Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Chuck Graves returned to his home track of Willow Springs International Raceway August 18-19 and won each of the six Willow Springs Motorcycle Club (WSMC) races he entered, including the premier Toyota Cup Formula One Unlimited Grand Prix, on his Dunlop-equipped Yamahas.

Ken Chase, Vincent Haskovec, WSMC Operations Manager Kenny Kopecky and Bryan Kovarick also collected wins during the hot race weekend in the Mojave Desert.

A small mid-season break in the AMA National racing schedule allowed Graves Motorsports Yamaha team owner Graves the opportunity to come out and have some fun of his own, after not racing for the last several months while attending to his team’s and shop’s business. Once on the track, Graves didn’t waste a single moment. Graves started the weekend by winning the Solo GTO race on his Yamaha YZF-R1/R7 hybrid Saturday, on probably the hottest race day of the 2001 WSMC season, with ambient temperatures reaching 107 degrees F.

On Sunday, Graves picked right up where he left off by winning in 600cc Superstock, Graves Motorsports 650cc Superbike, and Hyperclub/WSMC Formula Two on Damon Buckmaster’s YZF-R6. Graves used his own personal YZF-R1/R7 hybrid Superbike to score victories in Performance Machine Open Superbike and the Toyota Cup Formula One Unlimited Grand Prix.

In the Formula One race, Graves got a small advantage before the riders even took to the grid. Chase, Haskovec and Kovarick were forced to start at the back of the grid for missing all or part of the Sunday-morning riders’ meeting. When the green flag waved, Graves grabbed the holeshot, pulled way with a 1:22.83 on lap two, and steadily added to his lead to win the 12-lap race by eight seconds. Lee’s Cycles’ Jeremy Toye took a lonely second on a Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike. (Toye also finished runner-up to Graves in Open Superbike.) White Tip Racing’s Chase came from behind to pass Haskovec and then Kovarick, despite running a used Dunlop D208 DOT-labeled rear tire that blistered during the feature race. Kovarick took fourth on his Marina Yamaha YZF-R1 ahead of Haskovec on a Hypercycle Suzuki GSX-R750.

Graves, Kovarick and Haskovec went at it again on their Yamaha YZF-R6s in Hyperclub/WSMC Formula Two. Kovarick got out in front early only to watch Graves come by on the brakes for turn three on the second lap. Graves, Kovarick and Haskovec circulated nose-to-tail in the low 1:25s until lap seven, when Haskovec on his Hollywood Motorcycles-sponsored Yamaha made his move. Haskovec pulled up beside Graves and Kovarick as the trio went three-wide into turn nine, and the Czech immigrant emerged with the lead. Graves passed Haskovec right back in turn one, however, and the three riders continued to race in a tight group. A few corners later coming through turn five, Graves accidentally hit his handlebar-mounted kill switch. Haskovec ran into the back of Graves and crashed. Kovarick took to the dirt to narrowly miss running over Haskovec. Graves got his Yamaha running again in time to hold his lead, but Jacob West passed Kovarick. Graves won by three seconds over West, Kovarick and Kopecky.

Aside from a crashed 600, Haskovec went home with a win in L&L Motorsports 750cc Superbike; second-place finishes in 600cc Superstock, 750cc Modified Production and Maxima Oil 750cc Superstock; and a fifth in the Formula One race.

Kovarick won in Open Modified Production; took thirds in Formula Two, 600cc Superstock and Open Superbike; and finished fourth in Formula One.

Ken Chase collected wins in 750cc Modified Production and 750cc Superstock and took a third in Formula One on his Michael Cox-built GSX-R750.

Kopecky won Saturday’s Solo GTU and Sunday’s Formula 40 Lightweight races, took second place in 650cc Superbike and Barnett Clutches 600cc Modified Production, and finished fourth in Formula Two, all on his Air-Tech-sponsored Yamaha YZF-R6.