Just got back from Summit Point where AMA/CCS held the last race on
their Mid-Atlantic schedule.  The Heavyweight SuperTwins title was up
for grabs as three of us had a shot at it. Bill Dietz on a 1977 900ss
Ducati had the series points lead at 58 points, Devin Battley was
second with 55 points and I was third with 54 points. I might add at
this time that both of them had been to one more race than me, so I was
quite happy with my standings. In order for Devin or I to win the
title, We would have to beat Dietz by 2 positions. Complicating matters
was the presence of Donnie Unger, arguably the best twins rider at
Summit, out of title contention with only 50 points. Should he win,
Dietz could sew up the title with a third place.

My plan was to put Devin between myself and Dietz giving me the title.
As things often turn out, Devins 888 Ducati dropped a valve in the
closing moments of the final practice session before the race. I knew
then I would have to win the race and put Donnie between Dietz and
myself to take the title. I have never been able to beat Donnie at
Summit when his bike was working properly and it was working that day.
I lead the race for the first 3 or 4 laps, until Donnie used the draft
to pass me at the end of the straight. I was never able to get back
past him and since Dietz was unchallenged in third, I lost the regional
title by 2 points. Still I am grateful for the great competitors that I
have had the privledge to race against and for even being in a title
chase that I had no plans to contest at the beginning of the season.

Whats left this season is 3 more Vintage races and one or two Pro
races. I have to do well in all the Vintage races (win 2 out of 3 with
the last being one of the wins) to keep my Vintage National title. By
going to the Pro races, I can insure that I end up the season in the
top 10 in GP1. For next season, I have to consider getting a more modern
race bike if I expect to be competitive in the Pro-Twins and SuperTwins
classes. For Vintage racing nothing will ever replace the Guzzi.