Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Series By PAUL CARRUlHIItS"....~.... PHOTO ..y HENNY RAy Al!1\llJ~lI4i ZEMKE TAKES XTREME Jake Zemke wins a three-way duel always knew that the Formula Xtreme races would come down to Miguel Duhamel vs. Jake Zemke in a Honda intra-squad battle, but it was the infusion of a third member to the party that helped make the race at Barber Motorsports Park so memorable. That rider was Vincent Haskovec, the Team M4 EMGO Suzuki man making the Honda boys sweat until the very end in what was a hectic battle to the finish. As Zemke would say later, adding a third rider to the fray at the front changes the way one attacks the final few laps. And Zemke and Duhamel definitely had company in this one as Haskovec and his GSXR600 was with them from the get-go. And he stayed there. Despite his late-lap heroics, Haskovec came up short in the end, but he did make one thing perfectly clear: He has every intention of being up front for the season. Zemke ended up leading the most laps (12 of the I7), and he led the lap that W 26 MAY 4,2005 • CYCLE NEWS counted most, the Californian winning his first race of the season after finishing third in the opening round at Daytona. Zemke was determined in this one, and it showed, as he was able to withstand the constant barrage of punches being thrown at him by both Duhamel and Haskovec the latter saving his boldest move for the very last corner. "The whole race was really good," Zemke said. "Even early I wasn't trying to go very fast, I was just cruising around. I kept watching Miguel's [Duhamel] board, and I could see that Vincent [Haskovec] was right there, right there. Last year, he was there until his tire went off - actually, he was leading us. Miguel went by, and I knew he would because I was just on cruise control. He picked up the pace, and I went along with them, but Vincent was still right there, right there. I knew he was sticking around to the end. A couple of laps from the end there, Vince went by, and his bike looked like it was working pretty good. When you get three guys going, it changes everything as far as race strategy. Boy, that last lap was a lot of fun. We were back and forth, back and forth. Luckily, I was the guy who was able to sit on top today and close some points on Miguel - some of the points I lost at Daytona." Although the trio was together the entire time, it really came down to the end of the race, and it appeared that Haskovec and his Pirellis had a slight edge at that point over the Dunlop-mounted Hondas. On lap IS, Haskovec made his first move in the final two corners to pass Duhamel and move into second place. A lap later, he did the same to Zemke, taking the lead for the first time - although it was brief, as Zemke shot by again before the finish line. That set up the final lap. Again, Haskovec would give it his best go in the final two corners, first trying the inside of Zemke in the second to last corner, watching in awe as the former dirt tracker managed to slide his Honda around the inside of the corner without leaving any room for Haskovec to sneak through. Then Haskovec tried it again in the final corner, and this move ultimately cost him second place as there was no where to go and he was forced to slow midcorner, allowing Duhamel to pass - with the pair slamming into each other on the exit of the final corner. "It's very simple," Haskovec explained as only he can. "I tried to overtake Jake [Zemke] before the last corner and it didn't work out. He just applied his nat track experience because I couldn't believe it; he was sideways the whole corner, for three or four seconds, just burning the tire and protecting the inside. I'm like, 'I'm going to do it.' But it was so dusty and his elbow was on the line. I'm like, 'He's got to go wide, just wait, wait...' And he never did. I was so inside and I was carrying more speed. That's where the greed came, because I thought, 'Okay, I'll do it in the next one.' I just let go of the brakes, and I gas it and I try to overtake him in the left, but it didn't work out and Itotally blew the corner. '~t that point, I should have given up, and I apologize to Miguel [Duhamel]," Haskivec continued. "It's like the guy who is going down trying to catch the last thing before he is drowning - that's what I did. That was the collision. He just got my handlebar. I'm glad nothing happened and we just all finished. It was pretty much done right there." So there it was, the Hondas out front again with Haskovec in their shadow. Zemke won by .440 of a second over Duhamel, with Haskovec just a few tenths behind. "Vincent did an accurate description of what happened," Duhamel said of the final-lap melee. "I kind of wish Vincent had been more aggressive, and him and Jake could have been going out that way, and I could have gotten both of them - which was my plan. It was a great race. This is a perfect example of a terrific race, and I guess with my experience, I'm able to appreciate it even though I got second. Today, Jake couldn't be denied. He was riding really good." Behind the lead trio came a 12-second gap back to fourth-placed Ben Attard, the Australian and his Attack Kawasaki riding mostly alone after displacing Topline Printing's Chris Peris from the spot midrace. Peris held on to fifth, well clear of slow-starting Pascal Picotte, the multitime Canadian champion barely besting his series rival Steve Crevier. Race Tech's Nicky Moore, EMGO's Opie Caylor and The Euro Shop of Waco's Ryan Andrews, on a Ducati 749R, rounded out the top 10 finishers. eN BAllIlER MoroIlsPoRTs PARK BIRMINGHAM, AiAaAMA RESULTS: APRJL 23, 200S (ROUND 2 Of 10) FORMULA XTREME FINAL: I. Jake Zemke (Hon); 2. Miguel Duhamel (Hon); 3. Vincent Haskovec (Suz): ~. Ben Attard (Kaw); S. Chris Peris (Yam); 6. Pascal Picotte (Yam); 7. Steve Crevier (Hon); 8. Nicky Moore (Yam); 9. Chris Caylor (Suz); 10. Ryan Andrews (Due); t I. Taylor Knapp (Yam): 12. Alex Goben (Hon); 13. Danny Eslick (Suz): l't. Nathan Hester (Yam); IS. Matthew McBride (Kaw); 16. William Meyers (Yam); 17. Jeremiah Johnson (Suz); lB. Tim Knutson (Yam); 19. Armando Ferrer (Yam): 20. Justin Filice (Hon): 21. Jason Mathiason (Yam); 22. Roger Bell (Suz): 23. VICtor Chirinos (Yam); 24. Mark Hatten (Due). Time: 25 min., 23.940 sec. Distance: 17 laps, 40.46 miles Average speed: 92:1 mph Margin of victory: 0.-«0 sec. FORMULA XTREME C'SHIP POINTS STANDINGS (After 2 of 10 rounds): l. Miguel Duhamel (71/1 win); 2. Jake Zemke (6611 win); 3. Chris Pens (52): 4. Danny Eslick (45}: 5. Taylor Knapp (42}: 6. Alex Gobert (l9}: 7. Nicky Moore (36); B. (TIE) Kurtis Roberts (32)1Jeremiah Johnson (32); 10. Vincent Haskovec (29); II. Armando Ferrer (2B): (TIE) 12. Ben Attard (27)1Tim Knutson (27): 14. (TIE) Pascal Picone (25)1Jason Perez (25). UPCOMING ROUNDS Round 3- Fontono, Colifornio, April 30 Round 4- Sonomo, Colifornio, Moy 14

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