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It's sort of anticlimactic - I feel like I should have won it (the championship) before. I'm just glad it's over - it's been a long year." Stevens moved into third place for the first time on the 21st lap, and he held the spot to the finish, narrowly beating Smith and Spencer. "I didn't get that great of a start," Stevens said. "I knew Scott wouldn't wait on anyone. You can't swoop past six guys at once here because it's a one- line track. I'm pretty happy. If you would have seen me two weeks ago with my broken collarbone - I couldn't even take my own T-shirt off." Smith was pleased with fourth place, despite an ache in his broken leg: "I'm glad to finish both races (Smith was sec ond in the 600cc Supersport final)he said. "I feel a little rusty, but I was con sistent and I rode well. The leg started fatiguing and the bone was aching. I had to get real light on it, and it fell off the footpeg once and slammed the ground. I couldn't hang with Scott and Doug - I tried by damnedest, but I would've cooked my tires." Spencer, the top finishing Michelin rider, had a problem with front-end traction: "I had a front end push," he said. "It was hurting my cornering speed when it got hot. It was happening right in thé middle of the corner - it would tuck." While Picotte rode to a relatively lonely sixth place, Quarterley didn't manage to work past Kipp until the final go-around. The New Englander, who finished second here in the May National, ended the day seventh, with Kipp eighth. Notable absentees from the grid of the National was the Yoshimura Suzuki team of Dave Sadowski and Britt Turkington. According to a team spokesman, it was Suzuki's request that the team not participate in the race. Suzuki is awaiting the arrival of their new 1993 GSXR750 and are hoping to "change the image in '93." cn Results _________ _ ________________ QUALIFYING: 1. Scott Russell (1:07.761/96.630 mph); 2. Doug Polen (1:07.991); 3. Tom Kipp (1:08.193); 4. Pascal Picotte (1:08.201); 5. Freddie Spencer (1:08.240); 6. Jamie James (1:08.266); 7. Mike Smith (1:08.484); 8. Thomas Stevens (1:08 717); 9. Dale Quarterley (1:09.755); 10. Christian Gardner (1:10.258); 11. Eric Moe (1:10.363); 12. Craig Gleason (1:10.473); 13. Jacques Guenette Jr. (1:10.606); 14. Michael Taylor (1:10.632); 15. James Adamo (1:10.801); 16. Joe Brett Williams (1:12.001); 17. Bob Sandy (1:12.169); 18. Louis Saccoccio (1:13.132); 19. Russell starts it offright W ith an AMA Superbike National Championship hanging in the balance, Muzzy Kawasaki's Scott Russell (right) put himself in the catbird seat by setting the fastest lap of qualifying, thus plac ing himself on pole position for the final round of the championship. Russell stopped the clocks at one-minute, 07.761 seconds for an average speed of 95.630 mph on the slippery Texas World Speedway track to beat out World Superbike Champion Doug Polen in the race for pole position. More importantly for Russell, Vance & Hines Yamaha's Jamie James, his closest competi tion in the battle for the title, seemed to be struggling and was the sixth fastest qualifier after the two timed sessions. "It looks good right now," the confident Russell said following Sunday's final practice session. "We had some good practice this morning. I haven't changed a thing on the bike since we unloaded it. Thafs unusual for this year, but we're back to what we had last year with the White Power front end. Everything is just going really good. I went quicker this morning than what I qualified at, and I'm just looking at this as just another race. I'll do the best 1 can and I'll be trying to win the race. "Fll see what happens at the start," he added. "I'll see where they are and look for Jamie (James). He's the guy I'm racing - nobody else. I followed him a bit this morning and he looks like he's having some problems out there." Polen was second quickest, having turned a 1:07.991 in the final session: "It's a little more slippery than last time. It seems like they just need to do a couple of hundred laps in a pace car or something to clean off the dust and lay down some rubber. There's really only one line right now, and there's oil in turn one which could be real critical. Turn one will be where the action is because guys will be going inside and outside. "For me the situation is the same as at Sears Point in 1988," Polen added. "I just have to go out and win. The rest is up to them. I think Mid-Ohio should put some doubts in people's minds to whether an electrical box can go 60 miles. I figure he'll (Russell) finish and everything will be fine, but I think Jamie (James) will try and make a battle of it." Tom Kipp and the Camel Honda RC30 finished qualifying third fastest, his best effort of the season. Kipp led a group of six riders in the l:08-range. "I'm pleased with the way things are," Kipp said. "At Mid-Ohio we changed a lot of things, especially with the riding position. Now I'm able to utilize that better. We've put a bunch of weight on the nose and my front's working really good. At this track you need to be really smooth - it's a combination of things right now. I feel real good on the bike right now. I think the first lap will be real critical - there are seven or eight guys going real hard and there's not too many places to pass." Polen's teammate Pascal Picotte kept his impressive qualifying record intact with another front row qualifying position. The French Canadian circulated at 1:08.201. James would start the race four points behind Russell in the race for the champi onship; he would also start the race from the second row after posting the sixth quick est time at 1:08.266. ״It's going good," James said with a smile. "We're set up and we'll just do the best we can. We struggled early, but we put it together and I think we can run with 'em. We'll just see what happens. I'll try and stay in there with them and hopefully mine will be a little better at the end -like in Elkhart. That's the plan I have. I think it'll be a real competitive race. There could be eight guys, nose to tail." Behind James, Camel Honda's Mike Smith, Muzzy Kawasaki's Thomas Stevens, Team Mirage's Dale Quarterley and Gold Hill's Christian Gardner rounded out the top 10 qualifiers. Only 22 riders would start the final National of the season. Georgian Scott Russell celebrates both his victory and his championship. Jamie James' chances of a title ended with a flat front tire early in the race. Andrew Deatherage (1:13.331); 20. Robert Wright (1:13.549); 21. Greg Abbott (1:13.955); 22. Israel Coates (1:15.307). SUPERBIKE NATIONAL: 1. Scott Russell (Kaw); 2. Doug Polen (Due): 3. Thomas Stevens (Kaw); 4. Mike Smith (Hon); 5. Freddie Spencer (Hon); 6. Pascal Picotte (Due): 7. Dale Quarterley (Kaw); 8. Tom Kipp (Hon); 9. Christian Gardner (Yam); 10. Craig Gleason (Suz); 11. Eric Moe (Hon); 12. Joe Brett Williams (Hon): 13. Jacques Guenette (Yam); 14. Bob Sandy (Kaw); 15. Louis Saccoccio (Kaw); 16. Robert Wright (Suz); 17. Jamie James (Yam); 18. Greg Abbott (Kaw); 19. Israel Coates (Yam); 20. James Adamo (Due); 21. Michael Taylor (Kaw); 22. Andy Deathearge (Suz). Time: 37 min., 31.673 sec. Distance: 33 laps, 59.4 miles. Average Speed: 94.969 mph. Margin of Victory: 0.005 sec. FINAL AMA SUPERBIKE NATL C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS: 1. Scott Russell (122/3 wins); 2. Thomas Stevens (102); 3. Doug Polen (100/3 wins): 4. Jamie James (98/2 wins); 5. Pascal Picotte (89); 6. Tom Kipp (78); 7. Freddie Spencer (74/1 win); 8. Dale Quarterley (69); 9. Mike Smith (60); 10. Larry Schwarzbach (45); 11. Christian Gardner (35); 12. (TIE) Michael Taylor/Dave Sadowski (34); 14. Steve Crevier (31); 15. Britt Turkington (22); 16. Jimmy Adamo (20); 17. (TIE) Scott Gray/Eric Moe (19); 19. Phil Kress (16); 20. Scott Zampach (15). 7 O ctober 21, 1992 W 3 21323