Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Nat'I EndInnce SeneslNat'/ Challenge Series, Round 2: Memphis Motorsports Park Hayes looked to displace the Barrington, Illinois, rider in round two. Junge took the holeshot of the restarted event, closely followed by Hayes and Kawasaki ZX-6R-mounted Brian Lantz. Lantz pushed through to second on lap three and finally passed Junge for the lead on lap four, with Hayes following for second place. Junge retook the lead with a draft pass on the front straight but lost it to Hayes as he dived underneath both riders in turn one. Lapped riders came into play when Hayes and Junge passed cleanly in turns eight and nine, but Lantz was forced to hold back. On the final lap Junge dived under Hayes in fast turn three, making contact with Hayes. Hayes and Junge both lost control of their machines but recovered! with Junge running off the track ·and missing turns four and five. Waiting so that he didn't take advantage of Hayes, Junge fell in behind to resume their battle, but finished second to Hayes. By Cary Lurie Photo by Andy Chadwell MILLINGTON, TN, APR. 25-26 irestorm Racing outdueled the competition with late-race heroics to take the overall victory in round two of the WERA National Endurance Series. Running the complete fifth hour without a pit stop, Firestonn forged past the front-runners and won by a scant four seconds. The GSXR600 Suzukimounted trio of Chris Normand, Scott Brown and Chris "Opie" Caylor maintained a consistent pace and a minimum number of pit stops to wear down the bigger, faster ·machines of the early leaders. The site for the six-hour endurance race was Memphis Motorsports Park, a drag-strip-anchored, 1.77-mile, 10-turn road course. Expectations were high for the debut of several Yamaha YZF-Rls, as the high-speed layout favored the top speeds of the larger machines. Arclight Suzuki held the pole on a GSXR750 after winning round one at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway in early April. Evans Motosport on a YZF-Rl and Tapeworks Racing's GSXR750 rounded out the front row. The action started early when Arclight's Chris Hughes coasted to a stop while exiting turn two on the warmup lap. Frantically pushing the bike to the pits, Hughes watched in frustration as the flag fell and J.A.R. Racing's Greg Leffler took the holeshot from the third row on an Rl, followed by Evans Motosport's Lee Acree and Tapeworks Racing's Scott Harwell. Arclight quickly joined the race as Mark McDaniel leaped aboard the backup bike and trailed the pack to the first corner. Leffler, meanwhile, quickly returned to pit lane to' serve a stop-andgo penalty for jumping the start, thus handing the lead to Acree. Arclight's trials continued when McDaniel pointed and waved in desperation to signal his crew that all was not well with the backup machine as it misfired continually down the long front straight. Arclight's crew worked feverishly to find the problem with the primary bike, fearing the backup woUld not complete the race. McDaniel was signaled in and Hughes returned to the fray on their numberone machine, forfeiting the 18 laps that McDaniel had completed. "We're not sure what happened (on the first bike)," a dejected Hughes said with a sigh. "Something with the fuel delivery, I think" Moments later a kinked fuel hose was rerouted and Hughes was able to continue. Tapeworks Racing blew a head gasket in turn seven; bringing out the red flag just 40 minutes into the race. A 30minute cleanup session by course workers ensued. The first-hour standings had three Yamaha Rls on top as J.A.R. retook the lead from Evans Motosport, and 1-800CROTCH ROCKET's Ty Howard. Evans Motorsport's Acree was suffering from evere arm pump after his first stint but was treated and returned to the race. The restart at 10 minutes into the second hour renewed the battle between J.A.R. and Evans Motorsport, until J.A.R. ran out of fuel on the far side of the track and fell four laps down. Second-hour leader Evans Motosport held off SBR/Semoff Brothers Racing's Rl and third-place Firestorrn Racing was a lap down when Team Twister brought out another red flag by dropping fluids in turn 10 midway into the third hour. 1 Firestorm Racing ran· the last hour of the six-hour WERA endurance race to take the victory at Memphis Motorsports park. The halfway point had Roswell Racing's GSXR750 grabbing third, but eventually finishing sixth overall while taking the Heavyweight Superbike-class win. • The Rl's early dominance waned in the fourth hour when Evans Motosport's Terry Evans threw the lead away with a low-side in turn eight. "It was completely my fault." confessed Evans, who was unhurt. "I just tucked the front end in the bus-stop turn. I went in too hot and trail-br,*ed but the front skipped. I let go, but it was too late." Dropping seven laps to the new leaders, Acree returned to the race without the clutch. The actuator arm in the lower right case had hit the ground in the accident and jammed. SBR/Semoff Brothers Racing's Evan Semoff, Paul Youngman, and Glenn Szarek held the lead after four hours. Firestorm Racing's Caylor began his assault on the leaders early in hour five. Consistent 1:11 lap times allowed Caylor to steadily elimb the ladder toward the lead. Making only one rear-tire change at the halfway point and no pit stops during the fifth hour, Firestorm swept into the lead at the end of the fifth hour - a lead they would never r~lin quish. SBR/Semoff Bros. Racing dropped to second, with TKO Racing's GSXR750-mounted Luke Yarbrough, Jamie Lane and Brian Gibbs in third with one hour remaining. TKO Racing fought to regain a lost lap in the final hour with a lightningfast pit stop and lap times in the 1:10 range. The 360 Communications-backed trio put their heads down and chased Firestorrn to the wire, finishing just four seconds back. 1-800-CROTCH ROCKET's Ty Howard, Kelly Moody and Rodney Smith led two more Rls across the line by six seconds to take third overall. Firestorm's victory also puts the team on top of the WERA National Endurance Series overall standings after two rounds. "Everybody on the team was fast," said Firestorm team members Caylor, Normand and Brown after the victory. "Good pit stops and consistent lap times won the race. One Dunlop on front lasted the whole race. Our GSXR600 flew through the switchbacks and corners; Jhey (the Rls) just had us on the straights." IIBoy, that was some race!" exclaimed National Challenge sprint racing at Memphis Motorsports Park featured close finishes, paint-swapping passes and plenty of action, but when the dust settled, Arclight Suzuki's Mark McDaniel stood atop the heap after the day's battles were complete. In a true reversal of fortune, McDaniel pushed through Saturday's disappointment of finishing 12th in the WERA National Endurance Series event to score two victories and a runner-up finish in Sunday's sprint races. McDaniels, on a GSXR750 Suzuki, quickly took the point in the 1100 Superstock race, close1y followed by Mark Junge, also on a GSXR750. Smoking the rear tire at the start, Josh Hayes, the current points leader, dropped from the pole to third on his GSXRll00 Suzuki, with Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki teammate Grant Lopez rushing from row six to take fourth on a GSXR750. Hayes challenged Junge for second and passed the Vesrah Brake-backed rider on the brakes, diving underneath in turn six. Junge quickly regained the position in turn o"ne with an outside move but just as quickly lost it when Hayes drafted by on the long front s raight on the next lap. Lap five had Lopez join the duel by passing Junge in turn eight to take over third position. Junge and Lopez diced back and forth through the next several laps, allowing McDaniel and Hayes to pull away. Whittling away at McDaniel's lead, Hayes turned in the fastest times of the race with 1:07 laps and caught the Arelight Racing rider on lap eight. Mississippi's Hayes darted under McDaniel in an attempt to pass the Californian racer in every corner but was repelled time and again. Finally, in a misjudged late-braking attack, Hayes was forced to run straight in the switchbacks, narrowly missing Lopez and Junge, and he had to watch as the leaders pulled away. Ensuing mechanical problems dropped Hayes back to seventh by race's end. McDaniel continued to victory, with Lopez second, followed closely by Junge. Hayes looked to change his fortunes in the Metzeler 600cc Superstock race and renewed his battles with Junge. The GSXR600 Suzuki-mounted pair battled in round one at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway, with Junge taking the win. Hayes in jubilation. The Michelin 750cc Superstock series resumed with a four-way battle for the lead. Valvoline EMGO·Suzuki teammmates Hayes and Lopez joined Arelight's McDaniel and Vesrah's Junge, all on GSXR750s_ Hayes took the early lead but Mobile, Alabama, resident Lopez stuffed his teammate in turn eight for the spot. Junge, meanwhile, slipped past McDaniel for third. Lap four saw Lopez with the lead and posE tion swapping behind. More than a dozen lead changes between the front four in the next several laps allowed no clear advantage for anyone rider. Hayes looked to be the one to beat as the laps wound down, but he ran straight through the switchbacks for the second time that day and was forced to retire with a stuck throttle as the white flagflew. Lopez grabbed the lead from Hayes but lost it to Junge in the draft on the front straight. Junge succumbed to Lopez's pressure and overcooked the entry to turn eight on the final lap. Lopez got the drive out of the tunnel but was surprised when a hard-charging McDaniel flew by to take the win by a wheel. "This was 4 luck win!" remarked McDaniels, elated. "These guys are so fast, but my crew worked hard, sometimes 18-hour days, to give me a bike that is this good. I didn't have to worry about it (the machine)." CN Memphis Motorsports Park Millington, Tennessee Results: April 25-26, 1998 (Round 2) Saturday O/A: 1. Firestonn Racing (Suz); 2. TKO racing (Suz)j 3. I-BOO-CROTCH ROCKET (Yam); 4. SBR/SemoJ{ Brothers Racing (Yam); 5. r.A.R./}eff Atwell Racing (Yam). Sunday 600 S/STK: 1. Josh Hayes (Suz); 2. Mark Junge (Suz); 3. Brian L..1ntz (Kaw); 4. Brian Stokes (Suz); 5. David Rose (Hon), 750 S/STK: 1. Mark McDaniel (Suz); 2. Grant Lopez (Suz); 3. Mark Junge (Suz); 4. Brian Gibbs (Suz); 5. Tim !lem;sderler (Suu. 1100 StSTK: L Mark McDaniel (Suz); 2. Grant LopeilSuz); 3. M"k Junse (Suz); 4. Greg Leffler (Yam); 5. Billy Eisenacher (Yam), . 125 GP: 1. Michael Himmelsbach (Hon); 2. Doug Scronce (Hon); 3. Chris Pyles (Hon); 4. John Hjelm (lion); 5. Stewart Aitken--<:ade (Hon). F~l: 1. Grant Lopez (suz); 2. Mark McDaniel (502); 3. Lee Acree (suz); 4. Scott Brown (5uz); 5. William Lincoln rv (suz). F-2: 1. Brian L..'lntz (Kaw); 2. Lee Acree (Hon); 3. David Rose (Hon); 4. Brian Stokes (502); 5. Scott Brown (Suz). 600 PROD, 1. Gerald Hughes (Hon); 2. Jeff , ~.xey (Hon); 3. Frederick Farzanegan (Hon); 4. Mitch,ell Richardson (Kaw); 5. Tim Bailey (So2). 600 SIBK: 1. A.J. Cates (502); 2. Frank Wiot (Han); 3. Brian Honeycutt (Hon); 4. Mitchell Phillips (Han); 5. Gerald Hughes (Hon). 750 PROD: 1. Brian Honeycutt (Hon); 2. Frederick Farzanegan (Hon); 3. Tripp Valz (Suz); 4. G.e.ralcl Hughes (Hon); 5. T;m IWley (Suz). 750 SlBK, 1. A.J. Cates (Suz); 2. Frank W;ot(Hon); 3. Mitchell Phillips (Hon); 4. Frederick Farzanegan (Hon);~ 5. Owen Rcid (Suz). HIW 1W EX: 1. Stewart Aitken-Cade (Hon); 2. Seal'McNew (Hon); 3. Tony Lewis (Due). HIW 1W NOV, 1. Cary Lurie (5uz).. T

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