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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542355
W€RA/Mich€lin National Chall€ng€
s€ni€s
Round 2: Talladega GP
Jensen, Stornes Stor
qt
Round Two
PHOTOS BY KEN GOSSOM/MIFIFOR IMAGE
IAIIADEGA,
AT, APR. 9
!t
was a
perfect
day for motorcycle iacing, wth a clorrdless sky
land
remperatures
in the mid-7Os, round two of the
WERAy'Michelin Netional Challenge Series
8ot
under
\May in Thl-
lad%a, Alabarna.
Rob€rt
lensen
took the Open Expert Superstock holeshot
and Tray Batey follow€d,
while Ben Thompson charged up to
third.
Lee Acree wacked it up a bit and snatched third
from
Thompson, and then he
got
b!, Batey for second, turning
a time
of
57.9 second. Tuming low 5Ss,Jensen took the win.
It was a dogfiSht
in
the 600c.
Expert final. as Daniel
Parke6on
led
off
the line and held the lead
for
one
lap, but
AEree rook it away, with
lens€n
.ight
there. Going
into the fast
turn slr during the fourth lap,
Jensen
slipped by, but Acree stayed
right
on
his heels- Brian Gibbs rin third, with Brian Stok€s founh
and Taylor Knapp ,ifth after Parkerson
and Keith Marshall went
down in turn t!vo.lensen
won
by
.061 seconds at the line.
Seth Starnes wa5 on {ire, as he won four racesi the Open,
600cc
and 750cc Superstock Novice and 600cc Sup€rbike ra.es.
Some riders were hoping
he'd
be
moved to the Expen class, as
his lap times
we.e dSht
ther€
with those of the Expens. Roben
Wilke),finally beat him in the 750.. Superbike final,
Batey
spanked
Knapp in the Open TwirB Sup€rstock Exp€n
final.
leff
\,{alker
char8ed to
victory in
the
Formula Two Expert
final, as Blake Dirck took the Novice win,
Dirck came back to win the Lightweight Twins ra.e. wkh the
Sassaman boys, Payton and
Brentt. placinS
se.ond
and third,
respecrively.
Brian
Suffridge
won the Experr ponion ofthis ra.e.
ln
750cc Superstock
action, Acree
8ot
bylensen in EUrn seven
ro take
the lead. l'lark
lunSe
was right there, wairing to strike,
but he came up short a few times.
just
be{ore the white flag,
Jensen
retook
the
lead in iurn six and led it to the white flag.
Then he slid
our
in turn six, and Acree accepted the lead and the
win..lunSe was second, Parkinson held on for Ehird, and Knapp
Parkerson took
the stan
and strer.hed it to three seconds by
the second
lap
of rhe 600cc
Expen
Superbike
final. Like a hse.
beam, Carrect Caner"
aocLrsed on
cuftin8
the lead a bit at a time
until he
eained
the lead on che seventh
lap, and he held
on
to it
until the end.
Justin
Marm blasted to the lead
and sByed there until the last
lap
of the
750cc
Superbike
final, with l'larshall following. Coming
out of turn
four, l'1arm hiShsided and handed the victory to
l'4arshall.
Thompson
wasled
no
time takin8
the lead and strerching it
off the line in che Formula One
llnal. Behind rhis fleein8 Alaskan,
Batey and.Jensen contested second,
and
rhen
Acree moved up co
join
rhe
Iun.
By the
halfway point of this l2-lap race, Acree had
broken free and begun to run down
Thompson. turning
57.774-
second
laps, with
one lap to
go.
Acree came close,
but ar the
checkered flag. Thompson had allthe bases covered.
''My
friend Evan Steel
8ot
ahis bike wo*in8
ri8ha, and I
just
gor
out there, Thompson stated afrer the races. The Dunlops
were \rorkinS
just
great- I
didn\ know
what was
8oin8
on behind
me, so I
jusr
ran my own race." Cl{
Robe Jen5en
(152)
ond lee Acee
(84)
bonle
for
position
en route to finiching one-two
in tho
6OOrc
Expert Superilo.k roce ol round two of
the WERA/lltichelin
Notionol Chollenge Series.
TALTADIGA
GP
TALUDEGA, ALABA A
REsuLrs: APR|I 9. 2006
(RouND
2)
lllNl 50: L Austin Cl,k
(Hon):2
Ehe.venh
(Hon)iI Bret Aueu
'ne
(Hon).
H|NI ao: l. Narhani€lP.n6
(K!w)r1.
Jimmr
l'losley (HoOil.lse sreem
(Md).
r- I
:
Ben
Thomp6d (suri 2. Le. A(@
(Suz);
I Robort
Je6en
(S@).
F-2 NOv:
L
Blake Oirckr
(Suz);2 l"lil6Ihdnto
(Hon)rl
lessteens(Hon)
F-2Ek
l.lef
wnker (Suz):
2. Sta€ GEe
(Suz):
3
Iim Bi.dsns
(suz).
600 NOv S/8K: I S€th
stames
(suz)i
Robert
wilk€/ (Kawl;
3
lo*ph
Lund
(Yam).
600
Ex s/sK: l.
Gar6 cdd
(Yamli
2. Daniel FarkeEon
(S@):
l. Ke,th
l'ldh.ll
(suz)
750 Nov
s/BlC l. Robed wilkey
((aw);
2. sah s6ms
(Ssz);
l.
Timothr
Neal
(suz)
750
EX S/3K: L Keith l.lshall(Suz); 2. AndrEw Ndei
Ct
)r
3. Tony Palue
(Suz).
l-/w Hov s/sTK: l. Blale oiEk
(suz)i
2. Fryron sassman
(suu)i
3. Brcnt
SBaru
(Suz)
L/v/
EX
s/srr( L Bn sufindee
(suz)i
2.
JeiI
whlke.
(suz):
l.
Si.v. Green
(Su!).
H,/!V NOV S/STK|
l.
5@t
r4ork
(Apr)i
2. Mark wland
(5!r:
I Blak. Dir