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/1469992
ald and the other factory Kawa- saki of Wes Cooley! In the race, Adamo was run- ning in a group with Cooley and Merkel when his engine let go four laps into the race. While it didn't end on a high note, the concept of racing the better han- dling, lighter Ducati against the four-cylinder Superbikes showed merit, even at the horsepower hungry Daytona International Speedway. At Talladega, Adamo again was running among the factory bikes in seventh most of the race before experiencing problems and dropping to 11th at the finish. Since it was a Pro-Am and had no BOTT race, Adamo skipped the West Coast trip to the AMA Superbike round at Riverside. Then came the highlight of the season for Adamo in the AMA Superbike Championship that season. It was round four at Mid- Ohio. Adamo used the quick han- dling of his Ducati to maximum advantage at Mid-Ohio and early on battled with Honda riders Fred Merkel and Sam McDonald. Then attrition among the leaders. Wes Cooley was out early with engine problems on his factory Kawasaki. Then Cooley's teammate Wayne Rain- ey crashed. That left a Honda factory parade running up front with Mike Baldwin leading the way over Steve Wise, McDonald and Merkel. Adamo was next in the grouping with McDonald and Merkel. Halfway through the race things settled a bit as Baldwin stretched his lead over Wise and Merkel and was gradually gapping Adamo. Fourth looked like a very respectable finish, but with about 10 laps to go Baldwin crashed out, putting Wise in the lead, Merkel second. Adamo suddenly had a podium in sight but also had a problem. "I rode the final 10 or so laps with the transmission stuck in CN III ARCHIVES P138 Jimmy Adamo (26) with his Leoni Ducati on the front row of the 1983 AMA Superbike race at Road America alongside a group of factory machines. PHOTO: GARY VAN VOORHIS