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/142448
(Above) Runner-up finisher Steve Wise leads Wes Cooley. Wise leads the U.S. Road Racing Championship with one round left. (Right) Thad Wolff took his Suzuki Superbike to a fourth place finish. despite nearly running out of gas on the last lap. (Left) Mike Baldwin took his second, win of the year on the Honda FWS V-4. Baldwin controlled the rece from beginning to end. setting a record en route. AMA Grand National Championship/Winston Pro Series: Round 17 .Baldwin rolls at Pocono By Gary Van Voorhis Photos by Bill King LO NG POND, PA, AU G. 8 Honda's Mike Baldwin took command of the Pocono Cycle Jam Formula One race two turns into th e event and left everyone 10 else to fi h i among thernselves.. Baldwin , aboard Honda's FWS V-4 fourstroke, breezed to a margin of victory of one minute, 32 seconds at a record speed of 97.503 mph. Steve Wise , Baldwin 's teammate, took second. Wise was also aboard a FWS. Wes Cooley, aboard the Katana based Yoshimura Formula One Suzuki, was third. Thad Wolff, riding a Team Escargot Suzuki Superbike, fin ished fourth with Harry Klinzmann, a board the Racecrafter's sponsored Eddie Lawson Kawasaki replica, fifth . " It was an easy race ," sa id Baldwin in the winner's circle. "There were no problems and it sure feels good to win aga in. I got ro lli ng at Loudon and no w here." " I wasn't comfort able with m y rear tire choice," said Wise. " I coo led it for aw hi leafter an early dice wi th Cooley a nd the n caught back up. I had more power so I th ought I'd get past and see how things went. I saw Baldwin go o ut and H omchick drop back so I took advantage of the ir problems. " " H ey, third is great. I rode my race and it paid off," said Cooley. Wise , by virtue of his second place finish , continues to lead the USRRC Formula One point standings with Baldwin just four points back - 56 points to 52. Cooley now lies third at 46 points. Because of the high speed aspect of Pocono's 2.9 mile combined infield/ oval course, many of the riders using Superbikes in the final were worried about gas consumption and asked the AMA to cut the race distance back from the 27 laps, 75.6 miles slated. The AMA made no change. "We're going to top off after the warm-up lap with every drop the tank will take ," said Wolff before the race. He finished the race " on fumes and coasting fro m the final tum off the banking." Cooley protested the size of the gas tank on Baldwin 's bike. It was checked by the AMA and found to be within the maximum size - 6.341 gallons. . Because of the weather, the race schedule was flopped and the National took the grid first. Nick Richichi, by virtue of winning the faster qualifying heat on' Saturday, held the pole for the event. Mike Baldwin, Miles Baldwin, Mark Homchick and Thad Wolff filled out the front row . Mike Baldwin grabbed the lead as the field threaded their way through; the infield and quickly began to puta gap on the rest of the field. Rich Chambers and Steve Gervais had been slow to get away and were moving through traffic. Richichi led Homchick, Wolff, Miles Baldwin, Cooley]' Steve Wise and Roberto Pietri. While Richichi kept sight of Baldwin, Homch ick, Miles Baldw in , Wise and Cooley were battling. On the third lap, Miles Baldwin drafted past Homchick at the start! fin ish line in a very close pass . Mike Baldwin continued to open up ground wi th an approximate seven seco nd ma rgi n over Ri chichi . . , . .__ . _. . .