Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The second Formula USA Unlimited Superbike race at Portland International Raceway was red-flagged at about 3:40 p.m. local time when three bikes crashed coming out of turn nine onto the front straightaway, with the dislodged fuel tank from one bike catching on fire. The involved riders were Ty Howard, Craig Connell and John Dugan.

Several bikes got into the concrete wall outside the front straight, past the Alpina Air Module sections placed at the beginning of the straightaway. Following the crash, Formula USA Safety Director Roger Lyle took a crew to the nearby Super TT track and took back another section of Air Module and placed it–and a reserve section–to extend coverage on the front straight wall. Lyle said he had not extended the Air Module coverage previously because OMRRA officials warned that riders could hook handlebars on it if they took a wide line onto the straightaway. OMRRA officials said they counted on riders contacting the wall at a shallow angle if they reached it all, at that point on the racetrack.

According to Dugan, the crash started when Lee Acree’s bike puked liquid onto the racetrack, causing Howard to highside; Howard’s spinning bike collected Connell while Dugan got sideways and crashed trying to turn inside the crashed bikes.

Connell’s AMS Ducati lost its gas tank, which caught on fire after spilling fuel.

Arclight Suzuki owner Chuck Warren said that a water hose on Acree’s bike came loose and that the engine had lost all its water. Warren said that the hose may have come off as the result of damage suffered when Acree crashed in the first race. Racer and eyewitness Shawn Higbee said that Acree’s crash in the first race happened after Acree collided with teammate Brian Parriott.

Howard and Connell were unconscious and were transported to the hospital, while Dugan returned to his pit area; Dugan said that he had torn ligaments in his right knee.

Hero of the melee was Synergy Racing’s Marc Palazzo, who saw Connell lying unconscious in a puddle of fuel near the burning gas tank as the red flag came out; Palazzo stopped his bike, turned around and rode back to Connell, then dragged Connell out of the spilled fuel before it ignited. Palazzo reached Connell before any workers did and said he was assisted by another rider, whom he could not identify.

A complete restart went off at about 4:20 p.m..