AMA Superbike Preview for Sears Point Event
20 August 1997
R97093 August 20, 1997 For Immediate Release THREE FORMER SUPERBIKE WINNERS TO GO HEAD-TO-HEAD AT SEARS POINT WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- Three former Sears Point Raceway Superbike winners-- and four former AMA Superbike National Champions-- highlight the riders that will take to the track for the McGraw Insurance Services Superbike Challenge AMA MBNA Superbike Series race Aug. 29-31 in Sonoma, Calif. With just two races remaining in the Superbike series, the Sears Point race takes on added significance. Six riders still have a shot at the Superbike title coming into Sunday's final. Aaron Yates, Miguel Duhamel and Doug Polen have all won at the scenic facility located in the rolling hills of Northern California's wine country. Past AMA Superbike Champs racing at Sears next week include Duhamel and Polen, as well as Thomas Stevens and Doug Chandler. Yates returns to Sears Point the defending Superbike winner and last year's pole winner. It marked the first career Superbike win for Yates. The Georgian is back with Suzuki this year and is still looking for his second Superbike win. The demanding, 2.5-mile circuit suits Yate's aggressive riding style, making him one of the top contenders for this year's race. Polen last won at Sears nearly ten years ago. The popular Texan qualified fifth in last year's race in his return to Superbikes, but his Suzuki went up in a giant fireball in the Sunday morning practice session, and he missed the race. Polen, who is also leading the FIM World Championship Endurance Series with teammate Peter Goddard, is eager to get back and show that he can still be a top AMA Superbike rider before season end. Duhamel, who edged out Polen at Sears in 1993 in one of the closest races in the history of the series, comes to Sears as the hottest rider in the series. The 30-year-old Honda rider is riding a three-race winning streak. Duhamel has the chance to take sole possession of second place on the AMA Superbike all-time career wins list. Defending AMA Superbike champion Doug Chandler, has never won a race at Sears Point. That's not likely to change this year. The Salinas, Calif., rider comes into this race in protection mode. Holding a 25-point lead with just two races left, Chandler, who finished third at Sears last year, will be riding simply to hang on to his series lead going into the October race in Las Vegas. One rider trying to catch Chandler is Aussie Mat Mladin. Mladin battled Yates the entire way for the lead last year at Sears and eventually finished runner-up. This year Mladin comes to Sears with three Superbike victories to his credit and is second in the standings. If the former Australian Superbike champ is to win, he will have to overcome the fact that a Ducati has not won a Superbike final at Sears in nearly 20 years. If you're looking for dark-horse possibilities at Sears Point, you might consider Harley-Davidson teammates Chris Carr and Tom Wilson. Carr and Wilson qualified second and fourth respectively last year, marking the only time two Harley Superbikes qualified on the front row. Scores of racing fans will be watching with great interest the progress of Rich Oliver, of Fresno, Calif. The newly-crowned Elf 250cc Grand Prix Champion, is finally getting his first shot at riding a factory Superbike. Yamaha is giving Oliver a ride on one of its factory YZF750 Superbikes alongside Tom Kipp, the team's regular Superbike rider. Oliver, the winningest rider in the history of 250cc Grand Prix, last rode an AMA Superbike in 1985. Many of Oliver's best Superbike races came at Sears Point. He twice finished in the top five at Sears in the mid-1980s when he was a young privateer. In addition to Superbike, a solid program of supporting races will give racing fans plenty to look forward to. While Duhamel is to trying to catch Chandler in Superbike, he's wearing Chandler's shoes in the Pro Honda Oils 600cc SuperSport Series. Duhamel is trying to hold off fellow Canadian Pascal Picotte, who trails by 20 points. Duhamel is attempting to win his fifth 600cc SuperSport title. Jason Pridmore has all butlocked up the Teamline 750cc SuperSport championship. Pridmore needs only to finish 29th or better to secure his first National title. That will give the son of three-time AMA Superbike Champion Reg Pridmore, a chance to concentrate on riding his new HyperCycle Suzuki Superbike. If Eric Bostrom finishes first or second in the Progressive Insurance SuperTwins final at Sears, he will win that championship. In the Pirelli Formula Xtreme Series, Erion Racing Honda riders Andrew Stroud and Doug Toland have dominated. Stroud, a two-time New Zealand Superbike Champion, has been tough to beat, being bettered only twice in seven races. Toland has been the picture of consistency in the series, finishing on the podium in all but one of the Xtreme races this year. -30- Connie Fleming American Motorcyclist Association Public Relations Administrator http://www.ama-cycle.org