Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ ROAD RACE WERA VansonIPM National Endurance Series: Round 11 ~ Team Pasta Marin seemed headed to the win, but tire problems held them to third. Team Motorcyclist spent nearly 30 minutes making repairs after a third-lap crash. California Sportbike Racing finished fourth with their Middleweight Production Honda. Members of Team Motorcyclist Magazine - Kurt Kunitsugu, Nick Ienatsch, Randy Renfrow and Ro~bie Petersen - on the Willow Springs victory podium. A crew member signals the winning team during the long, long night. saw the overall lead escape them with the seized brake caliper. "Cal (Rayborn) and Emde were using the rear brake to stabilize the bike in some of the faster turns," explained team owner and engine builder Greg Petrovic "and set up slower riders for a pass. The pads wore down to the metal and stuck in the caliper." The lead went to Motorcyclist, one which they would not relinquish to the very end. Team Suzuki, whose spirit seemed to be broken with four hours remaining, worked around TPM and settled for second overall. (;N Results: Nobles and the Kawasaki effort went down. "1 went out on my first lap," said Nobles. "1 thought I was taking it easy but I guess I was in too hot, ran out of room, stood the bike up, and got off in the loose (rocks)." Nobles was scraped and badly bruised, but generally okay. The bike, however, was totalled. And the night prove'd to be the stomping ground for Team Motorcyclist Magazine and Team Suzuki Endurance, who drew all 'the way up to second and third overall, respectively, by the 12th hour. Andy Milton turned the fast~st times for Motorcyclist at night, and was instrumental in holding off Kurt Hall and Team Suzuki Endurance - who were on the move and had closed to within six laps by hour 12 (3 a.m.). Come 5 a.m., and even ironman Milton was fatiguing badly, Holst was asleep, and Kuntisugu was shuffled out of the equation since he never became comfortable with the bike. They needed a rider badly, and all were back at the hotel. "The phone rang, and I thought it was my 7:00 (a.m.) wake-up call," said lenatsch, "so I picked the phone up after one ring and hung it up. When it rang again, I knew it must have been the team." And sure enough, it was, so lenatsch scrambled to the track, and was in the saddle by about 5 a.m, Team Suzuki was only five laps down at the time, so Ienatsch started blazing, running in the 1:29 second range. Team Suzuki woke up fast guy Michael Martin - and the sprint race was on. Holst - after a brief nap - was next up for Motorcyclist. Team Suzuki, tasting success after gaining ground at night, woke up their heavy hitter, Chuck Graves, and he immediately turned in the most consistently fast times of the race - a string of 1:29s (Renfrow, lepatsch and TPM's Rayborn were the only other riders to run 1:29 lap times). By the 17th hour, Graves was three laps down on Motorcyclist, who, in turn, were an additional four down on TPM. Another 15 minutes, and TPM O/A: 1. Team Motorcyclist Magazine, 866 Laps (Hon); 2. Team Suzuki Endurance, 861 (Suz); 3. TPM Racing, 8S4 (Suz); 4. California Sportbike Racing I, 817 (Hon); 5. Team Terrific, 815 (Hon); 6. Arclight Racing, 804 (Hon); 7. Team Belchfire, 799 (Yam); 8. Orange Express, 798 (Yam); 9. Radioactive Racing, 798 (Suz); 10. California 5uperbike School, 785 (Kaw); 11. Ardight Racing II, 778 (Hon); 12. Aymo Racing, 775 (Suz); 13. Force Racing, 773 (Yam); 14. Team International, 764 (Suz); 15. Inside Line Racing, 763 (Yam); 16. Scuderia West, 746 (Yam); 17. Team Hawaii, 729 (Hon); 18. Team Hawaii Too, 693 (Yam); 19 CaUfornia 5portbike Racing Too, 647 (Suz); 20. Class Racing, 244 (Kaw); 21. Arrught Racing Ill, 34 (Hon); 22. FastJine/MCM Racing, 32 (Kaw). HIW 5f8K: 1. Team Motorcyclist Magazine (Hen); 2. Team Suzuki End. (Suz); 3. TPM ~acing (5uz); 4. Aymo Racing (Suz); 5. Force Racing (Yam); 6. California Sportbike Racing II (Suz); 7. Class Racing (Kaw). H/W Prod: 1. Radioactive Racing (Suz); 2. Fastine/MCM Racing (Kaw). M1W S/BK: 1. Team Belchfire (Yam); 2. Orange Express (Yam); 3. California Superbike School (Kaw); 4. Team Hawaii (Hon); 5. Team Hawaii Too (Yam) MIW Prod: I. California Sportbike Racing (Hon); 2. Team Terrific (Hon); 3. Arclight Racing (Hon); 4. Arclight Racing II (Hon); 5. Team International (Suz); 6. Inside Line Racing (Yam); 7. Scuderia West (Yam); 8. Arclight Racing III (Hon). WERA VANSONIPM NATIONAL ENDURANCE SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. Team Suzuki Endurance (1089.08); 2. Force Racing (767.90); 3. Team SO/Pearls (725.20); 4. Arclight Racing II (695.97); 5. OAK (695.38); 6. Roswell Racing (682.61); 7. VA Breeze Racing (674.90); 8, Royale Racing (658.78); 9. Arclight RCG (627.23); 10. Northern Boys RCG (610.47),

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