RICH OLIVER CONTINUED TO ADD TO HIS POINTS LEAD BY WINNING THE ROAD ATLANTA EVENT. WITH A PRACTICE WEEK THAT WAS FILLED WITH RAIN, RICH AND ROBERT HAD TO SET UP THE BIKE WITH LIMITED PRIME CONDITION DRY TRACK TIME.
NOT HAVING BEEN AT THE EVENT LAST YEAR DUE TO INJURY, RICH WAS A LITTLE OFF THE PACE TO CHUCK SORENSEN EARLY IN PRACTICE.
AFTER A MOTOR CHANGE, RICH AND THE YAMAHA STARTED TO GAIN GROUND ON SORENSEN, AND WHEN CHUCK UNFORTUNATLY CRASHED IN PRACTICE ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON, RICH WAS ON HIS OWN FOR POLE POSITION, AND THE WIN IN THE MAIN ON SUNDAY. HARD RIDING SIMON TURNER WENT DOWN ON LAP TWO, AND CHUCK WAS UNABLE TO START THE RACE DUE TO A DISLOCATED WRIST.
IT TOOK RICH JUST OVER 22 MINUTES TO WIN THE 15 LAP MAIN, WITH AN AVERAGE SPEED OF 101.2 MPH. HE LAPED UP THROUGH 9TH PLACE RIDER SANDY NOCE.
RICH WON IN FRONT OF RECENT MYSTERY SCHOOL STUDENTS COLIN JENSEN IN SECOND, AND ED SORBO IN THIRD. CHRIS PYLES AND PERRY MELNECIUC ROUNDED OUT A TOP 5 FILLED WITH ONLY MYSTERY SCHOOL PRO CAMP GRADS!
RICH TALKS ABOUT HIS DAY, "I REALLY ENJOYED THAT ONE, WHAT WAS SO COOL WAS SEEING COLIN AND ED UP THERE ON THE PODIUM WITH ME! THEY HAD WORKED REALLY HARD WITH SEAN EDIN AND I IN OUR PRO CAMP, AND NOW THERE WERE THE RESULTS.
I TOOK MY SOON TO BE STEP DAUGHTER MEGAN UP ON THE PODIUM WITH ME, AND WE HAD LOT'S OF FUN TOGETHER. SHE WAS EVEN SIGNING POSTERS LATER IN THE TEAM TENT FOR THE FANS! KARIN AND I HAD FUN WATCHING HER AND I THINK NOW SHE'S ADDICTED TO THE WINNERS CIRCLE JUST LIKE ME, BUT IN HER WORDS IT'S; BEING UP ON STAGE!"
RICH HAS A 48 P0INT LEAD OVER PERRY MELNECIUC IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
NEXT RACE PIKES PEAK, JUNE 1ST.
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