AMA/MBNA Superbike Series Heads for Las Vegas Finale
17 September 1997
R97107 September 15, 1997 For Immediate Release MBNA SUPERBIKE SERIES TO CLIMAX AT LAS VEGAS WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- The 1997 MBNA Superbike Series Championship will be decided at the 10th and final round of the series, to be held October 5 on the 2.48 mile road course at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Defending Champion Doug Chandler, riding for the Muzzy Kawasaki Team, comes to Las Vegas well prepared to repeat his 1996 title in the MBNA Superbike Series. Chandler holds a 20-point lead over his nearest competitor, 1995 Superbike Champion Miguel Duhamel, who is eight points ahead of Mat Mladin in third. Those point standings set up an international showdown in Las Vegas, with California's Chandler fighting to retain his title over Quebec's Duhamel and Australia's Mladin. This year's Las Vegas race parallels last year's season finale in which Chandler and Duhamel also held first and second place, with Duhamel having the most race wins (four). Last year, Chandler won at Las Vegas to take his second Superbike championship. While history would appear to favor Chandler, 37 points will be on the line in Las Vegas, putting the 1997 championship within reach of Duhamel on the Smokin' Joe's Honda or Mladin on the Fast By Ferracci Ducati. A win earns a rider 35 points, with one bonus point awarded for setting the fastest qualifying lap and for leading the most laps. Other riders contending for top-five MBNA Superbike Series positions are Canadians Steve Crevier and Pascal Picotte, Aaron Yates of Georgia and Ohioan Tom Kipp. Also up for grabs at Las Vegas is the championship in the Pro Honda Oils 600cc SuperSport class. Honda's Miguel Duhamel leads Suzuki ace Pascal Picotte by 12 points, but Picotte has scored four wins this year in the ultra-competitive series. Duhamel, meanwhile, is the all-time series leader with 34 career victories and four championships. Another rider to watch at Las Vegas is newly crowned Elf 250cc Grand Prix Champion Rich Oliver. Oliver will attempt to complete his second consecutive perfect season in the series. If Oliver wins, he will extend his winning streak to 20, the longest winning streak in any form of AMA Professional racing. With the Pirelli Formula Xtreme Series title in hand, New Zealander Andrew Stroud may race Erion Racing's new Honda VTR1000 Super Hawk at Las Vegas. Stroud has tested the Super Hawk in practice sessions, but has continued to race his four-cylinder Honda CBR900RR rather than the new v-twin Machine. Erion racing is rumored to be prepping the Super Hawk for a possible assault on the MBNA Superbike Series next season. Following in the footsteps of his legendary father -- three-time AMA Superbike Champion Reg Pridmore -- Jason Pridmore comes into the Teamline 750cc SuperSport finale as newly crowned champion. The Pridmores are the first father-son combination to win AMA national road-racing titles. Whoever wins the Las Vegas round of the Progressive Insurance Harley-Davidson SuperTwins series will have his name etched in the history books. The Las Vegas SuperTwins race will mark the close of the eight year old series. Eric Bostrom, who has won all but one of the 10 races leading to Las Vegas, is the odds-on favorite. A new chapter begins in 1998 when the SuperTwins Series is transformed into the Progressive Insurance Pro Thunder Series. -30- Contact: Bill Nordquist Phone: (614) 891-2425 Fax: (614) 891-7368 Connie Fleming American Motorcyclist Association Public Relations Administrator http://www.ama-cycle.org 614-891-2425, ext. 258