The WERA Air Tech Formula II podium at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1992 – (from left) third-place Kurt Hall, winner Chris D’Aluisio and second-place Robbie Petersen. (Larry Lawrence photo)
Southwest Motorsports teammates Chris D’Aluisio and Robbie Petersen raced wheel to wheel for 40 miles in the WERA Air Tech Formula II race at Indianapolis Raceway Park in August of 1992. It was West Redding, Connecticut’s D’Aluisio who won by inches at the checkered flag. Kurt Hall passed Red Line Racing’s Rich Oliver on the final lap to nail down third. Hall, riding for Scott Hall Imports, took over Air Tech F-II points lead.
Coming into Indy Hall was considered by his fellow racers as the pre-race favorite. Hall, who called IRP his home track, probably had more laps around the 2.5 mile circuit than the rest of the F-II field combined. He downplayed the predictions. “This is my first year on a 250 and I’m still learning how to ride this bike,” explained Hall.
Petersen took the early lead in the final. On the first lap the field looked like a 25-bike freight train. All of the bikes from first to last were racing single file just inches apart from each other. By the third lap a seven-bike break away developed with in order, D’Aluisio, Petersen, Danny Walker, Rich Oliver, Chuck Sorensen, Bruce Baldus and Hall.
Southwest Motorsports teammates Robbie Petersen (16) and Chris D’Aluisio (2) had a great battle in the WERA Formula 2 race at Indianapolis Raceway Park (now called O’Reilly Raceway Park) back in a WERA National Series race in 1992. D’Aluisio won with a late-race pass on Petersen. Petersen was filling in on the Southwest Motorsports team while Colin Edwards was racing in Japan. (Larry Lawrence photo)
At mid-race D’aluisio and Petersen were trading the lead about four seconds ahead of Oliver, Baldus, Walker and Hall. Sorensen had fallen of the pace a bit and was riding by himself in seventh. On the final lap D’Aluisio dug in turning a 1:35.9 and got in front of Petersen to win by a scant half second.
“I had a feeling the race would come down between Robbie (Petersen) and I,” said D’Aluisio. “I just went as hard as I could on the final laps. I didn’t really pay attention to where Robbie was because I don’t look back much.”
“I ran up on Jim Bonner and the last lap,” explained Petersen. “I lost a little drive getting around him. I don’t really know if I could have caught Chris or not.”
While D’Aluisio and Petersen were taking the checkered flag, Hall moved past a sliding Oliver to pull out third place. “My tires were gone,” Oliver said. “I was sliding out of every corner on the last lap. Then Kurt made a good move on me and there wasn’t anything I could do.”
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