Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMAIChevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Series Round 12: Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca more of a survival race in this heat. You couldn't really charge at all." By the end of the race, there was only one battle remaining: the one for fifth place between DuHamel and Picotte. Despite his best effort on the final lap, Picotte couldn't get the Honda rider - even with a gallant effort in the final corner. "Toward the end, Miguel got stuck a little bit in traffic and I got a good break," Picotte said. "Passing Miguel on the last lap ... well, he's been around the bush for a little while and that's not an easy thing to do. It's a great finish I think for us. We're still fifth in the points and we're moving up. Things ran r.eally smooth this weekend." DuHamel, who finished second here last year, couldn't match that effort this year. He'd threatened Chandler early, but had to fade back with a greasy rear tire. Still, he continued his consistent late-season run with his fifth-place finish. "We were on the softer side on tires right off the bat," DuHamel explained. "When I was hanging with Doug [Chandler], and [Aaron] Yates started coming back towards us, Doug sparked up and started going after him. I was able to hang with Doug to about half a second or a second, depending on where I was on the track. I was feeling pretty good and doing that speed even though my tires were starting to get a little greasy. I could've wicked it up and been right with Doug, then I thought, 'Great, what am I going to do? I'll have no more my tires.' I got blocked pretty bad and they got a big gap and then I tried and got back into the 27s and I thought I felt a little vibration in the rear tire, but the tire was all right. It did get greasy. And when I saw Doug did get Yates and pulled away from him, I said, 'Well, I'm only losing one point to Yates in the championship.' Then I got a couple of big slides and set on this pace." But the race wasn't quite over, and Picotte was charging. "Then Pascal did a good job," DuHamel explained. "He came up. I thought it was Kurtis until he passed me and I looked at the board and saw it was Pascal. I passed him going into 11 and he went a little wide and I came back on the drive on him. Then there was only five laps left, four laps. And then with two laps to go, I said, 'I know the Dunlop tires can take two hard laps of abuse.' So I put my head down and almost got back into the 27s, did a 28, just to get Pascal off me." Parriott would win the battle of the privateers, even getting close to the hurting Gobert. "Early on it was [Craig] Connell and I think [Jason] DiSalvo," Parriott said. "The first go around it was DiSalvo, Connell, [Chris] Caylor. The second restart, I got a great start, got away form everybody and never was headed. I saw my pitboard, saw 10th gaps here and there. I'd make seven 1Oths, lose three, then make two more. I didn't know he [Gobert] was there until I saw him. As soon as I saw him, there was one and half to go. I came off four and saw him, the next lap I came off four and he was in the middle of the straightaway . that was the last lap. I caught up to half a second in tum 11. I could read his sponsors." Not bad considering Parriott was aboard his Superstock bike and not the Superbike, which had dropped a valve in practice. eN MlIZlIa Racaway at Laguna Seca MDnterey, California Rasults: July 13, 2002 Q(JALIFYING: 1. Eric Bostrom (1:25.716); 2. Nicky Hayden (1:26.320); 3. Aaron Yates (1:26.524); 4. Mat Mladin (1:26.553): 5. Kurtis Roberts (1:26.756); 6. Jamie Hacking (1:26.843): 7. Miguel DuHamel (1:26.952): 8. Doug Chandler (1:27.120): 9. Anthony Gobert (1:27.154): 10. Pescel Picotte (1 :28.877); 11. Jimmy Moore (1:30.934): 12. Craig Connell (1:31.177): 13. Brian Parriott (1:31.362): 14. Chris (Jlrich (1:31.504); 15. Michllel Barnes (1 :31.540); t 6. Jllson DiSlrdvo (1:31.589): 17. Vincent Haskove< (1:31.960): 18. Ty Howard (1:32.169): 19. Dean Mizdal (1:32.200): 20. Chris Cllylor (1:~2.343)~ 21. Christopher Rankin (1:32.464): 22. Mike Sullivan (1:32.568): 23. John Dugan (1:32.620): 24. Jeremy Toye (1:32.660): 25. Robert Mesa (1:32.707): 26. Alan Schmidt (1:32.708): 27. Andrew Deatherage (1:32.729): 28. Lee Acree (1:32.731): 29. Ricky Orlando (1:32.756); 30. Chris Voelker (1 :32.809); 31. Merk Foster (1:32.876): 32. Doug Pitcock (1:32.922): 33. Rich Conicelli (1 :33.003); 34. Brian Livengood (1:33.087): 35. Kim Nakashima (1:33.141): 36. Merea Martinez (1 :33.327); 37. Giovanni Rojas (1 :33.335): 38. Robert Jensen (1 :33.634): 39. Thom8s Montano (1:33.941); 40. Owen Richey (1:34.000): 41. Pedro Valiente (1:34.332): 42. Gal1)' Combs (1 :34.667): 43. Dave Kunzelman (1 :34.969): 44. Adrien Webb (1:34.987); 45. James King (1:35.023): 46. Robert Christman (1:35.284); 47. Jeffrey Purk (1:35.336); 48. James Compton (1:35.399): 49. Jacob Holden (1:35.792): 50. Justin Blake (1:36.112): 51. Kenan Rappuchi (1:36.126); 52. J.J. Roetlin (1 :36.218); 53. Tom Wertmlln (1:36.960); 54. Eric Erllns Haugo (1:37.214); 55. Shawn Reilly (1:37.615): 56. Michllel Henley (1:38.214). S(JPERBIKE NATIONAL: 1. Eric Bostrom (Kaw); 2. Nicky HlIyden (Hon); 3. Doug Chandler (Duc); 4. Aeron Yates (Suz); 5. Miguel DuHemel (Hon): 6. Pascel Picotte (Duc); 7. Anthony Gobert (Yam); 8. Pro Honda Oils BDDcc Supersport Series Round B: Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca oshimura Suzuki's Jamie Hacking won the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race at Road Atlanta back in May, then went into a swoon, crashing to a 36th-place finish, followed by a 12th, and a fifth. It's been that kind of year for the South Carolina veteran. A legitimate threat for the title when the season began, Hacking fell into the doldrums after teammate Aaron Yates reeled off three straight wins to start the season. At Laguna, Hacking was able to show what might have been, winning in such methodical fashion that all of the drama was out of the race by about the seventh lap. With 10 more to run, Hacking continued to pull away from Yates, ending the race with an 8.968-second margin of victory on a sultry day at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca. "I knew I had to go when I had my chance," Hacking said of his move into the lead on the fourth lap. "This place is tough. All the guys have been running good this weekend." As the race played out, Hacking said, "I just played it safe. I've been making too many mistakes here lately. I've had the chance and opportunity to win too many of these races lately and just gave it away. I really focused this weekend and tried to do this job and get it done, and I got it done." Hacking completed the 17-lap, 37.4-mile race in 25 minutes, 47.981 seconds at an average speed of 88.480 mph. Hacking's margin of victory over Yates was the largest of the season thus far in the class. The win was a testament to his early patience. Off the start, he was back in fourth, then picked off riders one at a time, noticing that a preload change he'd made to fix a chatter problem was working. "It made the bike a lot more com- 22 n STORY AND PHOTOS BY HENNY RAY ABRAMS MONTEREY, CA, JULY 12 JULY 24,2002' cue •• • "" s fortable coming down the hill and through the flat corners in here," he said. "When I came to lapped riders, I just really took my time and looked where they went. My lap times never Kurtis Roberts (80) and Jamie Hacking (92) battled for fourth place until Roberts crashed In tum 10, taking the unfortunate Hacking wtth him. Brian Parriott (Suz); 9. Craig Connell (Suz); 10. Jason DiSalvo (Suz); 11. Vincent Haskovec (Suz); 12. Lee Acree (Suz); 13. Christopher Rankin (Suz); 14. Mike Sullivan (Hon); 15. Thomes MontlJno (Duc); 16. Chris Caylor (Suz); 17. Andy Deatherage (Suz); 18. Ty Howard (Suz); 19. Owen Richey (Suz); 20. Robert Jensen (Suz); 21. Dean Mizdal (Suz); 22. Robert Mesa (Suz); 23. Marco Martinez (Suz); 24. Alan Schmidt (Suz); 25. Giovanni Rojas (Suz); 26. Deve Kunzelman (Suz); 27. Adrian Webb (SOl); 28. Jeremy Toye (Suz); 29. Doug Pitcock (502). Tune: 1:19.44.000 Dlstance: 28 leps, ???? miles Average speed: 47.155 mph Margin of victory: 9.798 sec AMA S(JPERBlKE NATIONAL C'SHIP POINTS STANDINGS (After 12 of 16 rounds): 1. Nicky Hayden (381{7 wins); 2. Eric Bostrom (345/2 wins); 3. Miguel DuHamel (298/2 wins); 4. Aaron Yetes (287); 5. PesceI Picotte (277); 6. Brian Parriott (235): 7. Doug Chandler (209): 8. Jamie Hacking (208): 9. Mat Mladln (207): 10. Brian Livengood (201): 11. Andy Deatherage (175): 12. Rich Conicelll (162); 13. Vincent Haskovec (146); 14. Anthony Gobert (142/1 win): 15. Dean Mizdal (123): 16. John Dugan (113): 17. Alan Schmidt (111): 18. Jason DiSalvo (106); 19. (TIE) Marco Martinez/Robert Jensen (96). Upcoming Rounds Rounds 12-13: Lexington, Ohio, July 27-28 Round 14-15: Atton, Virginia, August 10-11 changed throughout the whole race. I ran consistent low-30s. I think that's what got the job done today is getting smooth around these guys and being patient." Yates had an equally uneventful race in second. After leading the first three laps, he noticed his lap times weren't as fast as they'd been in the morning and his Suzuki GSX-R600 didn't feel quite as hooked up, probably because of the heat, he thought. "The bike was squirming around a little and I didn't want to push too

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