VOL. 51 ISSUE 3 JANUARY 21, 2014
P87
Wiles (H), Halbert (7) and
Josh Hook (34) lead the
way during one of the daytime heat races.
other local riders, the Americans
sacrificed a little turn-in speed
for stability. Then again, Halbert
had brought out his own lowered
Penske Racing forks and shock
that lowered the center-of-gravity of his Graeme Boyd Yamaha
YZF450, which also allowed him
to plant his feet at the start. His
skill level was such that he was
able to turn in just as quickly and
hold a tighter line in the bumpy
corner than his rivals, allied to a
seasoned intensity that saw him
fighting for the win in every heat,
every race.
Halbert proved quicker with
every outing and it appeared inevitable that the final would be
TBC, the unfailingly polite Wiles
said hello to Halbert. While he
didn't flat out ignore him, Halbert,
who is also studiously courteous,
didn't respond in kind.
What's My Scene?
Halbert said he was "honored"
to be part of the Troy Bayliss
Classic. Henry Wiles said it was
"awesome." And they both want
to come back next year. Halbert
had competed on a few oil tracks
in the U.S., and said that the Old
Bar circuit was not completely
foreign to him. Running 19-inch
front Matis dirt-track tires as opposed to the 18-front wet/intermediate Motard derived set-up
favored by Bayliss and most of the
Halbert
showboats after
winning the
Americana final.
