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Chaparral 6 Hours of Glen Helen Team Endurance Race Glen Helen Raceway Park By JOHN BETHEA PHOTOS BY JEFF HAIN AND JOHN BETHEA SAN BERNARDINO, CA, MAR. 10 len Helen may be most famous for its opening National Motocross round, but off-road enthusiasts also have a home at the popular circuit. In addition to several grand prix-type events, the Glen Helen holds three annual team endurance races, each increasing in length and time - starting with the March Six-Hour, moving on to the June 12-Hour, and culminating with the September 24-Hour. For the first of this trio of events, Glen Helen personnel laid out a varied course that featured much of the National track, the Vet track and the Supercross track, as well as a little off-road going (last year's whoopedout sand wash was deleted this year, to the glee of some and the disappointment of others). The course was actually quite short (around five miles), with the fast guys posting lap times not much over five minutes. The short loop and a strong turnout resulted in braking- and accelerationbumps galore, and more than a few came back from their stints with horror stories of severe headshake. Up to three riders per team were allowed, although most of the top guys just ran two. The battle for the lead of the ninth annual 6 Hours of Glen Helen Team Endurance Race was very, very tight for about... ahh ... the first few seconds. After that, it was no contest. From the moment the green flag flapped at 8:37 a.m. and the first wave of Expert Amateurs got away, The team of Craig Canoy and Ty Renshaw took the Expert/Amateur victory. With the Expert/Amateur division already gone, the rest of the classes walt for their rows to be waved off for six hours of racing at Glen Helen Raceway Park, site of the Chaparral 6-Hour Endurance event In San Bernardino, Califomia. the Suzuki-riding team of Craig Canoy and Ty Renshaw jumped immediately into the lead, and for the next six hours and four minutes, the closest anyone would get to them was just past the halfway mark when track officials made all the participants pause while they watered and groomed the track. In actuality, only three teams managed to circumvent the course 45 times during the day. When the checkered flag appeared, Canoy and Renshaw were cruising on their Thor/IMS/Performance Motorsportssponsored mount to nearly a half-lap lead over the second-placed team of Kawasaki jockeys Dave Ondas and Gordon Keller, the only other ExpertAmateur team on the lead lap. In third place, about seven minutes back, was the Family-class-winning entry of John Burr Cycles/GRP/ AT Bikes' Bob and Mitch Maxwell, sharing a Honda. The weather was nearly ideal for a marathon event like this, sponsored again this year by Chaparral. Overcast skies kept the track relatively dust-free for much of the morning's competition, which began with more than 350 participants comprising nearly 150 solo and team entries in eight classes riding a single bike with a backup machine in the impound area adjacent to the finish line. Officials originally had slated at least two H2 0 breaks in the program, but the second was never needed, even when the afternoon turned mostly sunny, with more than threefourths of the entries still running. In Senior Vet Expert/Amateur competition, the Honda team of Brian By lap 10 they had moved to second, and when the 19-1aps positions were posted, they were still runners-up. The halfway posting showed them finally in first, having passed the early leading team of Honda riders Jason Nenian and Jeff Allen, who remained second to the finish. Third place, on the same lap, were Matt Breyer and Mike Allsup, on a Good Guys Yamaha. eN Nelson and Tim Telford started off running fourth overall and first in their class at the end of lap one, and they held their class advantage for much of the morning until just before the break, when Rick O'Donnell and Fred Hatch pushed their O'Neal USA and White Brothers Honda to first place a spot they held for the entire second half, finishing fourth overall, and the only entry to finish one lap down. Solo Yamaha rider Brian Cunningham, who had been steadily improving after running seventh on lap one, took over the runner-up position late in the contest despite fatigue, dropping Nelson and Telford to third. Fatigue was also overcome by Ironman winner Rick Daniel, on a Z Racing/Torco-sponsored It's rider-switching time for the second-placed team of Dave Ondas and Gordon Keller. KTM 380cc two-stroke, just two laps off the pace of the winner. Up to the midpoint, he had been battling with Honda-mounted James Jongkind, who had the lead at the break. However, in the second half, Daniel turned on the pressure and left second place lagging. Daniel, a top Southern California enduro rider, racked up an incredible 43 laps - and in case you're still not impressed, consider the fact that when his fuel tank sprang a leak, Daniel's bike ran dry on the SX track, forcing him to push his Katoom all the way back to the pits and replace the tank. The only contest with three riders on the same lap fighting for the lead at the finish was the Senior Vet B class, with the top trio all finishing 41 tours. Eventual winners Carl Fischer and Kyle Krause, aboard a Callaway Motorsports Honda, started out in fourth place at the end of three laps. e u e I • 61e. Hele. 8lIce.ey PeJil SaD Bemenline, C.lifDmi. Results: M.rch 10, 2002 EX/AJI!1: 1. Craig CenoylTy Renshew (Suz): 2. Dave OndasfDennis Gellegher/Gordon Keller (K8W); 3. Robert Barnum/Jason Higgins (Hon); 4. Bryan OxleylBrad Oxley (Hon); 5. Chuck McBurney/Erik Wolfe (Hon). BEG/NOV: I. Chuck McCarthy/Cameron McCarthy/David McCarthy (Yam); 2. Mike ToddjWayne Reid (Yam): 3. Sean Daly/Cade Carlson (Yam); 4. Jeff Ambrose/Jacob Bonnett (Hon); 5. todd Stubblefield/Lor Riihimaki (Yam). FAMILY: 1. Bob Maxwell/Mitch Maxwell (Hon): 2. Robbie Goolsby/Kris Goolsby/Bred Goolsby (Yam): 3. Allen Oldroyd/Kelly Oldroyd/Merk Oldroyd (Yom): 4. Matt lZItendress/Jirn Latendress/Keith Letendress (Hon); 5. Travis Newman/Jeff Newman (Yam). SR/VET EX/AM, 1. Rick O'Donneli/Fred Hatch/Craig Staley (Yam); 2. Earl Desiderio/Brian Cunningham (Yam); 3. Bryen NelsonlTim Telford (Hon): 4. Tim Deloid/Gary Rlekki (Yom): 5. Mike Pryon{Tony Toste (Yam). SR/VET NOVIBEG: I. Johnny Ale.onder/Kyle Krause/Carl Fischer (Hon); 2. Jeson Neunian/Mike Mertinez (Hon); 3. Mlitt Breyer/Mike Allsup/Tim Clark (Ya.m); 4. Greg MlIiefskVJohn Mutseheller; 5. Alan MacDonald/Vincent Poblano (Hon). lRONMAN: 1. Rick Daniel (KTM); 2. Jllmes Jongkind (Hon); 3. Travis Uvingston (dO); 4. Chad Blough (Hon): S. Joson lewis (Yam). BUSINESS, I. Gory Hellgale/Merk Brucks/Chris Pheilln (Yam); 2. Justin McCoy/Frllnklin Ziegler (Yam): 3. Dan EVllnS/DllVid Boyd (Hon): 4. Gary eowden/Dan Austin (Yam): 5. James Quigley/Shllne TlIysom (Yllm). HIGH SCHL: 1. Donnie Keemey (Suz); 2. J.D. Rogers/Steve Martin (Yam): 3. Cody Stuert/Colton Udall (Yom). n • _ 50 • APRIL 10. 2002 45