Picotte Wins Wet Mid-Ohio AMA Superbike Final

06/07/96

LEXINGTON, Ohio -- Suzuki rider Pascal Picotte won the AMA Wiseco Superbike 100 Sunday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, in one of the wildest AMA Superbike races in the 20 year history of the series. Held in a steady rain, the race was stopped twice after crashes and was finally called complete just after the half-way point.

Thomas Wilson gave Harley-Davidson its first AMA Superbike podium finish, taking second. Relative unknown Brett Metzger, of Newington, Connecticut, proved his rain-riding abilities and surprised the established Superbike riders by finishing third on his Suzuki. Metzger's previous best was a 38th-place finish at Daytona in March.

The race was stopped after six laps when Kawasaki's Mike Smith crashed hard in the final turn and rolled to a stop in the middle of the track. Smith was only slightly shaken in the incident.

Yamaha's Jamie James battled with Picotte after the restart, then took over the lead and appeared to be on his way to his first AMA Superbike win since 1992. On lap 13 James crashed hard into the wall in the same spot that Smith had earlier, stopping the race for the final time.

With the crash stopping the race, Picotte, who ran second to James, was credited with the win. It was the first AMA Superbike win for Suzuki since September of 1990, when Miguel Duhamel won at Topeka, Kansas.

Rich Oliver continued his domination of the 250 Grand Prix class, remaining undefeated after beating New Zealand's Cliff Tolley by 10 seconds. Ben Bostrom won the Progressive Insurance Harley-Davidson SuperTwins final, his third straight victory in the class. Another New Zealand rider, Andrew Stroud, won his first Pro Honda Oils 600cc SuperSport race over Gerald Rothman Jr., and Straoud's teammate Doug Toland.

LEXINGTON, Ohio -- Results Sunday in the AMA Wiseco Superbike 100 over the 2.4-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with rider, hometown or country and make of motorcycle:

1. Pascal Picotte, Canada, Suzuki, (no average speed due to red flag).
2. Thomas Wilson, Oregon, Ohio, Harley-Davidson.
3. Brett Metzger, Newington, Conn., Suzuki.
4. Miguel Duhamel, Canada, Honda.
5. Alessandr Gramigni, Italy, Ducati.
6. Tom Kipp, Chardon, Ohio, Yamaha.
7. Doug Chandler, Salinas, Calif., Kawasaki.
8. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki.
9. Chris Carr, Valley Springs, Calif., Harley-Davidson.
10. Shawn Higbee, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Ducati.
11. James Randolph, Santa Rosa, Calif., Suzuki.
12. Al Salaverria, San Francisco, Harley-Davidson.
13. Eric Moe, Spring Lake, Mich., Kawasaki.
14. Jeffrey Heino, Newburgh, N.Y., Suzuki.
15. Dave Estok, Daytona Beach, Fla., Ducati.
16. Rad Greaves, Ann Arbor, Mich., Suzuki.
17. Frank Wilson, Canada, Suzuki.
18. Michael Fitzpatrick, Columbia, Md., Kawasaki.
19. David Roy, St. George, Utah, Suzuki.
20. Mark Miller, Long Beach, Calif., Suzuki.
21. Michael Taylor, Canada, Kawasaki.
22. Dean Mizdal, Huntington Beach, Calif., Yamaha.
23. Larry Pegram, Baltimore, Ohio, Ducati.
24. Dave Knapp, Lapeer, Mich., Ducati.
25. Mat Mladin, Australia, Suzuki.
26. Tripp Nobles, Macon, Ga., Harley-Davidson.
27. Michael Smith, Canton, Ga., Kawasaki.
28. Stephen Vlasblom, Las Vegas, Yamaha.
29. Steve Grigg, Asheville, N.C., Kawasaki.
30. Steve Patterson, Detroit, Suzuki.
31. Anthony Lupo, San Rafael, Calif., Suzuki.
32. Jamie James, Asheville, N.C., Yamaha.