Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Coliforni.t Speodrrr.y Fonrono, colifomio AMA SUFERSPORT Round 3 April 3(), 2006 Jomie Hocking (2) e6ily beot Itlichoal Borner (34) in rfe Supetspot'l {inql ot Colitornio Speedwoy. V"d;litriif'fi"'.'"i# I una a fi.st-iap ..urh by I Yoshimura Su.uki s Ben Sp,es to take control of the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship with a runaway win at California Speedway, Hacking avoided two early crashes, the first of which brought out the red flag on the first lap of the oriSinal start. Spies was one of several riders who went down early on the second start, his incident involving Team M4 El'4GO Suzuki's Michael Barnes. Srolv nro PHoros BY Hrrr.rv RrY Aannms Hacking took the lead from Barnes on the second lap of the restart and eased away, winning the l7-lap, 39.1-mile race by 9.741 seconds. The victory ended Roger Lee Hayden s win streak at five - it began last year - and put Hacking in a commanding championship position. After three of ll rounds he leads Matsushima Perlormance's Danny Eslick. third today in his first Supersport podium, 104-80. "What a stressful race that was," Hacking said after his first Supersport win of the year. Earlier in the day he'd finished second to teammate lason DiSalvo in the Superstock race. "l didn't quite get the start that lwanted to. JLrst being a little precautious with Rog [Hayden] being out. And iust want to do everythin8 ri8ht. A few years now that we've been strugSlinS, Siving away championships real easy. Now it's time to really focus and stay focused the rest of the year," The class had been turned upside down when Hayden was taken out by James Kerker a week earlier - in the Sunday Superbike race at Barber Motorsports Park. The damage was a broken tibia and fibula. Dr. Arthur Ting operated the day after the crash and Hayden spent the week near Ting's clinic rehabbing the iniury Hayden showed up in Fonana on Friday night with a cast on his riSht leg and wanted to ride, but wasn't ph),,sically able to. Hayden won't be at full strength for the next Supersport race at lnfineon Raceway, in three week time, Hacking watched Spies and Barnes come together in turn one and wanted no part of it. "lf I would have had to go over the top of the speedway banking, I would've gone all the way up there. Whatever it took to stay out of the mess. lgot on the brakes, Ben slid by me and I went underneath and got in there and came out clean second and iust ran a smart Tace and passed Michael [Barnes] down the front straightaway- I iust rode it easy after that. I short-shifted the bike, just 13,000 [rpm] the rest of the time, lt's hard you know you back it down to 60- and 7o-percent ridinS and it's hard to do that. lt's easy to go out and ride I l0 percent. I was makin8 a few little misrakes. Other than that, the bike was working really well." Barnes ran a mostly solitary race in second once Hacking pulled away. He had early company from teammate Geoff May before May was forced to serve a stop-and-go for iumping the start. May pitted on the lifth lap, Siving Barnes a solid second and comfortable lead. He'd finish iust over nvo seconds in front of Eslick. The Superspon podium was Barnes' first in nearly l6 years. The last came at Brainerd lnternational Raceway on June 10, 1990. "ln my defense, I only raced one 600 season since then," Barnes said before addressing his day's work. "To come here and go t\,vo seconds faster Hack I Jomie Hocking made hoy while the sun shone ot Colifornio Speedwoy I \ 1 ..E Lr, t q a I ,l / I .d I "l ! r la ?1 '.*a' :7 --> ,> 4 I fr,,) E I I J t l,n, J t ) 3t I , 46 1a.2aa6 . CYCLE__ll,EUt Borner ond Ben Spies got together ot lhe storl wilh Spias

• Cover