Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ ROADRACE AMA/CCS EBC Brakes Endurance Challenge Series: Round 7 e Dutchman Racing's Tom Kipp (shown) and Dale Quarterley (I) defeated The Human Race Team's Ray Yoder (17) to win a wet three-hour endurance race at Mid·Ohio. Human underdog: (L·R) Yoder rode solo against the might of Dutchman's Quarterley and Kipp, and Dutchman Irs Donnie Greene, Donald Jacks and Jacques Guenette. Five D hmngang up utc e on one Human at Mid-Ohio By Brian Catterson Photos by Larry Lawrence LEXINGTON, OH, AUG. 4 he best-laid plans of mice and men, or Humans, can sometimes go awry, and that 's what happened in the rain-sodden three-hour Endurance Challenge at Mid-Oh io. Lured by the $1000 bounty posted by series sponsor EBC Brakes for the first team who can beat both Dutchman Racing and Dutchman II, The Human Race Team tried for the second time to capture the cash. However, the former WERA National Endurance Champions were again denied as Dutchman Racing's Dale Quarterley and Tom T 24 Kipp won their fourth race of the season. Dutchman II's Donald Jacks, Donnie Greene andjacques Gu enette finished second, while the Humans wound up third with an ill-running bike, and after being docked a lap for going the wrong way on pit road during the race's only red-flag period. The Humans' hopes were seemingly dashed very earl y when the two riders they'd planned to field - Rick Kirk and Tatsuro Arata - were both injured in practice crashes. Kirk crashed his Yoshimura Suzuki superbike and separated his shoulder, while Arata's weekend came to an end when he crashed his Moto Liberty Yamaha Supersport bike on the first lap of practice, injuring his leg and thumb. The 29-year-old Japanese rider, who had just returned from the Suzuka 8-Hour, went out to practi ce wearing new boots which were apparently too large, and he somehow managed to run over his foot when it slipped off the peg. Kirk and Arata would have been a decimating combination, but with both riders on the disabled list Zupan chose sometime-H uman Ray Yoder to fill the bill. Yoder was slated to be joined by Mark Foster, but as it turned out Yoder would go the distance solo. Yoder wore Kirk's leathers, complete with " Rick" emblazoned on the chest. Rain had been thr eatening all day Satu rday, and as the endurance competitors gridded for the 2:50 p.m. start, a light sprinkle began to fall. At the wave of the green flag, Team Mad Dog's Michael Barnes took the ea rly lead followed by Dutchman Racing's Quarterley, Team Toomer T oo's Glen Barry, Dutchman II 's Greene, and Keystone Racing's Tripp Nobles, all except Mad Dog (Yamaha) riding Suzuki GSXRlIOOs. The two Yamaha FZRlOOOs of Boulder Yamah a and The Human Race T eam ran sixth and sevent h. Fastline-MCM Racing's race came to an end on lap one as Jeff Stern lost the front end of his Suzuki and crashed in the final turn leading onto the pit straight. The bike smacked the trackside guardrail, punching a hole in the fuel tank and erupting in flames, which were quickly extinguished by a cornerworker. "The track 's so wet, they should never have started this race," Stern said, sternly. Stern's sentiments were echoed, with a few expletives added, by Larry Shorts, who crashed the Just For Fun Yamaha FZR600 while running third in the GTU class after leading the first lap. Quarterley passed Barnes through the esses on lap two to take the lead, just as the clouds exploded. As the rain ' began to pour down, it soon became apparent that the GTO teams, most of whom were on slicks, would have to pit to change tires. The first rider to pit was Quarterley, who called in only to be sent right back out because Dave Schlosser's Dutchman Racing crew hadn't finished bolting the brake rotors onto their spare wheels. When Quarterley returned to the pits a few laps later, the crew quickly changed the wheels and tires and he rejoined the race, albeit some distance behind the leaders. Meanwhile, Donnie Greene was circulating on the Dutchman II bike, having to wait until the crew was done with Quarterley's bike before pitting. Finally, some 18 minutes after the race began Greene pitted, and his stop was even quicker than Quarterley's. " 1 just gritted my teeth until they called me in, " Greene said, adding that th e newl y resurfaced track was extremely slick, particularly at the concrete apexes, which are utilized to pr event cars from tearing up the asphalt. . Each of the leading GTO teams pitted for rain tires, and the disparity in procedures was stunning. The Human Race Team crew put their years of "real" endurance racing experience to work to make the quickest stop , and their fast work in the pits allowed Yoder to take the lead - although he didn't know it. Mad Dog's stop was so m ew h a t slower, with the crew having to switch their only set of brake rotors from one wheel to another. However, their effort was better than Boulder Yamaha's, who only had one set of wheels, and who had to switch the tires on the rims right there in the pitsl Team Toomer Too's Jake Van Vleet was thankful to FastlineMCM's Jeff Stern, who lent the team his wheels after he'd crashed out; Toomer would have been in the same boat as Boulder Yamaha, since they onl y had on e set of wheels. Tire changes weren't limited to the GTO class. GTU leader Jeff Farmer of Team T oomer also pitted for a change of rubber, despite the fact that his team, like most (if not all ) of the other GT U efforts rode on DOT-approved street tires. Toomer simply swi tched to a . softer-compo und Avon with the same tread pattern. _ The flurry of pit activity created a scoring nightmare, but at the one-hour mark the race was red-flagged, allowing everyone to regroup. Riders had been crashing left and right, and with four bikes down in one corner , and the likelihood of another falling there as well, officials opted to halt the race. It was then that the Humans' race went to hell in a handbasket, as Yoder, unfamiliar with AMAlCCS procedures, came to a stop at the edge of the track under the turn one spectato r bridge;' While some clubs ' (WERA included) rules call for riders to coast to a halt when the red flag is displayed , AMAI CCS rules dictate that they proceed back to the pits at a reduced pace; Yoder then made the mistake of following two (unidentified) GTU riders backward down the pit road, and was seen by' a few rival teams who quickly pointed out the infraction to officials. .The result was that the Humans were docked a lap. Yoder pleaded ignorance: "I was told by an official to get back to the pits, so I pushed it back in and got docked for itl" The pertinent rule, number 3.3.4, section C in the AMAlCCS road race rulebook, states that a rider can't ride or push counter-race " un less directed to do so by an official or corner marshall." Despite Yoder's plea, th e decision would stand. , Human Race Team Captain Dave Zupan felt the ruling was "political," since his team contests the rival WERA series: "It looks pretty bad that we were the only ones who got docked," he argued. Perhaps Quarterley's statement during Sunday morning's riders meeting, where the topic again arose, summed it up best: "How are they (the officials) going to talk to you if you're going 30 mph? It was his (Yoder's) fault for stopping." Ironically, Team Muzzy Kawasaki's Scott Russell would lose Sunday's 600cc Supersport race' due to the same infraction. During the red flag period, Kipp had the Dutchman crew soften up the suspension, because with the exception of tires the bike was still set up for a dry track. They also taped around the airbox and rear tire to keep as much rain water as possible out of the carburetors. As Kipp would say later, "That red flag saved us." With the Humans being docked a lap, Dutchman II was credited with the lead, one lap ahead of the field. The restart from original grid positions saw Kipp grab the holeshot, then take advantage of his bike's now-perfect wet-weather setup to make up the lap and pass Guenette to take the lead. It was an awesom e exhibition of fearless rain riding, as the local Ohio resident aimed to impress his many friends and fans, Jacks replaced Guenette on the Dutchman II machine, and rode what he called the "funnest" race of the year to claim second place. Jacks crossed the

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