Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ ROAD RACE 6oot75OccSu em orlSeries:Round7 ~ . Torn Kipp (4) pulls away from a four-rider pack in the 600cc Supel'Sport final. KiRP_gets away at Road America By Paul Carruthers Photo by Henny Ray Abrams ELKHART LAKE, WI, JUNE 28 oad America provided race fans with a classic 600cc Supersport battle with six and sometimes seven riders trading places at the front of the. pack. Camel Honda's Tom Kipp, though, made sure that the only battle that went the distance was the one for second place. The Ohioan managed to break away from the consummate drafting duel behind him to win by 1.403 seconds, averaging 97.383 mph in finishing the nine-lap, 36-mile race in 22 minutes, 10.829 seconds. The battle behind him was much closer, with Two Brothers Racing's Steve Crevier taking second, just ahead of privateer Randy Renfrow, who in turn beat Vance & Hines Yamaha's Larry Schwarzbach by only inches. Yoshimura Suzuki's Dave Sadowski and Two Brothers Racing's Rick Kirk were also in the lead group, finishing fifth and sixth respectively. Just a tick behind came Harry's Machine Shop's James Leslie with Jason Pridmore, riding the Camel Honda CBR600 in place of injured Mike Smith, Hyd-Mech Saws Owen Weichel and Gerald Rothman, Jr. rounded out the top 10 finishers. The close battle fox second also played a major part in the current championship point standings. With Kipp way out front with 121 points, Crevier's second-place finish allowed him to move to second in the championship over his teammate Kirk, 93-89. Renfrow's third also moved him to only a single point behind the absent Smith for fourth, 73-21. The race began with Schwarzbach and Kipp trading paint off the start. As they finished the opening lap it was Kirk leading the way over Kipp, Renfrow, Crevier, Sadowski, Schwarzb.ach and Leslie in the lead group of seven tightly bunched riders. Constant swapping took place for the next two laps, but Kipp and his Al Ludington-tuned Honda CBR600 soon established himself at the front and he was able to get c;lear from the battle gOlhg on behind him. After the third lap the Camel Honda rider had pulled out a 1.5-second lead, R 10 and he would stretch that to over two seconds before eventually winning by 1.403 seconds. The race for second, though, wasn'-t decided until the checkered. Crevier managed to get a clear track up the hill to the flag, and the others weren't able to draft by. Renfrow, meanwhile, was able to stuff it under Schwarzbach in the final corner, and held him off to take third by the blink of an eye. . "It was a great race," Renfrow said. "The bike ran good, I just needed to be a bit more aggressive. It was a rough ride. I didn't even mean to go under him (Schwarzbach). I had no place to go. I planned to go outside and then behind him. He touched the brakes and I ended up inside him. It worked out well." Kipp was all smiles, the championship almost in his pocket: "It was comfortable," he said. "I thought I'd keep pulling them, but I didn't. The tires were working really good. Everything just went well all weekend, and when that happens it's hard to not have a good race." Kipp and Renfrow used Dunlop tires while Crevier's HOnda was fitted with Bridgestones. tN Results 600cc SUPERSPORT FINAL: 1. Tom Kipp (Hon); 2. Steve Crevier (Hon); 3. Randy Renfrow (Hon); 4. Larry Schwarzbach (Yam); 5. Dave Sadowski (Suz); 6. Rick Kirk (Hon); 7. James Leslie (Hon); 8. Jason Pridmore (Hon); 9. Owen Weichel (Hon); 10. Gerald Rothman, Jr. (Hon); 11. Brett Harrelson (Hon); 12. Glenn Szarek (Hon); 13. Chuck Downie (Hon); 14. John Condron (Suz); 15. David Adang (Hon); 16. Robin Holliday (Hon); 17. William White (Hon); 18. Mike Himmelsbach (Hon); 19. John Jacob (Yam); 20. Dave Rosno (Hon); 21. Dou~as Farrar (Yam); 22. David Kulinski (Kaw); 23. Jed Kimra (HOn); 24. Michael McPoyle (Hon); 25. Russell Ahrens (Hon); 26. Rick Breuer (Hon); 27. Harrison Warren (Yam); 28. Billy Fehrman (Hon);29. Robert Delie (Hon); 30. Christopher Wicker (Yam); 31. Brian Westphal (Suz); -:32. Rob Bolwerk (Yam); 33. Stuart Hutchins (Hon); 34. Kevin Foster (Hon); 35. Alan Bertagnoli (Hon); 36. Hugo Guenette (Hon); 37. Mark Erickson (Hon). Time: 22 min., 10.829 sel:. Distance: 9 laps, 36 miles. Average Speed: 97.383 mph. Matgin of Victory: 1.403 sec. 600cc SS C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS: 1. Tom Kipp (1201); 2. Steve Crevier (93); 3. Rick Kirk (89); 4. Mike Smith (73); 5. Randy Renfrow (72); 6. James Leslie (61); 7. Britt Turkington (56); 8. Chuck Downie (36)j 9. Gerald Rothman Jr. (35); 10. Owen Weichel (27); 11. Dave Sadowski (24); 12. (TIE) John Choate/Robin Holliday (19); 14. Brett Harrelson (18); 15. Glen Szarek (14); 16. Mike Harth (10); 17. (TIE). David Adang/Nogueira (9); 19. (TIE) Jason Pridmore/David Locklear/Maeda/Munroe (8). Jason Pridmore (43) holds off Tripp Nobles (3) and Fritz Kling (12) in 750cc Supersport. Pridmore gets number two . By Paul Carruthers Photo by Henny Ray Abrams ELKHART LAKE, WI, JUNE 27 wo weeks ago, Class Racing's Jason Pridmore won his first-ever 750cc Supersport race at Brainerd International Raceway. At Road America he repeated the feat, again beating a slow-starting Scott Russell to the flag. The story thus far this year seems to be Russell and his slow starts vs. Pridmore and his quick getaways. While Russell tries to make up ground by moving through the pack, Pridmore stays out front and waits for the attack from behind. The Russell attack came at Road America, but it was much too late. The Muzzy Kawasaki rider started seventh, moved through the pack into second, but ended up .478-of-a-second behind Pridmore. Third place went to Pridmore's Class teammate Fritz Kling, who finished just ahead of a battle between Tripp Nobles, Michael Taylor and Titian Bue. Bob Sandy, Randy Renfrow, Rothman, and Andrew Stroud rounded out the top 10 finishers, with Renfrow's Honda CBR600 the only non-Kawasaki in the top 10. With his second win of the series, Pridmore moves into second place in the championship point standings, 11 points behind three-time winner Russell, 94-83. Gerald Rothman, Jr., . ninth today, drops to third in the series with 70 points. Pridmore averaged 98.357 mph in winning the nine-lap, 36-mile race in 21 minutes, 57.653 seconds. The race got underway with Renfrow and his little Honda launching first off the line. Nobles, only five weeks after badly breaking his leg in a motocross accident, took over the lead by the time the pack got to turn five. Russell, meanwhile, got his normal slow start and was stuck in mid-pack. "I can't ever start this motorcycle," Russell said. "I <;ontinue to get bad starts. It's got a tall first gear and I'm used to the superbike." Nobles led until the third lap, when T Pridmore took over under braking for turn five. By this time Russell was up to sixth, behind Nobles, Taylor, Kling, Bue and Renfrow. Pridmore was able to break clear, breaking the draft of the others to secure himself a lead. "I just wanted to sort out and see what the other guys were doing," Pridmore said later. "I knew Tripp (Nobles) was having trouble in the infield because of his leg. I was able to get them out of'my draft out the back." His only worry at that point was Russell: "I knew he. was back there," Pridmore said. "I figured he'd be on my butt coming out bf that last comer. I lost my knee puck early and I knew my concentration level would have to be double of what it was." With Pridmore out front, Kling was the last rider between his teammate and Russell "I was just hoping I could hang with him long enough so the other guys couldn't get me," Kling said. "And I was praying he (Russell) couldn't catch my teammate." He didn't, and he wasn't too happy about it, complaining bitterly to his crew in_the winner's circle that the halfway flag was thrown a lap too late. In fact, the flag was shown'on the fifth lap of a nine-lap race - the normal procedure for an odd-lap race. "It hurts like a son-of-a-bitch," Nobles said of his injured leg which was plated and screwed only five weeks ago. "Going into the Carousel with the bumps was bad. My heel would end up on the peg. I'm happy, but I guess I'd gotten used to going to the winner's circle. But I got some valuable points." tN Results 7SOcc SUPERSPORT FINAL: 1. Jason Pridmore (Kaw); 2. Scott Russell (Kaw); 3. Fritz Kling (Kaw); 4Tripp Nobles (Kaw); 5. Michael Taylor (Kaw); 6. TItian Bue (Kaw); 7. Bob Sandy (Kaw); 8. Randy Renfrow (Hon); 9. Gerald Rothman Jr. (Kaw); 10. Andrew Stroud (Kaw); 11. Dean Mizdal (Kaw); 12. Bruce Baldus (Suz); 13. Ray Yoder Jr. (Suz); 14. Owen Weichel (Kaw); 15. Chuck Downie (Hon); 16. James Randolph (Suz); 17. David Adang (Hon); 18. Brad Dunkel (Suz); 19. James Lussier (Suz); 20. David Rosno (Hon); 21. Roger Hendricks (Suz); 22. HU~ Guenette (Hon); 23. Russell Ahrens (Hon); 24. Jed Kimla (Hon); 25. J.L Burgess Jr (Kaw); 26. Mark Erickson (Hon). TIme: 21 min., 57.653 sec. Distance: 9 laps, 36 miles. Average Speed: 98.357 mph. Margin of Victory: 0.478 sec. 7SOcc SS C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS: 1. Scott Russell (94); 2. Jason Pridmore (83); 3. Gerald Rothman Jr (70); 4. Fritz Kling (65); 5. Michael Taylor (56); 6. Randy Renfrow (54); 7. (TIE) Louis Saccocdo/Tripp Nobles (47); 9. Bob Sandy (43); 10. Bruce Baldus (38); 11. Dean Mizdal (32); 12. (TIE) TItian Bue/Steve Crevier (28); 14. (TIE) Mike Harth/Thomas Stevens (20); 16. Chuck Downie (19); 17. Owen Weichel (17); 18. John Choate (16); 19. Robert Wright (15); 20. Ray Yoder Jr. (U).

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