Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ ROAD RACE AMAICCS EBC Brakes Endurance Challeng,-e:_Ro_un_d2 I FastlineIMCM Racing (1) won the three-hour endurance race at Daytona by over a minute; here they lead Team Suzuki Endurance (52) Fastline/MCM controls Da tona Endurance By Henny Ray Abrams DAYTONA BEACH, FL, FEB. 28 fter wrestling the powerful Fastline/MCM Suzuki around the tight confines of Phoenix International Raceway at the seasonopener, Scott Zampach couldn't wait to get to the high banks of Daytona. And when he got here he made the most of it, teaming with Michael Barnes to win the 3-hour endurance race by over a minute after a trouble-free race. "I knew when we came' here this thing could stretch its legs. It's a real potent motorcycle," Zampach said after the Suzuki GSXRllOO-mounted team completed 85 laps of the 3.56-mile I)aytona International Speedway at an average speed' of 100.309 mph. Their margin of victory over the Two Brothers Honda CBR900 of Rick Kirk and Tommy Lynch was one-minute, 5.340seconds. Two Brothers led much of the race, but were forced to make extra pit stops with recurring tire problems and were dropped to second. Christian Gardner and Fritz Kling brought the Team American Honda CBR900 home third, with Kling nearly finishing second before getting passed at the end by the resurgent Lynch. "I kind of got suckered there at the end," Kling said. "When Tommy (Lynch) went by me for second, I didn't have a chance." N2 Racing finished fourth, with lead rider Jim Sabin admitting the team was ''il Ii tHe down on power" with their Kawasaki ZX7R750, as well as being hampered by poor gas mileage. And Team Yamaha Endurance finished fifth, Mark Pastir and Jeff Heino piloting the team's Yamaha FZR1000. After two rounds of the EBC Bra1ces Endurance Championship Series, Two A 12 Brothers retains their lead with 67 points, two better than FasHine/MCM Suzuki's 65 points. Team America moves into third with 49 points. It took a little luck on the last lap, but after all these years Bill Hornblower deserved it. Teaming with fellow Canadians Owen Weichel and Jon Cornwell, Hornblower earned the GTU victory when race-leader American Flyers had to pit on the final lap for fuel Cornwell, riding the anchor leg, sped into the lead and rode the team's wellused Honda CBR600 into Victory Lane. "I've been coming here for 25 years dreaming about winning a race at Daytona," Hornblower said. "It's finally here and it's hard to believe. I thought we were going to get second but 4&:6 (American Flyers) had some bad luck on the last lap." Hornblower, though, made his own luck. "We topped off OJ;l the last pace car so we could go the whole race." The team completed 82 laps and finished sixth overall. After Mike Murphy was forced in for a splash of gas on the final lap, he recovered to hold onto second with his American Flyers teammate Todd Harrington sharing the riding on the team's Honda CBR600. Third went to the newly-formed Gators Havlin tearn of Floridians David Estok and Danny Roberts. The pair also completed 82 laps, aboard a Honda CBR600 that Roberts said they were working on right up until they pushed it onto the grid. "It's feels great to be in victory lane," Daytona resident Estok said. "Especially since this is my hometown." Evan Semoff and Glenn Szarek rode the Semoff Brothers Racing Honda CBR600 to fourth, a lap down, but a lap in front of AGV Sport Group's Robert von Nessen and Woody Deatherage, who were similarly equipped. With the win Hornblower moved into the GTU championship lead with 67 points. American Flyers moved up from fifth to second with 58, and AGV Sport Group takes over third with 40. Twice during the three-hour race, run in temperatures that just hit 60 degrees, the pace ear was employed, the first time barely 10 minutes in and the second just over two hours in. Injured in the accidents were Jean Claude Gravel, who fractured a left collarbone, and Mike Lubanksi, the Holly Hill resident fracturing his right femur (thigh bone). Kling got the jump on the 78-entry field (34 GTO/44 GTU) and led onto the banking when horsepower took over. "I got the holeshot, got to the first banking and then one by one I got motored. I settled in with three or four guys and 21 (Two Brothers' Lynch) was just a little faster," Kling said. The early race was a four-rider affair, Lynch leading Dutchman Racing's Ray Yoder, Fastline's Zampach, and Team Suzuki Endurance's Kurt Hall. Separated by only a few seconds, first to fourth, the quartet stuck together until the pace car came out on the sixth lap. Bunched up behind the Pontiac Firebird, the race began anew and after three pace car laps Lynch was again at the front with Zampach up to second, Yoder third and Hall fourth. Just before the race, Team Suzuki Endurance chose to go with their new liquid-cooled GSXRllOO, even though it had a stock cam and pistons and virtually no development work. They found out early _ that, even though they had geared it up in practice, it was still up on the red-line while running in the draft. The order remained unchanged until the 18th lap when Yoder high-sided exiting turn one, breaking several bones in his right hand as well as a knuckle on his left !:'and. After extensive repairs to the Dutchman GSXRllOO, Phil Kress would re-enter the race and the team would post an eventual 14th place finish. Rider changes began just after the 45 minute mark and the running order would change as Barnes replaced Zampach. "The track's in really good condition," said Zampach, after handing off while in second place. "We're going about 90 mph faster than a lot of guys out there, but they're going good now as long as they hold their line." Later in the race Zampach would have a change of heart. As the hour mark approached, Team Magic, once in a four-way fight for fourth, had to park behind the pit wall. Team owner Jan-Erik Svensson explained that the sleeve on the number four cylinder had cracked allowing all the water to escape. "I went out (after lead rider Erik Moe) and realized there was no water in it. I went only one lap and it was pumping water out like a fountain." The team would be credited with a 23rd place finish. Pit activity became more frantic after the hour with Team Suzuki Endurance changing riders and a rear sprocket when Kurt Hall pitted. Michael Martin was out in third place. "We geared it up," dropping one tooth on the rear sprocket, tearn owner John Ulrich said. "Kurt (Hall) was redlined the entire first hour." Gardner replaced Fritz Kling for Team America just after the hour with the team in fourth place. Kling had tried running out front, but found he was down on power. "The 21-bike (Two Brothers Racing) is just a little faster," Kling said, adding that because he was in with a group he was able to improve gas mileage and stay out longer. "Normally, we go 55 minutes. This time I went an hour-ten and I didn't have to have the throttle open all the way." Rick Kirk pitted near the 1:15 mark and the Two Brothers team replaced the rear tire before Lynch took over and rejoined the field. The stop cost 18 seconds, but they were able to hold onto the lead, though Barnes closed right up and took the lead just a few laps later. "I was doing 56s," Lynch said. "That's just what's comfortable. The Honda's working really good in the infield. HopefUlly it'll be good on the tires." But, apparently, it wasn't. A little over 35 minutes into his shift, Kirk chunked a front tire On the banking, the flying rubber from the Bridgestone tire knocking his front fender off, nearly hitting him, and forcing a premature pit stop. Both front and rear tires were changed and Kirk was back out. Team Suzuki Endurance's Martin had moved into the lead just after the midway point and held it until he pitted to hand off to Hall as the two-hour mark neared. It was Martin's first taste of big bore horsepower on the high banks and it was an experience he won't soon forget. "It's an eye-opener, especially after the Supersport stuff," the defending WERA Endurance Champion said. "It's pretty hairball due to traffic. You come up on people so bloody fast. "I tried not to spin or slide it too much. We change the rear tire every stop anyhow. The speed we can go is regulated by the tires," Martin said.

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