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/128325
nough is enough . Jake Zemke finished second the last three times out. Not an hour earlier, he'd seen his first Superbike win slip away on the final lap . The two prior races, at Infineon Raceway, were also lost late in the race Superbike heartbreakingly in the final corner, Formula Xtreme less traumatically a few laps from the end . It was time to put a stop to the bridesmaid act . But would Miguel Duhamel play along? Erion Honda's Zemke looked strong battling Yoshimura Suzuki's Mat Mladin in the Superbike race, a 2B-lap affair held in hot, humid conditions late on Saturday afternoon. He 'd led 21 of the 2B laps, taking over from American Honda's Ben E Bostrom, then repassing Mladin the lap before the halfway point . The race went to the line, Zemke missing out on his first Superbike win by 0.0 I I seconds. Still, he was able to move into second in Superbike points. There was time for the podium, a drink, a change of the knee and toe sliders , a brief rest. Then he and Duhamel were back at it. The surprise of Lockhart-Phillips Formula Xtreme came in qualifying. Valvoline EMGO Suzuki's Vincent Haskovec put his Suzuki GSX-R600 on the pole , upstaging the factory Hondas of Duhamel and Zemke. Could he keep it up for the race? Early on it looked that way. The Czech was the cat among the pigeons, joining 30 MAY 26, 2004 • C Y CLE NEWS the Ho ndas at the fro nt to fo rm a threerider break from the 21-rider field. Up to second behind Duhamel by the second lap, he stayed there until the seventh lap, when Zemke came by to steal second, then take the lead on the next lap. The Hondas stayed out front to the end , with Zemke never comfortable about his lead. "My board kept saying plus zero, but I wanted to see if they were being generous or not, " he said. So he stole glances over his shoulder, and sure enough, there was Duhamel . The obstacles would turn out to be ahead, not behind . In the final turns sequence, a long, loop ing double right followed by the left onto the front straight, the pair came up on a pair of 40th Anniversary abnormally unpre dictable lappers. In a span of seconds, Zemke moved every which way, finally piercing their cover to jet ahead. Miguel came with, but it was too late, and his perfect season was over. "Y u can't always win them all," a subo dued Duhamel said after the race. "I'm real happy. My guys gave me a great bike." The win allowed Zemke to close to within I I points of Duhamel in the cham pionship . After four of I I rounds, he trails 132 to 143. "The last lap I felt like I rode a pretty good lap, and then we came up on those lappers," Zemke said. They were wearing the same leathers and their bikes looked the same , and he