Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Erion Racing/Bruce Transportation Satellite City _ "That's a little encouraging, to be somewhat in the hunt· with the times, with what we have, we're okay," Hale said. "We're all right. I've gotten hooked up with Yates on the first day for a couple of laps and Jake yesterday morning but haven't had a whole lot of opportu· nity to run around with people. The draft seems to help me quite a bit right now. By myself, I'm a little bit slower than the fastest times, but when we jump into it, when We get a tow, we're pretty competitive. I'm happy with where we are right now. We're still trying to get the bike to steer a little bit better in the infield so I can maintain more corner speed. I guess that's one thing about having... motors that aren't exactly brand new; you work on setup to get bet· ter drives to make it easier on the bike." Roger Lee Hayden was working on setup, and finding out how his arms felt. Two weeks after the final AMA race at Virginia International Raceway, he and his brother Nicky both had carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists. They also had surgery on their forearms to reduce the effects of arm pump. For Roger Lee, the move from Bruce to Erion was a promotion. "I definitely think it's definitely a move up," he said. "The Bruce team last year was per· fect. All the guys there work so hard. If I had to stay with Bruce again, it wouldn't affect me too bad. Erion defmitely is a step up • kind of the direction I want to move in, the same direc· tion as Nick [Hayden] and Kurtis [Roberts): Erion then Superbike one day." First things first. At Daytona, Roger Lee always seemed to be in a pack when he went out. Whether it was with one of his brothers or a teammate, he was always in company. Zemke went the opposite direction of Hayden, from Erion to Bruce. At Daytona, he was rid· ing the F4i that Roger Lee rode last year, though they'll have new bikes before the Laguna Seca test at the end of January. "It's where I started out with Honda, so it's a good place to be," Zemke said. "I like all the guys over here, and Bruce is a great guy to work for. We're getting all the same stuff as the Erion guys, so it should be good. We're going to have all new mechanics and new guys to get used to and new guys to gel with and actually they only have one mechanic returning from last year." Zemke had broken his arm less than a month before coming down to Daytona last year and had problems in practice. In the race, he was in the lead pack, as high as fifth place after the red flag, but he couldn't hang in the draft. During the test he wasn't in the draft either, mostly circulating by himself. Zemke's teammate is Alex Gobert, the younger brother of Aaron and Anthony, in his first full season of AMA racing. Last year, he raced a Honda CBR-929RR to fifth in the Australian Formula Xtreme series, with two poles and a win in a five-round series. He also raced a few rounds of the Australian Superbike series, qualifying on the front row each time. None of that prepared him for his first trip around the Daytona banking. "When I first went out there, the banking and stuff, it scared me a little bit," he said. "Not really scared me, but it's intimidating at first. Every lap I do out there, I get more confident and comfortable on the bike, and so I'm just starting to push it harder and harder now and I can actually keep with people out there so I can get a draft and stuff now. I'm improving, and that's what I'm here to do." Once he conquered the banking, drafting was next. "It's amazing how much it sucks you in, and I mean it makes such a big difference riding out there by yourself or with a pack and Aaron [Gobert] went out there with me and pulled me up with everybody and once we got the whole group of us, we started having a lot of fun," Gobert said. "It was a real lot of fun. Hopefully the race in March is like that, too." Gobert wanted to make the move to the United States, not only to join his brothers. "It's so much bigger over here," Alex said. "There's a lot of good riders over here and they're a step above what they are in Australia. You've got some really big names over here and also the teams are so much bigger and I can leam more with bike setup, especially with the Formula Xtreme bike. We have fuJi factory suspension, like the Ohlins and stuff, where in Australia, we could only use the standard stuff. In Australia, we don't really have press, so that's a big thing here. To be over here· it's just very good, with cameras flashing at you a lot and all the interviews. It's really good." The youngest Gobert has raced here before. He rode an Aprilia RSV-250 at Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca in the 2000 season. Honda racing boss Chuck Miller insists that his satellite teams can handle the task of winning the prestigious Pro Honda Oils 600cc Supersport Championship. Others are less sure. "Skeptical" might be a better word. Can this group compete against veterans such as Anthony Gobert, Aaron Yates and Tommy Hayden? Most puzzling was his decision to hire Mike Hale, the Texan two years out of racing who had his best days with Honda back in 1995. Just to hedge his bets, Nicky Hayden, Miguel DuHamel and Kurtis Roberts will all run the 600s at Daytona. So why did Miller hire Hale? "To win the 600cc championship and the Formula Xtreme champi· onship," Miller said with a smile. "He's a talented racer looking forward to another opportunity. He has all the experience. He's arguably the most capable rider available. He's been successful here, he rode Hondas well. Given the talent he has and the desire he has, it aU came together nicely." When Hale last raced Mike Hale - back In AMA road racing, and happy here, he was an ascendant to be Utere. star, second in the championship to teammate Miguel DuHamel on the purple·and·yellow Smokin' Joe's Hondas. With DuHamel signed for two years, and Roberts and Nicky Hayden looking to move overseas, Miller joked that next year's team could be the Miguel·and·Mike show again. To get there, Hale will have to per· form, which he hasn't done for a few years. Hale left the United States. at the end of 1995 for what seemed like greener (in more ways than one) pastures. He was to team with Troy Corser on the Power Horse Ducati team con· testing the World Superbike title. The Austrian·based team never supported Hale the way it did Corser, and his slide began. After that came a stop at the new Suzuki Superbike team, then a retum to the United States with the Fast By Ferracci team. During practice for the opening round in Phoenix in 1998, Hale high·sided the Ducati and destroyed it. He never recovered. Kenny Roberts gave him a chance to ride the Proton Modenas in 1999. The machine wasn't right then and still isn't, and Hale was hurt mid· way into the season. Since the end of the 1999 season, he's been concen· trating on a career in car racing and, with his wife, raising his daughter. One of the few times he'd been on a racing motorcycle was when he tested the Competition Accessories Ducati at Daytona in 2000. Hale will team with Roger Lee Hay· den on the Erion Racing team, with Jake Zemke, joined by Alex Gobert (the youngest of the Goberts) on the Bruce Transportation Group squad. All will contest both the 600cc Supersport and Formula Xtreme classes. "I'm happy with the times that we've done," Hale said. "' think we need to find a little bit before next March, but I'm sure that will come with some more seat time. I'll get some more time out of myself and we'll get some fresh motors and get a little more out of the bike." Even though there's no Formula Xtreme race at Daytona, Erion brought the CBR-929RR to give Hale seat time on the big bike. Mostly he was on the 600 that Mark Miller rode last year. Hale's times were off the pace, but he said the motors were worn, so he wasn't worried. Jake Zemke (98) returns to the Bruce Transportation team for 2002. cue. e n e _ S • JANUARY 9, 2002 37

• Cover