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Hopkins Leaves Today For 500cc Grand Prix Test Session At Brno

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John Hopkins and his girlfriend are scheduled to fly from San Diego to Vienna today for a Red Bull Yamaha WCM test session at Brno, Czech Republic, where Hopkins will ride a YZR500 for two days.

Hopkins, who turned 18 in May, may also test with a winning World Superbike team in the fall and has been fielding multiple AMA Superbike offers.

Last year Hopkins tested with Red Bull Yamaha WCM at Brno and after one day–his first time on the bike, at the track and using carbon-fiber brakes–turned times that would have put him 19th on the grid for the Czech Grand Prix.

Factors leading to World Championship factory team interest in Hopkins include the fact that he has won on a Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R1000 in AMA Formula Xtreme and that he has extensive experience on Michelin slicks.

Benelli Boss On The Marque’s First Superbike Point

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This Just In, in the form of a press release from Benelli:

Peter Goddard took the Benelli Tornado Superbike to a 15th-place finish at Laguna Seca Raceway in the USA to score the team’s first Superbike World Championship point.

Andrea Merloni, the owner of Benelli, was very pleased with the result, saying “This means we are now in the manufacturer’s standings, a great result after only two meetings on a brand-new bike. Our aim today was to get our first finish, so getting into the points is very satisfying.”

Despite the success he still has his feet firmly planted on the ground, “We know we have a lot
of work to do before Brands Hatch as everyone is going to expect us to improve for that meeting.”

It almost didn’t work out for Goddard, though. He had passed Broc Parkes late in the race to move into the championship points but then missed a gear losing so much time that Parkes was able to retake the position. “I’d been having trouble with the gearshift for most of the race,” said Goddard. “It had a lot of play in the lever and must have cost me five seconds in the race because I kept getting false neutrals.”

When it looked like the Benelli team would have to wait longer for that all-important first championship points finish, Giovanni Bussei made a mistake in the last turn of the final lap and crashed out. Goddard managed to avoid Bussei’s fallen machine to cross the line in 15th and score one championship point. “Now we have
our first point, one of many more to come I hope.”

Team Manager Max Zani joined in the celebrations but was overcome by the achievement. “I am speechless,” he said shortly after the race. “We’ll have a big party tonight!”

Now the team have to pack the two Tornado Superbikes and all the equipment away and head home to the team’s San Marino headquarters to prepare for the next challenge at Brands Hatch on July 29th.

AMA Officials Tear 750cc Supersport Bikes Down To The Bare Frames At Laguna

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Mechanics for first-time AMA 750cc Supersport winner Chris Ulrich and fellow podium first-timers Daigoro Suzuki and Tony Meiring were told to strip their machines down to the bare frame under the eyes of AMA officials, following the race at Laguna Seca.

The frames of all three machines were fitted into a jig and checked for stock measurements.

All three machines passed the rigorous inspection and afterwards the mechanics and riders were seen working to reassemble the bikes so they could be rolled into their trailers (Ulrich and Meiring) or van (Suzuki) for the trip home.

Gobert Vs. Hacking At Laguna Seca

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Copyright Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

On the cool-off lap for the 600cc Supersport race at Laguna Seca, Anthony Gobert and Jamie Hacking made contact repeatedly, and it wasn’t any accident. Both riders agree that contact was made; in fact, both riders readily admitted they intentionally hit the other rider.

According to both riders, Hacking was going into turn five, waving to the crowd. Gobert came up on the inside of Hacking and clipped his clutch lever, putting Hacking into a wobble. Hacking pulled up on the left side of Gobert and backhanded him in the helmet. Then Gobert pulled up alongside Hacking and started kicking at his bike.

The reason? According to Gobert, Hacking cut across the front of his Yamaha in turn two at the start of the race. Gobert was entirely unapologetic about his actions, saying instead that when he was kicking at Hacking, “I would have liked a little better impact, too. It’s frustrating, being so injured because he needs a good smack in the mouth. It’s one thing if it’s racing, but he does it on purpose. He thinks it’s funny.”

It seems that Gobert’s complaints against Hacking have been accumulating over a period of time. While discussing this incident, Gobert mentioned that Hacking ran into him at Road Atlanta.

When told the nature of Gobert’s complaint, Hacking said, “That’s it? If I’d hit him, it would be something different, I didn’t do it on purpose. If he can’t handle it, he shouldn’t be here. The problem is he can’t get up the balls to come talk to me face to face. He needs to straighten his act out. It’s racing. I’m fighting my way to the front. I’m sure it was close, but nobody even touched.”


Ui Wins British 125cc Grand Prix

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Final Results 125cc Grand Prix At Donington Park:

1. Youichi Ui, Derbi, 43:17.675
2. Toni Elias, Honda, 43:20.804
3. Manuel Poggialia, Gilera, 43:21.544
4. Masao Azuma, Honda, 43:21.641
5. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, 43:35.061
6. Simone Sanna, Aprilia, 43:41.322
7. Steve Jenkner, Aprilia, 43:41.876
8. Gino Borsoi, Aprilia, 43:42.097
9. Angel Rodriguez, Aprilia, 43:45.714
10. Gabor Talmacsi, Honda, 43:46.287

DNF Crash:
Pablo Nieto
Alessandro Brannetti
Angel Nieto
Alex De Angelis

DNF Mechanical:
Gianlugi Scalvini
Paul Robinson
Christopher Martin
Stefano Perugini

Oliver Wins AMA 250cc Grand Prix At Laguna Seca

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MBNA 250cc Grand Prix Final Race Results:

1. Rich Oliver, Yamaha
2. Jimmy Filice, Yamaha
3. Simon Turner, Yamaha
4. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha
5. Michael Hannas II, Yamaha
6. Jeff Leggitt, Honda
7. Nick Ienatsch, Yamaha
8. Colin Jensen, Aprilia
9. Michael Ellsworth, Yamaha
10. Adrian Webb, Yamaha

35. Andre Castanos, Honda, 12 laps, DNF

39. Roland Sands, Yamaha, 2 laps, DNF, crash
40. Chuck Sorensen, Yamaha, 2 laps, DNF, crash
41. Ed Marchini, Yamaha, 2 laps, DNF
42. Ben Walters, Jr., Yamaha, 1 lap, DNF

Margin of Victory: 16.513 seconds

MBNA 250cc Grand Prix Point Standings Following Laguna Seca:

1. Filice, 188 points
2. Oliver, 162 points
3. Hannas, 157 points
4. Turner, 146 points
5. Melneciuc, 131 points
6. Sorensen, 107 points
7. Ed Sorbo, 96 points
8. Marchini, 95 points
9. Greg Esser, 92 points
10. Chris Pyles, 85 points

Moore Fastest In 750cc Supersport Warm-up At Laguna Seca

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Practice Times From Sunday Morning 750cc Supersport Practice:

1. Jimmy Moore, 1:30.927
2. Ben Spies, 1:31.115
3. Richie Alexander, 1:31.275
4. Vincent Haskovec, 1:31.776
5. Chris Ulrich, 1:31.778
6. Lance Isaacs, Honda CBR600F4, 1:32.178
7. Anthony Lupo, 1:32.215
8. Tony Meiring, 1:32.254
9. Stuart Stratton, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:33.614
10. Rich Conicelli, 1:33.930
11. David Ortega, 1:34.220
12. Doug Pitcock, 1:35.004
13. Marc Palazzo, Honda CBR600F4, 1:35.405
14. Mark Crozier, 1:35.493
15. Ed Milhausen, 1:35.503

All riders on Suzuki GSX-R750s unless noted.

Updated Post: Roadracingworld.com’s Chris Ulrich Wins 750cc Supersport Race At Laguna Seca

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It was a crazy race, filled with attrition and controversy, but in the end Roadracingworld.com’s Chris Ulrich won the AMA 750cc Supersport race at Laguna Seca by 7.968 seconds over Daigoro Suzuki and Tony “The Tiger” Meiring. As Ulrich worked his way up from a bad start, AMA officials black-flagged Rich Alexander, who was racing Jimmy Moore for the lead, for what turned out to be tire smoke. Pole-sitter Vincent Haskovec crashed early-on. Ben Spies caught Moore and they battled for the lead, Spies rubbing Moore off on traffic in the corkscrew and Moore crashing. Moore restarted, his bike clearly leaking oil, but was not black-flagged by officials. Spies crashed two laps from the finish, which left Ulrich in the lead. Spies restarted but his bike was stuck in first gear because the shift linkage had been broken in the crash. Genuine Suzuki Accessories 750cc Supersport Final Results: 1. Chris Ulrich 2. Daigoro Suzuki 3. Tony Meiring 4. Richie Alexander, Jr. 5. Lance Issacs, Honda CBR600F4 6. Alan Schmidt 7. Andrew Deatherage 8. Anthony Lupo 9. Rich Conicelli 10. Takaharu Kishida, Kawasaki ZX-6R 13. Jimmy Moore, crashed 16. Ben Spies, crashed 29. Vincent Haskovec, crashed All riders on Suzuki GSX-R750 unless noted. 750cc Point Standings Following Laguna Seca: 1. Moore, 169 points 2. Alexander, 164 points 3. Haskovec, 138 points 4. Spies, 133 points 5. Meiring, 130 points 6. Ulrich, 118 points 7. Rich Conicelli, 103 points 8. David Ortega, 99 points 9. Suzuki, 98 points 10. Schmidt, 85 points

Edwards Fastest In Sunday Morning Warm-up At Laguna Seca

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Sunday Morning World Superbike Warm-up Times From Laguna Seca:

1. Colin Edwards II, Honda, 1:25.932
2. Troy Corser, Aprilia, 1:26.057
3. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:26.453
4. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:26.522
5. Tadayuki Okada, Honda, 1:26.591
6. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 1:26.621
7. Ben Bostrom, Ducati, 1:26.643
8. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, 1:26.793
9. Regis Laconi, Aprilia, 1:26.802
10. Doug Chandler, Kawasaki, 1:26.954
11. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki, 1:27.114
12. Gregorio Lavilla, Kawasaki, 1:27.176
13. Akira Yanagawa, Kawasaki, 1:27.240
14. Pierfrancesco Chili, Suzuki, 1:27.297
15. James Toseland, Ducati, 1:27.362
16. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati, 1:27.471
17. Steve Martin, Ducati, 1:27.694
18. Marco Borciani, Ducati, 1:28.171
19. Peter Goddard, Benelli, 1:28.200
20. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati, 1:28.257



Colin Edwards went faster Sunday morning than his qualifying time of 1:26.112.

Rossi Wins British 500cc GP From Third Row

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500cc Grand Prix Final Results From Donington Park:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 46:53.349
2. Max Biaggi, Yamaha, 46.55.143
3. Alex Barros, Honda, 46:55.360
4. Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, 47:00.959
5. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 47:05.875
6. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 47:06.115
7. Alex Criville, Honda, 47:09.574
8. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 47:10.048
9. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 47:10.129
10. Loris Capirossi, Honda, 47:18.130
11. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki, 47:22.554
12. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Proton, 47:38.333
13. Jason Vincent, Yamaha, 47:43.256
14. Anthony West, Honda, 47:43.382
15. Chris Walker, Honda, 47:52.465
16. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 47:58.225 (jump start, stop & go)

DNF:

Haruchika Aoki, Honda, 33:30.527 (mechanical)
Norick Abe, Yamaha, 29:16.695 (jump start, stop & go, retired)
Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha, 23:59.427 (jump start, stop & go, retired)

Hopkins Leaves Today For 500cc Grand Prix Test Session At Brno

John Hopkins and his girlfriend are scheduled to fly from San Diego to Vienna today for a Red Bull Yamaha WCM test session at Brno, Czech Republic, where Hopkins will ride a YZR500 for two days.

Hopkins, who turned 18 in May, may also test with a winning World Superbike team in the fall and has been fielding multiple AMA Superbike offers.

Last year Hopkins tested with Red Bull Yamaha WCM at Brno and after one day–his first time on the bike, at the track and using carbon-fiber brakes–turned times that would have put him 19th on the grid for the Czech Grand Prix.

Factors leading to World Championship factory team interest in Hopkins include the fact that he has won on a Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R1000 in AMA Formula Xtreme and that he has extensive experience on Michelin slicks.

Benelli Boss On The Marque’s First Superbike Point

This Just In, in the form of a press release from Benelli:

Peter Goddard took the Benelli Tornado Superbike to a 15th-place finish at Laguna Seca Raceway in the USA to score the team’s first Superbike World Championship point.

Andrea Merloni, the owner of Benelli, was very pleased with the result, saying “This means we are now in the manufacturer’s standings, a great result after only two meetings on a brand-new bike. Our aim today was to get our first finish, so getting into the points is very satisfying.”

Despite the success he still has his feet firmly planted on the ground, “We know we have a lot
of work to do before Brands Hatch as everyone is going to expect us to improve for that meeting.”

It almost didn’t work out for Goddard, though. He had passed Broc Parkes late in the race to move into the championship points but then missed a gear losing so much time that Parkes was able to retake the position. “I’d been having trouble with the gearshift for most of the race,” said Goddard. “It had a lot of play in the lever and must have cost me five seconds in the race because I kept getting false neutrals.”

When it looked like the Benelli team would have to wait longer for that all-important first championship points finish, Giovanni Bussei made a mistake in the last turn of the final lap and crashed out. Goddard managed to avoid Bussei’s fallen machine to cross the line in 15th and score one championship point. “Now we have
our first point, one of many more to come I hope.”

Team Manager Max Zani joined in the celebrations but was overcome by the achievement. “I am speechless,” he said shortly after the race. “We’ll have a big party tonight!”

Now the team have to pack the two Tornado Superbikes and all the equipment away and head home to the team’s San Marino headquarters to prepare for the next challenge at Brands Hatch on July 29th.

AMA Officials Tear 750cc Supersport Bikes Down To The Bare Frames At Laguna

Mechanics for first-time AMA 750cc Supersport winner Chris Ulrich and fellow podium first-timers Daigoro Suzuki and Tony Meiring were told to strip their machines down to the bare frame under the eyes of AMA officials, following the race at Laguna Seca.

The frames of all three machines were fitted into a jig and checked for stock measurements.

All three machines passed the rigorous inspection and afterwards the mechanics and riders were seen working to reassemble the bikes so they could be rolled into their trailers (Ulrich and Meiring) or van (Suzuki) for the trip home.

Gobert Vs. Hacking At Laguna Seca

Copyright Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

On the cool-off lap for the 600cc Supersport race at Laguna Seca, Anthony Gobert and Jamie Hacking made contact repeatedly, and it wasn’t any accident. Both riders agree that contact was made; in fact, both riders readily admitted they intentionally hit the other rider.

According to both riders, Hacking was going into turn five, waving to the crowd. Gobert came up on the inside of Hacking and clipped his clutch lever, putting Hacking into a wobble. Hacking pulled up on the left side of Gobert and backhanded him in the helmet. Then Gobert pulled up alongside Hacking and started kicking at his bike.

The reason? According to Gobert, Hacking cut across the front of his Yamaha in turn two at the start of the race. Gobert was entirely unapologetic about his actions, saying instead that when he was kicking at Hacking, “I would have liked a little better impact, too. It’s frustrating, being so injured because he needs a good smack in the mouth. It’s one thing if it’s racing, but he does it on purpose. He thinks it’s funny.”

It seems that Gobert’s complaints against Hacking have been accumulating over a period of time. While discussing this incident, Gobert mentioned that Hacking ran into him at Road Atlanta.

When told the nature of Gobert’s complaint, Hacking said, “That’s it? If I’d hit him, it would be something different, I didn’t do it on purpose. If he can’t handle it, he shouldn’t be here. The problem is he can’t get up the balls to come talk to me face to face. He needs to straighten his act out. It’s racing. I’m fighting my way to the front. I’m sure it was close, but nobody even touched.”


Ui Wins British 125cc Grand Prix



Final Results 125cc Grand Prix At Donington Park:

1. Youichi Ui, Derbi, 43:17.675
2. Toni Elias, Honda, 43:20.804
3. Manuel Poggialia, Gilera, 43:21.544
4. Masao Azuma, Honda, 43:21.641
5. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, 43:35.061
6. Simone Sanna, Aprilia, 43:41.322
7. Steve Jenkner, Aprilia, 43:41.876
8. Gino Borsoi, Aprilia, 43:42.097
9. Angel Rodriguez, Aprilia, 43:45.714
10. Gabor Talmacsi, Honda, 43:46.287

DNF Crash:
Pablo Nieto
Alessandro Brannetti
Angel Nieto
Alex De Angelis

DNF Mechanical:
Gianlugi Scalvini
Paul Robinson
Christopher Martin
Stefano Perugini

Oliver Wins AMA 250cc Grand Prix At Laguna Seca

MBNA 250cc Grand Prix Final Race Results:

1. Rich Oliver, Yamaha
2. Jimmy Filice, Yamaha
3. Simon Turner, Yamaha
4. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha
5. Michael Hannas II, Yamaha
6. Jeff Leggitt, Honda
7. Nick Ienatsch, Yamaha
8. Colin Jensen, Aprilia
9. Michael Ellsworth, Yamaha
10. Adrian Webb, Yamaha

35. Andre Castanos, Honda, 12 laps, DNF

39. Roland Sands, Yamaha, 2 laps, DNF, crash
40. Chuck Sorensen, Yamaha, 2 laps, DNF, crash
41. Ed Marchini, Yamaha, 2 laps, DNF
42. Ben Walters, Jr., Yamaha, 1 lap, DNF

Margin of Victory: 16.513 seconds

MBNA 250cc Grand Prix Point Standings Following Laguna Seca:

1. Filice, 188 points
2. Oliver, 162 points
3. Hannas, 157 points
4. Turner, 146 points
5. Melneciuc, 131 points
6. Sorensen, 107 points
7. Ed Sorbo, 96 points
8. Marchini, 95 points
9. Greg Esser, 92 points
10. Chris Pyles, 85 points

Moore Fastest In 750cc Supersport Warm-up At Laguna Seca

Practice Times From Sunday Morning 750cc Supersport Practice:

1. Jimmy Moore, 1:30.927
2. Ben Spies, 1:31.115
3. Richie Alexander, 1:31.275
4. Vincent Haskovec, 1:31.776
5. Chris Ulrich, 1:31.778
6. Lance Isaacs, Honda CBR600F4, 1:32.178
7. Anthony Lupo, 1:32.215
8. Tony Meiring, 1:32.254
9. Stuart Stratton, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:33.614
10. Rich Conicelli, 1:33.930
11. David Ortega, 1:34.220
12. Doug Pitcock, 1:35.004
13. Marc Palazzo, Honda CBR600F4, 1:35.405
14. Mark Crozier, 1:35.493
15. Ed Milhausen, 1:35.503

All riders on Suzuki GSX-R750s unless noted.

Updated Post: Roadracingworld.com’s Chris Ulrich Wins 750cc Supersport Race At Laguna Seca

It was a crazy race, filled with attrition and controversy, but in the end Roadracingworld.com’s Chris Ulrich won the AMA 750cc Supersport race at Laguna Seca by 7.968 seconds over Daigoro Suzuki and Tony “The Tiger” Meiring. As Ulrich worked his way up from a bad start, AMA officials black-flagged Rich Alexander, who was racing Jimmy Moore for the lead, for what turned out to be tire smoke. Pole-sitter Vincent Haskovec crashed early-on. Ben Spies caught Moore and they battled for the lead, Spies rubbing Moore off on traffic in the corkscrew and Moore crashing. Moore restarted, his bike clearly leaking oil, but was not black-flagged by officials. Spies crashed two laps from the finish, which left Ulrich in the lead. Spies restarted but his bike was stuck in first gear because the shift linkage had been broken in the crash. Genuine Suzuki Accessories 750cc Supersport Final Results: 1. Chris Ulrich 2. Daigoro Suzuki 3. Tony Meiring 4. Richie Alexander, Jr. 5. Lance Issacs, Honda CBR600F4 6. Alan Schmidt 7. Andrew Deatherage 8. Anthony Lupo 9. Rich Conicelli 10. Takaharu Kishida, Kawasaki ZX-6R 13. Jimmy Moore, crashed 16. Ben Spies, crashed 29. Vincent Haskovec, crashed All riders on Suzuki GSX-R750 unless noted. 750cc Point Standings Following Laguna Seca: 1. Moore, 169 points 2. Alexander, 164 points 3. Haskovec, 138 points 4. Spies, 133 points 5. Meiring, 130 points 6. Ulrich, 118 points 7. Rich Conicelli, 103 points 8. David Ortega, 99 points 9. Suzuki, 98 points 10. Schmidt, 85 points

Edwards Fastest In Sunday Morning Warm-up At Laguna Seca


Sunday Morning World Superbike Warm-up Times From Laguna Seca:

1. Colin Edwards II, Honda, 1:25.932
2. Troy Corser, Aprilia, 1:26.057
3. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:26.453
4. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:26.522
5. Tadayuki Okada, Honda, 1:26.591
6. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 1:26.621
7. Ben Bostrom, Ducati, 1:26.643
8. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, 1:26.793
9. Regis Laconi, Aprilia, 1:26.802
10. Doug Chandler, Kawasaki, 1:26.954
11. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki, 1:27.114
12. Gregorio Lavilla, Kawasaki, 1:27.176
13. Akira Yanagawa, Kawasaki, 1:27.240
14. Pierfrancesco Chili, Suzuki, 1:27.297
15. James Toseland, Ducati, 1:27.362
16. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati, 1:27.471
17. Steve Martin, Ducati, 1:27.694
18. Marco Borciani, Ducati, 1:28.171
19. Peter Goddard, Benelli, 1:28.200
20. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati, 1:28.257



Colin Edwards went faster Sunday morning than his qualifying time of 1:26.112.

Rossi Wins British 500cc GP From Third Row



500cc Grand Prix Final Results From Donington Park:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 46:53.349
2. Max Biaggi, Yamaha, 46.55.143
3. Alex Barros, Honda, 46:55.360
4. Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, 47:00.959
5. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 47:05.875
6. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 47:06.115
7. Alex Criville, Honda, 47:09.574
8. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 47:10.048
9. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 47:10.129
10. Loris Capirossi, Honda, 47:18.130
11. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki, 47:22.554
12. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Proton, 47:38.333
13. Jason Vincent, Yamaha, 47:43.256
14. Anthony West, Honda, 47:43.382
15. Chris Walker, Honda, 47:52.465
16. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 47:58.225 (jump start, stop & go)

DNF:

Haruchika Aoki, Honda, 33:30.527 (mechanical)
Norick Abe, Yamaha, 29:16.695 (jump start, stop & go, retired)
Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha, 23:59.427 (jump start, stop & go, retired)

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