From a press release:
Preparing for the upcoming WERA endurance series, Army of Darkness and Neighbor of the Beast tested various combinations of Michelin tires and developed baseline settings for chassis geometry and suspension settings for their 2001 Suzuki GSXR 600s on Friday March 22nd. Walt Schaefer of Walt Schaefer Cycle Supply was on hand, mounting tires and conferring with members of both teams about the different tires.
The weather was clear but unseasonably cool with high temperatures hovering in the low 50s.
NOTB Riders, from left: John Donnelly, Ty Stranger-Thorsen, Melissa Berkoff, Scott Fisher.
NOTB, a Superstock team, tested three rear tires for grip, handling characteristics and tire life. They tested the S2, H2 and M2 rear tires but, due to the cool temperatures, only used S2 fronts. Neighbor of the Beast riders included Melissa Berkoff, Scott Fisher, Ty Stranger-Thorsen, and out of retirement AOD rider John Donnelly. NOTB riders were very enthusiastic about the new range of Pilot DOT tires with Melissa Berkoff commenting, “These are the best Pilots yet”.
AOD for 2002. From left: Mark Crozier, Nolan Ballew, Jim Williams, Tim Gooding, Sam Fleming.
AOD, having already decided on a baseline rear tire for the upcoming season, focused on testing various front slicks. The tires had similar compounds but differed in carcass and profile and dramatically affected handling. The riders reached a consensus on which tire would be the baseline front tire for the season. Riding the AOD bikes were Sam Fleming, Mark Crozier and Jim Williams. Army Of Darkness is defending its third straight Middleweight Superbike Championship in 2002.
The 2002 AOD bike has been named “Orca”.
The teams were also seen testing different suspension settings and geometry.
One constant throughout the day was the fuel maps for the bikes. All of the bikes had been mapped using the Dynojet Tuning Link system borrowed from the nearby Team Hammer race shop the day before.
The teams then spent Saturday March 23rd testing Michelin off road tires at the nearby Kentucky ORV park for no other reason than that the opportunity presented itself.
Scott Fisher feels out the traction on the new Michelin Pilot H2 rear tire.
The WERA endurance season commences on April 6th at No Problem Raceway in Baton Rouge Louisiana.
AOD and NOTB are sponsored by M4, Michelin, 13x.com, Tower Analysis, Fisher Technical Services, Battley Cycles, International City Cycles, Herndon Cycle Sport, Roadracingworld.com, Vanson Leathers, Vesrah Brakes, Zero Gravity, WERA, Sprocket Specialists, Traxxion Dynamics.