BEMISDERFER SNAGS THUNDERBIKE WIN AT RAIN-SOAKED V.I.R.

Buell Riders Finish 1-2 at ASRA National Event

ALTON, Va. Harley-Davidson/Buell of Frederick rider Bryan Bemisderfer survived an off-track excursion from the rain-soaked Virginia International Raceway and recovered to pass Veatch Motorsports rider Dave Estok on the last lap to win the American SportBike Racing Association (ASRA) Thunderbike National, part of the Sixth Annual VIR Festival of Speed. Bemisderfer and Estok were both riding Buell Firebolt motorcycles. Arnold Hastings was a distant third on a Suzuki SV650. 

Estok, the defending National Thunderbike champion, led qualifying for the race, posting a lap of 1:33.461 on the 2.25-mile VIR road course. Heavy rain on Sunday posed a significant challenge for riders during the eight-lap Thunderbike National. BMW rider Nate Kern, who was in second place in Thunderbike season points, crashed out on the second lap, while Hal’s H-D/Buell-Hal’s Speed Shop rider Dan Bilansky crashed his Buell Firebolt on lap three. Neither rider was able to return to the race. Bemisderfer was in third place behind Estok and Bilansky when he rolled onto the run-off area on the first turn of lap two, after entering the corner too fast for the wet conditions. 

 “I was really going pretty slowly when I left the track,” said Bemisderfer. “I just didn’t have confidence I could make the corner and decided to play it safe.” Bemisderfer did not fall, but lost significant time, and spent the next six laps reeling in Estok. “I could tell I was gaining on him in every turn,” said Bemisderfer, “but I wasn’t really close enough to try and pass him until the last half of the last lap. I planned to make a move on the last corner, because I’m quite a bit heavier than David and on this wet track I was getting better traction on my rear tire. I thought I could get a little drive on him there and make the pass, and that’s just how it worked out.” 

Buell riders Walt Sipp (Blue Springs Harley-Davidson/Buell), Sam Rozynski (Sound Waves/Hal’s Speed Shop), James Delk, Jr. (Roanoke Valley Harley-Davidson/Buell), and Anthony Caligiuri (Liberty Harley-Davidson/Buell) finished fourth through seventh. Buell racers also took three wins and four podium finishes during the Championship Cup Series support races at VIR. Estok won CCS Expert Thunderbike, while Bemisderfer took a victory in CCS Expert SuperTwins, and Delk won the Amateur GT Lights race. His victory at VIR gives Bemisderfer a boost in the Thunderbike season points race. After five of eight races, Bemisderfer has 135 points, Estok moves up to second with 125 points, and Kern drops to third with 108 points. The next race on the ASRA Thunderbike National schedule is August 11-13 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. 

To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. For the Buell dealer nearest you, pull into www.buell.com.

More, from a press release issued for CCS by Lisa Theobald:

CCS RACER MCENERY WINS UNLIMITED GRAND PRIX RACE AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

Dave McEnery won his first Unlimited Grand Prix race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He and his GSXR1000 were undefeatable from beginning to end, starting the day with his first win in GTO. Halfway through the day, McEnery claimed his second victory in the Unlimited Superbike race. He won his third and final race in the day’s grand finale, better known as the Shootout.

McEnery took over the lead from holeshot winner Michael Rouleau and his GSXR1000 during the first lap of the race. Marco Martinez was in hot pursuit on hits GSXR1000 and took over the lead in lap two. McEnery passed him back after the halfway mark and reclaimed his spot out front. He was then able to put a little distance on the rest of the field and take the checkered flag without further challenge. As an added bonus, he won the bigger purse for running the race with open pipes.

UNLIMITED GRAND PRIX RESULTS: 1. David McEnery (GSXR1000); 2. Marco Martinez (GSXR1000); 3. Pedro Valiente (R1); 4. Micheal Rouleau (GSXR1000); 5. Greg Melka (R6); 6. Jim Pihokken (GSXR1000); 7. Carl Cohen (GSXR1000); 8. Lars Remsen (R1); 9. Logan Young (ZX10); 10. Carlos Fabian (GSXR1000)

More, from a press release issued by Freelance Sports PR:

ROBERTS GAINS FOURTH POSITION AT EUROPEAN SUPERSTOCK ROUND – MISANO

21-year-old Brendan Roberts secured a fantastic fourth place in the European Superstock round at the Misano Adriatico Circuit, Italy, at the weekend (23rd – 25th June). The young Australian rider gained the ride after his wildcard win in the GSX-R Cup at Silverstone at the beginning of the month. Former racer Pete Goddard put Roberts in touch with the Italian based HP Suzuki Team and after a test ride he has been allocated the ride for the remainder of the 2006 season for the events that do not clash with his National Superstock calendar in the UK.

Roberts who currently has a 29-point lead over his nearest rival in the National Superstock series was eager to showcase his talent at the technical Misano Circuit. On his first visit to the track and his second ride on the HP Suzuki he was keen to get some strong results. After a number of changes and modifications to the bike Roberts qualified in a healthy seventh position on the grid.

With scorching temperatures of over 43 degrees C it was difficult for all the riders to adapt to the conditions. Roberts struggled during the practice sessions commenting “I found it hard to gain a good race set up as well as learning a new circuit. I crashed during practice but fortunately no major damage was caused. The pace was certainly tough and I wanted to ensure that I gained a good qualifying position to stand me in good stead for the race.”

Roberts managed to take 1.1 seconds off his previous times during the second qualifying session and moved up from 11th to seventh for the race. After a good start he was sat in sixth position and eager to get past the trio of riders in front of him. A few thoughtful manoeuvres saw the talented rider move through to third position and it was looking likely for a podium finish.

“I finally felt comfortable with the bike during the race and also managed to learn the circuit better. I gained a good start but got stuck behind a bunch of riders which I was finding difficult to pass. I made a few moves and moved my way through to third, I lost out on a position to Scassa as he came past me on the ultra fast MV Agusta. I’m still very pleased with my results for the first time with the team, at a new circuit and a different bike I certainly can’t complain with fourth place. I’ve really enjoyed the experience and I’d like to thank everyone involved for helping me throughout the weekend and hope that we can continue to get some good results at the next rounds.” He said.

Roberts will compete this weekend in the Metzeler National Superstock Championship which runs alongside the prestigious Moto GP at Donington Park (www.donington-park.co.uk). This is a huge chance from him to show his talent off to the 80’000 expected crowd.

More, from a press release issued by Team Pro-Motion:

TEAM PRO-MOTION GP MOTO PREMIER RACE EVENT AT POCONO RACEWAY FUSA

On June 22, Team Pro-Motion GP Moto Cup Racing Series visited Pocono Raceway FUSA circuit for the first of 5 GP Moto Premier racing events. While Team Pro-Motion has been hosting races during its trackdays for the last 3 years, this is the first event with multiple classes/races offered.

The big winner of the day is Zsolt Veres, who won both legs of the premier GP Moto Cup series. Veres also came in first and taking home the biggest cash prize in the Dash for Cash class. Series points leader Antal Halasz was second in both legs of the GP Moto class, and was 4th in the Dash for Cash class. Other winners on the day were Dennis Espinosa in the GP Unlimited class, and Jonas Ferro in the GP Lite class.

Over 100 riders were on hand for the picture perfect day, which also hosted Tucker Rocky as special VIP participants, and all enjoyed great and exciting racing in each of the 5 races.

Glen Goldman, president of Team Pro-Motion comments: “My hats off to the extremely talented riders and crew of a team of people who share and care, laugh and enjoy the sport of extreme motorcycle riding and now racing for hopefully years to come. Team Pro-Motion, a club to look at, a club to join and a club to race at when you want to let it all hang out. Take a look at Team Pro-Motion again.”

Team Pro-Motion is looking forward to bringing you the next GP Moto Premier event on July 14th at Summit Point Raceway.

For more information regarding Team Pro-Motion’s GP Moto Cup racing series, please visit our website at http://www.teampromotion.com/tpm.php?page_id=gpmo… or email race director Dafan Zhang at [email protected].

Results from the event:

GP MOTO A

1. ZOLT VEREZ 2. ANTAL HALASZ 3. GARRETT KING 4. LARRY KARPINSKY 5. ROBERT CRENSHAW 6. ARTIE MEEKER 7. MARTIN LAZOR 8. MARCUS PERRY 9. MICHAEL GABOR 10. ALAN CHEESE 11. PAUL TAVERNESE 12. BARRY ROMPELLA 13. JOE FERONE 14. MARK MINISI 15. JONAS FERRO 16. CHRIS HARDING 17. ANTHONY BUCELLO 18. ERIC ZINCZENKO 19. JEFF BARNES 20. JAMES OREZZOLI 21. TONY DIMARTINO

GP MOTO UNLIMITED

1. DENNIS ESPINOSA 2. DARWIN HERNANDEZ 3. MAX BRONSIEVSKY 4. ARTIE MEEKER 5. JAMIE FALZONE 6. ADAM SPITALIERE 7. MARCUS PERRY 8. VICTOR RODRIGUEZ 9. RICHARD DEREEF 10. STEPHAN GABOR 11. KEVIN GRAY 12. MIKE PETERS 13. MICHAEL LEDDY 14. JEFF BARNES

GP MOTO LITE

1. JONAS FERRO (SV650) 2. TOM SONNENBERG (SV650) 3. STEVE FLACH (CRF 450) 4. CHRIS HUNSICKER (MZ SKORPION) 5. RICHARD SNYDER (RD 450) 6. DAVID FLACH (CRF 450)

GP MOTO B

1. ZSOLT VERES 2. ANTAL HALASZ 3. ARTIE MEEKER 4. LARRY KARPINSKY 5. ROBERT CRENSHAW 6. ALAN CHEESE 7. MARTIN LAZOR 8. PAUL TAVERNESE 9. MARK MINISI 10. JOE FERONE 11. JEROME WOODS 12. ANTHONY BUCELLO 13. ANDY REISS 14. RONALD WILLIAMS 15. JEFF BARNES

GP MOTO DASH FOR CASH

1. Zsolt Veres 2. Max Bronisevsky 3. Darwin Hernandez 4. Antal Halasz 5. Dennis Espinosa 6. Larry Karpinsky Jr. 7. Jamie Falzone 8. Alan Cheese 9. Victor Rodriguez 10. Kevin Gray 11. Yizhak Kohen 12. Antonio Dimartino 13. Jeff Barnes

More, from a press release issued by Las Vegas Racing:

PFEIFER EARNS THREE PODIUM FINISHES IN THE OMRRA RACES AT PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

4 Hour Endurance Race 3rd in class Heavyweight In the interest of getting more track time, Jack decided to be the lead off rider in the 4 hour endurance aboard Tom Wertman’s ZX10.With very little time to prepare, Jack started the race and quickly took the lead with Alan Schmidt the #1 plate holder in the OMRRA club in tow. Jack kept the lead for 30-40 minutes with no sign of letting up. Jack made the entrance to turn 3 with a lapped rider in front of him. In the interest of safety he backed off and the rider behind him made a pass on the both of them startling the lapper who in turn stood his bike up and went into Jack and he went off in 3. Jack picked the bike up and rode back to the hot pit. With some duct tape and a left foot peg he went back out and started clicking off the same consistent lap times rode for another 30 minutes and came in. We finished 3rd in class.

Note: The rest of the day was spent trying to get the ZX10 suspension to work. Thanks to Dave Hodges at GP Performance for revalving the forks and rear shock and Barry at GP Performance North for his many hours of help with setup. This seemed to solve the suspension problems with the ZX10. Thanks for all the help guys.

Saturday 6-24-06 Race Day

1st race 600 Superbike Final standing: 5th place

Although Jack got off to a clean start, he has not been able to get the 600RR to launch well. At PIR with the ½ mile front straight your start is everything. Jack made the best of things turning the same times as the leaders and pulled off a 5th place finish.

2nd race Open Superbike, Final standing: 4th place

With the likes of Doug Chandler, and Jimmy Moore this race was no easy task. With a clean start, Jack was able to stay somewhat close to the leaders. Jack pushed the ZX10 the entire race and ended up with a respectable 4th place finish.

3rd race 600 Supersport, Final Standing: 2nd place With a second chance for a good start this race looked promising of a win. No such luck launching the ill fated 600RR tranny. Although Jack’s start was better than the 600SB race, it was not enough to catch the leader. Remember, ½ mile long front straight. Jack held off any challenges to take a respectable 2nd place finish.

4th race Open Supersport, Final standing: 3rd place

Our final and most promising race of the day. With no big money motors in this class to contend with and the extraordinary effort from Dave and Barry at GP Performance for suspension and Josh Bryan, Chuck and the gang at Tigershark racing/Pirelli Tires this looked to be our race. With a mediocre start Jack was able to stay within range of the leaders. He was able to push the ZX10 to the limit in this race setting blistering times and gaining on the leaders. By the half way point Jack was sure to catch and pass the lead rider. Unfortunately as a result of poor rear tire choice for the record high 104 degree temperature the rear tire went away at lap 6 and we had to settle for a very respectable 3rd place.

More, from a press release issued by Team Black Dog:

TEAM BLACK DOG WINS 4-HOUR ENDURANCE RACE IN PORTLAND

Team Black Dog racing, based in Seattle, won Saturday’s 4-hour endurance race in Portland, Oregon. Team Black Dog (Team Captain and co-rider Greg Bouwens, co-rider Simon Field, Crew Chief Chad Brumbaugh, and crew member Tracy Liljebeck) won the Heavyweight class and the overall on a stock 2005 GSXR-1000 with a total of 187 laps around Portland International Raceway’s 1.95 mile road course. The 32-team field featured riders such as 3-time AMA Superbike Champion Doug Chandler, top AMA privateer Jack Pfeifer, and several top local club racers such as defending OMRRA champion Alan Schmidt and defending WMRRA champion Eli Edwards.

“The two keys to the win were a great team effort, and the awesome grip and longevity of the Dunlop tires”, said Team Captain and co-rider Greg Bouwens. “We practiced our pit stops before the race and tried to be as prepared as possible. Endurance racing is not just about being fast on the track, and our crew did a great job keeping us on the track. Crew Chief Chad Brumbaugh called a great race, and rookie crew member Tracy Liljebeck was a big help as well.”

“We came down to Portland for a track day on Thursday to set up the bike for the Dunlop slicks and to get an idea of how our fuel mileage was. We’d been running another tire brand but they weren’t working for us and Dunlop distributor Barry Wressell gave us excellent help setting up the big Suzuki for the race. His suspension setup advice was crucial. We were pretty sure we could go the whole distance on one rear, but the forecast for race day was for temps in the high 90’s so we knew that taking care of the tire would be critical.”

Team Captain Greg Bouwens took the start, and got the hole shot as the field took the start in the 96-degree heat. “It was cool leading the field into turn 1, I haven’t lead a race in awhile and it was a good feeling” said Bouwens. “302 went by me, and then Pfeifer, and I just tried to get a good rhythm going. Then Doug Chandler got up under me into T1 and I figured it was time to crank it up a bit. Doug was teaming with his son Jett on a Ninja 600RR and we had a great little battle there for about 15 laps. I’d go by him on the front straight and he’d often get back by me on the brakes into T1. Unfortunately I got a little too excited battling with Doug and got the tire nice and greasy. I got a big slide coming onto the back straight and got thrown up out of the seat. I got a bit spooked by that and it took me 2 unscheduled stops and 5 or 6 laps to get back up to speed.”

Co-rider Simon Field took the controls at about the 50-minute mark and put in a solid stint as the field settled down. Field clicked off mostly 1:12’s and 1:13’s during his shift.

“We were hoping for a podium spot, but once we got into the third hour we knew we had a shot at the win” said Bouwens. “Chad was keeping an eye on the standings and watching our competitor’s pit stops. The big question for us was whether we’d have to mount a new rear for the last part of the race. Fortunately, we got up by a lap going into hour 4 and we were able to manage the race from the front and finish without a tire change. Simon rode great, never dropping off the pace, and we just tried to keep out of trouble.”

“Barry kind of pulled a fast one on us!”, Bouwens said in jest. “We talked about tire compounds before the race and I thought he gave us a medium hard rear. We actually ran a medium compound rear, which shows how great the Dunlop slicks are. I got up behind Tom Wertman on his ZX10 in my last shift and could see he was having big problems with drive grip. I got by him on the brakes into turn 7 and he couldn’t respond. The Dunlop tires worked great.”

“Our goal is to win the Northwest Endurance Cup title”, continued Bouwens. “There are two more races in the series. September 3rd in Spokane, Washington. And the final race is back in Portland on October 14th. Hopefully we can back up this win with good results in the next 2 events.”

“Fellow competitor and friend Geoff Lambert loaned us his 2006 GSXR-1000 as a spare for the endurance race. Geoff took a big spill Sunday sprint racing and got transported to a local hospital for a brief stay after getting knocked out. Thanks Geoff for helping us win, and we wish you a speedy recovery.”