Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Out of the final comer on the 24th lap, Yates nearly highsided. Hacking closed up as the pair went deep into tum three on the 25th lap, Hacking taking the lead as they entered the infield. Yates hit back in the next tum, his strongest on the track, but Hacking never relented and he kept the point. "I knew once I made the pass, I knew I could hold him off the rest of the race," Hacking said. "The rest of the race I was just sliding to the finish and that was it." Hacking won his first 5uperstock race of the year by a scant .210 of a second. Hayden was another .218 of a second behind in third. The heat and attendant lack of grip contributed to a less than record pace. Hacking completed the 29-lap, 38.135mile race at an average speed of 83.834 mph. Last year, Hacking won the race at an average speed of 84.369 mph. "You ask any of the top four guys, and I don't think they could say they had a really good bike. We had just all average bikes," Hacking said. Jason DiSalvo In the first tum of the first lap, the leaders were already smoking their tires. "I was like, 'This is going to be a long race,''' Hacking said. The pace was slower than it had been in the morning, and Hacking knew Yates wasn't comfortable. "Every time we went around turn two, he was looking back. He knew he wasn't pulling any gap on me, so I was like, 'Okay, I'll just sit here,''' Hacking said. Yates made a few mistakes that Hacking couldn't capitalize on. Then came the bobble in the final turn, "and I was able to get a good run on him [Yates] down there on the brakes and was able to make the pass," Hacking said. Yates knew he had a more important Superbike race later in the afternoon. "The 1000s, just getting around here, them things are big and heavy, and you just want to make it to the end," he said. With about eight laps to go, Yates was trying to go a little bit harder and trying to inch away a little bit, "and the thing went Sideways a couple of times and actually 4th Graves Motorsports Yamaha's jason DiSalvo got the jump on the field, banIed Yoshimura Suzuki's Aaron Yates for the lead on the fIrSt lap, then settled into second - but not for long. By the third lap, he was back to third and would be passed by Kawasaki's Tommy Hayden in the infield righttum horseshoe on lap 10. DiSalvo struck back, but Hayden wasn't having it and kept the spot. "I was figllting for grip the whole race," DiSalvo said. "You could see that right from the beginning. Kind of what got me was I was trying to kind of go with those guys, but I just couldn't do anything the first couple of laps. Once their tires went off, I started to bring them back in a little bit, but it was a tough day for sure." DiSalvo ended up about fIVe seconds behind the winner. 134 Michael Barnes 5th This was the second race of the day in which Mkhael Barnes was riding the Team M4 EMGO Suzuki in place of the injured Vincent Haskovec. "I think about Vincent every moment, even when I'm on the bike," he said. Barnes was the top-ranked rider on Pirelli tires. Others had problems as the race went on. Not Barnes. "The bike was flawless, just absolutely flawless," he said. "The tires were just incredible. I did nothing but abuse them the entire race." Barnes said his biggest concern was his physical fitness. Since Daytona, he's been caring for his ailing mother. "It really didn't come into play until say maybe fIVe laps to go or something," Barnes said. "And then I kind of dug deep and got past it, and (Jason] DiSal· vo ran wide, and I ran wide as I saw him run wide. Then I caught up to him and I thought about settling, then I was like, 'No, something's possible here.' Then I charged some more. I really ran out of strength. I've been doing nothing for two months. My mother's ill, and I've been taking care of her back home. Literally, I haven't done anything since Daytona. Getting this good workout this weekend and having a little bit of time to get prepared for Elkhart will help me out a lot." 15 Steve Rapp 6th Jordan Motorsports Suzuki's Steve Rapp bumped into Kawasaki's Roger Lee Hayden on the fourth lap. "I just thought I could get underneath him because he was running wide in that corner a little bit, squaring it off," Rapp said. "It's so hard to pass here. You can't be waiting lost ground, and it kind of hurt me, and we just did what we could," Yates said. Knowing that he'd lost the front midcorner a few times, he settled for secane. Followihg for 29 laps was the frustrated Hayden, who was never able to make a pass. He had moved by Graves Motorsports Yamaha's Jason DiSalvo for third on the 10th lap, but that's as far as he got. "My bike was really good in some places and not so good in others, and just - I struggled all day passing," Hayden said. "I wasn't very good at all. Couldn't get through people, but overall, I guess it was a good day." Hacking ended the day with a twopoint lead on Yates and DiSalvo, fourth today, at the midpoint of the la-round series. Hacking has I S6 points to I 54 for Yates and DiSalvo, with Tommy Hayden fourth at 142. DiSalvo settled into fourth in the race after being passed by Hayden, then fended off Team M4 EMGO Suzuki's Michael Barnes to the finish. eN PIKES PEAK INTlRNAnONAL RACEWAY FOUNTAIN, COLORADO RESULTS; MAy 22, 2005 (ROUND 5 OF 10) REPSOL LUBRICANTS SUPERSTOCI(, I. J""le HiKking (Yam): 2. Aaron Yates (Suz); 3. Tommy Hayden (Kaw); 4. Jason O;5a/vo (y",,); 5. Michael Barnes (5u,); 6. SteVe Raw (Sm); 7. Roge.. Lee Hayden (Kaw); B. John Han.. (Sm); 9. GeoIl May (Sm); 10. Jacob Holden (Su,); II. Aaron Goben (y",,); 12. Iln>nt Geo

• Cover