Nicky Hayden wins fourth consecutive AMA Superbike race; Campbell and Staab victorious at BITD Vegas-to-Reno
AMA Roadracing: Virginia International Raceway, Alton, VA September , 2001 2001 AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championships, Round 11, Season Finale, Sunday, July 28-30 Universal Studio's / Honda Racing's Nicky Hayden continued his late-season charge by winning his fourth-straight AMA Superbike main event Sunday at Virginia International Raceway. Hayden shared the spotlight in victory circle with 2nd place finisher Anthony Gobert and Parts Unlimited / PJ1/ Erion Honda Racing's Kurtis Roberts. Suzuki's Mat Mladin won the 2001 AMA/Chevy Trucks Superbike title, and became the first rider to win three championships in a row since Honda factory rider and AMA Hall of Famer Flyin' Fred Merkel in 1986. Universal Studio's / Honda Racing's Miguel Duhamel finished in fifth position. Alton, VA Superbike Race, Top Overall Finishers 1. Nicky Hayden - Honda 2. Anthony Gobert - Yamaha 3. Kurtis Roberts - Honda 4. Doug Chandler - Kawasaki 5. Miguel Duhamel - Honda AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship Final Point Standings, Top Riders 1. Mat Mladin - Suzuki - 380 2. Eric Bostrom - Kawasaki - 365 3. Nicky Hayden - Honda - 340 4. Doug Chandler - Kawasaki - 319 5. Miguel Duhamel - Honda - 300 9. Kurtis Roberts - Honda - 253 2001 AMA / Pro Honda Oils 600 Supersport Final, Round 11, Sunday, September, 30 Multi-time 600cc Supersport Champion Miguel Duhamel battled the 27 rider field that made up Sunday's 600 Supersport final. Duhamel, along with Aaron Yates and Anthony Gobert, put on a battle royal for the VIR fans as they passed each other frequently throughout the 17-lap event. Gobert made an aggressive move on Yates that would stick through the finish line. Gobert won, Yates was second, with Universal / Honda Racing's Duhamel a close third. Parts Unlimited / PJ1/ Erion Honda Racing's Kurtis Roberts finished in 5th place. Alton, VA, 600 Supersport Top Overall Finishers 1. Anthony Gobert - Yamaha 2. Aaron Yates - Suzuki 3. Miguel Duhamel - Honda 4. John Hopkins - Suzuki 5. Kurtis Roberts - Honda Pro Honda Oils 600cc Supersport Final Point Standings, Top Riders 1. Eric Bostrom - Kawasaki - 285 2. Anthony Gobert - Yamaha - 265 3. Miguel Duhamel - Honda - 259 4. Tommy Hayden - Yamaha - 239 5. Josh Hayes - Honda - 213 2001 Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme Final, Round , Sunday, September 29 Bruce Transportation Group / Erion Honda Racing's Josh Hayes rode a consistent race to finish 3rd place behind runner-up Grant Lopez, and Formula Xtreme winner Aaron Gobert. Parts Unlimited / PJ1/ Erion Honda Racing's Jake Zemke finished the race in 8th place. Young John Hopkins secured the 2001 Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme title at VIR. Alton, VA Formula Xtreme Final, Top Overall Finishers 1. Aaron Gobert - Yamaha 2. Grant Lopez - Suzuki 3. Josh Hayes - Honda 4. John Hopkins - Suzuki 5. Damon Buckmaster - Yamaha 8. Josh Hayes - Honda Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme Championship Final Point Standings, Top Riders 1. John Hopkins - Suzuki - 256 2. Damon Buckmaster - Yamaha - 255 3. Grant Lopez - Suzuki - 232 4. Josh Hayes - Honda - 220 5. Jake Zemke - Honda - 220 Round 4: 2001 Best In The Desert series, Vegas to Reno, Friday, September 28, 2001 The hillsides from Vegas to Reno were painted Honda Red this weekend as the Honda Off Road Racing Team won round 4 of 2001 Best In The Desert series in Nevada. The 526-mile closed-course race takes place on Nevada's rough and tumble trails, testing not only man but also machine. Honda Racing's Johnny Campbell and Tim Staab overcame a fuel stop mishap to win the event with in an impressive time of 9 hours, 21 minutes, and 49 seconds aboard their XR650R. A determined Kawasaki effort rewarded the team second place, with Honda Racing's Steve Hengeveld and Jonah Street rounding out the top three, also on an XR650R. Both Honda Racing teams are in contention for the 2001 Best In The Desert title, with one of the teams now mathematically certain to take the championship. The champion will be crowned at the last round of the Best In The Desert series, to will be held in Las Vegas on December 1-2, 2001. Vegas to Reno Overall Race Results: 1. Johnny Campbell / Tim Staab - Honda 2. Shane Esposito / Andy Grieder - Kawasaki 3. Steve Hengeveld / Jonah Street - Honda WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 13: IMOLA, ITALY - SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2001 HONDA RACING PRESS INFORMATION Ducati's Ruben Xaus and Aprilia's Regis Laconi, both in their first year of World Superbike competition, each took a win in the incident-packed final round of the World Superbike championship at Imola in Italy on Sunday. The hard-riding Xaus was involved in a three way battle with teammate Troy Bayliss and Laconi throughout the first 21-lap race of the day. Disaster struck Bayliss two laps from the finish of the race as he lost control of his machine in spectacular fashion, crashing out and breaking his right collarbone. As the stricken Bayliss and his Ducati slid along the circuit, the luckless Laconi could do little to avoid the machine and also crashed out, escaping injury. That left Xaus clear to take the second win of his World Superbike career. The Spanish rider crossed the line 3.6 seconds ahead of Troy Corser with Castrol Honda's Colin Edwards third, half a second down on Corser. "That was one incredible race," said Edwards who guaranteed a runner-up position in the championship with his third place. "The race was always going to be about preserving tires in the early stages but I made a dreadful start and was always struggling to keep with the leading bunch." "It was the start alone that lost me any chance of winning. I was ready to accept fifth place then I saw Troy (Bayliss) and Regis (Laconi) go down and I thought, well, I'll take third if it's there." Ben Bostrom set the early pace but drifted back through the field to an eventual fourth place with Castrol Honda's Tady Okada a lonely fifth after threatening the leading group with a burst of speed at the halfway point in the race. Okada commented: "I was making a move on Colin (Edwards) but ran on at the chicane. It was a silly mistake but I felt really good out there. I was confident of getting into at least fourth place." Laconi secured his first win of the year in the second 21-lap race of the day but he was made to work hard by the determined Xaus. Xaus, squirming his machine through every corner of the 3.04-mile circuit, ended the race in a close second place. Castrol Honda's Tady Okada rocketed through from eighth place on the grid to take third, his third podium finish of the year and his first podium in dry conditions. Okada said: "I was too late in getting close to Laconi and Xaus. Maybe I could have challenged for a win but I was happy to take third place in the end and finish the season with a podium result, exactly what I wanted from this weekend." Bostrom was again fourth with Australian Ducati privateer Steve Martin fifth. There was disappointment for Castrol Honda's Edwards. The 2000 world champion was involved in an 11th lap incident. As Corser crashed behind him Edwards swerved to avoid the falling Australian and his Aprilia machine. As Edwards ran through the gravel trap he was left with no option but to lay the machine down, both riders escaped serious injury. Edwards explained: "Troy crashed behind me. I think he must have got in there a bit too hot and the slipstream is really bad there, you brake and nothing happens. I saw him coming and moved aside. I just got out of the way in time." "After that I was in the gravel trap and all I could see was the barrier coming towards me so I jumped off the machine." First race result: (Laps 21 =103,593km ) 1 Ruben Xaus, Spain (Ducati) 38m 42.598s 2 Troy Corser,Australia (Aprilia) 38m 46.199s 3 Colin Edwards, USA (Castrol Honda) 38m 46.677s 4 Ben Bostrom, USA (Ducati) 38m 48.938s 5 Tady Okada, Japan (Castrol Honda) 38m 56.335s Second race result: 1 Regis Laconi, France (Aprilia) 38m 33.264s 2 Xaus 38m 33.285s 3 Okada 38m 34.108s 4 Bostrom 38m 49.239s 5 Martin 39m 06.159s Final World Superbike championship points: 1 Troy Bayliss 369 2 Edwards 333 3 Bostrom 312 4 Corser 284 5 Hodgson 267 6 Xaus 236 8 Okada 176 Final Manufacturers points: 1 Ducati 553 2 Honda 401 3 Aprilia 343 4 Kawasaki 289 5 Suzuki 256 6 Yamaha 36 END