Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Round 10: Virginia International Raceway By LARRY LAWRENCE PHOTO BY BRIAN J. NELSON ALTON, VA, AUG. 10 ommy Hayden turned in a spectacular performance on his factory Kawasaki ZX6 to earn his third victory of the year in the red-flag-interrupted Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Series finale, but it was Corona Extra EBSCO Media Suzuki's Jimmy Moore taking home the big prize by nailing down his second-straight championship in the series. While Hayden had his hands full holding off the more powerful Suzukis of Cruise America's Jason Disalvo and EMGO/Fastlap's Chris "Opie" Caylor. Moore went with a conservative race strategy and finished 12th. He needed to finish only 18th or better to secure the title. Caylor earned his first AMA podium finish taking a close second and Moore's teammate Adam Fergusson came out on top in a great battle with Disalvo to finish third. Hayden came into VIR with an outside chance at winning the title. He knew he would need to score maximum points in addition to needing Moore and Arclight Suzuki's Lee Acree to both have a disastrous weekend. He got the first part of the equation right by winning the pole, leading the most laps and eventually winning the race - he almost got the help he needed from the two series leaders as well. Moore ran off the track early in the race, which was a very bad idea with the chalky dryfrom-drought ground just off the racing surface that caused several riders to fall in Saturday's Superbike final T just prior to the Superstock race. While Moore came close to pitching away the championship, secondranked Acree continued to suffer from the leg burns he received at Mid-Ohio and had a sub-par event. The Arclight Suzuki rider qualified seventh and finished sixth in the race - all in all not a memorable performance from the rider who broke through to win his first AMA national at VIR a year ago. Disalvo got the holeshot on the Cruise America Suzuki, but ran wide in turn one allowing Hayden to move underneath to take over the lead before the next corner. A four-rider breakaway quickly formed with Hayden leading Disalvo, SGl's Vincent Haskovec and Caylor. Disalvo looked aggressive and tried in several places to get around Hayden, but Hayden's Kawasaki ZX6 proved to be too nimble on the twisty 2.25-mile circuit. By lap four, Fergusson moved up to join the battle in the lead group. Caylor and Fergusson were the riders on the move. Both moved past Haskovec, who dropped from third to fifth in a matter of three laps. Just when it looked to be a Hayden/Disalvo battle to the finish, a red flag came out stopping the race. Jeff Bostrom tried to pass J.J. Roetlin on the inside going through turn four, but the two collided. Bostrom lowsided and Kevin Pate, who was closely following, had nowhere to go but over the top of Bostrom's machine. It was a vicious-looking crash, but fortunately Bostrom and Pate walked away. On the restart, it was Hayden again taking the lead. This time, Cay- six-tenths of a second, but that was the widest margin of the day for a contest that was wheel-to-wheel much of the race. Fergusson emerged third a couple of seconds back from the leaders after a great dice with Disalvo. Haskovec rounded out the top five. It was the Czech's third top-five finish of the season and he earned fourth in the final standings, ahead of Disalvo. Fergusson said his race with Disalvo was straightforward. "I was quicker in the corners and he was quicker on the straights, it was as simple as tha(" said Fergusson, who earned his fifth top-five finish and finished the season ranked 15th as a mid-season replacement for Jordon Szoke. "I've never seen anyone come around me that fast on the straightaway. He was really strong on the brakes, and that's my strong part too, so we had some interesting battles into a few of the corners. I think we rubbed shoulders a couple of times, but it was good, clean racing. I just got the better of him in the end." Moore, who wrapped up the championship last year before coming into VIR, brought his bike home in a safe third to ensure this year's title. The final points tally shows he has 277, with Hayden second at 260 on the ZX6 Kawasaki. Acree fell to third at 257. "I had a little moment on the first start there and I ran off the track," said Moore with a look of relief. "I don't know what happened, the bike went into a kind of false neutral and I hit the dirt. After the restart, I got over the off-track deal and ,wa;; feeling a lot better. "I think this year was tougher than last. Last year, I felt there were maybe three or four guys I needed to contend with to win races, and this year it seemed there were a larger number. The talent and the field were definitely deeper. It made it tougher, but I did what I thought would be the right thing, and it paid off." CN lor held second over Disalvo. For the next few laps, it was Caylor trying to figure out a way around Hayden. He would show the power of his more powerful Suzuki on the front straight, actually leading across the start/finish line on lap 10, but Hayden always managed to outbrake Caylor into turn one every lap. "He [Hayden] would beat me through the last set of corners," Caylor explained. "He would just get through there better. I knew I had top speed, but I also knew I needed to pass him before the kink if I was going to get into turn one first. He could put the last section [of the track] together so well that I couldn't close it in soon enough, and he could still get me in on the brakes." Hayden said he knew that holding the advantage through turn one was the key to winning the race. "I knew I was fast enough to run the pace," said Hayden, who moved past Acree to take second in the final ranking - the highest a 600 rider has ever finished in the class for 750cc machines. "But I've been in a few races this year where I get behind and get stuck there. It's hard to get through traffic, especially when they're bunched up, so I was glad I got the holeshot both times. I just put my head down because I knew if I got passed I would have a hard time getting back in the lead." In the closing laps, Caylor's front tire, which the team didn't change during the red flag, began pushing through the turns, and he lost precious ground on Hayden. At the checkered flag,' the margin was only cue I e Senuine Suzuki Accessories Superstack Virginia International Raceway Alton, Virginia Results: August 10. 2002 (Round 10 at 101 GEN(JINE S

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