Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ ROADRACE e Jamie J - (2) led the stilt at Loudon. foUowed by Dale Quanerk'y (~). Lany Schwarzbac:h (64) and Freddie Spenar (19). Ona: Scott RUlIlIdl (17) mowd by Jama and into the Icad, be was DCVU heackd. Russell pulls dear with Loudon win By Paul Carruthers Photos by Henny Ray Abrams LOUDON, NH, JUNE 21 wo races, one race, 100 miles, 60 miles. It didn't really matter how long or how many races were needed to crown a winner of the 69th Annual Loudon Camel Classic, it all came down to the best rider on the best motorcycle. And today that combination was Scott Russell and his Muzzy Kawasaki. After 100 miles of racing around the tight, twisty and demanding 1.6-mile New Hampshire International Speedway road course, the tall and lanky Georgian had buried the competition, T 6 topping the Vance & Hines Yamaha of Jamie James by 3.690 seconds. But the win was really more decisive than the margin of victory indicates. Once he decided to make his move, Russell simply put his head down and left the pack behind. He averaged 75.541 mph in completing the 63-lap race in one-hour, 2O-minutes and 3.733-seconds in front of a record two-day crowd estimated at 65,000 by race promoters. Sixty-three laps around Loudon? When the riders finally gave that notion some thought, they prompted the AMA and New Hampshire International Speedway into changing their original plan for a l00-mile race. The majority of the riders felt their safety would be jeopardized by attempting to complete 63 laps around what is the most physically demanding circuit on the AMA schedule. Since promoters had advertised the event as a l00-miler, a compromise was met. And here's how it went: The race would now be held in two legs, but unlike in World Superbike racing, the first race would really only establish the grid for the second. No points would be paid on how you finished in the first race; no aggregate time would be kept so you'd keep any advantage gained in the first race. Thus, it didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that the first race was going to lack any real intensity; and more than one rider stated that the first "race" would be nothing more than a 31-lap practice session for the real race which would start 30 minutes later. Much to the relief of the AMA, Camel came to the rescue, posting a winner-take-all $5000 prize to the winner of what they called the Camel Halfway Challenge. Now there was something to race for.. Russell, who before the Camel announcement was one of those proclaiming that he'd likely take it easy in the first race and save both his energy and motorcycle for the "real race," ended up winning both the money and the National. And in the end that turned out to be quite a payday as he collected the $5000 from Camel and the $11,040 winner's share of the $60,000 superbike purse. That's $16,04O! And his good fortune didn't stop there. In addition to his bank account, Russell's championship lead also took a healthy deposit, growing to 20 points with three races remaining in the ninerace series. Russell now leads James, 8565, in the title chase. Third place today went to the Fast By Ferracci Ducati of Pascal Picotte, the French Canadian parlaying a change in tire compounds between races into his third rostrum finish of the season. The Kawasaki (Russell)-Yamaha (James)Ducati (Picotte) top three marked the fifth time this season that three differen brands of motorcycles have filled th winner's circle. Three-time World Champion Fred . Spencer rode his Two Brothers Racing backed Honda RC30 to a fourth pia finish, comfortably ahead of the duel fifth between Muzzy Kawasaki' Thomas Stevens and Camel Honda' Tom Kipp. Stevens eventually took th fifth spot, but not without a last comer bid by Kipp. Vance & Hines Yamaha's Larry Schwarzbach, Team Mirage's Dale Quarterley, Brutune Rilcing Service's Michael Taylor and Two Brothers Racing's Steve Crevier rounded out the top 10 finishers. Of the factory stars, two were not present for the start of the National. Championship contender Mike Smith was eliminated when he crashed his Camel Honda CBR600 in the 600cc Supersport race and broke his lower leg in two places; and Fast By Ferracci's Doug Polen, who still holds down third in the championship, was not in attendance as he was defending his World Superbike Championship in Europe. The flag dropped for the start of the first race under sunny skies, with Russell immediately getting the jump on the field. He was followed by Spencer, but the former multi-time champ never got close enough to make a serious challenge to the Georgian. Instead, Russell was able to cruise in for the win in the 31-lap Camel Halfway Challenge. Spencer, too, went the distance without much of a threat, and he ended "part one" with a second place finish and a front row start for the "part two." James was forced to work a little harder as he found himself in fifth place early on. He worked the Yamaha past SllI!'vens, and Picotte, to eventually capture third, with his teammate Schwarzbach following suit to finish fourth. Picotte and Stevens completed the top five. By this time, Yoshimura Suzuki's Dave Sadowski was out of the running, his GSXR750's motor expiring on the 19th lap; Dean Mizdal and Linnley Clarke were also out of action before the second race began, both of them crashing in turn three in separate incidents. Each rider and their respective crew had 30 minutes to make any changes they wanted to their motorcycles, and nearly all .the field opted for new tires, front and rear. James pronounced in pit lane that if he got a better start in the second race, he'd be able to "give 'em a good run." And, as it turned out he was right Russell was brimming with confidence as he sat on pit wall, his head covered with a damp towel: "I'm going to leave the bike alone, just change the tires," he said. "1 wasn't going that hard really - just cruising. 1 just wanted to learn what 1 could about the tires. I figured when they put up the five grand we'd go for it." The "real race" began in earnest with James making good on his word and grabbing the lead from the start, bumping with Russell in the tum one-two area, but with both emerging unscathed and leading the way. Quarterley and Schwarzbach were third and fourth into tum three for the first time with Kipp also getting a better start in this one to hold down fifth. James continued to lead Russell until the eighth lap. "Jamie got off a good start," Russell explained later. "1 looked back there and saw another Yamaha and I said, 'I gatta get outta here: " . That other Yamaha belonged to Schwarzbach, who now took up residence behind his second-placed teammate. Spencer, meanwhile, was fourth with Kipp fifth, Stevens sixth, Quarterley seventh and Pimtte eighth.

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