WERA ENDS 2007 SEASON IN STYLE AT GRAND NATIONAL FINALS
BRASELTON, Ga. Seventy-six first-place trophies were awarded last weekend during the WERA Grand National Finals presented by Parts Unlimited at Road Atlanta, bringing the 2007 season to an exciting close for the WERA Pirelli Sportsman Series National Championships, Bridgestone National Challenge Series, Michelin National Endurance Series, National Vintage Series and the Suzuki Cup Series.
The racing got started as early as Thursday with the finals for the National Vintage Series and the WERA/Pirelli Sportsman Series National Championships.
On Friday, round ten of the WERA/Bridgestone National Endurance Series began the day’s racing with a four-hour event. Series champions Vesrah Suzuki won overall and Heavyweight Superbike with Mark Junge, Tray Batey, John Jacobi and Lee Acree on a Suzuki GSX-R1000. A thrilling race to the checkered flag for second place gave ARNCHU Racing the podium spot and the Heavyweight Superstock victory. Randy Sherman and Mark Crozier beat their toughest competition, 5150 Racing, by just seconds on a Suzuki GSX-R1000 for the class championship. 5150’s Phil Caudill and Justin Marm were third on their Heavyweight Superstock Suzuki GSX-R1000.
TVR II was in a championship fight, also, and they edged out Dalke Motorsports to win the Mediumweight Superbike race and title. Joshua Day and James Stroud rode the TVR II Yamaha YZF-R6, finishing fifth overall. Red Star had the Mediumweight Superbike championship wrapped up already, but nothing could keep Brian Gibbs and Ben Walters from going for the class win again on their Yamaha YZF-R6. Red Star was ninth overall. In Lightweight Superbike, Touring Sport Racing put a Ducati 1000SS at the front with riders Brad Phillips, Frank Shockley and Pete Friedland.
Ghetto Customs, who earned second in class, came away with the Lightweight Superbike championship. The WERA/Michelin National Challenge Series races saw the experts battling lap after lap.
At the end of the weekend, the only rider to have won more than one National Challenge expert race was Moto-R’s Matt Lynn, who was victorious in Formula 1 and Open Superstock. Vesrah Suzuki’s Lee Acree took the top spot in 600 Superstock, and Butler Machinery’s Robert Jensen was the victor in 750 Superstock. Michael Beck won 600 Superbike, while the 750 Superbike class win went to Opie Caylor. Tray Batey dominated Heavyweight Twins Superstock, and Chris Parrish took the victory in Lightweight Twins Superstock. Dane Westby won Formula 2.
In the novice classes of the National Challenge Series, first-year racer Curt Henderson was the man to beat. Henderson won 600 Superstock, 750 Superstock and 600 Superbike. Robert Wilkey won 750 Superbike and Open Superstock in the novice division. Miles Thornton won Formula 2, while Mark Wyland took off in Heavyweight Twins Superstock. The Lightweight Twins Superstock victory went to Payton Sassaman.
In the Suzuki Cup Series Finals, Lee Acree came away with the wins in the Suzuki GSX-R1000 and GSX-R600 Cup Finals. Jeff Wood took the victory in the Suzuki GSX-R750 Cup Final. In the twins classes, Tray Batey won the Suzuki SV1000 Cup Final, while Dane Westby took top honors in the Suzuki SV650 Cup Final. To keep up with WERA during the off-season, visit www.WERA.com.
More from a press release issued by Raven Communications:
TEAM EMBRY’S KEITH MARSHALL ENDS SEASON WITH TOP 5 FINISHES AT WERA GNF BRASELTON, Ga. From the hospital to the podium, Keith Marshall had a challenging 2006 race season, but the AMA and WERA racer ended the year strong with a string of top-five finishes during last weekend’s WERA Grand National Finals and Suzuki Cup Finals at Road Atlanta. Marshall began the weekend with two races in the WERA/Pirelli Sportsman Series. In B Superstock, Marshall started 28th but worked his way up to fourth on a Suzuki GSX-R750 provided by Pro-Line Race Prep. A red flag sent Marshall back to where he had begun for the restart, and once again he had to work his way to the front. Marshall did just that, moving into third place in the short eight-lap race. The Sportsman Series races at the GNF are for championship honors, and the Alpharetta, Georgia resident’s finish secured him third in the B Superstock championship. “On the restart, it took me until lap five to get back into fourth, where I had been before the red flag,” explained Marshall. “By that time, I had lost touch with the leaders, but it was satisfying to take third in the championship.” The C Superstock race was even tougher, and Marshall was the 32nd bike on the grid. Not to be intimidated, he got to work and ran as high as ninth before a red flag after four laps. The scoring reverted to the last complete lap, giving Marshall 13th. During the National Challenge Series races, Marshall earned fourth in 750 Superstock, a career best for that class. “I’ve got to thank Vinnie with Pro-Line Race Prep for giving me such a solid GSX-R750,” commented Marshall. “I was riding with the leaders but my tires went away. The lap times were there but I didn’t want to risk making any passes.” On Sunday, Marshall competed in the Suzuki GSX-R600 Cup Final and the Suzuki GSX-R750 Cup Final after qualifying fourth for both. “I got good starts in both races and picked off one or two guys, but I lost the leaders. At Road Atlanta, if you lose the draft you can’t catch up. It was nice to earn decent finishes, especially in such competitive races,” said Marshall. At the checkered flag, Marshall was fourth in the GSX-R750 Final and fifth in the GSX-R600 Final. In the 600 race, his lap times dropped into the 1:28 range, despite running with only 119 horsepower. The weekend capped a rollercoaster season for Marshall, who came back from a violent crash during the AMA Pro Racing weekend at Road America to take three top-15 AMA finishes before ending the season with his four top-five finishes at the GNF. “It felt good to be back on pace,” said Marshall, who spent much of his summer in physical therapy after his Road America crash. “It’s bittersweet because I wasn’t on the podium, but that’s racing. Considering how tough it was after I got hurt, it feels good to be competitive again. I lost out on a lot of seat time this year, and I’m looking forward to a healthy, competitive season next year.” During the off-season, Marshall will continue his training and work on his plans for 2007. Sponsors of Team Embry include MD Racing, Pirelli Tires, Arai Helmets, Vortex Racing Components, Oxtar Boots, Held Gloves, Silkolene Oils, Godfather Racing, K & N Engineering, LeoVince Exhaust Systems, Pit Bull Stands, EBC Brakes, Thermosman Suspensions, Ohlins, R-Tech Fuel, Spyder Leatherworks, Yoyodyne, Suzuki of Bartow County, Cycle Specialty, Moto-R, Mirror Images Photography, and Lockhart-Phillips. More information about Team Embry and Marshall can be found at www.TeamEmbry.com.
More from a press release issued by Bad Medicine Racing:
SURGEON WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Dr. Lee Schmitt won the WERA Senior Superbike National Championship on October 12 at Road Atlanta, racing on his heavily modified Suzuki GSX-R750 Superbike. Starting from the pole, Dr. Schmitt lost the lead only once to a racer who crashed immediately after making the pass. The rider was not seriously injured in the 80+ mph fall. Afterwards he was never again seriously challenged for the lead during the 8-lap Sprint race.
Dr. Schmitt has been racing with WERA since 2003. WERA began as the Western – Eastern Racing Association in 1973 and has grown to be the nation’s largest road racing organization. Dr. Schmitt was crowned the Southeast Region Senior Superbike champion earlier this year after wins at Barber Motorsports Park, Talladega Grand Prix Raceway and Carolina Motorsports Park (S.C.), as well as podium finishes at Roebling (GA) RoadRaceway and Jennings (FL) Grand Prix.
National Champions are determined during a pressure packed 4-day event called the Grand National Final (GNF). WERA divides the county into six regions and only the top 15 riders in points from each region earns an invitation to the GNF. Much like the Olympics, these top riders compete in just one race to determine who is the best. This year’s event was held at Road Atlanta, a 12-turn, 2.54-mile road course where top speeds exceed 170 mph on the long back stretch.
Dr. Schmitt received his trophy at a banquet on October 15th at the Gainesville (GA) Civic Center. When he is not racing, Dr. Schmitt is a general surgeon at Medical Center East and specializes in weight loss surgery.
More from a press release issued by ARNCHU Racing:
ARNCHU RACING WINS WERA NATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT SUPERSTOCK ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP!
This past week at the WERA Grand National Finals, ARNCHU Racing powered to their season goal by winning the Heavyweight Superstock Endurance Championship. The team made it a priority to finish as high as possible in the overall standings, accomplishing a 2nd overall for the season, against 109 season registered teams.
At Road Atlanta, ARNCHU Racing finished the final 4-hour race just 5.5 seconds ahead of heavyweight challenger 5150 Racing. ARNCHU took the podium with a first in class and second overall in what has become pattern for the team as they settled into rhythm of consistency just before mid-season.
Key to ARNCHU’s consistency have been the two Michelin-shod Suzuki GSX-R1000s from Bell’s Suzuki in Lexington, KY.
“Nathan and I turned the finishes around after coming home to Michelin tires at Miller Motorsports Park this year. The bike had always worked well everywhere and gave us some confidence even when the other tires couldn’t,” Randy Sherman said.
At the Cycle Jam in Atlanta, Michelin rider Mark Crozier was invited to join the team and has been a welcomed addition to the ARNCHU Racing Team. “I’ve really enjoyed myself riding with these guys, as they always give me a good machine to work with. It’s great to add this title to my list of hard-won accomplishments,” Crozier mentioned.
Nathan Dressman, the ARNCHU Rider who broke his ankle in Wednesday’s practice had this to say: “Well, of course my ankle is an unfortunate side to this, but our team is strong and I knew that Mark and Randy had the lap times to prove us right. Randy almost got caught at the end of the race, but dug deep and pulled that small gap back out. I’m proud of everything we have been able to accomplish this year, from increasing our rider skill and developing these bikes into real performers with the assistance from our partners, sponsors and crew. We’ve worked through every issue with tenacity and it seems no one could keep this from happening because we were committed to it! It’s been an amazing experience this year.”
ARNCHU’s season long battle with all the 1000cc teams for the class championship demanded the highest degree of preparation, planning, riding, and crew work available. ARNCHU Racing wishes to congratulate all the teams on finishing a tough series and thanks WERA for events in which to compete and strive for excellence.
ARNCHU Racing season highlights and partner links can be found at www.arnchu.net.