Throwback Thursday: Mid-Ohio Superbike Start (1992)
Larry Lawrence | March 2, 2017
The start of the 1992 AMA Superbike race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. (Larry Lawrence photo)
In this week’s Throwback, we travel back 25 years to 1992 and the AMA Superbike race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. This is the start of the 25-lap Superbike final. The front row featured top factory riders Jamie James (No. 2) of Vance & Hines Yamaha, Pascal Picotte (No. 34) and Doug Polen (No. 23) both of Ferracci Ducati and Scott Russell (No. 17) on the Muzzy Kawasaki.
Doug Polen would go on to win the race over Thomas Stevens and Tom Kipp. The day turned tragic when Vance & Hines Yamaha rider Larry Schwarzbach crashed on the final turn and was gravely injured. Schwarzbach, one of the rising young stars of the championship, died two days later in a Cleveland hospital.
Schwarzbach’s death led to calls for safety improvements and the barrier on the final turn was later moved back from the edge of the track.
Scott Russell would go on to win that year’s AMA Superbike Championship.