Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster took his first-ever AMA Supersport victory Sunday by beating Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden in a short but exciting back-and-forth battle at Virginia International Raceway.

Buckmaster passed Hayden on the brakes at turn seven on the final lap and beat him to the finish line by less than a bikelength.

Buckmaster’s win and bonus points for leading the most laps and earning the pole position bring him within 15 points of Supersport point leader and teammate Jamie Hacking.

Hacking, who led by 30 points going into the race, finished eighth.

Hayden’s teammate Tony Meiring came from seventh on lap four to claim the final spot on the podium by passing Aaron Gobert on the last lap. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies, Honda’s Miguel Duhamel and Hacking followed Gobert across the line.

The Supersport race start was delayed over four hours due to changing weather, an oil spill, two lengthy clean-up attempts and extra practice sessions. The race was shortened from its original distance of 17 laps to 12 laps to beat an approaching rainstorm.

AMA Supersport Race Results:

1. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 12 laps
2. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, -0.034 second
3. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, -5.926 seconds
4. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, -6.616 seconds
5. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -6.827 seconds
6. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, -6.875 seconds
7. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -8.016 seconds
8. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, -8.388 seconds
9. Jake Zemke, Honda, -16.816 seconds
10. Marty Craggill, Honda, -23.914 seconds
11. Lee Acree, Yamaha, -24.055 seconds
12. Alex Gobert, Honda, -24.634 seconds
13. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, -24.661 seconds
14. Ty Howard, Honda, -32.846 seconds
15. Darren Luck, Suzuki, -34.773 seconds
16. Chris Rankin (of Texas), Honda, -41.267 seconds
17. Jason Curtis, Honda, -53.781 seconds
18. Dirk Sanchez, Kawasaki, -55.950 seconds
19. Michael Garofalo, Suzuki, -56.021 seconds
20. Nathan Dressman, Yamaha, -1 lap
21. Jeremy Haiduk, Yamaha, -1 lap
22. Chad Klock, Kawasaki, -1 lap
23. Crash Lowe, Suzuki, -1 lap
24. Marcus Winfree, Suzuki, -1 lap
25. Darby Brauning, Yamaha, -1 lap
26. Hector Romero, Yamaha, -9 laps, DNF
27. Adrian Jones, Suzuki, -10 laps, DNF
28. Chris Peris, Honda, -11 laps, DNF
29. Giovanni Rojas, Yamaha, -12 laps, DNF, crash
30. Mike Hale, Yamaha, -12 laps, DNF, crash
31. Chris Siebenhaar, Honda, -12 laps, DNF, crash


AMA Supersport Point Standings:

1. Hacking, 308 points
2. Buckmaster, 293 points
3. Spies, 228 points
4. Alex Gobert, 217 points
5. Meiring, 216 points
6. Zemke, 215 points
7. Tommy Hayden, 213 points
8. Aaron Gobert, 212 points
9. Roger Lee Hayden, 207 points
10. DiSalvo, 205 points


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

LEE ACREE CARDS STRONG FINISHES AT VIRGINIA

Lee Acree went up against some of America’s most talented roadracers as a privateer this weekend at round ten of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship, and came away with two strong finishes in the AMA Supersport and Superstock classes on his Triad Powersport Yamaha R6.

In the Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock event on Saturday, Lee qualified 14th and finished 15th against a field of more powerful 750cc machines. Tire issues kept Lee from taking advantage of the more nimble handling R6 that he was riding. A poor start didn’t help his effort. “My start was at least a tie for career worst,” joked Acree. “My original plan of getting a good start and using turn one to get with the lead pack turned into go to the outside for damage control and try and get back as many people as just went motoring by me on the start. I went by a couple of guys in turn one on the outside and went by a couple more here and there. First, Ciccotto got by me and then Chris (Ulrich). I tried to get by him on the last lap. I got within striking distance and actually got up beside him, but to make the pass would have been potentially detrimental at least to him if not both of us, and I figured where we were in the pack it wasn’t worth punting either one of us. As far as the tires, the rear was a compund that I hadn’t run all weekend and the rear grip wasn’t there. The front was great.”

Lee qualified in seventh position for the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race on Sunday, giving him a second row start. However, rain delayed the start some four hours and the tires that Acree chose did not perform as well as expected. Lee fought with both Roger Lee Hayden and Marty Cragill over tenth place, with Cragill passing Lee on the last lap and pushing Lee to 11th at the checkered flag. “I got an okay start and got down to turn one in about 14th, then tried to get past a couple more exiting turn one, but had to back off because they couldn’t see me. At the end of the first lap is where my progress ended. I was able to go by Roger the first time and was behind Duhamel and just couldn’t match the grip coming off the corners. I finally got Roger and then Cragill came by once and I went back by him. I had some steam on him, but once again, I just didn’t have the grip in the rear. Marty passed me on the last lap going into turn four and I had a chance to pass him back going into seven, but we came up on a lapper and Marty went to the right, which made me have to back off and killed my drive and passing opportunity there. At that point in the race, the right side of the tire just wasn’t there, and coming on the front straightaway I had it as sideways as I cold get it without it throwing me off. The tires were consistent, they were just never great.”