Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

ROAD RACE wERA vanson/PM Endurance series: Round e n l'l trI l-) H EI B E C\ O) O) (o C\ a bn Craig Renck on the Roswell Racing Suzuki (7) leads eventual winner Gold Hill Racing, ridden here by Fritz Kling, at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Gold Hill rules Indy endurance By Brent Plummer INDIANAPOLS,IN, AUC. 8 /1'! old Hill Racing's Christian (, flfi ig H:, fl:H ;# .'.il:11,,:l' :1 Indianapolis Raceway Park, winning the four-hour Vanson/PM Endurance Series race with four laps to spare over Virginia Breeze Racing. And Gold Hill couldn't have done it without veteran Kling, who had, on Friday, qualified on the pole for F-USA on the very same bike used in the endurance race. "My biggest problem today was traf- fic," said Gold Hill lead rider Gardner. "Throughout the whole year, I've had to battle with slower riders in the AMA series, but here, I never did figure out the right line. But Fritz - this is his home track, and he flies!" Indeed, the fact that Gold Hill fin- ished six minutes ahead of their closest competitor proves that both riders were flying. Team Suzuki Endurance usually occupies that dominant, pace-setting and race-winning role, but at Indy, it was not meant to be. Veteran rider Kurt Hall ran 14 into a spot of trouble before the end of the first hour in the tight ha@in tum 12 and crashed the bike, dropping Team Suzuki off the lead lap. "I was charging in (to turn 12)," explained Hall. "And there were three or four guys there doing the novice thing - weaving back and forth. One came from the outside in - I had been running up the inside - making me drift out and I kinda overcooked the corner." Hall nailed the brakes, and eventually, the hay bale-protected barrier headon, flig ping the bike forwards. Both motorcycle and rider were shaken a bit, but mostly unhurt. That minor wreck proved to be the Ieast of Team Suzuki Endurance's wor- ries, as late in the third hour the big Suzuki's cam chain brokg ending their day and relegating them back to 39th overall on the final roring sheet. However, Team Suzuki Endurance rules the series points chase with a grand total of 975.83 points. Thg nearest com- petitor - Heavyweight Production lead- ers Force Racing, who crashed out of the Indy race - is nearly out of reach with 751.05 DAK Racing is third with 694.08 They had the opportunity, after Force crashed out, to move ahead in the points standings, but DAK suffered a similar fate to Team Suzuki Endurance. "From the restart, we were up in the top five or six," said frustrated DAK lead rider Steve Heilman. "When entering the carousel, I outbraked a Buy on the out- side, which isn't a really good place to pass, but he was way towards the inside. I turned for the corner, and felt him bump me twice, heard one of his tires lock up, and he T-boned rne. I had my knee on the ground, and I felt his tire run into the back of my bike, and lift the rear end up and we both fell. Next time I won't pass a novice in that situation." But while points leaders Team Suzuki Endurance, Force Racing, and DAK were havhg terrible difficulties, Heavyweight Superbike contenders Virginia Breeze Racing were happily racing into second overall. It was Charlie Safley and ]ay Bartlow's first and highest podium finish of the year. "We finally decided to just go out, have fun, finish the race, and not be heros. It paid off ," said the Breeze's crew chief, Iim Tribou, who was relieved that Safley and Bartlow seem to be cured of crashing, which ended many a race for them this sedson. "I almost low-sided in fum six on my first ride - it scared me - and I thought I was history again," added rider Jay Bartlow. "I figured instead of trlng to push it really hard, I'd run consistent, do the best we can without crashing, and try and win it more in the pits than blis- tering lap times." It was a philosophy that obviously paid off for the team. Their wickedly fast OW01 framed,.Tribou-built and Safley- ported Yamaha FRZ1000-powered motorcycle is certainly quick enough to hang with the best out on the track, leav- ing the race to be decided in the pits. Third overall went to another Heavyweight Superbike team, Roswell Racing, ridden here by Craig Renck and Kent Soignier. "The only problem was that we ran out of gas two laps before the red flag, (thrown around the hour and 20 minute mark when R.A. Racing, Heschimura, and Arclight II collided in tum five) and had to pit. Virginia Breeze made it to the red flag before stopping, and that helped them get a [ap up (on Roswell)," explained rider Soignier. "I eventually caught Virginia Breeze and passed them." But Soignier's scorching pace took its toll on the team's tires, which had to endure the entire race. When Craig Renck got on for the final hour, the tires were used up, providing poor traction. L@) .41 w q ,*,,'4 Mi ru ,,& ffi %*. t w n L-A

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