AMA Story, Results, and Standings from Loudon, New Hampshire
16 June 1997
MLADIN TIGHTENS UP AMA/MBNA SUPERBIKE SERIES
WITH LOUDON CLASSIC VICTORY
By Larry Lawrence
Australian Mat Mladin makes no bones about it, the twisty and
challenging 1.6-mile, 12 turn, New Hampshire International Speedway is
not one of his favorite circuits. After winning Sunday at the 74th
Annual Loudon Classic, Mladin said his opinion of the track hasn't
changed one bit, but he'll take the victory just the same. The win at
Loudon was Mladin's second straight AMA Superbike victory and brings
him to within 19 points of series leader Doug Chandler, who finished
fourth on his Kawasaki.
Mladin, a 25-year-old former Australian Superbike Champion, led on his
Ferracci Ducati 916 from start to finish in the 39-lap final. It was
the third AMA Superbike victory of the year for Mladin, who jumped
from fourth to second in the series standings at the half-way point of
the 10-race series.
Mladin's average speed of 76.966 miles per hour set a new record for
the race, breaking the old mark of 76.290 m.p.h., set by Miguel
Duhamel last year.
Georgian Aaron Yates had his best Superbike finish of the year, taking
second on his Suzuki, just over six seconds behind Mladin. Honda's
Steve Crevier took third, his first AMA Superbike podium finish since
1995. Tom Kipp, who was last year's Loudon pole winner, finished
fifth. It was Kipp's best result of the year.
After troubles early in the week, including a hard crash on Saturday
morning, Mladin did not look to be a threat to win. Mladin turned a
corner in the final qualifying session Saturday when he qualified just
behind pole setter Doug Chandler. From that point on it seemed that
Mladin, who finished sixth here last year, finally felt confident that
he could do well on the hard-to-learn circuit.
At the start of the race all doubt was erased. Mladin's Ducati roared
out of the 36-bike field into turn one first and he never looked back.
Yates moved up to challenge Mladin in the middle stages of the race,
but just couldn't quite find a way to pass. As the leaders began
hitting lapped traffic, Mladin began to open up a gap on Yates.
Miguel Duhamel began closing on Mladin and Yates after a tussle with
Honda teammate Steve Crevier and Vance & Hines Ducati's Thomas
Stevens. Duhamel was ripping off some very fast laps when he suddenly
lost control of his Honda in turn six. The bike hit the pavement hard
and crashed over a retaining wall. Duhamel jumped to his feet to check
the damage only to find a crumpled bike over the wall. The day, and
any real chance of winning back the Superbike title he earned in 1995,
was over for the Canadian.
The race took its toll on many riders and machines. Thomas Stevens
(broken shifter), Ben Bostrom (crash) and Tom Wilson (crash) were
among several riders who didn't see Loudon's checkered flag.
The surprise of the race may have been the fourth-place finish by
defending series champion Doug Chandler. Chandler blamed his choice of
a hard tire compound on his poor performance Sunday. It was the first
time this season that Chandler did not finish on the podium.
The series next goes to Brainerd (Minn.) International Speedway on
June 29.
LOUDON, N.H. -- Results Sunday of the Loudon Classic American
Motorcyclist Association MBNA Superbike Series on the 1.6-mile New
Hampshire Motor Speedway with rider, hometown or country, make of
motorcycle, winner's average speed and laps completed:
1. Mat Mladin, Australia, Ducati, (76.966 mph, new race record) 39 laps.
2. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki, 39.
3. Steve Crevier, Canada, Honda, 39.
4. Doug Chandler, Salinas, Calif., Kawasaki, 39.
5. Tom Kipp, Chardon, Ohio, Yamaha, 39.
6. Pascal Picotte, Canada, Suzuki, 39.
7. Chris Carr, Valley Springs, Calif., Harley-Davidson, 39.
8. Gerald Rothman Jr., Manchester, Conn., Ducati, 39.
9. Larry Pegram, Baltimore, Ohio, Suzuki, 39.
10. Tripp Nobles, Macon, Ga., Harley-Davidson, 38.
11. Michael Barnes, Boca Raton, Fla., Harley-Davidson, 38.
12. Paul Harrell, Canyon Country, Calif., Yamaha, 38.
13. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Kawasaki, 38.
14. John Scheehser, Chicopee, Mass., Suzuki, 38.
15. Doug Polen, Denton, Texas, Suzuki, 38.
16. Brett Metzger, Newington, Conn., Suzuki, 38.
17. Mario Duhamel, Canada, Suzuki, 38.
18. Dax Snow, St. George, Utah, Suzuki, 38.
19. James Randolph, Santa Rosa, Calif., Suzuki, 38.
20. Brian Gibbs, Stockbridge, Ga., Suzuki, 37.
21. Chris Rankin, Austin, Texas, Suzuki, 37.
22. Dale Kieffer, St. George, Utah, Suzuki, 37.
23. Mark McDaniel, Santa Rosa, Calif., Suzuki, 37.
24. Jimmy Moore, Eugene, Ore., Suzuki, 37.
25. John Jacobi, Noblesville, Ind., Suzuki, 37.
26. Dean Mizdal, Huntington Beach, Calif., Suzuki, 37.
27. Stephen Cooke, East Walpole, Mass., Ducati, 36.
28. Steve Arsenault, Keene, N.H., Suzuki, 36.
29. Seth Hahn, Georgetown, Mass., Suzuki, 26.
30. Miguel Duhamel, Sarasota, Fla., Honda, 19.
31. Brett Guyer, Derry, N.H., Kawasaki, 18.
32. Thomas Stevens, Woodstock, Ga., Ducati, 15.
33. Thomas Wilson_Jr., Oregon, Ohio, Harley-Davidson, 13.
34. Ben Bostrom, El Segundo, Calif., Honda, 11.
35. Roger Bell II, Lexington, Ky., Suzuki, 9.
36. Mike Fitzpatrick, Columbia, Md., Kawasaki, 1.
Time of race: 48 minutes, 38.710 seconds.
Margin of victory: 6.530 seconds.
Lap leaders: Mladin led all laps.
Standings (after 5 of 10 rounds):
1. Doug Chandler (160).
2. Mat Mladin (141).
3. Steve Crevier (137).
4. Aaron Yates (131).
5. Pascal Picotte (129).
6. Miguel Duhamel (116).
7. Larry Pegram (90).
8. Tommy Hayden (80).
9. Paul Harrell (77).
10. Tom Kipp (76).
Pro Honda Oils 600cc SuperSport from Loudon, N.H.
1. Aaron Yates, Milledegeville, Ga., Suzuki, (74.851 mph) 24 laps.
2. Miguel Duhamel, Sarasota, Fla., Honda, 24.
3. Steve Crevier, Canada, Honda, 24.
4. Larry Pegram, Baltimore, Ohio, Suzuki, 24.
5. Pascal Picotte, Canada, Suzuki, 24.
6. Jamie Hacking, Spartanburg, S.C., Kawasaki, 24.
7. Tom Kipp, Chardon, Ohio, Yamaha, 24.
8. Ben Bostrom, El Segundo, Calif., Honda, 24.
9. Eric Bostrom, El Segundo, Calif., Honda, 24.
10. Jason Pridmore, Ventura, Calif., Suzuki, 24.
11. Eric Wood, Mansfield, Mass., Kawasaki, 24.
12. Andrew Stroud, New Zealand, Honda, 24.
13. Rich Oliver, Fresno, Calif., Yamaha, 24.
14. Charles Chouinard, Salem, N.H., Honda, 24.
15. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Kawasaki, 24.
16. Douglas Toland, Buena Park, Calif., Honda, 24.
17. Jeffrey Curtis, Darien, Conn., Suzuki, 24.
18. Nathan Sanel, St. Johnsbury, Vt., Suzuki, 23.
19. Dax Snow, St. George, Utah, Suzuki, 23.
20. Mike Ciccotto, Moncks Corner, S.C., Kawasaki, 23.
21. Matt Wait, Lodi, Calif., Honda, 23.
22. James Bronson, Hialeah, Fla., Suzuki, 23.
23. John Salemi, Billerica, Mass., Kawasaki, 23.
24. Pablo Escalante, Mexico, Honda, 23.
25. Keith Wilson, Atlanta, Kawasaki, 23.
26. Rad Greaves, Ann Arbor, Mich., Honda, 23.
27. Glen Goldman, Philadelphia, Suzuki, 23.
28. Craig Babcock, Carmel, Maine, Honda, 23.
29. Christopher Holske, Mansfield, Mass., Honda, 23.
30. Stephen Duval, Nashua, N.H., Honda, 23.
31. Dale Dandrea, Lakeville, Mass., Suzuki, 23.
32. Bob Lapusnak, East Rutherford, N.J., Kawasaki, 17.
33. Jim Lester, Danbury, Conn., Suzuki, 10.
34. Mike Smith, Canton, Ga., Kawasaki, 10.
35. Richard Alexander_Jr., Carmel, N.Y., Suzuki, 5.
36. Mark Miller, Long Beach, Calif., Suzuki, 3.
37. Todd Harrington, St. Charles, Ill., Kawasaki, 2.
38. Tony Iannarelli, Springfield, Mass., Honda, 1.
Margin of victory: 2.150 seconds.
Lap leaders: Yates led all laps.
Standings (after 5 of 10 rounds):
1. Miguel Duhamel (163).
2. Aaron Yates (162).
3. Pascal Picotte (152).
4. Steve Crevier (135).
5. Jason Pridmore (112).
6. (TIE) Jamie Hacking/Rich Oliver (107).
8. Ben Bostrom (102).
9. Andrew Stroud (96).
10. Mike Smith (92).
----
Progressive Insurance Harley-Davidson SuperTwins from Loudon, N.H.
1. Eric Bostrom, El Segundo, Calif., H-D, (69.445 mph) 16 laps.
2. David Estok, Daytona Beach, Fla., H-D, 16.
3. Andrew Nobles III, Macon, Ga., H-D, 16.
4. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., H-D, 16.
5. Chris Bliss, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., H-D, 16.
6. Lance Jones, Anderson, S.C., H-D, 16.
7. Jody Hendley, Mission Viejo, Calif., H-D, 16.
8. Randy Texter, New Providence, Pa., H-D, 16.
9. Robert Bussey, Modesto, Calif., H-D, 15.
10. Jerry Casciero_Jr., Bel Air, Md., H-D, 15.
11. James Whitaker, Auburn, N.H., H-D, 15.
12. Jess Roeder, Monroeville, Ohio, H-D, 11.
13. Jeff Eklund, Pleasanton, Calif., H-D, 9.
Margin of victory: 5.71 seconds.
Lap leaders: Eric Bostrom led all laps.
Standings (after 5 of 10 rounds):
1. Eric Bostrom (179)
2. David Estok (150)
3. Jake Zemke (132)
4. Shawn Higbee (127)
5. Lance Jones (124)
----
Elf Fuels & Lubricants 250cc Grand Prix from Loudon, N.H.
1. Rich Oliver, Fresno, Calif, Yamaha, (no race speed due to red flag) 24 laps.
2. Al Salaverria, San Francisco, Aprilia, 24.
3. Randy Renfrow, Fredericksburg, Va., Honda, 24.
4. Toshiyuki Hamaguchi, Japan, Honda, 24.
5. Roland Sands, Paramount, Calif., Yamaha, 24.
6. Bobby Keith, Redwood City, Calif., Honda, 24.
7. Matt Wait, Lodi, Calif., Honda, 24.
8. Greg Esser, Pompano Beach, Fla., Yamaha, 23.
9. Bruce Lind, Snohomish, Wash., Yamaha, 23.
10. Chad Healy, Woodstock, Conn., Yamaha, 23.
11. Leon Cortes, Coral Gables, Fla., Honda, 23.
12. William Himmelsbach, Quakertown, Pa., Honda, 23.
13. Perry Melneciuc, Lehigh Acres, Fla., Honda, 23.
14. Hikaru Miyagi, Japan, Honda, 23.
15. John Burgoyne, Glendale, Ariz., Honda, 23.
16. Jeffrey Vos, Holland, Mich., Honda, 23.
17. John France, Melbourne, Fla., Honda, 23.
18. James Bonner, Coopersburg, Pa., Yamaha, 23.
19. Dereck JT King, Canada, Honda, 23.
20. Jeff Ortlip, Folsom, Calif., Yamaha, 23.
21. Ty David Piz, Littleton, Colo., Yamaha, 23.
22. Charles MacKay, Canada, Yamaha, 22.
23. Timothy O'Conner, Wallingford, Conn., Yamaha, 22.
24. Chris Reynolds, Norwalk, Conn, Yamaha, 22.
25. Andrew Edwards, Idaho Falls, Idaho, Yamaha, 22.
26. David Bettridge, Providence, R.I., Yamaha, 21.
27. Tom Christian, Bellevue, Idaho, Honda, 21.
28. Dan Rios, New Castle, Del., Yamaha, 21.
29. Michael Deblanco, Warwick, N.Y., Yamaha, 12.
30. Gary Berbaum, Bloomfield, N.J., Yamaha, 12.
31. Anthony White, Union, N.J., Yamaha, 11.
32. Michael Zajac, Litchfield, Conn., Yamaha, 11.
33. Colin Gilbert, Great Britain, Yamaha, 6.
34. Mark Foster, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Yamaha, 4.
35. Thomas Dinardo, Middle Village, N.Y., Yamaha, 2.
Margin of victory: 17.460 seconds.
Lap leaders: Salaverria 1. Oliver 2-24.
Standings (after 5 of 10 rounds):
1. Rich Oliver (180).
2. Randy Renfrow (124).
3. Bobby Keith (118).
4. Roland Sands (116).
5. Greg Esser (110).
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