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/1542395
to keep Ben in check and see how we go once we 8et to the end of the season.'' As to what ir would take for him to be stopped, lYladin saidr ''For him to stay home, I don't know. Honestly, like I said, I've been in this position before and none of us are Soing to lay down." The race weekend was interrupted by and scheduled around rain showers. Rain wiped out most of Friday's schedule and forced the AMA and track officials to move Saturday's races earlier in the day. The strategy paid ofl with borh the Superbike and Formula Xtreme races run in good weather The same plan was put into effect on Sunday, with the Superstock race original- ly scheduled for ll:10 a.m,, but pushed back for track drying in the morning. The Superstock Talce wzrs run until the ninth lap when a blown engine brought out a red flag, and the decision to call the race complete was made by the AMA. Superbikes were next and ran to term withou! problems. The following Superspon race made it to the third lap before the expected rain hit, forcing the race to be canceled. still, the Al'4A and track officials were lauded for their proactive attack on the inclement weather, The wea*ler didn't slow down Spies. Neither did Mladin. There \,vere occsional flashes of sped from the and they didn't last. From laps when it went to 2.4. There was a late charge by the defendins champion, the lead down ro 1.45 wrrh seven to run, but then i( edged up. endrng at 5.989. The win was sig- nrflcant, because it was the frrs! time Sptes had led Mladin for an entire race. "The last few races we've won, and it's been good, but we've followed, and it's a bit easier to do that." Spies said. "l really wanted to set the pace and see what I could do, and see how it was to lead the whole race, and if we could win it, rhat'd be good. lt was tough, seeing one second, 1.3, L5 the whole race. And at one point it got up to a couple of seconds, And then, yeah, with about eight to go, he put his head down and came back and got within a second. lwas like. All right, we've just got to put our head down and this is where it - this is money time.'And I pur my head down and got back down the race times pretty comfortably. lt was sliding around a bit, and I was prerty worn out musclewise through the race, but you've justgot to put it past you. And I iust kept trying to hit my lines and not make too many mistakes, and just put laps toSether. '' Mladin said he did his best to close up late in the race. "lt wasn't enough to get back on to him. And then I got into a couple slower guys, and I didn't want to take the risk at that sta8e of the race ol doing something veteran, but they silly just to past them, and to continue a Spies led flag. Mladin Rain washed-out the Pro Honda Oils Supe6port race on the fiird of I 7 sched- uled laps. lt was the last race ofthe after- noon on a day tha! the AMA and track offi- cials moved the program lorward to b€at the rain. They nearly did, and mitht have, if not for a red flag in (he Superstock race. At the rime the Superspon race was stopped, Yoshimura Suzuki's Ben Spies was out front. It wes clear the weather wasn't going to clear and the AMA soon canceled the mce, making the championship a Io-race series. lnflneon Raceway officials de.ided to pay the purse based on qualiting. with Yamaha's Jamie Hacklng takins the first prize money, Spies second, and Team M4 El,lGO Suzuki's l4ichael Barnes third. Hacking was also allowed to keep the championship poinr he earned for the pole. He heads to Road America with 105 points, 25 more than Matsushima Performance's Danny Eslick. Eslick was one of two riders who crashed after rhe red flag into the turn- l0 air fence. "l iust slid out there and got up to warn the other riders." he said. "l didnt see the red flats out before I cr&shed." Chris Siglin fell down just a{ter Eslick and was transported to Santa Rose Memorial Hospitalwith vari- ous rn,unes. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki's Geoff f'lay is third in Supersport points with 79. The rider who most benefited from the Superspon race cancellation was Kawasa- ki's Roger Lee Hayden. Hayden showed up at lnfineon on crutches and rode with treat difficult), and discomfort. "l'm SoinB [o have to learn to ride without dragging my knee," he sard. He manated to qualify loth, bur was lucky not to have to race or to lose further tround in the championship chase. He's 3l points behind HackinS, but only six points out ofsecond h€ading to Road America in tlvo weeks. American Honda's Migu€l Duham€l and five-rime 250cc champion Rich Oliver were honored as the firct tlvo motorq.clists in the lnfineon Raceway whil of Fame in Sat- urday ceremonies. Duhamel was chosen for his proficienry on the Sonoma racetrack, nine wins including frve in Superbike, three in Superspon, and one in Formula Xtreme, alontwith the help he's provided to the track in their never-ending pursuit of safety. Oliver, a lifelong Northern Californian, was chosen for his success in Sonoma; fve wins, including every year from 1994 to 1997, and 2003. "There's nobody who has been more open, more helpful, more av_ailable... than l''liguel Duhamel," track president Steve Page said in the winner's circle. "For allthe memoraes and all the involvement he's had at this track, we are very proud to have Miguel Duhamel inducted into the lnfineon Raceway Wall of Fame "Yeah. it was a bit ofa surprise," Duhamel said after qualirying on the Superbike front row. "They men- tioned it to me a month ago or so, that they were doing this, There were motorcyclist Suys on the wall. and also NASCAR legends. It's iust - l'm very honored, obvior.tsly. I'm very pleased and honored. I'm looking for- ward to - l'm having a lirlle ceremorry after this. l'm going to go over there and they're 8oint to revealthe wall, So it's going to be Coniinued on pdge 3l I,E NEWS MAY 31, 2005 29 Brief [y... tled in and brought it home.'' American Honda's Duhamel took teammate Zemke for third on the l2rh lap, and then got into a heated race with Yosh's Aaron Yates. Yares made a rire- smoking pass of Duhamel over turn two, the two making contact. "l know he came around me in turn two on top of the hill, and did the pass, and then just proceeded tg slide into me," Duhamel said. "l mean, lwas afraid of catching my finger in his sprocket. You look at my bike, and he rubbed the paint off the fairing and my brake lever - Sliding wide open. And then the next lap, going into turn one, he went wide and shifted a gear and roosted me to hell, really. Ripped my helmet vents off, and destroyed my fairing, and I thought he maybe punctured a hole through my radi- ator. I thought, 'Oh my God. l'm not going to finish this race.' But the temperature stayed okay. But he got my finger pretty good. Anyway, I was just like, 'Well, it could be just coincidence.' Sometimes a Euy's iust riding rough, riding aggressive, there's nothing more into it than what it Yates said he didn't think he would hir Duhamel. "l know I was getting close to the side of the track," he said. Duhamel would get his revenge on lap ry o, the and I was just holding it ba(k a bit. " ll a \ LJ / a Et $ V T - -;'* 7 ^{ rt I 4l t-/ ) CY