AMA/MBNA Superbike Series Preview for New Hampshire Event
10 June 1997
DUHAMEL LOOKS TO THREE-PEAT AT LOUDON June 10, 1997 For Immediate Release WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- Miguel Duhamel needs to start winning if he is to have any chance of catching AMA/MBNA Superbike Series leader Doug Chandler. A weekend in Loudon, N.H., just might be what the doctor ordered for second-place Duhamel. The 1995 AMA Superbike Champion has been the master at Loudon's New Hampshire International Speedway for the last two years. Sunday, Duhamel would love nothing better than to win his third straight Loudon Classic. Last year at Loudon, Duhamel turned in one of the best rides in his seven-year AMA Superbike career. Some called his passing tactics in the closing laps ruthless, but the moves gave him just enough of an advantage to hold off Chandler by just over a second at the finish. This year, Chandler looks even stronger coming into Loudon. He finished on the podium in all four races leading up to this race, round five of the series, and was victorious at Laguna Seca Raceway in April. Chandler won the Superbike final at Loudon in 1990. The one big difference between this year and last is that another rider has stepped up to challenge Chandler's and Duhamel's dominance. That rider is former Australian Superbike Champion Mat Mladin. Mladin has won two of the four MBNA Superbike races to date, but bike problems at Daytona left him with a non-points-paying 66th-place finish. Now Mladin has to play catch up the rest of the season, and he has set a goal of winning the rest of the races this year. Mladin has his work cut out for him at Loudon this weekend. He finished sixth last year on a factory Suzuki, and Ducati motorcycles have won the final just twice in 22 Superbike races at Loudon. If you're looking for a dark horse in the Superbike race, look no further than Yamaha's Tom Kipp. Kipp is long overdue for his first AMA Superbike win. The Ohioan won the pole there last year and finished third. Kipp rides well on the twisty 1.6-mile NHIS circuit (he won the Loudon 600cc SuperSport race in 1992), so there's more than an outside chance that this could be his race. While Duhamel is trying to chase down Chandler in Superbike, he is trying to hold off the speedy Suzukis of Pascal Picotte and Aaron Yates in the Pro Honda Oils 600cc SuperSport Series. Duhamel is on a two-race winning streak in the ultra-competitive class, and he holds a five-point lead over Yoshimura Suzuki teammates Picotte and Yates, who are tied for second. The Honda CBR600 is the SuperSport bike of choice at Loudon. Hondas have won seven of the ten 600cc SuperSport races held at the circuit. Suzuki last won a 600cc race at Loudon back in 1988, with Dave Sadowski. The last time Rich Oliver lost an Elf Fuels and Lubricants 250 Grand Prix Series race was in 1995. Oliver carries a three-year winning streak at Loudon and an AMA record 14-race winning streak into this week's 250GP race. If the Fresno, Calif., rider can win this Sunday, he will be halfway to earning a perfect record in the Elf 250GP Series for the second straight year. The 1997 TeamLine 750cc SuperSport Series has been a series of surprises. Second-generation AMA pro Jason Pridmore holds the series lead after winning the first two rounds. The big surprise of the season was the victory by Mario Duhamel (Miguel's older brother) at Laguna Seca in April. Adding to the excitement is Doug Polen. Polen came through with his first national win in four years, taking the 750cc SuperSport flag at Elkhart Lake, Wis., last week. One thing is certain--a new Loudon 750cc SuperSport winner will be crowned this weekend. Not one former winner of the class is in the field. Like Oliver in the 250GP Series, the Pirelli Formula Xtreme and the Progressive Insurance Harley-Davidson SuperTwins Series has each been dominated by a single rider. The new Formula Xtreme has belonged to New Zealand's Andrew Stroud. Stroud and his Erion Racing Honda CBR900 is unbeaten in the series so far this year. The same is true of young Eric Bostrom in SuperTwins. Bostrom is four for four on his Harley this season. Bostrom was runner-up in SuperTwins at NHIS last year. R97062 Contact: Larry Lawrence Phone: (614) 891-2425 Fax: (614) 891-7368 -30-