Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel outlasted Jake Zemke in a race-long duel to take his fifth AMA Formula Xtreme race win of the season Saturday at Brainerd International Raceway.

Duhamel and Zemke, both CBR600RR-mounted, went back-and-forth throughout the 13-lap race. The familiar foes drafted each other on the front straightaway and exchanged the lead numerous times in Brainerd’s fast turns one, two, three and the final corner, but neither rider displayed a clear advantage.

With three laps to go, however, Duhamel put his head down, reeling off the fastest laps of the race (a 1:38.645 on lap 10, a 1:38.259 on lap 11 and a 1:38.083 on the final lap), and pulled away to win by 0.375-second over Erion Honda’s Zemke.

The win extends Duhamel’s Championship point lead from nine to 15 points.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec, the sixth-fastest qualifier, ran a very strong third behind Duhamel and Zemke. Haskovec made up for a substantial top speed disadvantage to the Hondas on the front straight by attacking the fast first corners and the infield section and was within 0.4-second of the lead mid-race, but the Czech-born racer ran wide late in the race, hit a curb, bent his bike’s front wheel and was forced to nurse his GSX-R600 home to collect his first Formula Xtreme podium of the season.

HMC Milwaukee Ducati’s Doug Chandler, American Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore and Hal’s Performance Buell’s Mike Ciccotto all experienced mechanical difficulties during the race.

Provisional AMA Formula Xtreme Race Results:

1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, 13 laps
2. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, -0.375 second
3. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R600, -8.585 seconds
4. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, -26.775 seconds
5. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha YZF-R6, -41.592 seconds
6. Michael Barnes, Buell XB9R, -50.569 seconds
7. Blake Young, Suzuki GSX-R600, -53.042 seconds
8. Larry Pegram Yamaha YZF-R6, -53.087 seconds
9. Heath Small, Yamaha YZF-R6, -56.480 seconds
10. Nicky Moore, Suzuki GSX-R600, -68.107 seconds
11. Nathan Hester, Yamaha YZF-R6, -75.017 seconds
12. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha YZF-R6, -81.289 seconds
13. Matt Prentice, Yamaha YZF-R6
14. Eric Haugo, Suzuki GSX-R600
15. Josh Bryan, Yamaha YZF-R6
16. Doug Chandler, Ducati 749R, mechanical
17. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R600, DNF, mechanical
18. Mike Ciccotto, Buell XB9R, DNF, mechanical


Provisional AMA Formula Xtreme Championship Point Standings:

1. Duhamel, 250 points
2. Zemke, 235 points
3. Gobert, 193 points
4. Haskovec, 162 points
5. Pegram, 139 points
6. Jake Holden, 121 points
7. Hester, 118 points
8. Melneciuc, 116 points
9. Barnes, 111 points
10. Small, 107 points


More, from a press release issued by Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki:

HASKOVEC ON BRAINERD FORMULA XTREME PODIUM

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki had reason to celebrate at Brainerd International Raceway on Saturday. The 3.0-mile road course was the scene of the squad’s first podium finish of the AMA season.

At the green light, Vincent Haskovec quickly guided his Formula Xtreme Suzuki GSX-R600 forward from a second row grid position into third place. He then proceeded to track down the front-running factory riders and challenge them for the lead.

“In the morning session we found a solution that
helped us go significantly faster, and I was really looking forward to the race,” Haskovec said after picking up the first Formula Xtreme podium of his career. “The leaders got about three or four seconds ahead of me early, and I was a little surprised I was able to catch up with them.”

For a majority of the final, Haskovec would lose some ground on the straight but he continued to close back in on the leading duo in the infield of the ten turn course. Fighting to maintain the hot pace required to stay up front, Vincent’s hard charging pursuit resulted in a major moment that threatened to end his stellar run. The Czech born rider held onto to finish third, however, a nice reward after several top performances this season that ended short of a podium finish.

“They stepped up their pace into the 1:38s, and I
tried really hard to stay with them,” he continued. “In Turn 6, I went up on the curbing. With the lean angle, I hit the pavement (curb) and bent my front wheel. I just had to concentrate on bring it home in third then. I’m really happy to get that podium.”

Adding to team’s Saturday success was another fine Brainerd performance by Chris Peris. The youngster followed up his impressive top-five Friday practice showing by earning a second row grid position during today’s qualifying session.

The Canadian qualified his Michelin-shod GSX-R600
Supersport machine in seventh position with a best time of 1:40.394.

Steve Rapp will line up directly behind Peris in
tomorrow’s 13-lap Supersport final. The Californian qualified in eleventh after posting a fast lap of 1:41.052.

Haskovec and Rapp will also be competing in Sunday’s Superstock final. As expected, the high-speed characteristics of the raceway with its long straight have not been an ideal fit for the team’s GSX-R750 when compared with the rival 1000cc machines.

Haskovec will start from the third row after
qualifying in eleventh at 1:38.968, while Rapp will line up on the fourth row following his thirteenth place qualifying effort (1:39.338).