Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

WERA National Challenge Series Round 5: Talladega Gran Prix Raceway Tray Batey was victorious in the Heavyweight Twin Expert race on the Chris Junge-tuned Vesrah Suzuki TL1000 at round five of the WERA National Challenge Series. • ,n TALLADEGA STORY By DAN SCHMITT PHOTOS BY STEVE STARNES/ ADRENALINE SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC TAllADEGA, AL, JUNE 22 he weather was perfect for a motorcycle race in north-central Alabama. Though a tornado hit the track just a week before, taking out the barn and doing some other damage, the deep mud off the track was all that remained from the heavy rains and storms. An extra treat for the spectators was the Mini race that kicked off the day's racing. Team Xtreme's Billy Ethridge ran away with the race on the Xtreme Suzuki 80. The close battle for second ended at the flag, as Cesar Restrepo nipped Travis Kienel. In the 50cc class, Lori Bennett took her Yamaha 50 to the lead, over Rusty Nations, also on a Yamaha. Next up was the Open Superstock final. Mark Junge charged to the lead on his Vesrah/Marshall Distributing/ Fujico Suzuki 1000. As Greg Moore, Tim Bemisderfer and Mark Crozier contested second, Mike Smith was on the move from his last-row start. On the second lap, Smith got by Moore to take second. Up front, Junge had a problem with his bike and slowed coming out of turn six. Smith took advantage of this situation and took the lead and the win on his MotoBritalia.com Suzuki 1000. "One of my air ducts was loose, and I didn't want it to get into my steering," Junge explained, "so after the kink, I tried to reach down to get it out of there, but I hit the kill button. This slowed me down, but I finally got that duct out of there." The Novice riders in the STAR School 600cc Superstock class wreaked havoc, as they caused two T 48 JULY 9, 2003' cue I e red flags and three starts before the race could be completed. Some of the leaders included Matt Lynn, Adam Durham and Bill Conger. Some of the crashers included Lynn, Diego Rojas and Jose Pena. When the 12lap race finally came to an end, it was Lynn taking the win, with Larry Ray Dulaney second, Cale Swiger third and Adam Durham fourth. "I want to thank the Jason Pridmore and the STAR School for giving us the opportunity to ride for that prize," Durham said after the race. "It was a wild ride out there today." "That was the craziest race 1 have even been in, including my three years With two laps to go, Champion lit the wick and moved toward the front. At the white flag, Champion moved by Jacobi, and in the last corner he tried to take Weber and Myers but overshot the corner and ran off the track. Smith took his second win of the day. The 125cc GP event provided the closest racing of the day. Veteran GP racer C. Brian Kcraget and rookie race with," Andrews stated. "There is no real competition in Texas. I'm leaming a lot, running these new tracks." "Ryan is a great rider - he is real smooth," Kcraget said after the race. "I was waiting to get him in the kink on the last lap, but I missed my tum in, and it didn't work out." Champion was in a class of his own in the Lightweight Twins Expert final. Chris Norsand held second on his GMD Suzuki 650, and Calvin Brown moved to third on his Atlanta Triumph Ducati/Ducati 699 by passing Avery Clark, on another Suzuki SV. Novice Bruce Stanford took the lead in his class and never looked back. As Bruce moved by a few of the Experts, Travis Stewart and Dennis Garber ran second and third. At the end of 12 laps, Champion had a huge lead on his Pirelli/Motul Suzuki SV. The two Georgia boys, George Gentle and Lynn, led off the line in the 750cc Superstock Novice final. Lynn crashed in the last corner during the third lap, and the scramble for second heated up among Cale Swiger, Adam Durham and Gustavo Quintero. Swiger put the hammer down and took second on his Dunlop/Vesrah/Pit Bull Honda F4. Durham moved to third on his Vesrah/Pirelli/Traxion Dynamic Suzuki 600, leaving Quintero, on the Pirelli/EBC/Capital City Suzuki 600, in fourth. Gentle stretched out his lead to the end with his Michelin/911 Riders School Suzuki 750. "I'm trying to do my best," Gentle said. "This is my fifth race." "The competition was stiff; there motocrossing t " winner Lynn said. "It was such an emotional, up-and-down race. I'm just happy that I won it. It was just crazy." The two Vesrah Suzuki racers, Junge and John Jacobi, led the charge in the 600cc Superstock Expert final. Junge's lead was short-lived, as he tumbled off the track in turn five. David Weber came up to challenge Jacobi, while Smith began to let his presence be felt by the lead pack. In the second pack, Bradley Champion, on the Info Tech/ Pirelli/Motul Yamaha R6, was up front and aiming for the leaders. Smith took the lead on the fifth lap. Crozier, on the No Limits Cycle Honda 600RR, was moving up, taking Champion with him. Weber grabbed second, with Greg Myers in third. n e _ s (549) Diego Rojas (32) and Eddie 1!!!!!!!~IIi;;;;;''''''>bIt~'':att:Lynn duringleadsfirst start of the StIIr ScIIooI (488) the 600cc $u@erstock _ Ryan Andrews were neck and neck for 12 laps. Kcraget's Honda had a little more down the back straight, but Andrews' Valentino Rossi-Iookalike Aprilia showed more in the tight corners. As this twosome left the field behind, John Hjels held down third. At the checkers, it was the Euro Shop of Waco/Hooligan Racing Aprilia of Andrews in the lead. Kcraget settled for second on his NESBA.com/Speed Works Honda. "This was fun, to have someone to In T....d..... "'1111 ••• were a lot of good riders here," Swiger said. "The weather was just premium. I had a great time." Vesrah Suzuki's Tray Batey took the holeshot in the 750cc Superstock Expert race, with Jacobi, Moore and Weber right with him. However, it was Attack Racing/Suzuki jockey Josh Hayes who was on the move. By the fourth lap, Hayes had passed Batey for the lead. The two Team Velocity teammates, Charles Ivey and Reuben Frankenfield, had their own personal

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