Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

(Lett) Springsteen leads Nixon in Fonnula Vintage race. (Right) John Weeden (307) beat Chris Hurst (573) in the International Classic GP. Chris would be very strong. I didn't practice today because of the rain. The infield was perfect in the rain, but on the banking you just have to go flat out and hope that it doesn't turn sideways on you. I knew that Chris would be the man to beat." Hurst said that his machine overheated during the race, and he pointed to the temperature gauge, which showed 105 degrees. "It usually runs about 70 degrees," Hurst said. "I've had overheating problems with it in the past, but I thought that I had fixed them. I was just trying to nurse it to the finish line. My plan was just to follow and draft John to the line, but he broke the draft. He got me today." David Hedison, also on a 1980 Yamaha, finished a distant third. Among the other events on the schedule, the Sportsman classes featured some of the larger grids today. Triumph-mounted Tim Joyce easily won what was a Triumph-vs-Honda battle in the Sportsman 500 class, pulling well clear of Honda riders Buff Harsh and John Walters by 4 '/, seconds. Jesse Morris also won aboard a 1968 Triumph in the Sportsman 750, outrunning Yamaha XS750-mounted Mark Nadelkov and Geir Jacobsen, who was aboard a 1972 Triumph Trident triple. John Walters led a Honda Sweep of the Sportsman 350 class. Greg Nichols won Tuesday's BOT Formula 1 race by about 25 seconds, only to be disqualified for having carbon fiber on his 1997 Ducati. "It's stock other than a little bit of carbon fiber," Nichols said. "I don't see how it would have made that much difference. I never protested anybody in my life. I just want to have some fun, put some laps together. I'm trying to get it sorted out. It's a hard way of learning." With Nichols' DQ, the win was handed to Frank Shockley (Aprilia RSV-1000 Mille), who crossed the line in front the Ducati of Albert Charles. "I didn't get any practice all day today, so it was real skittish," Shockley said. "I was trying to stay out of the wet. Just trying to keep a cool head and get the tires warmed up so I could go after them, and everything turned out great." Charles also got no practice, choosing not to ride in the wet morning session. "I thought I'd give it a go because what the heck, the track's dried," Charles said. "I was too rusty, just couldn't quite ride. "I got a better start than I expected and hadn't planned on trying to lead through the infield but it turned out good," he continued. "I heard some bad noises in the motor partway through the race, so I decided to back off a little bit, and I saw Shockley go by, and I compromised." The Formula 500 race was a victory for Harry Barlow, even though he finished second. Christopher Spargo got the jump from the outside of the front row; Barlow was soon into second and moving up on Spargo. The gap was over four seconds on the fourth of sixth laps, then 2.7 a lap later. Time ran out for Barlow, however, with Spargo winning by about five bike lengths. Third went to Chuck Quenzler. All three were on late 70s vintage Yamaha twins, the engines built by Barlow. "I really just rode a good, strong, solid race," Spargo said. "I didn't want to ride over my head because I hadn't had a chance to ride on the track in the dry. So I had a little bit of a couple laps where I had to get into the dry mode because it's been wet this weekend." "I couldn't do any more," Barlow said. "I was nearly hitting the cones coming out of the chicane." The Vintage Superbike Middleweight race, run at the same time as the Formula 500, was decided on the final lap, George Irish powering his Suzuki DX-650 to victory past the Honda of Gary Smith. "Halfway through the race a Honda (Smith) came by, and man, there's no way I'm going to catch that guy," Irish said. "I stuck it out and kept getting a little bit faster going into and out back onto the banking." Derek Keyes got away early in the BOT Formula 2 race, Josef Brenner going with him along with Danny Tackett. Keyes and Tackett were on Suzukis, with Brenner on a MotoGuzzi, the three separated from each other by about 100 yards on the sec- ond lap. Then Brenner ran off the track going into the chicane, leaving Keyes to hold off Tackett. Tackett didn't come around on the sixth lap, the victim of a spill in the second horseshoe. Keyes would win by about 19 seconds over Matt Winnacker, with Norwegian Jan Svensson third. "I saw those guys behind me the first couple of laps, and I came out of the chicane, and I saw (Josef) Brenner go off in the chicane, and I saw the yellow bike (Tackett) right up by me, and he came beside me in the horseshoe, and I held him off the next lap, and as I looked back behind I saw him going off the track, and I was like, 'Hell I'm by myself now,'" the Floridian Keyes said. "The whole rest of the race was like, 'Alright.' It was pretty boring." Winnacker bemoaned his lack of horsepower, and Svensson, who rode a 1993 Ducati 750 SS, was happy to finish third. "I goofed up on the start of the race because the clutch wouldn't disengage," Svensson said. "It was grabbing, and they pulled away from me, and I just couldn't catch up with them. I was just lucky to finish third." Another northern European won the final race of the vintage days. BCM Ducati-mounted Dutchman Alex van Dijk flew from the back row of the Sound of Thunder race to take the lead on the first lap. From then on he was gone, gapping the field so quickly he was able to back off. "I saw it (the lead), and after a couple of laps of looking back, I saw a big gap and slowed down a little bit," van Dijk said. Second went to Bruce Brown (Tri) over Kiyo Watanabe (Suz), who tried to make up about a 35-bikelength deficit only to come up half a length short at the checkered flag. "The Triumph really had some power, so I knew I could go a little slow in the infield, then sit back," Brown said. "My biggest problem was I couldn't see my faceshield; my eyeglasses were fogging up. I'd get up on the banking and put my fingers under my faceshield so I could see." Watanabe said the new Suzuki SV650 was still in its infancy. He knew it wasn't a match for the Triumph of Brown. cue I e "Traction against my technique and I decided I could get him this way, that way, I tried everywhere," Watanabe said. "I guess it just didn't work out the last time." eN Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida Results: March 3-4, 2003 IRound 21 Monday PRE·1940: I. Alex McLean (Nor): 2. Will Harding (Ind); 3. Art Farley (Ind): 4. AI Knapp (H-D): 5. Willie Bertsch (BMW). 200 GP: I. Dennis Poneleil (Hon); 2. James SWllrtout (Bri); 3. Mike Parker (Hon); 4. Paul Shoen (TriBSA): 5. Aaron Phinney (BSA). 250 GP: I. David Roper (Aer); 2. John Stephens (Due); 3. Gory SmRh (SU2); 4. Larry Poons (Yet); 5. Robert Bnmgaccio (Due). F-125: I. Greg Steinbeck (Hon); 2. Sakis VllIsilopoulos (Hon); 3. Leon Cortes (Hon); 4. Rtchard Memar (Han): 5. Mike Kerby (C-A). F·250: I. Jerry Herman (YlI:m); 2. Kevin Brown (YlI:m); 3. Jim Neuenberg (Bul); 4. Steve Brown (Hon): 5. Tom Pruett (Hon). CLASS C HANDSHIFT: I. Will Harding (Ind): 2. Art FlI:rley (Ind); 3. Moon Mullins (H-D); 4. Thomll:s Heid (H-D); 5. Dennis Leggett (Ind). CLASS C FOOTSHIFT: I. Alex Mclean (Nor). BEARS: t. Peter Hurst (Nor); 2. Robert Goodpaster (Nor): 3. Mark Mitchell (BMW): 4. Sum Keyes (Nor); 5. Jon Revillll: (Nor). 350 GP: 1. Jim Neuenberg (Bul); 2. StUll:rt Certer (See); 3. Steve Mtlhtlnes (Duc): 4. Mike Connell (H-D): 5. Craig Brackon (H-D). BOT 2·STRK: 1. Kris Jepsen (Yam); 2. Chris Hurst (Yam); 3. David Hedison (Yam); 4. Sean McNew (Hon); 5. Tony Smith (Yam). 50S 2·STRK: 1. Jim Struke (Hon); 2. Dale Greenwood (Hon); 3. Chris Mllnfrin (Y8m). 500 PREMIER: 1. Pat Mooney (Nor); 2. Josef Brenner (BSA); 3. Greg Nichols (Nor): 4. Alex McLean (Nor); 5. Mark Loveland (See). PROD SGlS: I. T. Bruce Brown (Sko): 2. Joe Lanza (Han); 3. Kevin Brown (Sko); 4. Ptlul Conley (Sko); 5. Gordon Hemilton (Sko). SOPER MONO 2: 1. Colin Fraser (Yam); 2. Sophie Melicon (Mat). F-7S0: I. Jim Struke (Nor): 2. Ken Nemoto (MG): 3. John Ellis (Yam): 4. Jon Revillo (Nor); 5. Bob Demetrius (Tri). Tuesday ClSe '60S: 1. Josef Brenner (BSA): 2. Alex Mclean (Nor); 3. John Cooper (BSA); 4. Rusty Lowry (H-D): 5. Dick Miles (Nor). ClSC '605 6S0: I. Robert Goodpaster (Nor): 2. John Tibben (H-D): 3. Bud Denny (H-D). SPTSMN 350: 1. John Welters (Hon): 2. Steve Brown (Hon); 3. Eric Cook (Hon); 4. Jemes Swartout (Han); 5_ Henry Syphers (Hon). BOT F·): 1. Fr~mk Shockley (Apr): 2. Albert Ch8rles (Duc): 3. Kiyo W8t8nabe (Suz): 4. Derek Keyes (Suz): 5. Rick Patrolie (SUl). BOT F·3: I. Danny Tackett (Suz); 2. Jan Svensson (Due): 3. MlItt Winnllcker (Suz); 4. Geunther Weickert (Suz); 5. John Zl.lmsky (Suz). SPTSMN 500: 1. Tim Joyce (Tri); 2. Buff Harsh (Hon): 3. John WlIlters (Hon); 4. Andrew Cowell (Tri): 5. Jesse Morris (Tri). l/W VINT S/BK: 1. David Peters (Suz); 2. Jim Killy (Yam). F-500: I. Christopher Spargo (YlIm); 2. Harry Barlow (Yam): 3. Chuck Quenzler (Yam); 4. DlIvid Crussell (Kaw): 5. Nathan Sanel (Yam). M(W VINT S/BK: I. George Irish Jr. (SU2): 2. Gary Smith (Han): 3. James Trampe (Suz); 4. Mike Perker (Han). SPTSMN 750: t. Jesse Morris (Tri); 2. Mark Nadelkov (Yam): 3. Geir Jacobsen (Tri): 4. Craig Charles (Tri); 5. JlImes Swartout (Yam). BOT F·2: 1. Derek Keyes (Suz); 2. Matt Winnacker (Suz); 3. JlIn Svensson (Duc); 4. Rick Petrolia (Suz); 5. Chris Carr (Sue). INT'l ClSC GP: 1. John Weeden (Yam): 2. Chris Hurst (Y8m); 3. David Hedison (Yam); 4. Joseph Rutherford (Yam); 5. Michael Perry (Yam). F.VINT: I. Jay Springsteen (H·D); 2. Geir Jacobsen (Tri); 3. Gary Nixon (Hon); 4. Ken Nemoto (M-G); 5. Chuck Quenzler (YlIrn). H/W VINT S/BK: 1. Colin Frllser (KlIw); 2. Rich ElIrnest (Suz); 3. Todd Welch (Duc); 4. Dennis Parrish (Kaw); 5. Gary Swann (Suz). n e _ SO • MARCH 19,2003 55

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