Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

the race was stopped. "So right there at the end, I kind of put my head down a litt le bit and tried to make a little bit of a run for it, because I knew that if the red nag came out, we were pretty far into the race ," DiSalvo said. " I wasn't qu ite sure of the exact lap , but, you know, I didn't want to get caught out with one of those things where they go back one lap or decide to go back two laps , or whatever it is. So I just put my head down and tried to make sure I d idn't leave any big spaces open going into t u rn s, a nd it worked in my favo r, I guess." Spies sa id he was sitt ing on DiSa lvo , waiting for the end of the race, when Roger Lee Hayden made his pass . " H e ran us down from , like , two seconds back, and it looked like he was just go ing forward ," Spies said . " Bu t that's the way it goes, and the start of the race was good, and that's basically it - got passed and waited for the red nag ." Hayden was the most dispirited of the podium finishers, not just because he lost second place with the re d nag, but because he 'd chosen what he called "a real wei rd tire. " The tire hung in to the end . " I mean, I'm not saying I would've won if they wouldn't have red -nagged it, but I t hink I w o uld 've been a little bit closer," Ha yde n said. " But we'll take it and move on. " Gobe rt was w e ll bac k in fo urth, not having been penalized for he eding the e rrant red nag . Then came a t ight quartet led by Attac k Kawasaki's Josh Hayes, w ith Star School's Jason Pridmore sixth, followed by Valvoline EMGO Suzu ki's Vincent Haskovec a nd Lion Racing's Jacob Holden . Valvoline EMGO Suzuki's Steve Rapp was a no th er half a second be hind , with t he same on Tommy Hayden in 10th. Tommy w as ru nning fifth o n the ninth lap when t ransmission problems caused him to go off-line in the Carousel. Five riders scooted past, and he was suddenly in 10th. eN MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE LEXINGTON, OHIO RESULTS: JULY 2S, 2004 (ROUNDS 13-14) SUPERSTOCK FINAL: I. Jason DiSalvo (Yam ); 2. Be n Spies (Suz); J . Roger l ee Hayde n (Kaw) : 4. Aaron Gobe rt (Yam); S. Josh Hayes (Kaw) ; 6 . jason Pridmore (Suz); 7. Vincent Hasko vec (Suz) ; B. Jaco b Ho lde n (Suz ); 9. Steve Rapp (Suz); 10 . To mmy Hayde n (Kaw): I I. Jamie Hacking (Yam); 12. John Hane r (Suz); I J. Eric Wood (Suz) : 1<4. Alex Gobert (Hon) ; IS . l J. Rce tlin (Suz); 16. Jesse Janisch (Suz); 11. Ju on Curtis (Suz); 18 . Brian Hall (Suz) : 19. Jeff Muskopf (Suz) ; 20 . James Kerker (Hon); 2 1. Manuel Garza (SUI ). T im e : nJa due to red nag Distance : II laps, 26." miles Average Sp eed: 91.3 mph Margin of Victory: . 172 sec. REPSOL SUPERSTOCK C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS (Aft er 9 of II rounds): I.Jamie Hacking (26 3/4 win s); 2. Aaron Gobe n (26011 win); 3. Tommy Hayden (2S9n wins); .. . [asco OISatvo (2"811 win); S. Roger Lee Hayden (2<41); 6. Ben Spies (22811 Win); 7. Steve Rapp (201): 8. Jos h Hayes (192): 9. Jaco b Hold en ( 18 l ); 10 . Alex Gobert (166); I I. Juan Prid mo re ( 165); 12. Eric Wood (154); I) . Vincent Has kovec ( 1"7); 14. John Ha ne r (143 ); IS. J.J. Roetl in (11 7). UPCOMING ROUNDS Round 10 - Braselton, Georgia, September 5 Round 11 - Alton, Vi rginia, September 19 My OWN 96 I RACE Aaron Gobert 4th "I just wasn't feeling the now, and I said already this weekend it's like a game of Russian Roulett e," Graves Motorsports Yamaha's Aaron Gobert said. '~d I've got to think about the big picture as well." The big picture was that he was now only three points out of the Repsol Superstock championship lead. "It's bad luck for Jamie that he keeps having all this bad luck. Obviously we all know he's a title contender when he's good. I'lljust hang in there and take it to Atlanta." Gobert had fIVe seconds in hand when he went past the accident site and saw the red nag. At the next nag station, there was no red nag. "Igot back into the rhythm . I tried to settle things up and get the right gear. And Josh [Hayes] passed me and that put me fifth. I was still startled. And Jason [Pridmore] passed me. Basically, I should be fourth ." 43 Jason Pridmore 6th "There was a red nag going down the back straight- • • • • • away, plain as day," Star School's Jason Pridmore said. "There was a debris nag and a red nag. And I saw Aaron [Gobert] slowing down going up into seven. There was no red nag there. Josh [Hayes] kind of passed him, and Aaron went after him. I thought, 'They've got to do somethi ng, because it's not fair to Aaron.' That's when I got by Aaron. We did a full other lap, got by Aaron, and they rednagged it." Overall, it was Pridmore's best weekend of the year, his Superstock sixth going along with a second in Formula Xtreme. "I know people Say Mid-Ohio's good for us. We've been trying allyear long. It just came together here." 2 Jamie Hacking DNF Graves Motorsports Yamaha'sJamie Hacking said he had very little warning of his tire failure . "I didn't have a clue," he said. "Just full high-side at 160 miles an hour in top gear. That was it. I felt a split-second vibration and it just went pow and threw me . The back of the bike went down, and that was it. I was slidingdown through there, and the Chevy Trucks braking marker sign, I hit one of those and it felt like hitting a wall. It was just a mess." His right collarbone still not healed, Hacking accepted that he couldn't challenge for the lead. "They were just taking advantage of me. Back there in the right-handers, I couldn't get in there and turn . They'd run it up the inside of me. Then Tommy [Hayden] would drop back, and I thought , 'This is not bad after all.' Then all of a sudden this happens ." Hacking was to do limited testing Tuesday and Wednesday at Road Atlanta, but those plans have been shelved. Instead, he'll get an X-ray and rest for a VIRtest in late August and the next series round, September 4-5 at Road Atlanta. 5 Steve Rapp 9th Valvoline EMGO Suzuki's Steve Rapp was in the pack JUSt back of the leaders . There were five running nose to tail, and he might have moved up had the race run to term. "I was surprised ," Rapp said, "because their times were so much faster all weekend - so much faster than us that I didn't think we'd be able to stay with them . Somehow we were in that group the whole time ." Rapp said he never saw the red nag in tum ftve. There was another nagger that had one in his hand rolled up, but the only one he truly saw was the one that ended the race . 22 Tommy Hayden 10th "I saw a red nag right where the bike was laying," said Kawasaki's Tommy Hayden, one of several riders who slowed at that point. "I think I was the only one who saw it. I saw the red nag, but I guess I could be losing it." Hayden wasn't the only one who saw it. But he may have been helped by the nag. Transmission problems on his ZX-I 0 meant a strug gle in the corners, and he lost five places when he ran wide in the Carousel. Going that far off-line meant treading in unknown waters and the distinct possibility of a loss of traction. Hayden didn't lose traction , but he did lose positions and second place in the championship. Briefly... Continu ed from page 23 Suzuki?QUite a bit, according to Mladin. "I couldn't pass him on the brakes at the end of the back straight, put it that way," Mladin said. "It was impossible. But, you know. It's no big deal. We're going to push to the end . I don't care how fast their bikes are. We're not going to give it away just because they've got fast motorbikes." Mat Mlad in doesn 't give up, so his answer to a question when asked if he ever thought he wasn't going to get back to the top of the podium after going without a victory since May 15 (at Barber Motorsports Park) was expected. "I never thought that, " Mladinsaid. "No. We went to some racetracks that suited the other bikes, and we thought we might've got one back there last week at Laguna. Unfortunately, we didn't get it. But we were motivated coming into this week to do a good job. It's a racetrack where ifyou can get things sorted out, you can get the lead, and you can hang on. And that's what we did today." American Honda was supporting dirt-tracker Nicky Cummings at Mid-Ohio, the youngster riding Miguel Duhamel 's CBR600RR Supersport bike from last year. "We had a bike setting at the shop ," team manager Chuck Miller said. "Whe n we went with Xtreme, we started fresh. We've been helping Nick and Jake Johnson with dirt-trackers, and we just like to get these guys some expe rience . Jimmy Filice called us and asked if Nick could ride a National, and we put it together." The AMAreleased an official statement on Sunday afte rnoon regarding the Superstock debacle . "During the Repsol Superstock race , a red nag was mistakenly shown ," the re lease stated. "O n lap 13, race control was made aware of the situation and displayed the official red nag to end the race . The race was ruled complete following lap 13, due to over 50 percent of the total laps having been comp leted by the leader. The results reverted to lap II , the last official race lap prior to [the] situation." Will the Daytona 200 be run on Formula Xtreme machines? That was the rumor sweeping the paddock at Mid-Ohio, and no one was denying it. "Nothing has been decided for the 2005 race yet," AMAdirector of communications Kerry Graeber said. "We're continuing to talk to Daytona. So far, nothing's been decided." Graeber said he had heard the rumors "like everybody else." As to whose idea it was, he said, "We , work in concert." David Talley a spokesman for Daytona International Speedway, said in an e-mail message , ''I'm not that close to discussions when we talk with AMA folks. I'llbe glad to try and ask around and see what I can find out ." Should the change happen , it would all but guarantee a victory for Honda. Senior personnel at Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamahaall said at Mid-Oh io they had no intention of entering the class for what would be a one -off race . Should the move go forward , Superbikes would be relegated to support status . Kurtis Roberts t o Ducati ? The rumor began at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, where Roberts was spectating during an off Continued on page 27 www.cyclenews.com CYCLE N EWS • AUGUST 4,2004 25

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