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/128179
BY HENNY RAY ABRAMS PHOTOS BY BRIAN J. NELSON BRASELTON, GA, OCT. 25-27 uring the week, Greg Moore builds Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUVs at the company's only American plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. On the weekend, this weekend in particular, Moore builds margins of victory, which he did five times on Saturday and once on Sunday en route to the most prolific performance at the WERA Grand National Final National Challenge Series at Road Atlanta. On Saturday, the 25-year-old Alabaman won early and often, racking up five victories. Riding a pair of mostly self-sponsored Suzukis, with help from Michelin, Moore won the B Superstock Novice, C Superbike Novice, C Superstock Novice, B Superbike Novice, and Formula 1 Novice. Sunday began badly, but ended better. Under championship pressure, Moore crashed on the front straight in the Pirelli 600 Superstock final, with Justin Adams getting his lone win of the weekend. Moore was back on form in his next race, 750 Superstock Novice, which he won by 12.75 secsonds, his sixth win of the weekend. Jeff Walker finished second, having already wrapped up the season title. Moore finished second to Jeff Walker in his next race, 600 Superbike Novice, on a Suzuki GSX-R600 borrowed from Grant Kato. Marietta Motorsports' Mike Smith rode a pair of 1-800-FASTLAP Suzuki's to wins in the B Superstock Expert and C Superstock Expert races on Thursday, previews of his D success in the Suzuki Cup Finals later in the weekend. "I'm a little ahead of the curve," Smith said of the experience he gained in the sprints. "These guys are riding harder than they have all year." Team EmbryjRoadracingworld.com's Geoff May won a race each on Friday and Saturday, and was in contention for another on Saturday afternoon. The wins came in the A Superstock Expert and Open Superstock. The near win came against Roadracingworld.com's John Haner in Saturday's Formula 1 Expert race. Brian Stokes began winning in Friday's B Superbike Expert race, then added the C Superbike Expert before the day was out. Stokes would come close a number of times, finishing Bradley Champion put his Richmond Suzuki SV -650 to work on Thursday, riding it to victory in the Lightweight Twins Expert and Formula 2 Expert classes. CAD Racing's David Yaakov was second in Lightweight Twins Expert after having already wrapped up the season title. The Formula 2 Expert title went to Monty Warsing, a non-finisher at Road Atlanta, but a winner in the later WERA Formula 2 Expert race. "It's been a stressful weekend," Warsing said. "I've had four different failures between this bike [a Yamaha TZ250J and my endurance bike." Having given up competitive motocross at the end of 1999, Moore decided to get back into racing last year. At the end of 2000, he attended the Ed Bargy Racing School at Talladega and immediately took to it, despite having never ridden on the street. In 2001, Moore ran seven weekends, but 2002 was his first full season of road racing. He rode a GSXR600 all season and was given a Suzuki GSX-R750 by Michelin's regional distributor Steve Buffington halfway into the season. Moore put both to good use early on Saturday afternoon. "They told me I had a big lead and I put it on cruise control to see what happened," Moore said of his B Superstock success, which he won by 8.42 seconds over David Weber. Moore had taken the lead on the second of eight laps, Weber hanging with him for a lap or two before Moore stretched his legs, his lead over three seconds on the fifth en route to the victory. Jeff Walker was third, over seven seconds back. second to Butler Machinery's Robert Jensen in the Dunlop 600 Superstock Expert race and second to Vesrah Racing's Tray Batey in the 750 Superstock Expert race. He was also third to Mike Smith in C Superstock Expert. He made the podium twice in Suzuki Cup races, too, a career first. Batey, in addition to winning Friday's 750 Superstock Expert on his Suzuki GSX-R750, rode his Suzuki TL-1000 to victory in Friday's Heavyweight Twins Expert race. NESBA.comjSpeed Werks' Brian Krcaget rode his Honda RS-125 to a pair of victories and a pair of National titles. First came the 125cc GP win and crown on Thursday, then came the WERA 125cc GP victory and title on Saturday. (Top) Greg Moore won six races during the WERA Grand National Finals. (Right) Brian Stokes was another multiclass winner at Road Atlanta. cue I _ n _ _ S • NOVEMBER 6, 2002 11