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WERA National Challenge Series Putnam Parle Road Course Junge Sets a Record BY LARRY LAWRENCE MOUNT MERIDIAN, IN, MAY 5 esrah Suzuki's Mark Junge took a hard-fought win over Scott Harwell and Mike Smith in Open Superstock racing at the WERA National Challenge Series event at the Putnam Park Road Course. In the process of winning the race, Junge, from Union Grove, Wisconsin, set a new motorcycle track record on the 1.8-mile, IO-turn circuit. Junge clocked a lap at one minute, 9.8 seconds on his Vesrah Suzuki GSX-RIOOO during the IO-Iap final. Junge (pronounced "Young") blasted off to a great start in the race. Harwell and Smith followed closely. By midrace, Junge had pulled out a small lead by virtue of his record-setting pace. Harwell and Smith might have slowed each other down in the battle over second, but neither seemed to have the speed to run at Junge's pace. At the flag, it was Junge winning the race and the $1000 Suzuki contingency money. Harwell just held off Smith at the line to nail down second. "My strategy was to get out front and put in some clean laps," Junge said. "I kept my eye on my pit board to keep track of my lead. I thought Smith might be coming once his tires warmed up. I didn't have my lap timer turned on, 50 I wasn't aware that I'd broken the track record. I V knew I had to put in some decent times to pull away from riders like Smith and Harwell." The next big race of the day ""as the Dunlop 600cc Superstock final. Another three-rider breakaway developed in this race, featuring John Jacobi, Harwell and Junge. Mark Crozier headed up the rest of the large field of racers, running in fourth. As the race progressed, Jacobi and Harwell gradually widened the gap on Junge, who later said he was battling fierce rear-wheel chatter on his Suzuki. With three laps to go, Harwell outbraked Jacobi in turn two to take over the lead. Harwell nipped Jacobi by three-tenths of a second to take the victory. Junge was a distant third. Crozier and Brian Stokes rounded out the top five. "That was the most fun I've ever had in a race," said an enthusiastic Harwell, 28, who hails from the heart of NASCAR country, Hickory, North Carolina.•Jacobi and I were throwing some elbows at each other out there, but he's the kind of rider you feel comfortable doing that kind of thing with. On the last lap, I did the old NASCAR mirror-driving thing. I just made sure I took away Jacobi's passing lanes, and it worked." Jacobi came back and got revenge in the 750cc Superstock final. Jacobi and Tray Batey jumped out to the early lead. Harwell tucked in the double draft and caught the leading duo Putnam Park Road Course: Scott Harwell (9) leads Mark Junge (57) and John Jacobi (149) In Dunlop 600cc Superstock action at the WERA National Challenge Series event in Mount Meridian, Indiana. Harwell edged Jacobi by three-tenths of a second to win the race, with Junge third. Earlier in the day, Junge set a track record of one minute, 9.8 seconds on the 1.8-mile circuit in Mount Meridian, Indiana. 70 MAY 22, 2002' cue I • n .. _ lIS midway through the race. The race came down to the final lap. Any of the three leaders had a chance to win. Jacobi went deep into Dead Bear Turn and held the lead. Harwell made a bold inside pass attempt on Batey going into turn nine. The pass didn't stick, as veteran Batey dived over on Harwell. This gave Jacobi the edge he needed and he held on by 0.36 seconds to take the victory. Batey held off the hard-charging Harwell to secure second. "After the 600 race, I was a little worried," admitted Jacobi, a Carmel, Indiana, resident who was racing at his home track. "I knew the pace would be blistering. I pushed myself to keep the lead 50 I could control the pace. My pit board read 'plus zero' the whole race. I guess Tray and Harwell got together on the last lap and gave me a little breathing room." Batey came back to easily win the Heavyweight Twins final over Crozier to take home the top prize in the last of the Suzuki contingency money races. Scott Brown was third. All three rode Suzuki TLl OOORs. The star of the Novice ranks was Marshallville, Georgia's Jeff Walker, who won three races on his LockhartPhillips-backed Suzukis. Walker made one of the prettiest passes of the day - a textbook draft, then outbrake-on-the-inside move on Mike Scruggs going into Dead Bear Turn to take the lead in the Pirelli 600cc Superstock Novice final. eN Publam PI"" Road Course Mount Meridian, India•• Results: Mey 5, 2002 600 S/STK NOV: 1. Jeff Walker (5ut); 2. Mike Scruggs (sUt); 3. Rick Knuckles (5ut); 4. Gregory Moore (5uz); 5. Max Norton (5ut). 600 S/STK EX: 1. ScOU :~::["\'!':~ (Suz); 2. John Jacobi (5uz); 3. Mark Junge (5uz); 4. Mark Crotier (5uz); 5. Brion Stokes (5uz). 750 S/STK NOV: 1. Jeff Waiker (5uz); 2. Mike Scruggs (Suz); 3. Gregory Moore (Suz); 4. Rick Knuckles (Suz); 5. Lorry Roy Dulaney (Hon). 750 5/STK EX: 1. John Jacobi (5uz); 2. Troy Botey (Suz); 3. Scott Harweil (5uz); 4. Brion Stokes (5uz); 5. David Yookov (5uz). OPEN S/STK EX: 1. Mark Junge (5uz); 2. Scott Horweil (5uz): 3. Mike Smith (5uz); 4. Mark Crozier (Suz); 5. Scott Carpenter (5uz). L!W TW NOV: 1. WilUom Kendail Davis (5uz); 2. Jeff Caco (5uz); 3. John Lord (5uz); 4. Philip Petrick (5uz); 5. Jeff Heiler (5uz). L!W TW EX: 1. David Yaakov (5uz); 2. Bradley Chempion (Suz): 3. Bobby Miosek (Suz); 4. Chris Ellis (Apr); 5. Philip Reifenschnieder (SOl). H/W TW NOV: 1. Joshua Guyer (5uz); 2. Philip Petrick (Apr); 3. William Kendell Davis (Suz); 4. Chris Rossi (Due); 5. Howard Fitzeharles (SOl). H/W TW EX: I. Troy Batey (SUt); 2. Mark Crozier (Suz); 3. Scott Brown (Suz): 4. Bredley Chempion (Suz); 5. Robert Terando (Apr). 125 GP: 1. Jllson Peters (Hon); 2. C. Brilln Keraget (Hon); 3. John Hjelt (Hon); 4. AI Hoil (Hon); 5. Chuck DiGregorio (Hon). F·]: 1. Shane Sloyko (Suz); 2. Douglas Duane (Suz); 3. Matthew Furtek (Yllm); 4. Jeff Kremer (5ut); 5. Charles Ailen (5uz). F·2 NOV: 1. William Kendall DllVis (SOl); 2. Jeff Heller (5uz); 3. John Lord (5ut); 4. Jeff Coco (5ut); 5. Sllm Snellenberger (Suz). F-2 EX: 1. Donald Tingle Jr. (Yom); 2. Monty Wersing (Yam); 3. Jason Temme (Yllm): 4. C. Brilln Keraget (Hon). 600 S/BK NOV: 1. Mike Scruggs (5ut); 2. Gregory Moore (Suz); 3. Rick Knuckles (5uz); 4. Max Norton (5uz); 5. Justin Adorns (5uz). 600 S/BK EX: I. Motthew Furtek (Yom); 2. Adam Coco (5uz); 3. Jeff Muskopf (5uz); 4. Kenneth Snyder (5ut); 5. Paul Mason (5ut). 750 S/BK NOV: 1. Jeff Walker (5ut); 2. Keith Brooks (5ut); 3. Mox Norton (5ut); 4. Lorry Roy Dulaney (Hon); 5. Brad Ervin (Due). 750 S/BK EX: 1. Dovid Yookov (SUt); 2. Kenneth Snyder (5ut); 3. Douglos Duane (Suz); 4. Tomas Bauchiero (5ut); 5. Chorles Allen (Suz). MidAmerica Motorplex Kramer. Jelasen Top CRA Function at the Junction By JESSICA ZAuJsKY PACIAC JUNCTION, lA, APR. 12-14 On April 12 through 14, the Central Roadracing Association held its first racing event of the year, which was a huge success, at the new MidAmerica Motorplex facility located in Pacific Junction, Iowa. The CRA hosted IS9 racers, with a total of 704 race entries. Racers from all over the Midwest, including AMA Superstock racers Robert Jensen and Eric Dooeyma, along with Larry Denning, ventured out to Iowa to race the new track. The facility, which is located along the Nebraska border. provided CRA racers with a MldAmerica Motorplex: Steve Skoog (29), Jessica Zalusky (31) and Rich Nelson (behind Zalusky) battle it out at CRA's first road racing event of the year, in Pacific Junction, Iowa.