holland (Kaw): 5. Robert Seymour (Kaw). M!W SPTSMN: 1. Bowe Herron (Apr): 2. Alvaro Orozco (Suz); 3. Boris Millares (Apr); 4. Gary Kiel Jr. (Hon); 5. Erin Moron (Apr). H/W SPTSMN: 1. John Costa (Bue); 2. Damian Weber (Yam); 3. John Long (Duc); 4. Duene Francis (Hon): 5. Robert Kesler (Suz). L/W VIN'T: 1. An8stesios ZlIIrvalu (Hon); 2. Richerd Herrington (Hon); 3. Scott Turner (Hon); 4. Stuart Bazerman (Hon). H/W VINT: 1. Richard Herrington (Hon); 2. Anestasios Zarvailis (Hon); 3. Scott Turner (Hon); 4. Mett Hinkson (Yllm). AM l/W S/SPT: I. Alex Ferreiro (Suz); 2. Terry Walker (Suz); 3. Boris Millares (Apr); 4. C8meron Sydenham (So2); 5. Brian Gordon (Apr). EX l/W S/SPT: 1. Erick Maillard (Suz); 2. R. Todd K..... (Suz); 3. Bowe Herron (Apr). AM M/W S/SPT: I. Chris Hunt (Vam); 2. John Patino (Vern); 3. Scott Cunningham (Yam); 4. Antonio Piccioni (Vern); 5. Gerrmm Vaccll (Yam). EX M!W S/SPT: 1. Darren Luck (Suz); 2. Pedro Valiente (Yam); 3. Pet Mooney Sr. (So2); 4. Sllntiago Sierra (Yam); 5. Andre Bibeeu (Yam). AM H/W S/SPT: 1. Rolph Fernandez (Suz): 2. Ernesto Menendez (Suz); 3. Scott Cunningham (Yam); 4. John Briody (Suz); 5. James Devidson (Suz). EX H/W S/SPT: I. Marco Martinez (Suz); 2. Jim Pihokken (SUI): 3. John Ashmeed (So2); 4. Colin Gilbert (Suz); 5. Edward Us (Suz). AM all S/SPT: I. Emesto Menendez (Suz); 2. Gerrmm Vacca (Yam); 3. Alejandro Nieves (So2); 4. Gllbreal Palmer (Apr); 5. Lonny Intom (Duc). EX

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