Team Roseville Cycle, Keigwin at the Track, Tigershark Pirelli Wins AFM 4 Hour Endurance Entering a 2001 Suzuki GSXR1000 in the 2007 AFM Endurance race may not seem like the best way to achieve a win, but veteran AFM riders Martin Szwarc and Ken Hill, teamed with up-and-coming racer Garrett Willis and pulled it off. Riding the Pirelli-shod GSX-R tuned by Roseville Cycle Performance Center, the riders put in consistent laps on every stint. Averaging lap times in the 1:44.00 range with a fast lap of 1:42.896, the team was able to pull out a lead at the halfway mark. Ken Hill took over from Martin Szwarc at the 2 hour 30 min mark and completed 1 lap before a red flag came out. With 1 hour and 30 minutes left, the plan was to run Ken Hill for 45 minutes then give Garrett Willis a fresh tire to sprint to the end. As is usual in Endurance Racing plans change. The red flag lasted 17 minutes bringing the clock up near the 3 hour mark as the green flag flew. AFM officials informed the team that the race is scored off number of laps completed at the red flag so any partial lap lead is erased at the restart. This meant the first team to cross the finish line would win it. With the longest run on a tank of fuel being 56 minutes, the team back in the pits started to calculate laps remaining and fuel. Keeping track of Ken Hill’s lap times it seemed the decision was going to be made for them as laps times were beginning to go up into the 1:46 1:47 range. Getting a new rear tire prepared a splash of fuel and suiting up Garrett the team prepared for the inevitable last stop. The last stop that never came. Turns out Ken had the plan in hand. Ken Hill “I knew I couldn’t run the pace I had run earlier without having to pit for a splash. Knowing the other guys had pitted earlier in the first hour then we did, I was counting on them pitting one more time”. Ken had rolled back off the throttle to conserve fuel explaining the slow lap times. While the pit crew sweated it out Ken kept an eye on his competition and threw down 3 fast laps at the end to stay ahead. Finishing out the race doing 36 laps on 33 laps worth of fuel, Team Roseville Cycle, Keigwin at the Track, Tigershark Pirelli crossed the line in first place. Using a properly set up 6 year old bike, a riding crew of crafty veterans and a young fast guy, with the best tires available was the winning combination. More, from a press release written by Mike Solis and issued by AFM: With the annual AFM 4 Hour Endurance Race on Saturday and a full schedule on Sunday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, there was no shortage of action during Round 7 of the 2007 AFM championship. In the early laps of the MDK Motorsports Formula Pacific race, it was Cory Call at the front of the pack, looking for his first Formula Pacific win in almost ten years. Riding his Folsom Cycle MDK Motorsports Suzuki, Call led a four-rider group that broke away from the rest of the field, with Michael Earnest, Dave Stanton, and James Randolph all in his shadow. As the four riders broke away at the front, Bobby Fong worked his way through the field on a Stockton Moto GSX-R1000, making his return to AFM action after finishing 10th in the AMA Formula Xtreme championship. After a relatively slow start, David Stanton was the man on the move, taking second place from Earnest with a strong move on the brakes into Turn 9. Stanton used an identical move in the same turn to take the lead from Call just one lap later, with Fong crashing out on the same turn just seconds later after taking 5th from Martin Szwarc. With his Dunlop-shod Mach 1 Motorsports working flawlessly, Stanton put his head down to put a small gap on the rest of the field, eventually taking the win and extending his points lead in the race for the Formula Pacific championship. Call crossed the line in second, with Randolph taking third on his Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000 with a last-turn, last-lap outbraking maneuver on Earnest. “The front of FP is getting really competitive,” said Stanton in the winners circle. “There were four or five of us up there really going for it! I had a bad start, and was like ‘Oh man, I’ve got my work cut out for me’, with Jimmy, Michael, Cory, and Martin all in front of me. But this Mach 1 Motorsports R1 is working so good I gotta tell ya, this thing is awesome! I have to thank Jeff Leggitt at Mach 1 for this opportunity, K.C. at BRG Racing for helping me keep up with those Suzukis. And here’s to a speedy recovery for Morgan Broadhead of AMA Racing we hope to have you back soon!” While Call walked away just short of a Formula Pacific win, he left Infineon far from empty handed, taking the wins in the both the Take It 2 The Track Open Production race and the R Tech Fuels 750 Superbike race. “Wilson’s bike was incredibly fast in the 750 race,” said Call. “When I diced it up with him, I just made the lappers work to my advantage. It wasn’t too bad for borrowing the girlfriend’s stocker for the weekend gotta thank Suzanne Hartley for that! Lindemann has been spinning the wrenches on the thing, getting the settings to my liking. It still has the rubber brake lines on it! In Open Production, I just put my head down from the beginning. I was a little fatigued from the endurance race, but thanks to the Dunlop tires from Trackside Moto and all the seat time from Pacific Track Time, we were able to put it together.” The GP Frame and Wheel Open Grand Prix race saw a four-rider battle for the lead in the early laps, with former AFM number one Rob Mesa coming out of semi-retirement status to take the holeshot. With a strong move on the brakes into Turn 9, Mike Thompson took the lead from Mesa, with Andy Carman and Martin Szwarc close behind. At the halfway point of the race, Szwarc made his move on his Pirelli-shod Rattlers Rock Suzuki, passing Carman on the brakes into 7 and Mesa on the brakes into 11 before taking the lead from Thompson in lapped traffic. Szwarc went on to take the win, with Thompson second and Carman third. “When I was sitting back there in fourth at the halfway point, I thought ‘It’s time to pull the plug and do something,” said Szwarc, an instructor for Keigwins@theTrack Trackdays. “After making my way past Andy and Rob, I set off after Mike, but man he was going! I just took my time, saw a couple of lappers coming up, and I knew he was going to get blocked. So I rolled off a little bit, and made it by cleanly. I was a little off the pace the rest of the weekend, as I was off in my setup by one small detail. I keep coming in 5th in Formula Pacific, and there’s always a gap to 4th that gap used to not be there!” While Thompson stepped up his performance against the big guns in Open Grand Prix, his competition in the Teresa McKinney Formula 40 race also stepped up their performances, forcing him to work for the victory in a class he had been winning regularly by some large margins over second place. After leading most of the race Spencer Stuart crossed the line in second on his Clean Cut Construction Yamaha, with Ed Milhausen taking third. “Being in about 5th at the start made it a lot more fun,” said Thompson. “Spencer was riding the wheels off of that 600 thank God I’m on a 1000, because he was just checking out! I changed my fork springs before the race and the bike turned in a lot better on the brakes, and the Brembo master cylinder I put in helped with feel and fade. The biggest difference was learning to ride the edge of the tire that was fun! Man, those Dunlops are good!” It was a good weekend for Richard Corey, who took home a pair of runaway wins on his K&L Supply San Jose Yamaha R6. In the Pacific Track Time 600 Superbike race, Corey crossed the line with a 13 second lead over second place finisher Matt Eccleston. In the Keigwins@theTrack 600 Production race, Corey took the checkered flag with a 13 second lead over Lenny Hale, who was disqualified failing to run a front fender. Corey who also reclaimed the Production points lead, with Brant Wiwi failing to finish the race after being taken out by a lapped rider. “I had a few problems with my clutch this weekend that made it a little hard to start,” said Corey. “We’ll get that figured out by next race though. I also set a personal lap record out there, and I’m really happy with that. I’ve got to thank K&L Supply, Dunlop, and Sport Tech Cycles they’ve really been helping me out.” Hale bounced back from his 600 Production disqualification by taking the win in the R Tech Fuels 750 Superbike race, working his way through the field to take the win on his Pirelli-shod Yamaha despite his displacement disadvantage. Keigwins@theTrack instructor Scott Wilson finished second on his Foremost Insurance GSX-R750, with Garry Combs third on his Matsushima Performance GSX-R750. “I just kept passing people!” said Hale after the race. “If someone is in front of me, I pass them. That’s all I know how to do!” The Twin Works Factory team took three different class wins over the course of the weekend. In the 4 Hour Endurance race, the team of Zoom Zoom Trackdays instructors consisting of Jon Forman, Joe Sickle, Jeff Frost, and Tom Dorsey took the 450 class win on an SV500. In the 750 class, Kurt Spencer, Zoran Vujasinovic, Kevin Heiss, and Andy Carman took the win on a 2004 GSX-R750. Vujasinovic also made an incognito appearance in the Sunday sprint races, running an unfamiliar reciprocity number as he took the 500 Twins win on an SV500. The Formula 3 class had a larger grid than usual with a few surprise entries, with former front runner Jon Schendel of Lake Elsinore and 2006 Formula 3 champion Carlos Neves both on the back row. When the green flag dropped, former LRRS racer Deb Barton put a gap on the field early, as both Schendel and Neves made their way through the field. The two provided an interesting contrast in styles, as Schendel charged his way to the front with some strong moves on the brakes, while Neves patiently and methodically worked his way past other riders. At the line, it was Schendel who took the win, with Neves second and Barton third. Despite taking the win, it was a day of ups and downs for Schendel, who broke his leg when he crashed out of the Formula 2 race later in the day. The Overall win in the Endurance race went to the Roseville Cycle / Keigwins@theTrack team / Pirelli Tire team of Ken Hill, Martin Szwarc, and Garrett Willis, who rode the 2001 GSX-R1000 in Martin Szwarc’s garage on a set of takeoffs from a recent AMA event. A red flag with just over an hour remaining put the action on hold, turning the race into a guessing game involving fuel stops and tire choices. The Roseville Cycle team opted for the conservative strategy, with the goal of finishing the race without additional fuel stops. The goal paid off, as Hill took the checkered flag with the fuel light on to take the win. While the rest of the results were due to be reviewed after the weekend for possible scoring errors, the WTF team of Mike Thompson and Chris Weiss was awarded second, while the Pacific Track Time team of Call and Earnest was awarded third. “That was a fun race Martin and I wanted to do it as a way of saying thanks to Roseville Cycle, Lance at Keigwins@theTrack, and Pirelli,” said Hill. “I was a little apprehensive about using Martin’s 2001 GSX-R1000, but Roseville Cycle serviced it, set it up, and made it good enough to do the job. I think it was Pirelli’s first four-hour win, and I also wanted to get some seat time for Garrett. He did a great time on an unfamiliar bike and ran some pretty quick lap times. The team did great it just shows that a well ridden, well set up bike can still do it! “ The final round of the 2007 AFM season is scheduled to take place on October 20-21 at Buttonwillow, with the course being run in the reverse direction. AFM Round 6 September 29-30 Infineon Raceway Unofficial Results – Top 6 per class MDK Motorsports Formula Pacific 1. David Stanton (Yam 1000) 2. Cory Call (Suz 1000) 3. James Randolph (Suz 1000) 4. Michael Earnest (Suz 1000) 5. Martin Szwarc (Suz 1000) 6. Chris Siglin (Suz 1000) Fremont Honda Kawasaki Open Superbike 1. James Randolph (Suz 1000) 2. David Stanton (Yam 1000) 3. David Bell (Suz 1000) 4. James King (Suz 1000 5. Martin Szwarc (Suz 1000) 6. Justin Mastalka (Suz 1000 R Tech Fuels 750 Superbike 1. Lenny Hale (Yam 600) 2. Scott Wilson (Suz 750) 3. Garry Combs (Suz 750) 4. Ryan Gorman (Suz 600) 5. Kim Nakashima (Suz 750) 6. Craig Ayers (Suz 750) Pacific Track Time 600 Superbike 1. Richard Corey (Yam 600) 2. Matt Eccleston (Yam 600) 3. Brant Wiwi (Yam 600) 4. William Scott (Yam 600) 5. Spencer Stuart (Yam 600) 6. Zenzo Tazawa (Suz 600) Alpine RV 450 Superbike 1. Mark Elrod (Hon 400) 2. Michael Lohmeyer (Hon 400) 3. Richard Moore (Yam 442) 4. Erick Crabtree (Hon 400) 5. Jonathan Forman (Suz 500) 6. Vlastimil Kotyza (Yam 413) 250 Superbike 1. Andrew Duafala (Yam 250) 2. Steve Mandeville (Yam 250) Take it 2 the Track Open Production 1. Cory Call (Suz 1000) 2. Martin Szwarc (Suz 1000) 3. Kim Nakashima (Suz 750) 4. Blake Wicker (Kaw 1000 5. Christopher Weiss (Suz 1000) 6. Ron Bunten (Suz 1000) Suzuki of Oakland 750 Production 1. Scott Wilson (Suz 750) 2. Cory Call (Suz 750) 3. Kim Nakashima (Suz 750) 4. Craig Ayers (Suz 750) 5. Ryan Regalado (Hon 600) 6. Blaise Camp (Suz 750) Keigwins@theTrack 600 Production 1. Richard Corey (Yam 600) 2. Neil O’Reilly (Suz 600) 3. Zenzo Tazawa (Suz 600) 4. Spencer Stuart (Yam 600) 5. Matt Eccleston (Yam 600) 6. Jeff Gagne (Yam 600) 450 Production 1. David Wallis (Hon 400) 2. Erick Crabtree (Hon 400) 3. Joe Carpenter (Hon 400) 250 Production 1. Gary Jaehne (Kaw 250) 2. Susan Urquhart (Kaw 250) 3. Thomas Dorsey (Suz 400) 4. Charles Leca (Kaw 250) 5. Daniel Lucero (Kaw 250) 6. Lisa Mazurkiewicz (Kaw 250) GP Frame and Wheel Open Grand Prix 1. Martin Szwarc (Suz 1000) 2. Mike Thomspon (Suz 1000) 3. Andy Carman (Suz 1000) 4. Robert Mesa (Suz 1000) 5. David Bell (Suz 1000) 6. Christopher Weiss (Suz 1000) Scuderia West Formula 1 1. Cory Call (Suz 750) 2. Scott Wilson (Suz 750) 3. Lenny Hale (Yam 600) 4. Garry Combs (Suz 750) 5. Ryan Gorman (Suz 750) 6. Stan Riner (Suz 750) Mazda Technologies Formula 2 1. Jeffry Hanford (Hon 250) 2. Shawn Herrera (Yam 250) 3. Carlos Neves (Hon 250) 4. Dante D’Ambruouso (Yam 250) 5. Michael Altamirano (Yam 250) 6. Andrew Duafala (Yam 250) Formula 3 1. Jonathan Schendel (Yam 125) 2. Carlos Neves (Hon 125) 3. Debra Barton (Hon 125) 4. Jeffrey Lim (Hon 125) 5. Michael Aron (Hon 125) 6. Eric Yoo (Hon 125) Race-Oil.com / AMSOIL Formula 4 1. Jeff Hagan (Suz 650) 2. David Civiello (Suz 650) 3. David Raff (Suz 650) 4. Dan Sewell (Suz 650) 5. Oliver Rowen (Suz 650) 6. William Fox (Suz 650) Desmoto Sport Open Twins 1. Thomas Montano (Duc 1098) 2. Craig McLean (Duc 1098) 3. Matthew Green (Duc 999) 4. Lance Williams (Duc 750) 5. Ace Robey (Duc 1098 6. Steve Metz (Duc 749) Foremost Insurance 650 Twins 1. Jeff Hagan (Suz 650) 2. David Raff (Suz 650) 3. Dan Sewell (Suz 650) 4. Christian Sommer (Suz 650) 5. Oliver Rowen (Suz 650) 6. Aaron Tulchinsky (Suz 650) 500 Twins 1. Zoran Vujasinovic (Suz 500) 2. Jonathan Forman (Suz 500) 3. Mickey Fimbres (Kaw 500) 4. Leonard Barker Jr (Kaw 500) 5. Gary Jaehne (Kaw 250) 6. Eric Karl Schiller (Kaw 500) Formula Singles 1. Robert Black (Hon 450) 2. Andre Benguerel (Hus 450) 3. Thomas Dorsey (Suz 400) 4. Kristy Miller (Hon 450) 5. Clay Hassinger (ATK 598) Teresa McKinney Realtor Formula 40 1. Michael Thompson (Suz 1000) 2. Spencer Stuart (Yam 600) 3. Edward Milhausen (Suz 600) 4. Rick McDaniel (Suz 1000) 5. William Bouch (Suz 1000) 6. Jeff Smith (Suz 1000) Super Dinosaur 1. Ed Haazer (Hon 400) 2. Mark Woodlief (Yam 450) 3. Leonard Barker Jr (Kaw 500) 4. Noe Pulido (Yam 400) 5. Mickey Fimbres (Kaw 500) 6. Eric Karl Schiller (Kaw 500) Clubman Heavyweight 1. Stephen Gregg (Suz 750) 2. Gentry Carr (Suz 1000) 3. Jose Flores (Suz 1000) 4. Brendan Walsh (Duc 999) 5. Christian Bedoy (Apr 1000) 6. Keith Tashiro (Suz 1000) Clubman Middleweight 1. Regis Bectarte (Suz 750) 2. William Yates (Suz 750) 3. Brendan Lahiff (Suz 750) 4. Colin Portus (Hon 600) 5. Thomas Gunter (Tri 675) 6. Robert MacMillan (Yam 600) Clubman Lightweight 1. Bill Skadsen (Suz 650) 2. Robin Geenen (Kaw 500) 3. Brendan Hanley (Suz 400) 5. Mohammed Kahium (Kaw 250) 6. Russell Aldinger (Kaw 500) 250 Endurance 1. Two Dudes Racing (james eckerson / marcus henderson – Hon 125) 2. Modesto Ducati / Husqvarna (Martin Ayala / Don Babb / Dave Hutton / Paul Berger – Hus 450) 3. The Untitled Zack Courts Project (Eric Yoo / Zack Courts / Debra Barton – Hon 125) 450 Endurance 1. Twin Works (Jon Forman / Joe Sickle / Jeff Frost / Tom Dorsey – Suz 500) 2. Team Cheetah Motor (Gwyn Lewis / Robert Clifford / Gerry Piazza / Erick Crabtree – Yam 400) 3. The Butcher and The Boys (Craig Farless / Paul Kieffer / Neil O’Reilly / Jason Shanks – Yam 400) 600 Endurance 1. Top Shelf Motorcycle Tours (Morgan Murphy / Matt Sadowski – Suz 600) 2. Team clean Cut – Spencer Stuart / Jeff Gagne / Ali Khosroshahi / Eric Bateman – Yam 600) 3. Leatherneck Racing (Gary Jaehne / Zenzo Tazawa – Kaw 600) 750 Endurance 1. Twin Works A (Kurt Spencer / Zoran Vujasinovic / Kevin Heiss / Andy Carman – Suz 750) 2. They Left It Blank (Scott Wilson / Stephen Martin – Suz 750) 3. Desmoto Sport (Matt Green / Scott Schwanbeck – Duc 848) Open Endurance 1. Roseville cycle / Pirelli / K@TT (Ken Hill / Martin Szwarc / Garrett Willis – Suz 1000) 2. WTF (Christopher Weiss / Mike Thompson – Suz 1000) 3. Pacific Track Time (Cory Call / Michael Earnest – Suz 1000) Overall Endurance 1. Roseville cycle / Pirelli / K@TT (Ken Hill / Martin Szwarc / Garrett Willis – Suz 1000) 2. WTF (Christopher Weiss / Mike Thompson – Suz 1000) 3. Pacific Track Time (Cory Call / Michael Earnest – Suz 1000) More, from a press release issued by Millnic Media Honda: Millnic Media Honda back in action and on top again! The Millnic Media Honda team of Melissa Paris, Steven Breckenridge and fill in Cory West raced their Honda CBR600RR to third overall and a big win in class! On Saturday, September 29th the WERA/AMA National Endurance Series made its penultimate stop in the championship at Jennings GP race track in north Florida. A make up round from the Florida fires of mid-summer, the race marked the return of the Millnic Media Honda Team after taking a couple rounds off due to conflicts with AMA National races. With regular team rider Greg White not able to attend the race and fill in rider, 2007 AMA Formula Xtreme Champion Josh Hayes on crutches, the team asked Team Hunter Racing’s Cory West to fill in. West who has been riding on non-Dunlop tires during the 2007 season gave high marks to the D209 DOT approved hoops. As a matter of fact, West put in the fastest lap by the Millnic Media Honda Team (4th fastest overall lap of the race) on lap 199 of 211 completed. The big news was the third place overall. As reported by roadracingworld.com, team rider Melissa Paris becomes only the second woman in WERA/AMA National Endurance history to stand on an “overall” podium. Once again Middle Weight Superstock (MMS) was the most hotly contested class with the most entries of all five classes in the field. The class win did not come easy with Millnic Media Honda’s closest competition finishing only two laps away. In the end the Honda CBR600RR proved to be the strongest motorcycle in the MSS class. Millnic Media Honda has been running a completely stock motor all season, with only a Dynojet Power Commander as a horse power booster. The team of Melissa Paris, Steven Breckenridge and Corey West are expected to finish off the season at the finale October 12th at Road Atlanta. For more information on the Millnic Media Honda team and the sponsors who support the team check out http://www.mmhracing.com For more information about WERA and the race this weekend check out http://www.wera.com More, from a press release issued by Team EMGO USA: Team EMGO USA’s Opie Caylor had another solid weekend during Round 9 of the WERA/AMA National Challenge Series at Jennings GP in Jennings, Florida. In the 1000 Superstock race, Opie, riding his Team EMGO USA GSXR750, nabbed the holeshot going into turn one. A lap later, Batey passed Opie on the back straight. Ben Thompson and Robert Jensen got around Opie on the next lap. A four bike freight train insued with Batey pulling a small gap. Opie settled into fourth place right behind Robert Jensen for the remainder of the race. Unfortunately for Opie, he never found a clean way around and had to settle for fourth. In the 750 Superstock race, Opie was again riding his Team EMGO USA GSXR750. Opie was a little lazy off of the line and was third going into turn one. He quickly mad his way past Gio Rojas and ran Robert Jensen down. Opie decided to camp out on Jensens back wheel and study his lines. At the halfway point, Opie started looking for a way past. To complicate things more, WERA combined the experts and novices in the race. Opie saw a couple of opportunities, but couldn’t make anything happen just yet. On the last lap, in the final corner, Opie and Robert came across two backmarkers. Robert got through cleanly while Opie didn’t and had to settle for second. The gap from Robert to Opie was .047 of a second! In Formula One, Opie again got a great start and enjoyed a four bike scrap early but began to fade after the halfway mark in the race. Opie, just like in the 1000 Superstock race, finished fourth. At the conclusion of the weekend, Opie said ” Overall it was a decent weekend. My Team EMGO USA GSXR’s, running on VP race fuel, were fast all weekend and the Dunlop N-Tec tires were just awesome. The track was a little off this weekend for some reason but my Dunlop tires gave me the confidence that I needed to stay competitive. I’m moderately pleased with the 1000 races. A fourth place finish in each of the 1000 races really helped me solidify my top three positions in the point standings in each class. The 750 race is a different story though! Coming into this weekend, I needed to win the 750 Superstock race to be tied in points with Robert going into the GNF. Had I done that, I would just have to finish in front of him at the GNF, to win the championship. Instead, now I gotta win the final round and he has to finish fourth or worse! Just like Nicky said last year though, It ain’t over till it’s over! Thats why we suit up and go racing! I want to win this championship so bad, that I can’t see straight! All I can do now is go for the win and see what happens.”