Helmbach/Shaw Take Overall Michelin Team Challenge Alton, VA With scattered showers threatening and temps in the low 90’s VIR [Virginia International Raceway] hosted Round 5 of the Michelin Team Challenge [June 18]. The weather was sauna-like all weekend, but nary a drop of moisture fell during race hours and at 12:05 PM EDT the green flag dropped on the 2-hour time limited 65-lap enduro. Jim Barry on his Sweeney-engined Yamaha R1 led the first lap as Scotty Ryan was powering the Stiles Racing Yamaha R6 to the front. By lap two Ryan was past Barry and was hotly pursued by Eric Helmbach aboard the Chester Auto Repair BMW 1000. The gap between the first three riders was 1.5-seconds on lap three. By Lap 4 Rick Beggs had served a stop-and-go penalty for a jump start. Amateur Alan Nelson scored the “nice move of the day award” for a turn one pass putting his MWR Racing GSXR 750 into fourth place and within a lap Nelson was into third. Fatigue from the sweltering heat took its toll on Nelson and after several laps the MWR machine began to drift back in the field before handing off to teammate and owner Michael Rice. On Lap 6 Premier racing went mechanical in turn 5 and parked their Yamaha R6 behind the pit wall for the duration of the event. On lap twelve Ryan’s lead was up to 3.5-seconds over Helmbach with Lloyd Bayley on his RPM Motorsports Suzuki 1000 following in third. Walt Sipp had also managed to work Tim Ivanoff’s Buell 1125 up into 5th place. The motor in the Thrashed Bike Racing Buell was living up to the team’s name as the crowd could hear with every lap an intensifying misfire. Sipp mentioned on the podium at race end that the bike was a handful, but Sipp got the job done in spite of the misfire. After the first round of fuel and rider change stops Meghan Ryan took over from Scotty on the Stiles machine and Alex Shaw took over from Helmbach on the BMW and put their entry into the lead for the first time of the day and there it was to remain as the crew from Chester Auto Repair landed a much needed win to remain competitive in the pursuit of a second consecutive title in GTO and as overall champions. Stiles would finish second overall after a pit-stop infraction gave them a minor set-back. Sipp nursed the big Buell home for third. In addition to Walt Sipp’s exceptional performance there were others, most notably perhaps that of those young riders in the GTU class at Moto Medusa Justeen Cicio and Alison Fournier riding their Markbilt-engined Honda 600 to a third place in class behind ASRA Champions Rick Beggs and Jason Gibbens on the Repsol Kawasaki. Cicio and Fournier were duly pleased as this was their first outing in the Michelin Team Challenge. The top three finishers, overall and by class, were: Overall 1 Chester Auto Repair Eric Helmbach and Alex Shaw Califon, NJ 46 Stiles Racing Scotty Ryan, Meghan Ryan Delavan, WI 222 Thrashed Bike Racing Walt Sipp Breaux Bridge, LA GTO Class 1 Chester Auto Repair Eric Helmbach Califon, NJ 222 Thrashed Bike Racing Walt Sipp Breaux Bridge, LA 26 RPM Motorsports Lloyd Bayley Deer Park, NY GTU Class 46 Stiles Racing Meghan Ryan, Scotty Ryan Delavan, WI 4 RNR Repsol Rick Beggs, Jason Gibbens Sterling, VA 414 Moto Medusa Justeen Cicio, Allison Fournier Elizabeth, NJ GTL Class 11 Old Glory Speed Shop Dennie Huff Hanover, PA And after five rounds of 2011 Michelin Team Challenge action the points standings for the endurance series are as follows: Michelin Team Challenge GTO Class (Points Team Location Riders) 156 THRASHED BIKE RACING BREAUX BRIDGE, LA. Joel Spalding, Walt Sipp, Tim Ivanoff 152 CHESTER AUTO REPAIR CALIFON, NJ. Eric Helmbach, Alex Shaw 74 BARRY MOTORSPORTS MANCHESTER, NH. Jim Barry 58 MARTINEZ MOTORSPORTS SLINGER, WI. Calvin Martinez, Jason Farrell 48 INTEGRATED LEESBURG, VA. Johnny Wiekek GTU Class (Points Team Location Riders) 158 STILES RACING DELAVAN, WI. Meghan Ryan, Scotty Ryan, Mark Stiles 136 RNR REPSOL RACING STERLING, VA. Rick Beggs, Jason Gibbens, Dave Rosno 124 PREMIER RACING MOHROVIA, MD. Daniel Dougherty, Adam Horton 44 NEXT LEVEL MS GREENBACK, TN. Marcus Blair, Brandon Schwietzer 41 MOTO MEDUSA ELIZABETH, NJ. Justeen Cicio, Alison Fournier GTL Class (Points Team Location Riders) 161 OLD GLORY SPEED SHOP HANOVER, PA. Dennie Huff, Brandon Creto 93 SADDLEBAUM RACING WEST ORANGE, NJ. Jim Fotinopoulos, Mark Miller, Jim Cohrs 44 MOTOTECH RACING PEMBROKE PINES, FL. 30 MOTO CORSE MIAMI MIAMI BEACH, FL. Jeff Puleo, Fernando Ferrya 30 M & M RACING HOBOKEN, NJ. Edwin Perry, Michael Leddy OVERALL Standings (Points Team Location Riders) 141 STILES RACING DELAVAN, WI. Meghan Ryan, Scotty Ryan, Mark Stiles 129 CHESTER AUTO REPAIR CALIFON, NJ. Eric Helmbach, Alex Shaw 128 THRASHED BIKE RACING BREAUX BRIDGE, LA. Joel Spalding, Walt Sipp, Tim Ivanoff 105 RNR REPSOL RACING STERLING, VA. Rick Beggs, Jason Gibbens, Dave Rosno 95 PREMIER RACING MOHROVIA, MD. Daniel Dougherty, Adam Horton Don’t miss the action! Round 6 is just five weeks away as riders and teams prepare their machinery for a Michelin Team Challenge and Michelin PRO Series combo weekend at Blackhawk Farms, Wisconsin July 23-24, 2011. The American SportBike Racing Association (ASRA) is the parent organization to the Championship Cup Series (CCS), the largest amateur motorcycle road racing organization in the United States with 4,000 licensed riders. ASRA sanctions eight Michelin Pro Series and eight Michelin Team Challenge road racing events for 2011. The CCS Series runs 50 events at popular tracks around the united states. Tracks include Daytona, Loudon, Firebird, Heartland Park, and Virginia International among other fine venues. In 2011 ASRA and CCS provide riders with access to millions of dollars of sponsorship awards through participation in it’s sanctioned events. Join CCS and ASRA in the greatest road racing experience available today. Race CCS! To learn more visit our website at ~http://www.ccsracing.us~ or call us at (817) 246-1127.