The Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association closed out its 2006 season with the 10th and final round of its Championship series held at Texas World Speedway, near College Station, Texas, where newly-crowned AMA Superbike Champion (and former CMRA Champion) Ben Spies surprised the membership by competing in Saturday’s 6-hour endurance race. Spies enlisted the help of a couple of his Texas buddies, Kevin Schwantz and John Haner (also former CMRA Champs), in the Shogun Motorsports-sponsored race, as the trio teamed up with current CMRA member Randall Kienast on Kienast’s GSX-R1000. After coming from the back of the grid to take the lead during the first hour of the race, and then repeating the process during the second hour after a stripped rear sprocket put them in last place again, the “Dream Team” dropped out of contention during the final hour when their Suzuki, which was actually set up for sprint racing, gave up under Haner. “Spies told me he was coming here to do an endurance race this weekend and he asked me if I wanted to ride,” Schwantz said. “I told him, ‘naw, I don’t really like riding 1000s that much’, and so Spies goes, ‘pussy!’ And so here I am.” “This was just something to do,” added Spies. The endurance race was won by Team Ridesmart, also running a GSX-R1000, which finished a full lap ahead of second place finishers GMAN Racing on a Kawasaki ZX-10R. However, the third place-finishing team, Desert-Rats.net, riding a YZF-R1, claimed the overall CMRA Endurance Championship by taking third place at the Texas World Speedway race. Heading into the final event of the year, Northwest Honda Racing held a slight lead over Desert-Rats.net in the overall standings, however, team member Ronnie Lunsford broke his leg in a crash during practice on Friday at the speedway and then Gregg Abbott broke his pelvis and ankle in a crash during the second hour of competition, effectively putting the “Houston boys” out of contention for the overall title. The Northwest team did manage to finish 24th overall in the race, and by doing so, claimed the Formula 1 title for the year. Coincidentally, both crashes occurred in Texas World Speedway’s infamous turn eight. Village Idiots claimed the C Superbike win and the series class title with a sixth overall finish, while Faltless Racing took the Formula 2 class win and overall title by finishing 15th overall. 2Wheelz.com claimed the C Superstock series title after taking the class win with a fourth overall finish. In Sunday’s sprint racing action, Dane Westby claimed four Expert wins and Ty Howard claimed three, while Tyler McDonald and Dustin Dominguez each took two, to top all money-class winners. Westby’s wins came in the Roadracingworld.com Formula 2 Expert race; the Lightweight Twins Expert race; the South Central Race Center D Superbike Expert race; and the D Superstock Expert race. Meanwhile, Howard claimed wins in the Komodo Racing C Superstock Expert race; the Pace American Trailers Formula 1 race, which pays a $1000 purse, and the Motorcycles Unlimited C Superbike Expert race. McDonald took wins in the Racing Performance Services B Superstock Expert race, and the B Superbike race, while Dominguez took wins in the Super Motard race and the Unlimited Motard race. Other Expert-class winners included Logan Young (Sum of all Parts A Superstock Expert race), Bryan West (RaceworX A Superbike Expert race), Ronnie Hay (Heavyweight Twins), Derek Wagnon (Northwest Honda 125 GP), Pete Martins (Formula 40 Heavyweight), and Eric Falt (Avteq Formula 40 Lightweight Expert race). In Saturday’s mini sprint action, Garet Tomlinson won the Formula 4 race over Chuck Ergle and Carson Wieland, while Conner Blevins won the Formla 6 division ahead of Alan Phillips and Roger Albert. In the Formula 5 race, Derek Wagnon topped Chris Kotowski and Conner Blevins, while Roger Albert beat Alan Phillips and Jason Keene to take the Formula 7 win. Esteban Sanchez won the Junior Motard race over Brandon Altmeyer and Randall Falt. The CMRA will hand out series awards at its annual banquet which will be held on November 11th in Fort Worth.