Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

"The dutch was slipping badly," explained Sadowski. "1 may have abused it off the starting line. I had to nurse it around for a few laps, not revving the motor above 10,000 rpm or even pulling the clutch lever in at all. When the clutch re-engaged, I couldn't save the slide, and ended up in the most violent highside I ever experienced." Sadowski landed on his head, and Chin, who was behind Sadowski, reacted quickly and avoided running over him, though he did clip an outstretched arm. Dazed and "semiunconscious," Sadowski had to be led off the track by a comerworker. Chin lost some time, but was able to continue on until the eighth lap, when he coasted to a halt, his Yamaha suffering from engine troubles. Chin wasn't the only rider having troubles in the very midst of the race. Titian Bue and the LaCroix Motorsports team chase'd minor electrical problems all weekend, and on the final lap the Suzuki GSXRllOQ-based machine expired, ending his weekend. Meanwhile, Jacks had opened a slight lead on Martin, who, in turn, had distance on Kling and Ashmead. Farther back, Guenette was leading Oliver, Walker and Bames, who had faded back to eighth from as high as fifth due to worn out, previously used tires. These riders would hold their positions' for most of the race, and finished in that order. Carmichael and Greene rounded out the top 10. The second leg was much the same as the first: Jacks jumped directly into the lead, with Martin and Kling trailing. Sadowski was sitting out, and this time it wal? Ashmead's tum to DNF. Right around the halfway mark, Ashmead was exiting the slow right-hand turn seven when the rear cut loose. Although Ashmead avoided a highside .crash, the ex-Russell Kawasaki ZX7-R superbike had pinched its fuel line. Ashmead pitted in an effort to make repairs, but eventually called it quits. Guenette was having no such problems on his meticulously prepared Yamaha OWOl, and took over the fourth spot, where he would finish behind the trio of Jacks, Martin, and Kling, who again took the top three spots, respectively. Bames, on new tires for this heat, held off the return of Chin for fifth overall, and Walker got the best of Oliver, who was' suffering from exhaust pipe malfunctions in the second leg, for seventh overall; Walker's pair of seventh place finishes beat O~er's sixth/eighth results to give Walker sixth overall on the weekend. Carmichael and Bruce Baldus rounded out the top 10 in the second leg. Formula II It has been a long, hard, injury-laden year for Fresno, California's Rich Oliver, but he was back in top form ·at the Moroso Motorsports Park round of AirTech Formula II competition and he raced to a convincing seven-second win over Moto Liberty's Danny Walker. "1'd like to thank my mechanic - the bike ran really well this weekend - but I don't have one, so~I'd like to thank myself," joked Oliver in the winner's circle. And Oliver was understandably happy after pocketing the $3000 winner's share of the $10,000 F-Il purse. "We were lost." said Walker about the tuning difficulties he and Steve Biganski encountered. "We were fast right out of .the trailer on Friday, and then we tuned it to a standstill (for Saturday's qualifying race)." The gremlin in Walker's engine was eventually traced to a mis-labeled main jet that turned out to be 10 sizes too big, causing one cylinder to barely run at high speeds. By the time Walker and Biganski found the bad carburetor jet, they had too' little time to tune their Yamaha TZ2S0 for the main event, and were no match for <;Jliver and his spot-on machine. Yamaha Canada's Jein Cornwell pressured Walker a bit in the opening laps, but eventually faded out of reach, and settled for thfrd, well ahead of tough battle for fourth between Hall'N'Still's Baldus, Moto Liberty's Carmichael, and Dublin Kawasaki's Chuck Sorensen, who finished fourth through sixth, respectively. National Car Rental/N2 Racing's Jim Sabin was seventh, followed by local hero Jamie Bowman, defending Formula II champion Greene, who still hasn't found a tuner and races with an uncompetitive motor, and Kurt Hall. Although Hall finished 10th today, .after suffering with ignition problems, he still has a strong hold on the championship point standings, leading Greene,101-87. In the final, upcoming Road Atlanta round, Greene must win with Hall placing no higher than 11th - in order to win the title. Bruce Baldus is . third with 64 points. At the start of the race, Oliver jumped . straight into the lead, and quickly pulled away from the field, never to be caught. "It was a pretty simple race for me," Oliver said. "1 got into a reiilly sweet rhythm and went faster and faster every lap until I got a big enough lead ·to cruise." Walker and Cornwell were doing the same in second and third throughout the race - where they finished - making sure they stayed far ahead of the battle for fourth. At the flag, one foot separated fourth place finisher Baldus from Carmichael, who was, in turn, another foot ahead of sixth place finisher Sorensen. Formula III Only one of Moto Liberty's rent-aracer Honda RS125s was left available immediately before the race when Nancy Delgado, who had highsided the bike earlier in the weekend, was unfit to compete. So Michael Barnes hopped on the little bike, got one lap of practice in, and proceeded to stomp the entire Moto Liberty F-ill field in the race. Barnes cruised to a five-second win an eternity on the little l25s - ahead of Moto Liberty's Carmichael. Nicky Hayden finished third, South American Hector Cordero fourth, and Jimmy Adams was fifth. Superstock Kurt Hall again proved himself superior in Dunlop 600cc Superstock; he has already wrapped up the series title by virtue of the 87 points he has accumulat.ed to date. Bruce Baldus is currently second in the standings with 60 points. In the race, Hall led into the first tum, and every other comer thereafter. Baldus was second for a long time, but eventually succumbed to a determined charge by John Choate, who had started at the back of the small, 10-rider grid. Choate couldn't catch Hall, and settled for second. Stevie Patterson claimed third, and Mike Himmelsbach also worked around fifth place finisher Baldus to take fourth. Jamie Bowman was running away with the Dunlop 750cc Superstock race until he highsided in tum seven. Titian Bue picked up'Bowman's spot, and held on to the lead, winning by a scant .36-0fa-second over Patterson. Tom Wilson, David Stanton, and Brett Ray rounded out the top five. Bowman waS back in the Dunlop 1100 Superstock event, winning with five sec. onds to spare over Wilson. Wilson, however, has already won the war; he has a total of 97 points, well ahead of second seeded Donald Jacks, who has 57. Choate did not have the proper gearing for Moroso, and struggled to third overall. Rich Oliver (97) took the F-D win in Florida, beating Danny Walker (141). Michael Barnes easily won the F-ID class aboard a rent-a-racer Honda RS125. Billy Eisenacher and Patterson rounded out the top five. (N Results F-USA QUALIFYING: 1. Donald Jacks (1:20.60); 2. Michael Martin (1:22.07); 3. David Sadowski (1:22:50); 4. Fritz Kling (1:22.50); 5. Michael Barnes (1:23.11); 6. Danny Walker (1:23.31); 7. Rich Oliver (1:23.32); 8. Mark Chin (1:23.32); 9. Jamie Bowman (1:23.n); 10. John Ashmead (1:23.87); 11. Jacques Guel1ette (1:23.88); 12. Titian Bue (1:24.25); 13. Donny Greene (1:24.56); 14. Bruce Baldus (1:24.78); 15. Jim Sabin (1:25.56); 16. Doug Carmichael (1:26.07); 17. Jason Paden (1:27.35); 18. Bill Himmelsbach (1:27.69); 19. John Cox (1:27.92); 20. Lanny Cobb (1:27.98); 21. Joe Brett Williams (1:28.13); 22. Charlie Safley (1:29.15); 23. Perry Melnecive (1:30.80); 24. Michael McKinley (1:31.70). F·USA RACE 1: 1. Donald jacks (Suz); 2. Michael Martin (Suz); 3. Fritz Kling (Suz); 4. John Ashmead (!

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