Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128122
RPM/Coca-Cola Endurance Series Round 6: Texas World Speedway Team Speedy Gonzales pilot Frank Gonzales wheelies the SV8S0 off the start of the fourhour RPM/Coca-Cola Endurance Race In College Station, T....s, site of round six. By MARK LOPEZ PHOTOS BY TRA RUMSOWER/VELOCITY PHOTOGRAPHY COLLEGE STATION, TX, AUG. 18-19 n what has become perhaps the most entertaining dogfight of the RPM/Coca-Cola Endurance Series, Heavyweight Superbike Team H+H Motorsports came up one lap short to rival Mediumweight Superbikers Bent Racing in their bid to claim the round-six victory. Although the two teams compete in different classes and are separated by more than 200 points in the overall points standings, championship leader Bent Racing and H+H Motorsports have finished one-two at the last two events. The duo duplicated that result on August 18 at Texas World Speedway, and will carry their war into the final round of the seven-race championship series. At 1:30 p.m., Heavyweight Superbike team MADD Camp followed fast starters Bent Racing off the line to lead the field into turn one. H+H Motorsports sat third briefly before taking second from MADD Camp on lap four. However, Larry Locklear, on the Crash Clinic GSX-R750, was the man on the move. He first dispensed with MADD Camp and then slipped past H+H Motorsports on his way to nabbing the lead from Bent Racing on lap seven. Meanwhile, a few seconds back, in the Lightweight Superbike division, Champion Racing was leading fellow SV650 teams Cycle 1 Racing and Team Speedy Gonzales. Points leader Team Speedy Gonzales and Cycle 1 Racing entered the race separated by less than nine points in their bids for the title. With only one race remaining, the two teams were content to let Champion Racing run away and (Above rightl Rising talent John Haner set a new Texas World Speedway track record on the way to winning the A Superstock race aboard his Stubbs Cycles-sponsored GSX-R750. I 58 SEPTEMBER 19, instead concentrate on beating each other for maximum points. Second-hour results showed H+H Motorsports in the lead, slightly ahead of Bent Racing and Crash Clinic. Champion Racing held a steady fourth, ahead of ACE Racing and Team Speedy Gonzales. An hour later, the score sheets showed the lead foursome in similar standings; only H+H Motorsports and Bent Racing swapped places. • As the race began to wind down, Crash Clinic began working to unlap themselves to see if they could outfox H+H Motorsports for second overall and first in the Heavyweight Superbike class. Locklear clicked off some low 1:53s on his worn Michelins and then handed off to teammate Scott Crawford, but in the end they were forced to settle for third overall. Bent Racing eventually cruised home a lap ahead of H+H Motorsports and claimed the overall win and a first in the Mediumweight n e _ s 2001 • c u e I e beginning of the race, Martins grabbed the holeshot aboard his Gman-sponsored GSX-R750, but Haner was a man on a mission and quickly took the point from Martins heading into turn three. Martins watched helplessly as H_aner sped away to win by more than 20 seconds. Ty StrangerThorsen motored home third. Downshifting into the smaller 125cc Grand Prix class, youngster Jeffrey Harder had an entertaining battle with 17-year-old Logan Young. Harder got a good launch off the start aboard his Harder Racing Developments-sponsored Honda, and Young slotted right into his wheel tracks. By lAbove) Young guns Jeffrey Harder (20) and Logan Young fought tooth and nail for the 125cc GP win. Harder crossed the finish line a little more than a second ahead of Young. (RIghtl Jeffrey Harder rode his Harder Racing Developments Honda RS to a hard-fought win over Logan Young In the 125cc GP class. ranks. Next came Lightweight Superbike-class winners Champion Racing. They finished three laps ahead of Cycle 1 Racing and four laps ahead of Team Speedy Gonzales. The next day, Stubbs Cycles-sponsored John Haner stole the spotlight in the sixth round of the RPM Sprint Series by setting a new lap record for Texas World Speedway's 2.9-mile road course. Haner recorded a 1:42.85 in the A Superstock event en route to a convincing victory over fellow Suzuki pilot Pete Martins. At the lap three, Young had found his way around Harder and tried to create some breathing room. Harder hung back and waited until the last lap to make his move. As they raced down the front straight to begin their final go-around, Harder took the low line on the banking and entered turn one first. Young immediately tried to hit back with a pass in turn three, but Harder held his line and eventually took the win. On the battlefield that 600cc riders call C Superbike, rising talent Bradley