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/861665
VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 P105 My Own Race: 1 BRYAN SMITH 2ND AFT TWINS "It was a good fun race between me and Brad. We made some changes today and made the bike better. I had to hit a specific mark and when I was that close to Brad I couldn't really do what I wanted," said Bryan Smith of his second-place finish. "I would kind of wait on him to go and then you go. It didn't cost me the win, but it didn't help by any means. Jef- frey [Carver] kind of had more drastically different lines than me and Brad. It was hard to fight over the same real estate. We went to the top and we were running out of room. All three of us were bouncing off the wall at one time or another. You're right on the verge of traction and marbles and then the wall jumped up on you. I swear to God...off of turn two, it felt like the wall jumped out at us a couple times. It is what it is." 6 BRAD BAKER 3RD AFT TWINS "It was a fun race. It would have been a little more fun if we were battling for the lead," said Brad Baker. "I didn't get the greatest start. I got hung up on the outside of Jeff [Carver]. Sammy [Halbert] came up the inside and clipped my clutch lever actually. Luckily I had a breakaway clutch le- ver. I looked down and I could see the thing was extended all the way out. I was up by the wall and that was pretty hairy. I shuffled all the way back on the wall and there were dirt clogs hitting my helmet. It was like déjà vu came into my head to when a rock smacked my shin and broke my leg back in 2015. The first lap was hairy; I made all sorts of moves on the first two laps. I worked myself into second and I matched Jared's pace for probably seven or eight laps. I was making mistakes in the middle of three and four. I didn't get through there as well. I searched around for lines; that was probably actually the wrong thing to do. I just kind of kept on losing time there. I could feel Bryan getting close to me then he dive bombed me going into turn three and got by." 23 JEFFREY CARVER 4TH AFT TWINS "There was about 10 feet that you could ride up top. For me, my line with the Kawi motor, you had to get in a little bit higher and try to drive it off," said Jeffrey Carver. "It would kind of fall off through the apex. I'm pretty happy with it, to be the first guy running behind the Indians. I won my heat and we were battling with Bryan in the semi. I felt we had it, but the track just lost a little bit of grip in the main. That is what was really holding me up there with them, because I could drive that thing really well. It seemed like I was spinning just a little bit, nothing really to complain about. We'll just try to tune it just a little better and try to beat those guys." 14 BRIAR BAUMAN 5TH AFT TWINS "I kind of had a rough main event," said Sturgis TT winner Briar Bauman. "We were fast early on when the track was hooked up. As the groove came in, I kind of faded. We tried all 25 laps and did everything we pos- sibly could. I was right up there with Bryan and Brad for the first eight or nine laps, but I was fading pretty quickly before the red. The red flag came out around lap 12, Jeffrey had already gotten to me. On the restart, Brad heated up pretty big off the start and I kind of got caught up with him. Jeffrey just motor-boated on the outside of both of us. I was never re- ally with him too much. He's an incredible rider. Unfortunately we weren't with him tonight. He was a lot quicker than I was. It's a good sign when a fifth is something you are a little down on."