Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

track, but I have to try to get a good setup as well. It worked out pretty good. The start wasn't so good. I just sort of sat back and watched what was going on. I got straight past Tony [Meiring] when Tommy started pulling away and tried to catch him and jumped right on the back of him. We had a little bit of a misfire problem at two-thirds race distance, and I just dropped back. Then I caught some lappers and had a bad run through there. But to get on the box again at a place I haven't seen is really good. We're second in points, and we have to try and chase down Tommy. It's going to be a long year, and Tommy's riding really good and has a good package under him. Our Corona Suzuki is working really well, too, and we go to Road Atlanta next, a place that I know. I know every track for the rest of the series so we can get up to speed a lot quicker and hopefully make improvements and be more of a threat." The action behind the lead trio was heating up as DiSalvo started to put heaps of pressure on Hayes, with Moore moving right up to the rear of the two. The pressure paid off on the 13th lap when DiSalvo managed to put a pass on Hayes, with Moore watching intently from behind. Moore didn't wait long, and he shot by Hayes on the run into turn seven. DiSalvo, meanwhile, was making hay and pulled a slight gap on the two behind him. With two laps to go, Hayden led by 3.4 seconds over Hascovec, with Fergusson another four seconds behind. This one was over. DiSalvo had also gotten the better of the rest for fourth place, with Moore trying his best to hold off Hayes. Caylor also moved around Meiring to take over seventh. Behind those two came Haner, Szoke and Valvoline EMGO Suzuki's Chris' Ulrich. At the finish, Meiring would end up in front of Caylor, with Szoke beating Haner. Ulrich, meanwhile, crashed in the final corner and remounted to finish 13th. CN Inti neon Raceway Sonoma, California Results: May 4,2003 [Round 3 of III SUPER STOCK FINAL: t. Tommy Hayden (Kaw); 2. Vincent Haskovec (Suz); 3. Adam Fergusson (Suz); 4. Jason DiSzllvo (Yam); 5. Jimmy Moore (Suz): 6. Josh Hayes (Suz); 7. Tony Meiring (KZlw); 8. Chris Caylor (Suz); 9. Jordan Szoke (Suz); 10. John Haner (Suz); 11. Mike Ciccono (Suz); 12. Jeremy Toye (Suz); 13. Chris Ulrich (Suz); 14. Alan Schmidt (Suz); 15. Jacob Holden (Suz); 16. Matthew Furtek (Suz); 17. Brian Stokes (Suz): 18. Michael Hannas (Suz); 19. DlJnny Eslick (Suz); 20. Jeff Bostrom (Suz): 21. Hawk Mazzota (Suz); 22. J.J. Roetlin (Suz); 23. Doug Pitcock (Suz): 24. Mickey Lane (Suz): 25. Chad Rolland (Suz): 26. Tom Wertman (Suz); 27. Jason Chisum (Suz): 28. Corey Sarros (Suz); 29. Bryan Edginton (Suz): 30. Michael Dantonio (Suz); 31. Mark Degross (Hon); 32. Jay Jacobson (Suz): 33. Pllul Timman (Suz); 34. Rocky Cacares (Suz); 35. Rich Conicelli (Suz); 36. Mark Simon (Suz); 37. Jason Peters (Suz); 38. John Dugan (Suz). Distance: 17 laps, 27.4 miles M.argin of victory: 2.721 sec. SUPERSTOCK NATIONAL C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS (After 3 of 11 rounds): 1. Tommy Hayden (111/3 wins); 2. Adam Fergusson (85); 3. Vincent Haskovec (84): 4. Tony Meiring (76); 5. Jason DiSalvo (71); 6. Jimmy Moore (67); 7. Josh Hayes (66): 8. Chris Coylor (64): 9. John Haner (55): 10. Jordan Szoke (54); 11. Mike Ciccotto (51): 12. Chris Ulrich (49); 13. Jeremy Toye (38); 14. Matthew Furtek (37): 15. Lee Acree (32). Upcoming Rounds Round 4: Braselton, Georgia, May 17 Round 5: Fountain, Colorado, May 31 MBNA 250 Grand Prix Round 3: Infineon Raceway STORY AND PHOTO BY HENNY RAY ABRAMS SONOMA, CA, MAY 4 he Rich Oliver 250cc Grand Prix Farewell Tour rolled through Sonoma this afternoon, the all-time king of the class adding to his record win total while at the same time moving a step closer to winning the lastever MBNA 250cc GP title. Oliver, from Auberry in northern California, racked up his 63rd win, a record for any AMA professional road race class by over 50 percent, and he did it with renewed dominance. Last year Oliver crashed at Infineon Raceway, shattering his arm and earning a ride on a medivac helicopter. Today he was flawless, swatting aside an early challenge from defending National Champion Chuck Sorensen (Stargel Aprilia) to romp to an easy win, 26.875 seconds in hand at the end of the 17 lap, 37.4 mile race. "I haven't done a very good job these last three seasons nailing down this championship," said Oliver, who won the last of his four consecutive 250cc GP titles in 1997, "so this year I'm really trying to be conservative and careful, and it's not very easy to be very conservative and careful with a couple of great riders pushing me like Chuck Sorensen and Simon Tumer and Ed Sorbo and many of the other guys out there like Colin Jensen. You can't really take it easy. I'm just trying to do my best. I'm really enjoying my year, especially because it's the last year for the 250s in their own class in the AMA. I'm really trying to enjoy every moment of it." As usual, Oliver was overly gracious and complimentary in calling his competition "great riders." Great riders don't lose a second and a half a lap, as Sorensen did. Priority Racing's Simon Turner (Hon) was 59.906 seconds back in third, though he suffered an odd mechanical problem. Early in the race he overshot the hairpin, and as he was coming back in he caught a traffic cone. The cone hit his T fairing, twisting a bracket, and making it difficult to steer. Fourth-place finisher Ed Sorbo was 20 seconds short of a lap down. Off the start Sorensen and Turner both pressured Oliver. His lead was more than a second by the fourth lap and more than two by the fifth. Then it ballooned, and the race was over. "I've been struggling with my bike here the last few years, and we changed it around quite a bit from my normal setup, and what I created out there was something that was slideable," he said, "and so I was able to broadslide the thing around, and it would steer with the rear. Rather than try to stay hooked up and put the power down, I just tried to go sideways everywhere, and it seemed to work better. I don't think you can really get hooked up here anyway." Sorensen said he wasn't yet comfortable enough with his Aprilia 250 to push it to the limit. "My team has been trying to do the best you can as far as getting the engine set up," he said. "It's got good power, but power isn't always the thing around here. It's getting the bike to handle really well. We did the best with the time that we had on Thursday and tried to get a good setup, and in the end it wasn't enough to stay with Rich (Oliver), but luckily I kept in second place. I'm not going to chance the finish I have until the bike's perfect, and then I can push as hard as I need to." It was Sorensen's third runner-up finish to Oliver, and he remains second in points, 112 to 96 in Oliver's favor, after three of 11 rounds. "I've got three (titles) right now, and I'd like to make it four, and Rich eye I e would like to make it five," Sorensen said, "so it's a good fight out there." The Irishman Turner, who now races out of Miami, gradually lost touch with Sorensen in the second half of the race after dropping to third. "We were on for second, then I had a bit of problem, and the handlebar stuck," he said. "I had to keep riding it the way it was. I had to stop to see what it was in case it was really dangerous." Turner said the two turns most affected by his handlebar problem were the tight ones that required the most leveraging, the hairpin and the chicane. "I got third anyway, so I'm just glad to finish and get points," he said. eN Infineon Raceway Sonoma, California Results: May 4, 2003 [Round 3 of III MBNA 250 GRAND PRIX: 1. Rich Oliver (Yam); 2. Chuck Sorensen (Apr); 3. Simon Turner (Hon); 4. Ed Sorbo (Yam): 5. Edward Marchini (Yam); 6. Perry Melneciuc (Yam); 7. Chris Pyles (Hon): 8. D~lfren Fulce (Yam): 9. Sandy Noce (Yam); 10. Michael Arcn (Yam); II. Dante Dambruoso (Vam); 12. Sean Crane (Yam); 13. Mark Watts (Hon); 14. John France (Hon); 15. Barrett Long (Yam); 16. Philip Snowden (Hon); 17. Sean McNew (Hon); 18. Shawn Herrera (Apr); 19. Ben Welch (Yam); 20. James Jessen (Yam); 21. Stephen Bowline (Hon); 22. Sean Wr8Y (Yam): 23. David Moss (Yam); 24. Justin Long (Yam): 25. Richard Denmlln (Hon); 26. Joji Tokumoto (Hon); 27. Shawn Murray (Hon); 28. Kelly Jones (Hon); 29. Crllig McLelin (Due); 30. David Bothell (Hon); 31. Sergio Galvan (Yam); 32. David Hawks (Yam). Time: 28 min., 45.110 sec. Distance: 17 laps, 37.4 miles Average speed: 89.4 mph M.argin of victory: 26.975 sec. MBNA 2S0 GRAND PRIX C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS (After 3 of 11 rounds): 1. Rich Oliver (112/3 wins); 2. Chuck Sorensen (96); 3. Simon Turner (87); 4. Perry Melneciuc (76); 5. Chris Pyles (71); 6. Edward Marchini (70); 7. Colin Jensen (54); 6. Ed Sorbo (53): 9. Dorren Fulce (47): 10. Sandy Noce (43); II. Greg Esser (39): 12. Stephen Bowline (36): 13. (TIE) Sean Crane/Mark Wotls (37); 15. John France (34): 16. Sean Wray (33): 17. (TIE) Michael MontaYll/Ben Welch (25): 19. Neil Richardson (23); 20. (TIE) Michael Aron/Ral Hellstrom (20). Upcoming Rounds: Round 4 - Braselton, Georgia, May 18 Round 5 - Fountain, Colorado, June 1 n e _ s MAY 14, 2003 21

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