Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Tony Tierno, Ray Ossenkopp, Steve Mikolas and Don Becklin to finish seventh overall, first in M/W Superbike on an aging Yamaha FZR600. It was a feat made possible, in part, by Allen's prowess as an aerospace engineer - he solved the FZR's overheating problem by applying a NASCAR-style pressurized coolant system, and he also made the bike as bulletproof as possible. And when Force blew its engine late in the race, the Belchfire bike passed the most stringent of durability tests; they crashed in Force's oil but were still able to carry on to seventh overall. Orange Express also piloted a FZR600 and finished eighth overall, second in M/W Superbike after reportedly blowing its 600cc motor before the end of the fourth hour, and replaced it with an FZR400 motor. Ninth overall was earned by Radioactive Racing, they were the only Heavyweight Production team to finish the race. The staff of the California Superbike School rode one of the school's Kawasaki, ZX-6s and finished 10th overall, third in M/W Superbike. From the very beginning of the weekend, it was obvious that Team Motorcyclist Magazine meant serious business: originally, Lance Holst, American Honda's Mitch Beohm (now at rival Cycle World magazine), and local racer Kent Kuntisugu were going to field a long-term loaner - a Honda CBR900 test bike ip Heavyweight Production. Kaz Yoshima, owner of Ontario Moto Tech, was coerced into prepping the engine, because he knew so much about prototype building (there is, after all, little known about race-prepping the new CBR900RR). - From those uncomplicated beginnings, the team quickly snowballed into a Herculean volunteer effort composed of a virtual who's-who of Honda racing in America; Commonwealth Racing built the chassis, American Honda fabricated parts (including a.trick Yoshirnaspec single stand that pneumatically elevated the entire bike in one quick swoop), and Two Brothers Racing manned much of the pit team, in addition to supplying various parts. What emerged, under Yoshima's effective guidelines, was the fastest, lightest endurance racer capable of winning a 24-hour event, and the team knew it all too well: the pressure to win was enormous, and American Honda was watching closely. Which is why the team was actually relieved when Robbie Petersen emerged healthy from his third lap get-off - the pressure to win was off the other riders. At the beginning of the race, Team Suzuki's Michael Martin jumped out to a sizable lead off the starting grid, TPM's Cal Rayborn III second, CLASS's Jason Pridmore and Petersen following before a gap back to fourth, Rayborn dropped back· to fourth on the second lap, and Petersen was on the move. Next lap, and the lead four were soon entering Willow's tight, uphill left-hand tum three. Petersen picks it up from here: "I knew I was on new tires, so I took it easy on the first lap, then picked it up a bit on the second lap, and then I was down - I can't remember a thing," said Petersen after being released from the hospital the next day. Petersen had lost the front end, the bike skidded and went down, Petersen's left leg trapped underneath the bike which began hopping along the track and pounding Petersen until both reached the edge of the tarmac and began tumbling. Soon, Petersen came to a halt, sat up, opened his visor, and stared off into space, totally dazed. The tum was not manned with cornerworkers, and it took some time for the ambu- Randy Renfrow led Team Motorcyclist Magazine to the win, five laps ahead of the runner-up team. Team Suzuki Endurance (I) battled through the field to finish second. Class Racing (21) DNF due to a lance to arrive and then whisk Petersen away. Commonwealth's Al Ludington and the Motorcyclist pit crew scrambled to assess the damage. Diagnosis: bad alternator from a hole worn through the cover, and the pegs, levers, bodywork and lights all needed replacing. A half hour later, team captain Renfrow was back out on the track in the last position, 20-some laps down on the leaders, Team Suzuki Endurance. Fastline/MCM was the first to drop out of the race with a blown motor that grounded the team in tum three, 32 laps completed. At the end of the first hour, Team Suzuki Endurance was a lap plus 37 seconds up on second place CLASS Racing. Force Racing was third, on the same lap as CLASS, with the amazing Team Belchfire fourth overall, two laps down on Suzuki. TPM was already having tire problems - with a stop not long after the start to change to a harder compound rear - and was fifth overall. At the one hour and 25 minute mark, Team Suzuki Endurance had broken a rocker arm, and Martin slowly cruised around into the pits. Keith Perry, Scotty Beach, and Tom Houseworth scrambled into action, and were relieved when, a few minutes later, the first red flag flew after a rider went down in the tum five and six area,' spewing liquid allover the track. At the restart (after a quick track clean-up of what turned out to be water) . Rayborn and the TPM machine were off like madmen; lenatsch closely following on the Motorcyclist CBR900, Nobles and the CLASS bike not far behind. It was nig~ttime crash. soon Team Suzuki's turn to reenter at the back of the "pack," 33 laps down on the fight for the lead, 13 down on rivals Motorcyclist. It was not long until the next red flag flew from an accident in the same area, this time Team Hawaii was down, and had shoveled gravel on the track right after the three hour'mark. . Dusk soon fell, the "lights-on" call was given, and'the night crews took . over. . When the darkness was complete, around the sixth hour (9 p.m.), TPM held a three-lap lead over Force Racing, 202 laps to 199. CLASS Racing was third with 196; Motorcyclist had worked up to ninth overall, 17 laps down, and Team Suzuki \Vas charging hard, 27 laps down. At the end of the seventh hour, 7

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