Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126957
(From left to right) Solmax Racing, Human Race Team and Team Suzuki jet off the line at Willow Springs. Team Suzuki ran out of gas early in the race, but managed to salvage a third place finish in the Heavyweight Superbike ranks. Hyper-Cycle's team of Carry Andrew (left) and Jeff Herzog topped the field at the second round of the WERA National Endurance Series. WERA/EBC Brakes National Endurance Series: Round 2 Hyper-Cycle wins Willow Six-Hour By Mjke Gillies Photos by Gillies and Rosenbelt Villanueva ROSAMOND, CA, APR. 4 Team Hyper-Cycle's Carry Andrew and Jeff Herzog used quick pit stops and consistent lap times to march their Suzuki GSXR750 to the overall victory against a field of 2 GSXR11 OOs at Willow Springs I International Raceway. Hyper- Cycle completed 224 laps for 560 total miles in the six-hour race. The Suzuki GSXRIIOOs of Brink and Son Racing, Team Hoe and Team Suzuki (formerly Team Hammer and winners of the opening' round at Roebling Road) took the top three positions early in the race WIth Hyper-Cycle fourth and Genesis Racing's Yamaha FZRlOOO in fifth (first in Production). Before the one-hour mark, Pete Carroll had put the Team Suzuki entry into second, and was closing on Brink and Son. Two turns after putting the move on Brink and Son, however, Carroll rolled to a stop on the inside of turn eight. The big Suzuki had run out of fuel, forcing Carroll to push the bike almost one mile back to the pi ts. The team quickly refueled and Carroll gave way to Mike Harth, but Team Suzuki had lost more than .seven· minutes to the leaders and would be forced to play catch up for the remainder of the race. "I think the new bike's using more fuel than last year's," Team Suzuki vice-president John Ulrich said. "And we didn't count on taking two warm-up laps." Brink and Son Racing figured a fuel stop was in order, but spent some time listening to their engine as well, which sounded as if it had an exhaust leak, or possibly valve-train problems. They continued running the bike, but had dropped to sixth place because of the extended stop. This turned the lead over to Hyper-Cycle, with Team Hoe a distant second Racing in the Heavyweight Production class was a bit closer, with Solmax Racing USA's Yamaha FZRIOOO running first-in-class after the first hour, and the Suzuki GSXR750 of Team Phantom closing in. The Human Race Team, running the only Yamaha FZR750 in the field, was third and holding off charges by Team Silverstar's Suzuki GSXR750. In ninth overall was the Yamaha FZ600 from Bedrock Racing of Costa Mesa, California, who went on to win the Middleweight Production class, while beating the entire Middleweight Superstreet class as well.