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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127377
'J new' mi leage record. T he leadi ng team had some problem s wi th wheel weights flying off the bike late in the race, bu t that problem was quickly so lved an d proved to be the only setback they had in the race. Hall N' Still was in second, two laps a head of Team Del Amo who had moved past Roswell for third, but Hall N' Sti ll had yet to make their final tir e change. Bo th Del Amo and Roswell Raci ng ha d sto pped to cha nge tires, which meant the race for second wou ld come right do wn to the wire. All eyes were on the Hall N ' Still pi t as Ba ld us wheeled the big Suzuki in for new rubber. T he tire change went as planned until th e very last moment when a crew member had trouble gelling the bra ke safety clips in place. As Bobb y Van Nessen roared the HNSR back out on the tra ck, the team held on to second over Del Amo. Wi th fresh tires the team was now in a good position to hold the runneru p positi on. In th e fin al hour, Team Suzuki End urance eclipsed the o ld m ileage reco rd they had set last year. It wa s yet a no ther outstanding performance for the decade o ld endurance squad. Suzuki's .margi n of victory after 24 hours of racing was a whop ping 93.24 miles. Del Amo got within 16 seconds of Ha ll N' Still befo re Curtis Adams crashed in turn four with j ust 20 minu tes to go in the race. It was a biller end for the team , particu larly in ligh t of the fact tha t they had suffered a similar fate a t last year's 24-Hour West. With Del Amo out, Hall N' Still cruised home in second, four laps a head of Roswell Racing. The top t hree tea m s had fie ld ed Suzuki GS XR l l OOs. Impressivel y, a ll of the top 10 finishers logged 2000 or more mil es. Even afte r having to settle for third, the R o swell team was extrem ely pleased. " We've had a tough time fin ish in g six-hour races in the past," said team captain David Harman. " I th in k this race shows just how far this tea m has come this year ." For Jim Still of H all N' Still Racin g, the second overall fin ish and Hea vyweight Prod uctio n class win was par for the course fo r th is team. In th e three 24-hour races the tea m has entered, they've wo n their class each ti me . " This was the first time a t Willow for us," said Still. " We've ridden Nelson (the Nelson Ledges 24-Ho ur) twi ce, but you always hea r the horror stories about Willow . The track has a reputa tion for taking teams out la te in the race, as it did to Del Amo. We're j ust ha ppy to hav e made it through. " For Suzuki's Kurt H all , this was hi s sixth win in a 24-hour race. " It takes an unbelievable commitment on th e part of everybody on th e team," Hall said. "I really want to thank a ll of th e people tha t wer e i n volved in this record-setting effort." £N Resu lts O/A: Team Sw uki End ura nce (Suz) 886 la ps; 2. Hall N' Still Racin g (Suz) 849; 3. Roswell Raci ng (Suz) 815; 1. T eam Pasta Marin (Yam) 843; 5. Tea m Del Amo #1 (Suz) 840; 6. Force Raci ng (Yam ) 838; 7. Lo ng Beach Y am ah a (Yam ) 827; 8. Tea m Lips (Suz) 827; 9. Ardight Racing (Ha n ) 824; 10. Madness Racm ~ (Ya m) 803; I I. T eam Belchfi re (Ya m) 792; 12. HI Ho pes (Yam ) 768; 13. Team Ha waii Too (Han) 760; 14. Pega sus Ra cin g (Suz) 738; IS. Oz Racing (Yam) 726; 16. Team Extreme (Ha n) 717; 17. Cycle Racer (Vam ) 622: 18. Visio n Q uest Racin g (Suz) 581; 19. Flash ligh t Racing (Yam ) 371; 20. T eam Hawaii (Ya m ): 2 1. T ea m Speed In du ced (H a n): 22. T eam Del Ama #2 (Yam ) 84. H IW S/ BK: 1. Team Suzuki En durance; 2. Tea m Del Arna #1 (Sur ): 3. Team lips: 4. Pegasus Racin g: 5. Vision Qu est Racin g. HIW PROD: I. Hall N ' Still Raci ng ; 2: Roswell Racing; 3. Force Racin g. MIW S/BX: I. Team Pasta Marin; 2. Lo ng Beach Yamaha; 3. Madn ess Racing ; 4. Team Belchfire: 5. Team Hawai i Too. Ml W PROD: I: Ardi gh. Racing; 2. Flashlight Raci ng. VW: I. 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