Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

ishing better than fourth were dashed. Roberts was in the process of trying to catch Eric Bostrom when Andy Deatherage went down in the esses, his bike disintegrating and putting debris all over the racetrack. The race was red-flagged and declared official at that point. Fortunately, Deatherage's only injury was a sprained wrist. "It's unfortunate, because we just kind of got into this big battle," Eric Bostrom said after the race. "For sure the lap times weren't great. I couldn't see where I was going. I don't think anybody ... I don't know who could. I had to clear the inside of my shield about every third lap. It was kind of a push-pull effect. It was definitely tough riding out there, and maybe that had something to do with the slow lap times. But, overall, we had actually changed tires from yesterday, because yesterday we raced on the same tire that failed. So it [the new tire] caused some instability in our bike. It was a bit unnerving, because it pretty much wobbled like the first part of the back straight, and I didn't quite know when it was going to pick that wobble back up, and then it'd wobble real bad up over the hill and stuff, too. But other than that, I really liked the tire I raced on. It just affected some things poorly on our bike, and maybe had we got a chance to run it in practice this morning, we could've adjusted for that. But overall, I had a good time. All the same, it's not where I wanted to be. I wanted to be out in front of those guys. And every time I'd kind of try to get a pass in there, they'd square me up and come charging back by because they were riding really well. We just didn't quite go fast enough. Didn't make our passes stick. And that's why we didn't really get a better shot at going forward." Roberts was still suffering in the portion of the track that bothered him the day before - the new chicane section after turn two. "It's still a bit tough for me, the new section," Roberts said. "I just can't get through there as well as these guys can and just have to make up the rest of lap from all the ground I lose there. The same thing - we all had to change tires. I was on the same one Mat used yesterday and switched today, but the track to me was a little... my bike wasn't hooked up as well as it was all weekend. Maybe the track temperature was a little too cold or something, but everything went as well as it could have. Mat was riding well, and Eric. I closed back up on Eric there and then when we got the yellow flag and a red flag. It was kind of disappointing. But I did well as I could have today, I guess." eN (1:30.819): 39. Scott Carpenter (1:30.822): 40. Marco Martinez (I :30.871); 41. Chris Voelker (1:30.936); 42. Doug Duane (1:31.119); 43. Chuck Allen (1:31.191); 44. Kevin Hanson (1:31.625); 45. Chuck Ivey (1 :31.643); 46. Jeff Muskopf (1 :31.791): 47. Dean Mizdal (1:31.890); 48. Jason Knupp (I :32.495); 49. Rick Narup (I :32.999); 50. Mike Johnston (1 :33.321). SUPERBIKE RACE ONE: 1. Aaron Yates (Suz): 2. Eric Bostrom (Kaw); 3. Kurtis Roberts (Hon); 4. Anthony Gobert (Due); 5. Ben Bostrom (Hon); 6. Larry Pegram (Due); 7. Jordan Sloke (SUI); B. and walked away. The lone corner worker in the area frantically waved for riders to move wide, while the bike sat on the track, blocking the racing line and forcing the red flag. This was good news for the riders who'd chosen rain tires on a track that had developed a mostly dry line. It wouldn't be good news for a number of others, though Spies was not among them. The Texan jetted to the lead on the restart, oblivious to the chaos behind him. In the first turn there was a pileup, a number of riders going down, including Yamaha's Jamie Hacking, Yoshimura Suzuki's Jamie Stauffer, and Kneedraggers.com's Matt Wait. The rest of the field checked up, allowing Spies to check out. Yamaha's Damon Buckmaster thought Hacking "might have tweaked the back of Aaron (Gobert). That kind of slowed us down a bit, and that allowed Ben (Spies) to get a gap on us. I just couldn't nail it down." Even after gathering various opinions on what happened in turn one, a clear picture didn't emerge. Wait was just behind Hacking when it happened and said that someone on a blue bike hit him from the side. "Someone on the inside took his bars out from under him," Wait said. Hacking said he "went into turn one, went on the inside, figured it would be a safe place, dry line. Those guys got down there and jammed the brakes on and chopped right down, and I had nowhere to go." Hacking remounted to finish 21 st. With a clear track ahead and the pursuit temporarily delayed, Spies sped to the win, his first ever and Suzuki's first since Yates won at Mid-Ohio last year. "I thought we might have the chance of the winning it because it was still damp, and I think I'm decent on those style tracks," Spies said. "Then it was full dry, and I just got a big gap when that crash happened, and I just tried to put my head in the very beginning and got a gap." Spies acknowledged that his Suzuki has top speed but lacks acceleration, which made the victory all that much more surprising. "I really did not expect to be up there the whole year, but we'll take it however we can get it," he said, adding that it was not only his first Supersport win, but also his first Supersport podium. Though Spies was inching away, the spots behind him were up for grabs. Erion Honda's Alex Gobert was briefly in second, later admitting, "I was definitely a bit nervous because I'd never run up the front over here." Then Yamaha's Damon Buckmaster flew by and grabbed second while teammate Aaron Gobert Road IUnnla Braseltan, Georgia Results: May 17-18, Z003 [Round G/71 SUPERBIKE QUALIFYING: 1. Mot Mladln (1 :23.520); 2. Eric Bostrom (I :23.944); 3. Anthony Gobert (1:24.304); 4. Aaron Yates (1:24.321); 5. Kurtis Roberts (I :24.442); 6. Ben Bostrom (1 :24.474); 7. Miguel DuHamel (I :24.645); 8. Josh Hayes (1 :25.569): 9. Larry Pegram (I :25.905): 10. Steve Rapp (I :26.543); II. Geoff May (I :26.842); 12. Jordan Szoke (I :26.858); 13. Jason Pridmore (I :26.962): 14. Ople Caylor (1.27.098): 15. Michael Barnes (1:27.412); 16. Chris Ulrich (1:27.419); 17. Eric Wood (\;27.902); 18. Mike Ciccotto (1:27.932): 19, Adam Fergusson (1:27.934); 20. Jimmy Moore (I :28.00 I): 21. Shawn Higbee (I :28.068); 22. Anthony Fanil' (1 :28. t 20); 23. Jack Pfeifer (1:28.161); 24. Vincent Haskovec (1:28.235); 25. Lee Acree (1:28.507); 26. Brian Stokes (1:28.555); 27. Matthew Furtek (1:28.565): 28. Andy Deatherage (I :28.571); 29. John Dugan (I :28.837); 30. Greg Moore (1 :28.948); 31. Rich Conicelli (I :29.036): 32. John Haner (I :29.198): 33. Brian Livengood (1 :29.608); 34. Scott Harwell (I :29.696); 35. Jacob Holden (1 :30.013); 36. Tom Wertman (1 :30.323): 37. Scott Jensen (1:30.582); 38. J.J. Roetlin Michael Barnes (Suz); 9. Geoff May (Suz); 10. Shawn Higbee (SUI); 11. Miguel DuHamel (Hon); 12. John Dugan (Suz); 13. Mike Ciccotto (SUI); 14. Vincent Haskovec (Suz); 15. Scott Jensen (Suz); 16. Rich Conicelli (Suz); 17. Scott Harwell (Suz); 18. Tom Wertman (Suz); 19. J.J. Roellin (Suz); 20. Jacob Holden (SUI); 21. Greg Moore (SUI); 22. Jason Pridmore (Suz); 23. Andy Deatherage (Suz); 24. Jack Pflefer (Suz); 25. Marco Mertinez (SUI); 26. Scott Carpenter (Suz); 27. Anthony Faria (Suz); 28. Mat Mladin (Suz); 29. John Hener (Y8m); 30. Brian Stokes (Suz). TIme; 35 min., 29.271 sec. Distance: 25 18pS, 63.50 miles Average speed: 107.4 mph M.argin of victory: 2.857 sec. SUPERBIKE RACE lWO: I. Mat Mladin (Suz); 2. Eric Bostrom (Kaw); 3. Kurtis Roberts (Hon); 4. Aaron Yates (SUI); 5. Ben Bostrom (Hon); 6. Jason Pridmore (Suz); 7. Lerry Pegram (Due); 8. Anthony Gobert (Due); 9. Miguel DuHamel (Hon): 10. Shawn Higbee (SUI); 11. Michael Barnes (SU2); 12. Eric Wood (Suz); 13. Jack Pfeifer (SUI); 14. Mike Ciccono (SUI); 15. Vincent Haskovec (SUI); 16. John Dugan (Suz); 17. Andy Deatherage (Suz); 18. John Haner (Yam); 19. Scott Jensen (Suz); 20. Rich ConicelJi (Suz); 21. J.J. Roetlln (Suz): 22. Scott Harwell (Suz); 23. Jacob Holden (Suz); 24. Marco Martinez (Suz); 25. Tom Wertman (Suz); 26. Scott Ce.rpenter (Suz); 27. Anthony Fania (Suz); 28. Brian Stokes (Suz); 29. Jordan Szoke (Suz); 30. Geoff May (Suz); 31. Greg Moore (Suz). Time: 27 min., 2.311 sec. Distance: 20 laps. 50.8 miles Average speed: 112.7 mph. Margin of victory: 5.685 sec. AMA SUPERBIKE C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS (After 7 of 18 rounds): 1, Aaron Yates (214/1 win); 2. Mat Mladin (212/5 wins); 3. Eric Bostrom (202); 4. Ben Bostrom (194); 5. Kurtis Roberts (189); 6. Miguel DuHamel (163/1 win); 7. Larry Pegram (148); 8. Shawn Higbee (141); 9. Vincent Haskovec (127); 10. Jason Pridmore (125); 11. Michael Barnes (106); 12. Jordan Szoke (93); 13. Mike Ciccotto (86); 14. Geoff May (83): J 5. (TIE) Andy Deatherage/John Dugan (82); 17. Steve Crevier (81); 18. Jack Pfeifer (77); 19. Anthony Gobert (74); 20. Scott Jensen (69). Upcoming Rounds Round B - Fountain, Colorado, June 1 Rounds 9/10 - Elkhart Lake, WlSCOI1Sin, June 7-8 Pro Honda Oils Supersport Round 4: Road Atlanta STORY AND PHOTOS BY HENNY RAY ABRAMS BRASELTON, GA, MAY 18 hen Yoshimura Suzuki pulled class champion Aaron Yates out of the Pro Honda Oils Supersport class following a dismal finish at Daytona International Speedway, it was seen as a lack of confidence not in the rider, but in the GSX-R600, the oldest surviving in-line Japanese middleweight sportbike. Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki came out with new machinery for 2003, and the Suzuki wasn't on pace, so why wear out the defending class champion Yates when he had a far more important Superbike title to chase? Today on a fetid afternoon at Road Atlanta, Ben Spies turned that logic upside down. The Supersport race was the first one on the Road Atlanta schedule, and it was something of a proving ground. Tire choice was critical, and more than a few riders chose wrongly. With the threat of rain, a light mist, and a mostly dry line around the 2.54-mile course, the choice was rains or DOTs. It was clear in the early going who was struggling on rains and who was on DOTs, but it wouldn't matter. On the sixth lap, Erion Honda's Roger Lee Hayden crashed in the new turns three-four sequence. When he tried to get going again, he spun out his Honda CBR-600RR on the racing line W cue I e Ben Spies had never been on a 600cc Supersport podium before Road Atlanta. Then he went straight to the top step with his first-ever victMy in the class. battled his younger brother for the first time since they raced as teenagers in Australia. "I don't think we've ever been that close on the track before," Alex Gobert said. Aaron drafted his brother down the back straight, his outside moving causing a headshake on his Yamaha R6 and forcing the pucks back in the calipers. "Come right into the bar, there was nothing there," Gobert said. "There n e _ s MAY 28. 2003 13

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