Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Round 4: Laguna Seca Raceway Nick Ienatsch (1) leads the way on the Erion Racing Honda CBR900 at the start of t he AMAICCS Unlimited Team Cha llenge endurance race at Laguna Seca Raceway; Muzzy Kawasaki (17) and FastlinelMCM Suzuki (2) give chase. ning the number-on e pl ate," Kevin Erion said after the team's win, thou gh he wouldn' t gua ran tee lenatsch a rid e for the next race. "We'll go into the next race the same as this race and see what happens. We have such a good selection of ri ders to choose fro m. It's a group effort. No one feels slighted or left out." " It took m e a while to get up to speed," Guen ette said. "Unfortunately, . th e r ace e nded before 1 co u ld catch Larry (Pegra m), bu t Lar ry was rid ing g ood." Nob les sa id tha t, d espit e w in n ing Da ytona, th e team was s till tr yin g to work th e bugs o u t of what is a new motorcycle. " Day to na is a n easy tra ck . Now we' re on tracks you have to ride on," the Georgian said . "We're definitel y going in .the righ t ~irection. We're still in the pomts chase. 0Laguna Seca Raceway Monterey, Cali fornia Res ults: May 22, 1994 Erion goes back to the future By Henny Ray Abrams MONTEREY, CA, MAY 22 ick lenatsch didn't know for sure that he'd be rid ing the Erion Racing Honda CBR900 until the morning of the race, but when he got the call he was ready. He was one of the pilots that had taken the bike to the National Championship last year, and was anxious to carry the nu mberone plate into action. One final incentive was that Laguna Seca was where he'd gotten the caIl to fill in last year, and the site of only the first of many successful rides. So when the flag dropped he was prepared, taking the lead on the 11th lap and hanging onto it until handing off to Larry Pegram after a 35-m inute shift. Pegram ran second for a few laps before drawing a bead on Fastline /MCM Suzuki's Jacqu es Guenette Jr. and passing him on the 25th lap. From there to the end it was s moo th sa ili ng, w it h Pegram ta king his first road-ra ce wi n ever, better than five seconds clear at the end of the one-hour race. " It was just a walk in the p ark," Pegra m said. lena tsch explained, "This morning Kevin (Erion) said 'Why d on't we try it again?' 1 did three laps of practice on it before the race." It was mo re than enoug h. The pair completed 38 laps of the Laguna Seca circu it at an average speed of 84.754 mp h. They would win by 5.256 seconds, tho ugh Pegram slowed at the end after having had as much as an l l-second cushion. "Nick (Iena tsch ) helped m e in the champions hip last year and that' s why we w a nted to p ut h im on th e bike," Erion said . Guenette teamed with Tommy Lynch to finish second on the heav ier and less nimb le Suz u ki GSXRll OO of Fast line / MCM Suzuki. Lyn ch explained tha t in traffic the Honda was easier to handle. II 30 "They can get in the turns a little better," Lynch said. Finishing third was another 900, the Team Kawasaki /Muzzy entry pil oted by Tiger Sohwa and Tripp Nobles. The pair ran third throughout most of the race, though Nobles turned in a number of impressive laps at the end and came up just short of passing Guenette. Theirs was the only team tha t changed a rear tire and it may have cost them second place . Nobles sai d the team had made changes to the front end and that it "handled like a d ifferent m otorcycle from Pomona to here." Nobles went on to say: "Towards the end , 1 caught a glimpse o f Jac ques ' leathers. 1 went from 18 seconds do wn to four seconds in my half hour - just a day late and a dollar short." Team Labelle' s Dave Sad owski and Mike Harth were fo ur th, with Ha r th d oing most of the riding on the tea m's Honda CBR900. The Dom inator Suz uki GSXRI100 o f Lee Sh ier ts an d David Emde finished fifth. E ri on Racin g, w hich came in to the race ti ed fo r th e lead in the cha m p ions hip point st andings, moved ahead by fo u r with their second w in of the year . With four races run, Erion Racing has 128 points to Fastline/MCM Suzuki's 124. Team Kawasaki Muzzy is third with 123. lena tsch got the jump on the field at the start of the one-hour event. Sohwa was second with Thomas Stevens third, testing his Yos himura sup erbike. -Stevens would pit on the fifth lap and the race would begin in earnest, with Sad owski taking the lead in front of lenatsch an d Lynch. Next came Sohwa in fron t of Du tchman Racing's Chris Taylor, wit h a gap back to Blackhawk Rae. ing's Shawn H igbee who fronted H. I. . Racing's Dal e Kieffer, an d Keystone/ Norths tar's John Jacob. The lead went to lenatsch on the 11th lap as Sadowski waved h im by, th en Lync h mo ved up to second in fron t of Sad owski as the lead trio pulled eight seconds clear of Sohwa. The Japanese rid er was all alone in front of Taylor afte r losing th e front end in tum four and nearl y crashing. On the 13h lap, Sadowski came in to give way to Mike Harth, but then the team had a lengthy pit stop and Harth lost several spots. The rest of the top teams began to pit for changes . Scott Gray got on the Dutchman bike for Taylor on the halfhour mark; Nobles got on for Sohwa a minute later, th e team also making a rear tire change. At the 35-minute mark, Pegram took over for Ienatsch, allowing Lynch to take over the lead , bu t only for a lap . He pitted on the next lap, givin g the con trols to Guenette. "1 was bid ing my time an d 1 was hitting traffic at the wrong spots," Lynch sa id . " We wer e keeping them r ight ther e." For Ienatsch, it was his first chance to ride the imp roved vers ion of the bike that he'd rid den to the title, an d he was imp ressed. " It's abou t 20 per cen t better ," len atsch said. "They cha nged the powerba nd around, cu t the fuel tank a way, and th e Bridgestones are very good . They have so much side grip. It has a little more cornering speed and it's better on the brakes - those are the tw o things tha t are hard to get right away." Dutchman's hopes for a win ended on the 23rd lap w hen Gray crashed while running thi rd . H e would re- . mount to finish 13th. Out front, Pegram wou ld take the lead on the 25th lap. Guenette was second , Nobles was third and Ha rth moved back up to fourth, abo u t five seconds behind Nobles. Tha t would be the order of finish, with Pegram winning by 5.256 seco nds. Guenette was about the same gap in front of Nobles, with the Muzzy Kawasa ki rid er a lmost 45 seco nds in front of Harth. "Really, Nick is responsible for win- EBC BRAKES UNLIMITED TEAM CHALLENGE, 1. Erion Racin g (Han); 2. Fastline/MCM Suzuki (Suz ); 3. Team Kawasaki/ Muzzy (Ka w); 4. Team Labell e (Hon ); 5. Do mi n a tor (Suz) ; 6. Ind igo Spor ts (Ka w); 7. H .1. Raci ng { Hen) : 8. Spor ts land of Laram ie (Yam ); 9. Bla ckhawk Racing (Ya m) ; 10. Key stone /No r ths ta r (Ya m ); 11. Van Ma r / C old Hill Racing (Yam) ; 12. Ca lifo rnia Kawa sa ki (Ka w) ; 13. Dutchman Racin g (Ya m ); 14. An de r so n / Dy na mic Raci n g (Ya m ); 15. Au tomania (lUw); 16. Team Dream (Ho n); 17. Tea m Bieffe (Kaw); 18. Neo n Bandi ts (H a n); 19. P &. A Racing (5 uz) ; 20. Team Racela w (Ka w ); 21. Team Ame rica (Hon); 22. Team Privateers (Suz); 23. Zalecki Racin g (yam); 24. Cycle Riden (Suz); 25. Tea m Bud (Suz); 26. Circl in g Dog Racin g (Suz); 27. Two H us ky Racin g (Ka w) ; 28. Larivie re Racin g (Suz ); 29. Tall an d Small Raci ng (Han); 30. Stevens Rac in g (S uz ); 31. Tea m Yos himura (Suz); ~2. Slo t Ca r Racewa y / Mon te rey (Suz); 33. lack·. Racing (Suz); 34. Team FBF (Due); 35. H a rley-David son (H -D ); 36 . Cent ra l Coa st Racin g (Ka w ); 37. Hel ler &. Owen (Due ). . Time: 59 minutes, 33.566 seco nds. Distance: 38 laps, 83.6 miles. Average speeds 84.754 mph. Mugin of victory: 5.256 sees. EBC BR A K ES UNLIM ITED T EA M CHALLENGE C'SHIP POI NT STANDINGS (After 4 of 11 ro und.) : 1. Erio n Racing (128/2 wins ); 2. Fastline/ MCM Suzuki (124); 3. Team Kawasaki/Muzzy (123/1); 4. Dutchman Racing (115 /1 ); S. (TIE) Blackhawk Racing/Sportsland of Lar amie Racin g (93); 7. (TIE) Keystone Northstar / And erson-Dynamic (83); 9. H.I. Racin g (75); 10. Team Ame rica (66); 11. New Tech Racin g (61); 12. Team Racelaw (47); 13. Northwest Racing (44); 14. Team Attac k (29); I S. Tea m La be lle (28 ); 16. (T IE) Domina tor / Team Yoshimur3/K.WS. Motorspo rts (26); 19. 1ndigo Sports (25); 20. Dyne let Racing (24). Upcoming Rounds: Round 5 - Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin - June 12 Round 6 - Loudon, N.H. - June 19 A MAlCCS M iddleweight T am Challenge Series e North.estRacing gets first win By Hen ny Ray Abrams MONTEREY,CA, MAY 21 t's hard to know who to blam e for , N orth w es t Racing 's first Middleweight Team Ch a ll en g e win. You could blame Dean Mizdal, the lead rider who'd run over teammate Andy Fenwick's foot, breaking it, while trail rid in g on team owner Joe Kemper ' s property pri or to the race. Or you could blam e Kemper for forgetting to tell the boys about the hole tha t Fenwick fell in before Mizdal ran over him . O r yo u could blame Bra d Hazen who filled in admirably for Fen wick, who watched with his righ t foot in a soft cast. Whoever you choose to blame, the resu lt is still the same - and congratula tions in orde r.

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