Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

. I" I ------- ROAD RACe -- - Final Round 14 -1 7 , 2004 I Odobe . WERA National Challenge Series By DAN SCHMITI PHOTOS BY fTECHPHOTO.COM Ma" Futek (390) leads the statt of the 600cc Superstock Expert final at the WERA National Challenge Series finale, with Mark Junge (57), Bradley Champion (40), Mike Smith (911), David Weber (20) , Tristan Schoenewald (123) and the rest of the field following . pread over four days. and mixed in with the Sportsman races. the National Endu ra nce finals and the Suzuki Cup race s. the 10th - - - race of the Nat ional Challenge Series was held at Road Atlanta dur ing a week of coo l but dry weather. Mike Smith blasted off the line to lead the first lap of the O pe n Superstock class. Geoff May came up to challenge David Weber for second. As Smith exte nded his lead . Russell Holland charged to fourth , ahead of John Jacobi and Fritz Kling. Smith continued to build his lead, while May grabbed seco nd. Smith too k the victo ry with a few seco nds to spare . Matt Fute k's cha rge o ff the line in the 600 cc Supe rstock Expert race was canceled with a red flag on the second lap. O n the re start, Mark Junge took the lead, with Smith and Bradley Champion right the re . Brent George broug ht Weber up to challenge Junge for second . Smith had too large a lead for George to run him down. so Geo rge had to settle for sec ond . Web e r was third and Junge fourth. In the co mbined Lightweight race. David Yaakov checked out, running to the flag unimpeded . Behind him, Bo Morgan took the Expert win in the Supe rbike class. Ross Ryals held off Tim Birdsong to win in the Novice Superstock class. and John Ince grabbed the Novice Superbike victory. Tray Batey wasted no time taking the lead in the 7S0cc Supe rstock Expert final. Behind him, Jacobi and Smith battled for seco nd. At the halfway po int. Georg e and Holland sped by Jacobi and went afte r Smith , while Batey stretched his lead to six seco nds. Smith came in second, with Holland third. "Being number one in the po ints, I had a great starting position." Batey stated after the race . "I knew it wo uld be toug h for those guys to catch me and get past. I knew I couldn't mess around." As Brandon Parrish stretch ed out his lead in the 600cc Superstock Novice final, Carte r Burkholder crashed out of third, and Wes Thompson began his charge toward the front. First Thompson got by RickMolinaro and Thomas Moore; then he displaced Daryl Nott. With one lap to go, Thompson sped by Bill Drake to take second . Parrish rode to an I I-second victory. In the 600cc Superbike Novice final , Parrish sped into the lead, while Drake and Burkholde r battled for seco nd. Thom pson again charged through the pack. but this time he had to settle for fourth. "You have to stay on the gas, get on the brakes hard. you have to make every pass you can get. " Parrish said late r. "You have to buckle down." Keith Marshall and Giovanni Rojas we re side by side. contesting the lead in the 600cc Superbike Expert final. Tristan Schoenewald and Taylor Knapp flashed by Marshall on the third lap and then went after Rojas. For the last thre e laps. it was Rojas and Schoenew ald battling back and fort h for the lead, but on the lap that counted , Rojas got the win. Gordon escaped from the pack in the 750cc Superstock Novice final. Parrish ran a few seconds back in second. Keith Buras was run ning fourth when he lost his lowe r fairi ng dow n the front straight, slowing him up and allowing Trevor Taefi to take fourt h. Antho ny Dowless was third. "I studied the tapes from the AMA National," Gordon stated . "and I watc hed the lines those guys were using. and I tried to learn from that ." For five laps, it was Marshalland Knapp dueling back and forth for the lead in the 750cc Superb ike Expert final. O n the sixth lap. Mike De Brabant caught the duellists and slipped by Marshall. looking over his shoulder, Knapp saw De Brabant com ing, so he put his head down and sped to the checker ed flag. Batey led the first four laps of the Fo rmula One final on his Vesrah Suzuki 750 . Behind him, Smith and Geoff May, both on 1000s, were neck and neck for second . Finally, on the fifth lap, those two drafted by Bate y on the long bac k straightaway, with May up fro nt. Hitt ing lapped traffic gave May the breathing room he needed to take the win. ''T his isn't like AMAracing: ' May stated after the w in. "I was trying to leave everyone a little extra room . Unfortunate ly. Tray was on a 750. so it was just a matter of time for us to run him dow n." eN ROAO ATLANTA BRASELTON, G EORGIA RESULTS: OCTOBER 14 -1 7, 2004 (FINAL R O UN D) 600 SUPERSTOCK N O VICE: I. Brandon Parrish (Yam); 2. Wes Thompson (Hon) ; J. Bill Drake (Suz). 600 SUPERSTOCK EX PERT: I. M ike Smith (502); 2. Bre nt George (502); J. David Webe r (Suz). 750 SU PERSTOCK NOVIC E: I. Ryan Gordon (Suz); 2. Brandon Parris" (Suz); 3. Ant hon y Dowl es s (Suz). 7 50 SUPERSTOCK EXPERT : I . Tray Batey (Suz): 2. \N\AIW rllrll=nr;w~ _rnm Mike Smith (Suz) ; 3. Russe ll Holland (Sur) . OPEN SU PERST OCK EXPERT: I . Mike Smith (5oz); 2. Geoff M. y (Suz); J. David We w (Suz). 600 SUPERBI KE NOVICE: I. Brandon Pam'" (Yam); 2. Bill Drake (SUI) ; 3. Carter BurkhokJer (Yam) . 600 SUPERBIKE EX PERT: I. Giovarvli Rojas (Yam) : 2. Tn."" Schoenewald (Suz); J. T. yIo

• Cover