Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Mystery School Yamaha’s Rich Oliver won his 70th career AMA 250cc Grand Prix race Monday at Virginia International Raceway. Oliver took the holeshot and ran away to win the 12-lap race by over eight seconds on his Robert Ward-tuned TZ250.

Priority Racing/Irish Bike’s Simon Turner kept Oliver in sight for a few laps before settling into a pace that brought him home a lonely second.

Third place was disputed between Sun Sports’ Perry Melneciuc and Stargel Aprilia’s Chuck Sorensen. Sorensen had problems during the race, and Melneciuc finished third with Sorensen fourth.

Sandy Noce, Ed Sorbo, Chris Pyles and teen Barrett Long had an entertaining battle for fifth. In the end, Pyles got his Honda RS250R across the line before Long, Noce and Sorbo.

John France passed Sean McNew on the final circuit to get ninth.

Oliver clinched the AMA 250cc GP Championship, his fifth, at the previous round of the series.


Results
250cc Grand Prix
VIR
12 laps
1. Rich Oliver, Yamaha
2. Simon Turner, TSR Honda, -8.172
3. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha, -18.846
4. Chuck Sorensen, Aprilia, -20.811
5. Chris Pyles, Honda, -42.552
6. Barrett Long, Yamaha, -42.603
7. Sandy Noce, Yamaha, -42.712
8. Ed Sorbo, Yamaha, -44.839
9. John France, Honda, -60.116
10. Sean McNew, Honda, -60.557
11. Bill Himmelsbach, Yamaha, -77.705
12. Steve Scott, Yamaha, -78.352
13. James Bonner, Yamaha, -81.045
14. Shawn Murray, Honda, -82.007
15. Stephen Bowline, Honda, -87.103
16. Mark Stiles, Yamaha, -1 lap
17. Richard Merhar, -1 lap
18. Glen Christianson, Yamaha, -1 lap
19. Justin Long, Yamaha, -1 lap
20. Sean Wray, Yamaha, -1 lap
21. Craig Secosan, Yamaha, -1 lap
22. Keith Floyd, Yamaha, -1 lap
23. Bryan Hoelzer, Honda, -1 lap
24. Colin Jensen, Aprilia, DNS
25. Ed Marchini, Yamaha, DNS
26. Bruce Lind, Yamaha, DNS
27. Joji Tokumoto, Honda, DNS
28. Matthew Guibault, Yamaha, DNS
29. Paul Hoyt Nelson, Honda, DNS

AMA 250cc Grand Prix Point Standings:

1. Oliver, 376 points
2. Melneciuc, 266 points
3. Turner, 265 points
4. Sorensen, 252 points
5. Pyles, 249 points
6. Marchini, 206 points
7. Noce, 200 points
8. Sorbo, 187 points
9. Jensen, 166 points
10. Greg Esser, 160 points