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/128333
oger Lee Hayden didn't want to say for sure that he had things completely under control during the Pro Ho nda Oils Supers po rt race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, an d when it was over, he really didn't have to. It just looked t hat way. Early on , it appeared as though Roger Lee would have a fight on his hands as he stalked race leader Aaron Gobert. Then the Team Yamaha rider tucked the fro nt while on the brakes entering tum I I on lap 10, crashed, and Hayden assumed a lead of 8.203 seconds. From there he was able to cruise to his second Supersport win of the season - and the second AMA Natio nal road race win of his career - crossing the line just over 6.5 seconds ahead of another Yamaha rider, polesitter Jaso n DiSalvo . Roger Lee's brother and teammate, Tommy Hayden , finished third, rallyingback afte r nearly losing the tail section o n his machine early in the race . DiSalvo had pole earlier in the time of one min seconds, but Tom ta e fro m the outside e t he lead down the hill and Into tu m two . The race had to be red- flagged, however, after Heath Small crashed going into tum two, bike and rider coming to rest on the edge of the track and unable to get clear before the pack reached tum eight, the spot designated by race officials as the go/no-go point for continuing. There would be a comple te restart. Hayden repeated his holeshot off the start, with Aaron Gobert and DiSalvo running 2-3, though Roger Lee Hayden moved under DiSalvo to third in turn three. Gobert motored under Tommy Hayden in turn fiveto take the lead, and he would lead the first lap, followed by the Haydens and Yoshimura Suzuki's Be n Spies , who dumped DiSalvo to fifth. Roger Lee then got by Tommy on lap 30 JULY 21 , 2004 • CYCLE NEWS Tommr Hayden survived the near loss 0 his bike's tail section ta finish third. two, Tommy dropping back to Spies and DiSalvo, with DiSalvo by them both in tum I I to retake t hird. To mmy Hayden motioned that he may be having trouble, and he was , as his tail section flo pped off to one side of the bike and threatened to come off completely. With Tommy droppi ng back, Roger Lee closed on Gobert, pulling tight to the Yamaha rider's rear wheel into tum two on lap seven . The two wou ld hit lapped traffic on lap 10, with Gobert hitting the ground in tum I I on the same lap. "I was just doing the regular, trying to break away," Gobert said. "I could read Roger's board. It said P two, plus five, so I knew it was just Rog and I. We got some traffic, and it was worse fo r me , and he caught me. I thought, 'I'll try and break away, but I trie d to break away in one co r- 40t h Anniversary ner, loc ked the front tire on a bump and that was it - Iwas on my head before I even realized. Just a simple front-ender. We 'll be back for Mid-Ohio ." After Gobert's exit, Roger Lee stretched his lead to over nine seconds before backing it down. '~t the beginning of the race I just wanted to set behind Aaron [Gobert) and see what he had," Roger Lee Hayden said. "He tried to pull away the first few laps, but I reeled him. I was just going to set there till abo ut six or seven laps to go and then just try to put a move on him because I thought maybe he wasn't riding too good the last couple laps. Then he crashed, and I saw plus eight on my board and kind of got more nervous then, because it was like, 'What am Igoing to do now?' I just took my time and had fun and brought it on in."