Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

would be tough. The last lap, 1 was just trying to at least get into second. I was pretty sure 1 couldn't do it from third. If I could get into second, I knew I had a good chance. Damon [Buckmaster], he held me off the last lap." Zemke's race was somewhat doomed by a bad start. Seventh at the end of the first lap, Zemke had to carve his way through the field, joining the front on the eighth lap, but never higher than fourth. "Once 1 got up to the front straight, I c~uldn't really hold on to their drafts," he said. "Get up the straightaways, they'd just pull away. I was probably a little late getting up there. If I could have got up there a couple of laps earlier, 1might have been able to get up there in the mix." After Zemke came Meiring, a second back, with 2.5 on Valvoline EMGO Suzuki's Tom Kipp. Next were the Attack Suzukis of Jason Pridmore and Ben Spies, with the Erion Hondas of Roger Lee Hayden and Mike Hale filing out the top 10. ell (SUl) . Time: 22 mins., 49.162 sec. Distance: 10 laps, 40 miles. Average speed: 105.174 mph. Margin of victory: .011 sec. PRO HONDA OILS SOPERSPORT C'SHIP POINTS STANDINGS (After 6 of 10 rounds): I. A.aron YDtes (205/4 wins); 2. Tommy Hoyden (150/1 win); 3. Damon Buckmaster (143); 4. Jason Pridmore (141); 5. (TIE) Tony Meiring/Tom Kipp (138); 7. Mike H81e (135): 8. Jomie Hocking (128); g. Ben Spies (122): 10. Roger Lee Hoyden (115): 11. Joke Zemke (112): 12. Ty Howord (97): 13. Alex Gobert (86); 14. (TIE) Anthony Gobert/Jim filice (66): 16. Tyler Wodsworth (61): 17. Jimmy Moore (51): 18. Kevin Pote (45); 19. Scott Hermersm8nn (39); 20. Andrew Nelson (37). ....dlmerica Elkhut lake, Wisc:ansln Results: Jane 9, ZODZ IRaund &1 PRO HONDA OILS SOPERSPORT: I. Aoron Yllites (Suz); 2. Damon Buckmllster (Yam); 3. Tommy Hayden (KlIw); 4. JlIIke Zemke (Hon); 5. Tony Meiring (K8W); 6. Tom Kipp (Suz); 7. Jason Pridmore (Suz); 8. Ben Spies (Suz); 9. Roger Lee Hoyden (Hon): 10. Mike Hole (Hon); II. Alex Gobert (Hon); 12. Jamie Hacking (Suz); 13. Ty Howard (Suz); 14. Monte Nichols (Yam); 15. Andrew Nelson (Hon); 16. Jim Filice (KlIw); 17. Tyler Wedsworth (Yam); 18. Scott Ruehle (Yam); 19. Scott Mermersmllnn (Suz); 20. Kevin Lehmlln (Han); 21. Brilln Slllazllf (Suz); 22. Kevin Pllte (Suz); 23. Chris Weeden (Yllm); 24. Justin Blllke (Suz); 25. Chris Siebenhallr (Hon); 26. Hector Romero (Yllm); 27. Martin Sims (Suz); 28. Dirk Sllnchez (KllW); 29. A.lmontez Stewart (Suz); 30. Cllivin Mllrtinez (Suz); 31. Russ Intrllvartolo (Kaw); 32. DllVid Wllppler (Han); 33. Michael Hannas (Kaw); 34. Jason Hobbs Upcoming Rounds: Round 7 - Brainerd, Minnesota, June 30 Round 8 - Monterey. California, July 12 AMAILockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Round 5: Road America By HENNY RAY ABRAMS PHOTO BY BRIAN J. NELSON ELKHART LAKE, WI, JaNE 8 he Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Championship got very interesting at Road America, not so much for who finished, but who didn't. Despite having an off-song motorcycle, Attack Suzuki's Jason Pridmore was gifted the victory, his second in a row, this one handed to him when leaders Jake Zemke and Damon Buckmaster took each other out less than two laps from the end of the 10-lap race. Who was at fault? "He came around the outside of me and we were going into the corner and he was there a little hotter than me and just started pinching," Zemke said. "He just started coming over and I was trying to give him as much room as I could and he just turned right into me. He was doing that shit the whole race." Buckmaster, as you might imagine, saw it differently. "If he didn't brake like such a pussy, then I probably wouldn't have to go around the outside of him on the brakes," Buckmaster said. "As far as I was concerned, I was past him and he was nowhere in my line of sight." The outcome was the only thing that wasn't in dispute. Both ended up in the gravel trap on the outside of turn five. Zemke, with help from the corner crew, was able to restart, and finished eighth. Buckmaster was finished, and with the end of his day came a drop from the top of the championship charts. With four of nine rounds remaining, Pridmore moves to the lead with 154 points, six more than Buckmaster, with Zemke now third at 146. With the fireworks at the front Erion Honda's Roger Lee Hayden had earlier crashed out from the lead pack on the seventh la p - it was easy T to ignore the race behind. Pridmore, whose Attack Suzuki GSX-R 1000 couldn't pull sixth gear in the second half of the race, inherited the lead and hoped to hold on. Erion Honda's Mike Smith closed hard, but came up 1.483 seconds short. Well back in third, seven seconds behind the winner, came Corona Extra EBSCO Media Suzuki's Adam Fergusson. Attack Suzuki's Ben Spies was next, aboard the fastest motorcycle on the premises, though not one that handled ideally. South African Lance Isaacs finished fifth on the still-developing No Limit Motorsports Yamaha R1. Four riders broke early, with Buckmaster, on the improving but quickly assembled R1 in the lead, Zemke and Roger Lee Hayden right there, and Pridmore off the back. Buckmaster led for two laps, then it was Zemke's turn for two, then Roger Lee Hayden. Hayden would be the first out, crashing out suddenly on the seventh lap. "It happened so fast I don't really know what happened," Hayden said. "I backshifted and I let the clutch out and 1 lost the rear." While he was chasing the leaders, Hayden said he thought the riding was a little too aggressive. "It looked like they were going to take each other out." That would happen a few laps later. Zemke was in front, and on the inside, going into turn five, a 90degree left hander leading up the hill to the Toyota Bridge. Buckmaster came around on the outside and turned in, when contact was made. Fault is hard to assign, though not for the principles. "I went around the outside on the brakes and the next thing 1know 1 got hit from behind," Buckmaster said. "I'm sure he sees it different, but that's how I see it. How many times did he pass me? If he's going to hang me out there on the outside, we're going to come together. It's as simple ..... ~ tIIok . . . . . . . . of theml_of thoH ahNd of bIm to win the Fonmda XtnIme nn.J at ANd a-tc:a, .... secondabMiybt vIctoIy In the ca... as that. As far as I'm concerned, I owe him. If he thinks I've been cutting him off in this race, wait'll you see the next one." Zemke's view was that Buckmaster had been cutting him off all race long. "He came around the outside of me and we were going into the corner and he was there a little hotter than me and just started pinching, he just started coming over and 1 was trying to give him as much room as 1could and he just turned right into me," Zemke said. "He was doing that shit the whole race. Right at the very end of the front straightway, he drafts by me and instead of just going in and taking the line, he was already by me, he came right back across my front wheel at 175. He did the same cue I .. shit to Rog [Roger Lee Hayden] in the back. We're going down to Canada Corner and we're like sixth gear wide open and Rog is right beside him and just keeps running him out, running him out until he runs him out of room. He was doing that shit the whole race." Regardless, their day was over and Pridmore saw the whole thing, and knew what it meant. The gift was especially appreciated since it came after his motorcycle had gone off-song. "Lap five or six, it wouldn't even pull sixth gear down the straightaways," Pridmore said. "1 was going to take fourth. To be honest with you, we had a few problems actually come up during the race. 1 thought, 'Well, 1 n .. _ s • JUNE 19, 2002 15

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