AMA/MBNA Superbike Report, Results, and Standings from Mid-Ohio
22 July 1997
DUHAMEL WINS SECOND AMA/MBNA SUPERBIKE RACE IN A ROW
LEXINGTON, Ohio -- Miguel Duhamel is looking more and more like the
rider who won the American Motorcyclist Association Superbike
Championship in 1995. Duhamel came out on top after a tremendous four
rider tussle in the seventh round of the AMA/MBNA Superbike Series
before a record crowd at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The victory moved
Duhamel to third in the point standings, just behind Doug Chandler and
Mat Mladin, with three races remaining on the schedule.
Duhamel, a 30-year-old French Canadian who lives part of the year in
Sarasota, Florida, took the lead early in the 26-lap event. Four laps
into the race it became a four-rider battle for the lead between
Duhamel, Mladin, Chandler and Thomas Stevens.
On lap four Mladin made a daring pass on Duhamel to take over the
lead. The former Australian Superbike Champion led for four laps, with
Duhamel and Chandler often running side by side with the Ferracci
Ducati ace down the straights.
Stevens' day came to a crashing end when he dumped his Vance & Hines
Ducati in turn nine on lap seven. The 1991 AMA Superbike champ walked
away unhurt, but disgusted from his crumple red machine.
Series leader Chandler took over on lap eight and held on to the lead
for the next nine laps. Chandler was able to pull out to the largest
lead of the day on his bright green Kawasaki, but was held up in heavy
lapped traffic giving Duhamel, Mladin and the surging Aaron Yates the
chance to catch the defending champ.
In the closing laps it became a four rider breakaway, with Duhamel and
Chandler swapping the lead numerous times.
Chandler nearly ran off the course with three laps to go and decided
that it was going to be too risky to try to pass Duhamel.
"I did something really dumb. I almost ran it into the grass," said
Chandler, who holds a 20-point lead over Mladin in the series.. "I
started thinking about the championship and just decided to Miguel was
riding too well to be able to get past cleanly."
Duhamel was also having a bit of trouble controlling his Honda.
"I was riding about as aggressively as I ever have," said
Duhamel. ""My bike was sliding sideways everywhere. I know Doug had to
think I was half crazy with some of the things I was doing."
Duhamel held off Chandler to win by three bike lengths at the
checkered flag.
It was Duhamel's 15th-career Superbike win, moving him into a tie with
Freddie Spencer on the all-time AMA Superbike win list.
A hard-charging Yates moved past Mladin in the closing laps to take
third.
In other racing, it was Duhamel extending his points lead in the Pro
Honda Oils 600cc SuperSport Series with a narrow victory over Jason
Pridmore. Eric Bostrom continued his unbeaten streak in the
Progressive Insurance SuperTwins final, as did Rich Oliver in the Elf
250cc Grand Prix race. Oliver's win extended his AMA winning streak to
a record 17 races.
The next round of the series will take place on August 17 at
the newly completed Pike's Peak International Raceway.
---------
LEXINGTON, Ohio -- Results Sunday of the AMA/MBNA Superbike Series
race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with rider, hometown or country,
make of motorcycle, winner's average speed and laps completed:
1. Miguel Duhamel, Sarasota, Fla., Honda, 96.098 mph (new race record), 26 laps.
2. Doug Chandler, Salinas, Calif., Kawasaki, 26.
3. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki, 26.
4. Mat Mladin, Australia, Ducati, 26.
5. Pascal Picotte, Canada, Suzuki, 26.
6. Tom Kipp, Chardon, Ohio, Yamaha, 26.
7. Thomas Wilson Jr., Oregon, Ohio, Harley-Davidson, 26.
8. Steve Crevier, Canada, Honda, 26.
9. Ben Bostrom, El Segundo, Calif., Honda, 26.
10. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Kawasaki, 26.
11. Tripp Nobles, Macon, Ga., Harley-Davidson, 26.
12. Chris Carr, Valley Springs, Calif., Harley-Davidson, 26.
13. Michael Taylor, Canada, Kawasaki, 26.
14. Gerald Rothman_Jr., Manchester, Conn., Ducati, 26.
15. Paul Harrell, Canyon Country, Calif., Yamaha, 26.
16. Larry Pegram, Baltimore, Ohio, Suzuki, 26.
17. Michael Barnes, Boca Raton, Fla., Harley-Davidson, 25.
18. Brian Gibbs, Stockbridge, Ga., Suzuki, 25.
19. Dale Kieffer, St. George, Utah, Suzuki, 25.
20. Daniel Bailey, Navarre, Ohio, Suzuki, 25.
21. Dax Snow, St. George, Utah, Suzuki, 25.
22. Brett Metzger, Newington, Conn., Suzuki, 25.
23. Doug Polen, Denton, Texas, Suzuki, 25.
24. Eric Moe, Spring Lake, Mich., Kawasaki, 25.
25. Chris Rankin, Austin, Texas, Suzuki, 25.
26. John Jacobi, Noblesville, Ind., Suzuki, 25.
27. James Randolph, Santa Rosa, Calif., Suzuki, 25.
28. James Kusar, Mentor, Ohio, Ducati, 25.
29. Jay Doyle, Troy, Mich., Suzuki, 25.
30. Jamie McNaughton, Ann Arbor, Mich., Suzuki, 25.
31. Roger Bell_II, Lexington, Ky., Suzuki, 24.
32. Boyd Bruner, Chicago, Suzuki, 24.
33. Anthony Fania_Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Suzuki, 24.
34. Jimmy Moore, Eugene, Ore., Suzuki, 24.
35. John Spitulski, Winter Garden, Fla., Kawasaki, 24.
36. Shane Clake, Overland Park, Kan., Suzuki, 23.
37. Dean Mizdal, Huntington Beach, Calif., Suzuki, 21.
38. James Milroy_Jr., Omaha, Neb., Kawasaki, 15.
39. Thomas Stevens, Woodstock, Ga., Ducati, 11.
40. Mike Walsh, Canada, Yamaha, 4.
Time of race: 38 minutes, 57.630 seconds.
Margin of victory: 0.120 seconds.
Lap leaders: Duhamel 1-3, 18-20, 25-26. Mladin 4-7. Chandler 8-17, 21-24.
Point standings (after 7 of 10 rounds):
1. Doug Chandler (219).
2. Mat Mladin (199).
3. Miguel Duhamel (187).
4. (TIE) Steve Crevier/Aaron Yates (185).
6. Pascal Picotte (184).
7. Tom Kipp (133).
8. Larry Pegram (127).
9. Tommy Hayden (122).
10. Paul Harrell (113).
Pro Honda Oils 600cc SuperSport
1. Miguel Duhamel, Sarasota, Fla., Honda, 92.161 mph (new race record) 16 laps.
2. Jason Pridmore, Ventura, Calif., Suzuki, 16.
3. Pascal Picotte, Canada, Suzuki, 16.
4. Steve Crevier, Canada, Honda, 16.
5. Tom Kipp, Chardon, Ohio, Yamaha, 16.
6. Mike Smith, Canton, Ga., Kawasaki, 16.
7. Rich Oliver, Fresno, Calif., Yamaha, 16.
8. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Kawasaki, 16.
9. Larry Pegram, Baltimore, Ohio, Suzuki, 16.
10. Ben Bostrom, El Segundo, Calif., Honda, 16.
11. Andrew Stroud, New Zealand, Honda, 16.
12. Aaron Yates, Milledegeville, Ga., Suzuki, 16.
13. Rad Greaves, Ann Arbor, Mich., Honda, 16.
14. Jeff Sneyd, Canada, Honda, 16.
15. Brian Gibson, Holland, Mich., Suzuki, 16.
16. Ray Yoder, Merrillville, Ind., Kawasaki, 16.
17. Mike Ciccotto, Charleston, S.C., Kawasaki, 16.
18. Ken Melville, Glendale Heights, Ill., Honda, 16.
19. Keith Wilson, Atlanta, Kawasaki, 16.
20. Scott Ackerman, Omaha, Suzuki, 16.
21. Sean Kowalski, Schofield, Wis., Honda, 16.
22. Daniel Bailey, Navarre, Ohio, Yamaha, 16.
23. Jamie McNaughton, Ann Arbor, Mich., Suzuki, 16.
24. David McPherson, Altamonte Springs, Fla., Kawasaki, 16.
25. Randall Mennenga, Freeport, Ill., Suzuki, 16.
26. Kevin Lehman, Holland, Mich., Honda, 16.
27. Dax Snow, St. George, Utah, Suzuki, 15.
28. Daniel Brody, Duluth, Minn., Suzuki, 15.
29. Matt Brokaw, Fredericktown, Ohio, Honda, 15.
30. Eric Bostrom, El Segundo, Calif., Honda, 15.
31. Douglas Toland, Buena Park, Calif., Honda, 15.
32. Mark Miller, Long Beach, Calif., Suzuki, 14.
33. Jonathan Cornwell, Canada, Honda, 14.
34. Paul Ducato, Elgin, Ill., Yamaha, 14.
35. Roger Bell_II, Lexington, Ky., Suzuki, 11.
36. Daniel Fischer, Schaumburg, Ill., Kawasaki, 9.
37. Jeff Williams, Canada, Honda, 5.
38. Richard Alexander_Jr., Carmel, N.Y., Suzuki, 3.
39. Jamie Hacking, Spartanburg, S.C., Kawasaki, 1.
40. Steve Rapp, Lafayette, Calif., Suzuki, 1.
Time of race: 24 minutes, 59.990 seconds.
Margin of victory: 0.010
Lap leaders: Duhamel 1-2, 6, 15-16. Picotte 3-5, 7-14.
Point standings (after 8 of 11 rounds):
1. Miguel Duhamel (257).
2. Pascal Picotte (241).
3. Aaron Yates (230).
4. Steve Crevier (214).
5. Rich Oliver (192).
6. Jason Pridmore (184).
7. Mike Smith (163).
8. Ben Bostrom (160).
9. Andrew Stroud (159).
Elf Fuels & Lubricants 250cc Grand Prix
1. Rich Oliver, Fresno, Calif., Yamaha, 93.798 mph (new race record) 16 laps.
2. Al Salaverria, San Francisco, Aprilia, 16.
3. Randy Renfrow, Fredericksburg, Va., Honda, 16.
4. Mark Foster, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Yamaha, 16.
5. Bobby Keith, Redwood City, Calif., Honda, 16.
6. Jeffrey Vos, Holland, Mich., Honda, 16.
7. Greg Esser, Pompano Beach, Fla., Yamaha, 16.
8. Mark Orchard, Canada, Yamaha, 16.
9. Bruce Lind, Snohomish, Wash., Yamaha, 16.
10. Danny Walker, Loveland, Colo., Honda, 16.
11. Derek King, Folly Beach, S.C., Yamaha, 16.
12. John France, Melbourne, Fla., Honda, 16.
13. Hikaru Miyagi, Japan, Honda, 16.
14. Leon Cortes, Coral Gables, Fla., Honda, 15.
15. John Burgoyne, Glendale, Ariz., Honda, 15.
16. David Wright, Canada, Honda, 15.
17. Eric Stephens, New Brighton, Pa., Yamaha, 15.
18. Dereck JT King, Canada, Honda, 15.
19. Colin Gilbert, Great Britain, Yamaha, 15.
20. James Bonner, Coopersburg, Pa., Yamaha, 15.
21. Mark Sweeney, Plainfield, Ind., Yamaha, 15.
22. Tom Chaplin, Canada, Yamaha, 15.
23. William Himmelsbach, Quakertown, Pa., Honda, 15.
24. Charles MacKay, Canada, Yamaha, 15.
25. Murphy Anderson, Monmouth Junction, N.J., Yamaha, 15.
26. Tom Christian, Bellevue, Idaho, Honda, 15.
27. Andrew Edwards, Idaho Falls, Idaho, Yamaha, 15.
28. George Diegar, Canada, Yamaha, 15.
29. Albert Charles, Utica, Mich., Yamaha, 15.
30. Roland Sands, Paramount, Calif., Yamaha, 13.
31. Kent Shoemaker, Clarkston, Mich., Honda, 12.
32. Ricahrd Inman, Canada, Suzuki, 8.
33. Dan Rios, New Castle, Del., Yamaha, 6.
34. Perry Melneciuc, Lehigh Acres, Fla., Honda, 3.
35. Clifford Dermer, Edison, N.J., Yamaha, 2.
36. James Worthington, Troy, Mich., Aprilia, 1.
Time of race: 24 minutes, 33.820 seconds.
Margin of victory: 10.360 seconds.
Lap leaders: Oliver led all laps.
Point standings (after 7 of 10 rounds):
1. Rich Oliver (252).
2. Randy Renfrow (184).
3. Bobby Keith (169).
4. Greg Esser (157).
5. Roland Sands (145).
6. Mark Foster (132).
7. John France (131).
8. Al Salaverria (128).
9. Leon Cortes (123).
10. Hikaru Miyagi (109).
Progressive Insurance Harley-Davidson SuperTwins
1. Eric Bostrom, El Segundo, Calif., H-D, 85.078 mph (new race record),11 laps.
2. David Estok, Daytona Beach, Fla., H-D, 11.
3. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., H-D, 11.
4. Joey Gilleland, Canton, Ga., H-D, 11.
5. Nate Wait, Lodi, Calif., H-D, 11.
6. Jeffrey Johnson, Minneapolis, H-D, 11.
7. Steve Blackburn, Prestonsburg, Ky., H-D, 11.
8. Jody Hendley, Mission Viejo, Calif., H-D, 11.
9. Jerry Casciero_Jr., Bel Air, Md., H-D, 11.
10. Chris Bliss, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., H-D, 11.
11. Timothy Johnson, Mount Morris, Mich., H-D, 10.
12. Andrew Nobles_III, Macon, Ga., H-D, 5.
Time of race: 18 minutes, 37.1 seconds.
Margin of victory: 6.790 seconds.
Lap leaders: Bostrom 1-2, 4-11. Nobles 3.
Point standings (after 8 of 11 races):
1. Eric Bostrom (286).
2. David Estok (247).
3. Jake Zemke (219).
4. Jody Hendley (181).
5. Jerry Casciero_Jr. (151).
6. Lance Jones (150).
7. Shawn Higbee (127).
8. Shaun Russell (119).
9. Nate Wait (110).
10. Jeffrey Johnson (108).
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