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WERA season wraps up at Road A tlanta

Team Suzuki Endurance had two reasons to celebrate following the WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta: The team had won its 13th race of the 15-race series and earned its sixth national endurance title, and its number-one rider. Mike Smith, became the new Formula USA Champion.

In taking the 1 990 F-USA title, Smith dethroned his teammate, Kurt Hall, who won the title in 1 989, its first season as a nationwide series.

The F-USA Championship came to Road Atlanta for its two final rounds—a 1 O-lap affair held on Thursday as a replacement for the rained-out race at Indianapolis Raceway Park, and a 20-lap season finale on Sunday. Aside from Smith, the only rider having a shot at the title was Team Marlboro Roberts Yamaha’s Rich Oliver, who had remained in contention despite the fact that he rode a Yamaha TZ250 against the unlimited-displacement machines of his rivals all season long. Team Roberts brought a YZR500 grand prix bike into the country for the final round at horsepower-hungry Road Atlanta, but

Oliver was nursing a broken right wrist suffered in an accident at a race in Spain, and another crash on his 250 in practice meant he would watch from the sidelines.

Instead, O!ivers teammate Robbie Petersen rode the OO. with which he nianaged to \Vifl On Sun day. Local favorite Scott Russell looked certain to win, but a clutch

failure prior to Sunday's final re sulted in him starting from pit row. Though Russell was able to lower the track record by more than a second, he could only work up to second place. some distance behind Petersen. Smith wrapped up the cham pionship with a win on Thursday. a good thing because Sunday was not kind to him. First he missed the FUSA final after being knocked down on the starting grid~ then he was forced to "withdraw" his entry following a win in the 750cc Suzuki Cup Final when it was discovered during a post-race teardown that his 1990-model GSX-R750 had an `89 exhaust cam, a substitution not al lowed under the series' rules. Smith's withdrawal gave the 750 win to California teenager Tommy Lynch. with Hall second and Rick Kirk third. Hall rebounded to win the 1100cc Suzuki Cup Final over Smith and yet another Team Suzuki member. Britt Turkington. In 1991. Team Suzuki will he even stronger, as Smith will join Lynch aboard Yoshimura-prepared machines in the U.S. Superbike Championship. while Hall. Turkington and newcomer Michael Martin will try to repeat as endur ance champions.