Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

RR~D~CEA~~bre~~~E_iOO_S~~~~~~~~~~_ e Todd Harrington set an AMA/CCS record with his six wins over two days of racing at Daytona International Speedway. Harrington sets records at Daytona By Henny Ray Abrams Photos by Daytona International Speedway and Abrams DA¥rONA BEACH, FL, OCT. 16-19 merican Flyers' Todd Harrington set a new record for the fall AMA/CCS Race of Champions at Daytona International Speedway, winning six races over two days, most by very convincing margins. . The 21-year-old psychology major began his quest with wins Friday in the Amateur Middleweight Superbike; Amateur Heavyweight Supertwins, Amateur Solo GTU, and Amateur Solo GTO classes aboard a trio of machines prepared by Four & Six Cycles in Chicago. The four wins in one day was also a Race of Champions record. Then, on Saturday he continued his winning streak by capturing titles in the Amateur Lightweight Supertwins and Amateur Middleweight GP classes. He also took a second in the Amateur Heavyweight Supersport race, but ended his record weekend on a down note, cartwheeling through the infield after losing the front end in the dogleg left while leading the Amateur Middleweight Supersport race. He escaped mostly unhurt, only a few A 6 abrasions on his left hand, and his accomplishment was intact. "That's what we've been working for all year; to look professional down here," the Northwestern Illinois junior said. "1 wasn't sure until the first race of the day how I was going to do. I got a good start, .then I started pulling away. " The stiffest competition for Harrington came from Georgian Brian Gibbs, the 21year-old winning three titles on a pair of machines well accustomed to winning. Gibbs came to Daytona after recently purchasing Scott Russell's 750 Supersport winning Muzzy Kawasaki ZX7R as well Mike Smith's Camel Commonwealth Honda CBR600. He immediately put them to good use , winning the Amateur Heavyweight Supersport and Amateur Heavyweight Superbike races aboard the Kawasaki, and the Amateur Middleweight Supersport race aboard the Honda, that win the most exciting nipping David Estok at the line by .333 of a second. Harrington's American Flyer's team-· mate Dr. Bob Meister was another multiple-class winner, though he fell short of his own expectations. Meister had hoped to set the new viCtory record embarking on an ambitious schedule, but the wins didn't come as easily, though he was still able to eapture two class titles as well as a second and a third. His first win came in Friday's Expert: Heavyweight Supertwins event, a race he . led early and led late, but didn't always lead. Jimmy Adamo took the lead on the second lap as the went up onto the west banking, building up a two-plus second lead before being forced out with ignition trouble on the fifth lap. Meister Wi\S home free from then on, winning by 35.380 seconds over Bartels' Harley's Nigel Gale with Pete Johnson third on a Raceco Moto-Cuzzi. On Saturday, Meister won the Expert Lightweight Supertwins race from the front, leading all the way to take the checkered flag 14.831 seconds in front of Robert Torset. Third went to James McNulty. All three were Honda-mounted. Gold Hill Racing's Christian Gardner also won a pair of titles, taking Friday's Expert Solo GTO and Saturday's Expert Heavyweight Superbike races aboard his Yamaha aWOl Superbike. He also took his Yamaha FZR1000 endurance bike to a second place finish behind Yoshimura Suzuki's Donald Jacks in the Expert Unlimited GP. Gerald Rothman Jr. also won two races, but not by much. In the Expert Heavyweight Supersport go he beat Tripp Nobles to the line by .004 of a second, a finish so close neither knew who won until they completed their cool-

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