Rich rode his Robert Ward tuned blue rocket to a 22 second victory over defending National Champion, Chuck Sorensen. The Laguna Seca weekend was not without it's difficulties as the tempermental Yamaha gave Rich fits around the 2.5 mile Laguna circut. Finally giving in, Rich changed to his 1996 fork crowns and fork assemblies right before the race on Sunday afternoon. This last minute and desperate change gave Rich the confidence he needed in his front end settings and allowed him to ride with renewed speed and aggression!
Typical for the Laguna Seca weekend, Oliver usually celebrates his victories wildly in the corkscrew wtih his many fans, however, this weekend, Rich was concerned about the AMA penalty ramifications. Due to their unpredictable mood and varying penalty structure, one would never know what type of penalty would be levied for the celebratory antics of Rich stripping both himself and his machine! Thus, after a somber and heartfelt team meeting, Rich decided to rein in his desires for such a display and quietly and disgustingly rode to the winners circle, disappointed that he couldn't give his show to the fans in the corkscrew.
After the race, Rich commented, "This just really hurts my feelings. After all, part of racing is celebrating success and including the fans in on the process. Look at those World Superbike guys, after each leg, the come into the pits and do nothing but doughnuts and burnouts to please the crowd and thank them for all thier support. But not us in the AMA, all we get to do are wheelies and wave to the crowd-we can't even stop and throw a helmet! I understand there is a safety aspect but I have been racing for 25 years. Believe me, if I am going to stop and throw my helmet, I will do it in a safe manner.
The Championship is getting closer and that is our goal. As far as being perfect, we would all love to do that, but our number one priority is winning the Championship and taking home the last ever AMA 250 Grand Prix title.
Next Race: Mid Ohio, July 25th to the 27th!
DAYTONA, FONTANA, SONOMA, ATLANTA, ELKHART, PIKES PEAK, BRAINERD........