Formula USA National Road Race Series
Round 3: New Hampshi
STORY AND PHOTOS BY
HENNY RAY ABRAMS
LOUDON, NH, JUNE 16
t was billed, somewhat dubiously,
as the 79th Loudon Classic, and it
had all the markings of a June race at
New Hampshire International Speedway. There was rain, there were complaints about safety, there was griping about the sanctioning body, there
were red flags, and there was a strong
showing by the local riders. But there
were no AMA factory riders, which,
for the spectators at least, turned out
to be a good thing, because most of
the AMA factory riders don't race at
NHIS in the rain and Formula USA
riders do, at least most of them. So
when the rain began to fall - lightly at
first, then harder - in the first leg of
the Lockhart-Phillips USA Unlimited
Superbike Series, the race was
stopped, rain tires were fitted, and
racing resumed. The only rider to
vote with his conscience was Arclight
Racing's Lee Acree, who wasn't sure
Loudon was safe in the dry, but was
certain it wasn't suitable in the wet.
Chuck Chouinard disagreed. The
burly New Englander splashed
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JUNE 26, 2002'
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International Speedway
(Above) Michael Bame. (34) lead. the
wet and wild first of two Formula USA
Unlimited SupertJlke round. at New
Hampshire International Speedway.
Barnes I. being chased by Scott
Greenwood (bIdden), Chuck Chouinard
(bidden) and Craig Connell (8).
(Right! Chouinard was the rain man at
Loudon, and he came away with
victories In both races at hi. home
racetrack.
through wet qualifying on Saturday to
take the pole position.
"I'm going to do a rain dance
tonight," Parkway Cycles Suzuki
GSX-R750-mounted Chouinard said,
jokingly perhaps, but not entirely.
When the first race was stopped,
on the eighth of 20 laps, Chouinard
was near the front. When it restarted,
he made his way to the front, winning
the first leg easily and repeating in
the second for a sweep on the 1.6mile road course before a rainsoaked and shivering crowd of
diehards that looked to be less than
1000 strong.
For the Massachusetts resident,
and Loudon veteran, it was vindication for the treatment he received by
the AMA after finishing second in the
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