Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Suzuki Cup Final Sprint Races "I was trying to do consecutive lap times," Moore said. "I had the pressure on the first couple of laps." In C Superstock Novice, four riders got away in a tight bunch, but Moore was wary. The leaders were bumping and shuffling and Moore saw an accident waiting to happen. It did, on the third or eight laps. "They were doing wild moves," Moore said of David Weber and ARNCHU Racing's Nathan Dressman. "I knew they were going to take each other out." It happened when Weber lost the front end in the esses, his machine hitting Jeff Walker's Suzuki, but not derailing him. Moore waited until the fifth lap to take the lead from Dressman, on the brakes in turn lOA and was comfortably in front when the race was red-flagged on the fmallap. In the 10th race of the day, C Superbike Novice, Moore topped Jeff Walker by less than half a second with Weber third. Walker had the use of the Army of Darkness Superbikespec GSX-R600, while Moore was on his Superstock-spec GSX-R600. "On the straight, he would pull an enormous gap and I'd catch him in lOA," Moore said. "It was the best race of the day for us." Approaching the final lap, Moore passed Walker in turn 12, the final right-hander leading on to the front straight. Then Moore used lapped traffic to run interference and went on to the victory by a scant .38 of a second. "I still can't hold him off," Walker lamented. Moore's fourth win came two races later in the B Superbike Novice race. What began as a three-way battle soon became a Moore runaway. It helped that Moore was on his Suzuki GSX-R750 while Walker was on his Suzuki GSX-R600. "I just put it on cruise control," Moore said. Moore's lead was over 4.5 seconds halfway in and, at the line, Moore was able to sit up and look back, still in 14 NOVEMBER 6, 2002' cue front by 5.55 seconds. Walker was second with Doug Rose a distant third. "My 600 just couldn't handle the 750s," Walker said. Things didn't start well in the Formula 1 Novice race for Moore. Moore got a false reading from his gear indicator on the start line. When the field left, he was in neutraI, with a horde of riders screaming past. He'd have to pass those same riders in the next eight laps, and he made short work of it. "You never know what they're going to do," Moore said of some of the field. Passing liberally in turn one and in turn lOA, Moore was into second on the second lap and into the lead on the fourth, passing Jeff Walker, overmatched on his 600 against Moore's 750. He built up a 2.5-second lead before Walker came back to him at the end. The margin of victory was .81 of a second with Shogun Racing's Mike Sanchez third. Sunday didn't go as well for Moore. Leading the Pirelti 600 Superstock Novice starting the second lap, Moore ran wide coming onto the front straight and crashed just past the start/finish line. "The front end started sliding and ( ran wide," Moore, who wasn't hurt in the crash, said. "I thought I could save it, but I didn't." Tachyon SIRF's Justin Adams took over from Moore and eased away from the field, never put under pressure on his way to winning by 2.88 seconds. "Finally it came together," Adams said. "I've been finishing fourth all year long." Second belonged to Jeff Walker for the first three laps, then he ran off in turn five handing the spot to Norton Racing's Max Norton, who pulled away from third placed Nathan Dressman, almost two seconds in hand at the end of the 10-lap race. As to why he crashed, "I had to win," Moore said, referring to his championship position. Moore came I • n e vv s ........ ...ct. into the race three points ahead of Jeff Walker. The crash cost him the 600 Superstock Novice title. Walker finished eighth, good for eight points, and 132 for the year, five ahead of Moore. Norton fmished the year third. Back on his Suzuki GSX-R750, Moore was untouchable in 750 Superstock Novice, controlling the race for his sixth win. Walker, who wrapped up the title prior to the GNF, was second. He ends the year with 168 points, 22 more than Moore. Walker beat Moore in the 600 Superbike Novice race, the horsepower of the Army of Darkness GSXR600 making the difference. The pair took turns at the lead, Walker leading early, then Moore, then Walker again for good on the sixth of eight laps. He won by about 40 yards, with Justin Adams third. "Motor," Walker said about the reason for his success. "I borrowed the bike from the Army of Darkness. The tires started going away at the end." That wasn't his only problem. On the last lap, coming up under the Suzuki bridge on the run to tum 12, his motor cut out. Flipping the key quickly on and off, he got back going and held Moore off. Walker also won the 750 Superbike Novice race in a walkaway. The race was late on Sunday afternoon, run nearly in darkness, and ran had begun to fall. Neither condition slowed Walked who cleared out from the start and motored home well in front when the race was red-flagged on the fifth of eight laps. Moore was second with Shogun Motorsports' Mike Sanchez third. Team Embry/RoadracingWorld.com's Geoff May had won the opening race of Saturday afternoon, the Open Superstock. Knowing that Vesrah Suzuki's Mark Junge was in a battle with Scott Carpenter for the National title, and wouldn't be willing to take undue risks, May bided his time, waiting until the sixth of eight laps to pass Junge into turn lOA, the hard braking left at the end of the back straight. The margin of victory was 1.54 seconds. "I didn't think I was going to have to push that hard," the Suzuki GSXR I OOO-mounted May said. "I knew Mark was in a points battle and if I got in front of him he'd back off." Junge and Harwell came to Atlanta tied in points. "I had to keep Scott [Harwell) behind me," Junge said after clinching the National title by 6 points, 120-114. "I saw the pitboard saying he was right there. I couldn't back off. I knew he was coming." May battled with RoadracingWorld.com's John Haner in the Formula 1 Expert Sportsman race, Haner, starting from the fifth row, taking the lead from May, a fourth-row starter, on the third of eight laps, then inching away in the second half of the race. The race was brakes vs. tires. May was testing Pirelli tires while Haner was stronger on the brakes into turn lOA at the end of the back straightaway. May powered by on the run to the corner three times, only to see Haner respond by outbraking him. "I just put in consistent laps to see if he could match me," Haner said, adding that May could draft him on the straightaways. "If he could, great; if not, I could get him on the brakes." "I was doing a little bit of tire testing for Pirelli," May, whose main focus was Sunday Suzuki Cup races, said. "It went pretty well, but it looks like I used too soft a compound." On Friday, May had an easy run in the A Superstock Expert race, a f1agto-flag win so certain that he stood up on the pegs as he cross.ed the finish line, over 7.5 seconds in hand. Second place was settled early on when Pro Sports Cycle's M. Shaun Fields pulled away front of a threerider fight disputing third. Shannon Mohan took the spot over Scott Carpenter and Scott Brown. At the end of the WERA 125cc GP, NESBA.com/Speed Werks' Brian

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