BEi Racing/Dunlop Development Team’s (BEI) Tim Bemisderfer, Billy Etheridge, Mark Junge and Brian Stokes capped off the team’s first WERA/Bridgestone National Endurance Championship by winning the season finale, a four-hour event, Friday at Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia.
Army of Darkness’ (AOD) Sam Fleming, Scott Jensen, Jimmy Vanderhaar and Ben Walters led the first 45 minutes of the race and kept BEi in sight for the next two hours. But AOD had a long, troubled pit stop in the fourth hour and lost a lap to the leaders. BEi, which rode a 2006-model Suzuki GSX-R1000, held that one-lap advantage to the finish.
In addition to the overall race and Championship victories, BEi also won the Heavyweight Superbike category for the day and the season.
AOD, which used a Michelin-shod Yamaha YZF-R1, finished second overall and in the Heavyweight Superbike class.
TVR 131’s Scott Brown and Chuck Ivey, who also rode a Michelin-fitted Yamaha YZF-R1, finished third overall and third in the Heavyweight Superbike division and earned the runner-up spot in the overall Championship.
Team Kinetic’s Tim Birdsong, Chris Parrish and Robert Turner, Jr. rode their Dunlop-shod Suzuki SV650 to fifth overall and the victory in the Lightweight Superbike class. Team Kinetic also won the Lightweight Superbike Championship.
Team Coyote’s Dale Blackman, Marlon Boxe, Major L. Long, Jr. and Michel Perussault finished seventh overall and took the Mediumweight Superbike class win on their Dunlop-equipped Suz GSX-R600.
Mousebox Racing (Tim Hunt/Jake Lewis/Jake Morman) retired after 19 laps due to a blown engine, but the team collected enough points to secure the Mediumweight Superbike Championship.
A total of 22 teams started the race.
The race was stopped once with a red flag when MPH Endurance’s Suzuki GSX-R1000 caught on fire after a crash in Turn 10.
WERA/Bridgestone National Endurance Championship Four-Hour Road Atlanta Braselton, Georgia October 28 Provisional Race Results:
1. BEi Racing/Dunlop Development Team (Tim Bemisderfer/Mark Junge/Brian Stokes), Suz GSX-R1000, Heavyweight Superbike, Dunlop, 134 laps
2. Army of Darkness (Sam Fleming/Scott Jensen/Jimmy Vanderhaar/Ben Walters), Yam YZF-R1, Heavyweight Superbike, Michelin, 133 laps
3. TVR 131 (Scott Brown/Chuck Ivey), Yam YZF-R1, Heavyweight Superbike, Michelin, 131 laps
4. Fastfrankracing.com (Pete Friedland/Frank Shockley), BMW S1000RR, Heavyweight Superbike, Dunlop, 129 laps
5. Team Kinetic (Tim Birdsong/Chris Parrish/Rob L. Turner, Jr.), Suz SV650, Lightweight Superbike, Dunlop, 122 laps
6. TOBC Racing (Jon Couch/Brian Kcraget/Russell Masecar), Suz SV650, Lightweight Superbike, Pirelli, 121 laps
7. Team Coyote (Dale Blackman/Marlon Boxe/Major L. Long, Jr./Michel Perussault), Suz GSX-R600, Mediumweight Superbike, Dunlop, 120 laps
8. Team Chicago (Joseph Ball/Tristan Konneker), Tri Daytona 675, Mediumweight Superbike, 119 laps
9. CCF Office Solutions (Dave Krier/Kevin Mills/Derek Mugge/John Risconsin/Fred Turner), Suz GSX-R600, Trophy, Dunlop, 119 laps
10. Team Orthopedics (Chad DuPree/Kurt Miller/David Pullen/Darryl Tomlinson), Yam YZF-R6, Mediumweight Superbike, Dunlop, 119 laps