Supersport 600

SUPERSPORT 600

Chandler rolls Sixes

KAWASAKI AND SUZUKI HAVE THE NEW BIKES IN THIS CLASS, WHILE HONDA and Yamaha await theirs. Last year, Miguel Duhamel toughed it out to win the class on the aging, chattering Honda. Here at Phoenix, there was no way.

Jason Pridmore, Ben Bostrom and Doug Chandler got away first, and there was at least virtual pushing and shoving as Aaron Yates made his way forward to challenge, while Chandler put away the other two. Pridmore managed to get between Yates and Chandler later, but the final exchanges were between Chandler, Yates and traffic.

At the end, as Chandler told it, “I saw an opportunity in traffic, and I took it,” pushing ahead only feet from the finish for his first-ever 600 Supersport win. Defending series champion Duhamel finished eighth, the first Honda. The top five were Chandler’s Kawasaki and four Suzukis.

Does Supersport racing tell us which bike to buy? That notion justifies factory team existence, so maybe I should loyally shut up and not say more. Yet I think Superbike racing has made repli-racer 750s so fancy that the real choice is between a 600 and an Open-classer. The 750s must grow the features that Superbikes need, and that raises the price. I hope the same effect doesn’t spoil the good performance-per-dollar value of 600s.

-Kevin Cameron