Hot Time in Vegas: Brand X Yamaha Earns Second Place in WERA Endurance
LAS VEGAS, NV Brand X Yamaha survived a brutally hot weekend in Las Vegas to claim second overall in round five of the Bridgestone/WERA National Endurance Series. Ben Walters, Brett Champagne and Dale Kiefer rode the Yamaha YZF-R1 to the team’s fifth podium finish in five races.
Last weekend marked the first visit to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the team members since 2005. Adjusting to the heat of the desert was tough, but getting up to speed was not. “Sam, Melissa, Charlie, Steve and Dave worked really hard during the practice day on Friday to give us a baseline setup. We got up to a competitive pace quickly,” said Walters.
Champagne started the six-hour race Saturday morning, and he held down second until the close of the first hour, when the leader pitted and Brand X inherited the lead. The team decided to take on fuel only in their pit stop, and when Walters entered the track Brand X still had the number-one spot.
Walters’ lead stretched to nearly a minute, but the team’s lead disappeared when a red flag came out. Walters pitted soon after the restart and handed over to Kiefer, who was able to join the roster at the last minute to substitute for an ill Tripp Nobles.
Champagne, Walters and Kiefer all rode a second stint before the checkered flag came out, keeping stints short to battle fatigue from the heat. Brand X Yamaha took home second on their Heavyweight Superbike R1 without any competition from behind.
“It was really a battle of attrition and an effort to keep fluids in,” said Champagne, who added that during his second stint he became so dehydrated that he was seeing double brake markers. “We were just trying to survive and not do anything stupid. The weekend was good: everything went smoothly and we had great pit stops.”
“We only used one Michelin front tire the entire race,” commented Walters. “The tire was still good at the end and didn’t have much of an effect on our lap times. We were also able to only change the rear every two stints.”
Walters also added that Brand X is grateful to Scott Fisher from FTSI for letting the crew use his shop for their prep work, providing a break from the heat.
More information about Brand X Yamaha can be found online at www.BrandX13.com.
More, from a press release issued by Gerry Signorelli:
Racing for a Wish/Rocky Mountain Kawasaki/Kawasaki Team Green June 28th & 29th, 2008 Pueblo Motorsports Park, Pueblo, CO
Gerry Signorelli continued his win streak in the Novice classes of the MRA this past weekend in Pueblo, Colorado. Saturday afternoon he raced in the Novice GTU and GTO classes, winning both, and setting a new lap record for the Novice GTU class at Pueblo Motorsports Park with a 1:36.07 lap time. In GTU he laid down two fast laps right from the start and hit lap traffic by the fourth lap, but was able to diligently pick his way through traffic while staying well ahead of the 2nd place rider. In the GTO class the win was not so easy as the 2nd place rider was right behind Signorelli. On the second to last lap, knowing his competition was on his tale while approaching a lap rider, Gerry nearly highsided while trying to get a good drive out of the tight turn 7. He managed to stay up though and brought it home with another win.
Sunday was a day of ups and downs. Signorelli raced in the Amateur GTU and GTO classes where he faced expert and novice racers combined. As a novice without even a full year of racing experience yet, he took the whole shot in the GTU class and lead for two laps. He was then overtaken but brought the bike home in second for a third podium of the weekend. The last race of the day was the Amateur GTO class. Gerry had a good start and headed into turn one in second place. At turn four though, on that first lap, as he turned into the right hander, another rider ran into him just behind his right leg and took them both off the track. Both racers were able to walk away from the accident and will work towards be ready to race again in Hastings, NE in two weeks.
More, from a press release issued by Ryan Farquhar:
Double delight at Athea for Farquhar
Fresh from his double race victory at the Bush road races last week, Ryan Farquhar added another brace of wins to his impressive 2008 season at the weekend. Riding the Harker Racing ZX10 Kawasaki at the Athea meeting, the Dungannon rider took both the Open and Grand Final races in convincing style, also setting new lap and race records.
With no 250cc or 600cc machines for the weekend, Ryan had just his Superstock Kawasaki machine at his disposal but he made sure one bike would count and after a steady start in the 8-lap Open race, he made his way into the lead. Ryan was embroiled in a battle with Keith Amor in the early stages but, when they caught the first of the backmarkers, he was able to make the break and eventually ran out a comfortable winner by 14.3seconds.
In the feature Grand Final race, again held over 8 laps of the 3.3-mile public road course, Ryan slotted into third place as the riders left the line but by the completion of the first lap he had hit the front and he was never headed. With a succession of fast laps, including a new outright lap record of 113.606mph, he took his second win of the day. To complete his successful day, he also set a new race record for the course.
There was drama at the prize presentation though when an impatient race fan tried to drive through the 200-strong crowd that had gathered to see the presentations. He promptly ran over Ryan’s leg, much to his obvious annoyance and discomfort but, fortunately, nothing was broken and he will be fully fit in time for the Skerries races.
Speaking about his day’s work at Athea, a delighted Ryan said:
‘It’s been a really enjoyable day’s racing and with two wins from two starts, as well as the lap and race records, I can’t complain. With no 600cc machine, the other riders had a bit of an advantage over me in the first race as they were up to speed and had had more time on the circuit so it took me a little while to get going. I managed to get by Keith to take the lead and when we caught the backmarkers, I was able to slip by and pull away.’
‘It’s so narrow here that it’s difficult to pass so I made sure I got the lead in the Grand Final nice and early and I was able to steadily pull away. We’ve got the Superstock bike set up really well and wI’m so impressed with the Dunlop tyres that we’re able to set some excellent lap times on the bike and be totally competitive wherever we go. The whole package is working really well and we’ll have a new 600cc engine in time for Skerries so I’m really looking forward to that. I could have done without being run over by a car but although the ankle’s a bit sore at the moment, it will be spot-on for the weekend.’
The Skerries 100 road races take place on the outskirts of Dublin, this coming Saturday, July 5th.
More, from a press release issued by Team NCR Ducati:
NCR-Ducati Wins Second Round of Parts Canada Championship Series in the Thunder Class!
Calgary, Alberta – The NCR-Ducati travelled across to Alberta for the second round of the Parts Canada Thunder Championship.
Early testing showed that the NCR-Ducati 848 was able to handle the numerous bumps and holes of the Race City Motorsport Park.
Saturday morning practice showed that Andrew Nelson managed the best time of the morning with a 1:19.972 with Valter Bartolini close behind with a best of 1:20.170. Darren James on of the first of the 1125R Buells in third with a 1:22.170 and Dave Estok with a 1:22.193.
Under a beautiful sunny sky, Andrew managed to win pole position with Valter in the second slot.
The race saw a great start by Valter and local ace Chad Pasowisty shooting towards the front while Andrew stumbled momentarily and found himself 5th in the first turn. The previous lap record was quickly broken by the new Thunder Class while Valter Bartolini was leading with an incredible 1:19.362 but it was Andrew Nelson with a 1:19.093 that was on a quick pursuit to pass Chad and to then hunt down the leading Valter Bartolini. Andrew quickly set an incredible pace because he didn’t want Valter to pull away while Andrew battled to get by Chad. Andrew set the days best time but had plenty in reserve to do better if needed. By the half way point of the 16 lap race, the trio of Ducati’s of Valter, Andrew and Chad were pulling away from the field. Valter and Andrew were setting up for the much anticipated battle of the NCR-Ducati teammates but then on the 10th lap, Valter was setting up to do his usual rear end slide into the bumpy left hander after the “Bus-Stop” when his engine locked up and pushed him off the course and onto the grass when he managed to slide off before the tire barrier. Thankfully, he only sustained a sprained ankle during his off-road excursion. Andrew saw the whole event unfold before him but kept his eyes on the task at hand and continued to put down some very fast laps while staying just far enough ahead of Chad in order not to be drafted by him down the longest straight of the series.
Andrew finished first, 2.5 seconds ahead of second lace Chad Pasowisty and 25 seconds ahead of Dave Estok.
This leaves Andrew Neslon with a series lead for NCR-Ducati. Next round is in three weeks at the double header at Mosport Ontario. Join us there for what will surely be an exciting time.
More, from a press release issued by Team Toyota Yamaha Fast Company Racing:
LACOMBE STAYS IN THE HUNT
Excellent third place for Fast Company rider in hot Calgary
BRESLAU, Ont. Team Toyota Yamaha / Fast Company Racing’s Kevin Lacombe kept himself in the hunt for the Parts Canada Superbike Championship with an excellent third place finish at Calgary’s Race City Motorsports Park on Sunday.
Despite an overheating engine that robbed his Yamaha YZF-R1 of power right from the start of the race, the 25-year-old Granby, Que. ace worked his way up from sixth at half distance to claim the final podium spot two laps from the end of the race, which was held in very hot conditions.
“We had a really good bike this weekend, I think one of the fastest on the straights,” said Lacombe, who qualified third for the 22-lap race. “I don’t know why, but it started overheating and I was losing power. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to finish the race. The temperature was at 108, 109, 110 degrees and usually it’s around 80.”
Lacombe made his charge in the last eight laps of the race, passing Brett McCormick and Francis Martin on consecutive laps before getting around Peris near the finish.
“The last few laps, I knew if I pushed hard the guys in front might have problems with their tires,” he said. “I passed everyone on the inside of turn 5. It was a banzai move but I just hoped for the best.”
Lacombe remains second in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship point standings with 85 points to the 99 of Jordan Szoke, after two of seven rounds. They both are well clear of third-place Martin, who has 59 points.
A red flag four laps from the finish robbed Lacombe of a shot at the Yoshimura Pro 600 Sport Bike victory earlier in the day. After starting from pole position on his Scott Miller-tuned Yamaha YZF-R6 Lacombe was in the thick of the lead battle before the race was stopped after 14 of a scheduled 18 laps with the Quebec rider in third.
“It was hard to have the race finish like that,” Lacombe said. “I thought I had enough time to catch Jordan. I lost some traction the last two or three laps out of the last corner, and lapped traffic was a big factor, but I think our bike was fast enough to get back in front.”
Lacombe moves up to third in the Yoshimura Pro 600 Sport Bike rankings with 74 points, just four behind McCormick. Szoke leads on 109. The Parts Canada Superbike Championship continues with a doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ont. July 17-20.
More, from a press release issued by M2S Agency:
Garrett Willis Scores a Double Podium at WERA Again!
Las Vegas is known for heat but this past weekend the racing was hot and so was the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with temperatures soaring to 111 at times. It was a battle just to keep you and your machine cool.
Garret’s first race of the weekend was in the 600 Superstock class. While running at the front early in the race Garrett had the misfortune to tuck the front wheel at the end of the back straightaway and go down at 100+ mph which was his first crash on a road race bike during a race. Luckily he escaped relatively unharmed and his bike didn’t suffer major damage.
It’s always a challenge to get back on and go fast after you crash so Garrett’s next race in the 750 Superbike class was a test to see how he would come back and he erased any doubts by grabbing a 3rd place finish against some AMA regulars on 750’s while Willis was mounted on his CBR600RR.
Next up was the 600 Superbike race and Garrett enjoyed a race long battle that saw him out front at the end only to have a suspected heat related fuel delivery issue cause a last lap difficulty that caused him to have to coast across the line in 2nd place for his second podium finish of the weekend.
Reflecting on the weekend of racing Garrett said “I felt really fast and confident all weekend and I was really surprised when I went down in the first race because it didn’t feel like I was pushing hard enough to cause the front to tuck so maybe I hit some coolant since so many bikes overheating. After the crash I was really looking forward to getting back out there and showing what I could do and I had a lot of fun racing battles in my next two races. I’m happy to be leaving with my point leads still intact and looking forward to my next race.”
The next race on the schedule for Garrett is a AFM round at Thunder Hill Park in Willows, Ca on July 5th-6th.