Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128205
BMW Boxer Cup Round 1 : Daytona International Speedway win. I thought that I had it there at the line. I came up just a IitUe short at the line, but to me, this is like a win." Panichi said that he was happy to win at Daytona. "Here it is very difficult to because the second and third [track] parts are very fast." Panichi said. "It's impossible to lead alone. I wait many times for the last lap. For me in the last lap, the best position was second or third. I arrived with Parriott at the chicane. I closed the gas in the chicane to stay many meters back of Partiott. This is one of the most important tracks in the world." Legrelle, Spain's Fernando Cristobal, Barth, Hinterreiter and Swiss rider Andy Hofmann were right with Panichi and Parriott in the final run out of the chicane. Barth got the best of their drafting battle to pulJ off third place. Hoffman and Hinterreiter rounded out the top five. ION a Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida Results: March 9, ZDD3 [Round 1 of 9J e world class. They know the motorcycles a little bit better than I do. This is my first event on the motorcycle. I knew that was to their advantage. I'm just really happy. The race was super fun. You were never alone out there." Barth finished just .074 of a second behind Panichi. "I was thinking that the first race will be stopped and I am the winner, but we had a restart, and I had a little bad luck, and I finished third, but still I am happy," said Barth. "I have never experienced that [drafting]. It was an incredible race." By SCOTT ROUSSEAU By HENNY RAY ABRAMS PHOTOS DAYTONA BEACH, FL, MARCH 9 !lri ith an era coming to a close by .W way of the banishing of the 250cc Grand Prix class from the AMA Chevy Trucks Superbike Series in 2004, perhaps AMA Pro Racing officials should consider making the BMW Boxer Cup a regular AMA class. Or not. Regardless of the sanctioning body's position on so-called spec classes, the Boxer Cup feature at Daytona International Speedway lived up to its name in that you could have fit the first six riders into a box for much of the 12-lap battle. In a thrilling finish, Italy's Roberto Panichi beat Northern California's Brian Parriott to the line to win the race, which had to be restarted for a five-lap dash after the original run was interrupted by a crash on lap nine. Panichi's margin of victory was .052 of a second at the line. Germany's Markus Barth was third. The competition was fierce, with the lead pack fanning out fiveand six-wide across the finish line several times. "If you come to Europe to see a Boxer Cup race, every time it's the same," winner Panichi said. "I am very happy to win here. This is one of the most important circuits of the world for motorcycle racing." Parriott described the race as tooth-and-nai] all the way. "I knew the competition would be stiff," Parlott said. "I knew I had an advantage of being at my home track, but I knew the competition was 36 MARCH 19, 2003' eye • Belgian rider Sebastien Legrelle led the 44-rider field into turn one for the first time, and from there dirttrack-style dicing began, with as many as 15 riders running in the first pack for the first seven laps. While the order was always mixed at the finish line, former World Superbike competitor Panichi was clearly the superior rider through the infield early, taking the lead on the brakes in tum one on every circuit, only to be swallowed by a pack of riders in each run to the tri-oval. American Jason Perez and Frenchman Guillaume Dietrich were among them, the two shuffling their way toward the front of the pack on lap five, running second and third, behind pace through the infield. Parriott was shuffled back to ninth place at that point in the race, but he was able to work his way back to sixth place before the race was halted when American rider Steve Atlas tangled with another rider and crashed while heading onto the West Banking. e n • __ s Dietrich was no longer a factor after the restart, as he ran off the track in turn one and crashed into the hay bales. Two laps into the restart, Parriott and Austrian Thomas Hinterreiter had a harrowing experience as they clacked together at top speed while heading through the tri-oval. "I cracked one of my cylinder heads on another guy at 150 mph," Parriott said. "Now that's racing." On the final lap, though, a determined Parriott came from fourth to first, leading Panichi into turn one. "I didn't think I could break away," Parriott said. "I just wanted to plant a seed in their mind that I was serious and that I don't mind going for it right out of the chicane. I planned to lead it coming off of turn six, which I did. Robery{Ycame through and led through the chicane. I didn't want to back off too much. I was really looking for the BOXER COP: I. "Roberto Panichi; 2. Brian PlIrriott; 3. Markus Blirth: 4. Andy Hofmann; 5. Thomas Hinterreiter; 6. Sebastien Legrelle; 7. Fernando Cristobal; 8. Aless"ndro Tomllssoni; 9. Federico Aliverti; 10. Tripp Nobles: 11. Norbert Rebholz; 12. Michael Galinski: 13. Laurry Frem)'; 14. Peter Ottl; 15. Klaus Nies; 16. Dirk Buylinckx.; 17. Ricky Orbmdo; 18. Robert Van Der Molen; 19. Nate Kern; 20. Barry Burrell; 21. Jeroen Oudeman; 22. Javier Valera; 23. Matt Leyt; 24. Joseph Maria Busquets; 25. Koen Vleugelsi 26. Jey Springsteen; 27. Guido Stosser; 28. Frank Schockley; 29. Dave Campbell; 30. Jimmy Lewis; 31. Greg White; 32. Gerald Young. 33. Rosenl.l Soleri; 34. Sylvester Lemanski; 35. Jorge Diaz: 36. Bril.ln Cetterson; 37. Guillaume Dietrich: 38. Jason Perez; 39. Eric Lejeune; 40. Frencois Cicillieni: 41. Alex Busquets; 42. Steven Casaer; 43. Steve Atll.ls; 44. Gabriele Perri: 45. Agusti Bu.§q.l:l.etsj.46. Rlchl.lrd Cooper. Time: l'i/A. due to red flag. Distance: 12 laps. 43.80 miles Avg. Speed: N/A, due to red flag. M.argin of Victory: 00.052 sec. !Above) Eventual winner Italian Roberto Panlchi (99) leads Spaniard Fernando Cristobal (16), Markus Barth (6) of Germany, and eventual runner up Northern Californian's Brain Parriott (46) Into tum one. (Below) Parriott (46) came up just .052 of a second short at the finish aft"r 12 laps of racing.