Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Former AMA and World Superbike Champion Scott Russell won the SuperTT Pro class SuperMotard race Saturday at Road Atlanta. Russell came from behind on his Maxxis-equipped KTM World KTM LC4 to pass KTM 525 rider Aaron Howe and go on to take the victory. Howe took second in the 15-lap main event, ahead of Greg Tysor on a Honda CRF450F, Kelley Payne on a Suzuki DR-Z400 and David Sadowski on a Honda CRF450F on Maxxis tires.

Mike Smith fell behind early in the race, ran off the track several times trying to make up time and finished eighth on a Pirelli-equipped Cannondale 440.

The SuperTT course was laid out with low-profile cones, plastic barrels, haybales and tire walls in the AMA/Pro paddock inside the Road Atlanta road course, which is not used for the WERA GNF being held at Road Atlanta this weekend. The three-quarter-mile track ran down hot pit lane and into the gravel area behind the paved paddock. According to GMD Computrack’s Kent Soignier, a competitor in the SuperTT race, deep tire ruts–formed in the gravel by the racebikes–exposed buried electrical cables. During a break in the SuperTT program, track workers piled enough gravel in front of the cables to create a jump, solving the problem.