Willow Springs International Raceway- Main Track 4/27-29/2012 SRA-West Formula Sidecar Series Round 2 Rosamond, California: Formula Sidecar racing’s best took to the fastest road in the west this past weekend for round two of the SRA-West series. Host club AHMRA put together a fantastic double-header weekend featuring two-wheeled racing of every size and era imaginable, from a hotly contested Honda CB160 race to hand-shift pre-war machines through to British twins and even modern superbike racing. Saturday’s six lap sidecar race was flagged away with Team Johnny Killmore (John Wood/ Giorgina Gottlieb) taking the holeshot from the front row. Wood Brothers Racing (Chris Wood/ Brandon Matthews) made an impressive inside move into turn 1 but backed off as real estate became scarce. A dogfight would begin as the two teams attempted to get away from the pack on cold tires. A slight gap appeared and then Wood Brothers Racing came under pressure from defending champions Team Becker Moto Works (William Becker/ Eric Becker). The dogfight for second allowed Team Johnny Killmore to pull away, but the lead would disappear minutes later, after the Becker duo found a way into second place. At the halfway mark the gap was down to nothing and Becker began looking to the inside or outside of every turn. Showing the nose in the Omega, a big slide by the leaders almost gave the position away. The battle finally ended in famous Turn 9, when William Becker set up a draft move that began at the apex and gave the sling-shot needed to not only take the lead, but break the draft from his pursuers. The gap grew steadily but all eyes went to the new battle for second. Former champion Team RGM driver Rick Murray had come back from semi-retirement and with the aid of veteran passenger Gary McEwen had managed to make up ground quietly the entire sprint, and powered by Wood/ Gottlieb on the front straight for second position. At this point Becker/ Becker had a margin of over three seconds but Murray/McEwen were on a mission. With one lap to go they had closed the gap to less than two seconds but time was running out. Entering turn three Murray/ McEwen caught a huge slide and slowed. The force was so violent Rick Murray was sure he had lost his passenger until McEwen began furiously pounding on the bodywork. Wood/ Gottlieb shot through to second but that was all it took to snap things back to reality. Becker Moto Works were able to cruise to an easy victory while Team RGM rode the wheels off their machine to close the gap in turn 8 and make the pass under power down the front straight to pick up the checkers in second. Sunday’s race would begin as almost a carbon copy of the previous day. Team Johnny Killmore would set a safe gap ahead of Wood Brothers Racing in the first two laps, but could not grow the gap until Becker Moto Works caught up from their near-the-back grid position. As the battle for second started to heat up, Wood/Gottlieb would grow their lead in the hopes that the Becker’s would run out of time before getting to the front. It began to look possible all the way until lap four, but once the gap became less than two seconds Becker Moto Works took huge chunks out of the margin each turn. The pressure was on and the lead would change in the high speed kink known as Turn Seven. However, lap traffic appeared in ultra- fast turn 8. Team Campbell (Larry Campbell/ Larry Campbell) were the sole vintage sidecar gracing the field and although their Rennsport/ BMW was at full chat the closing speed of the modern machines was intense. Fortunately the veteran Campbell’s left plenty of room and the leaders broke through. On such a tight line though, both machines struggled to make famous Turn 9, with both bikes visibly protesting under braking. The gap grew down the front straight then closed again through the sweeping uphill Turn 2. Still too far back for a pass, Wood/ Gottlieb stabbed to the inside of Turn 3 anyway, taking the lead back. Without hesitation, the defending champs shot back up the inside and both machines struggled for grip through Turn 4. Racing down the hill to Turn 5 everyone held their breath as the pair of machines wormed through nose-to-tail. It looked like things would continue this way for the remaining laps but Team Johnny Killmore would miss an upshift cresting the rise of Turn 6 and be looking at a huge gap as they picked up the white flag in a distant second. The gap closed a few lengths in that final lap, but it would be a well- fought win for Becker Moto Works, who are having a perfect season after four races this season. Third place went to Team RGM. Round three of the SRA-West Formula Sidecar Series will head for the first time ever to Chuckwalla Valley Raceway May 26-27. The double-header format will be even ground for rookie and veteran teams alike, with no “home field” advantage. For a look at the full 2012 calendar, results, and team information, head to www.sra-west.us. The SRA-West would like to thank AHRMA for their continued support of modern and vintage sidecar racing throughout the United States. Another special thanks goes to Barnett Clutches for their support of AHRMA’s sidecar division, and the racers and families that continue to keep this sport alive. RESULTS (as supplied by SRA-West): Driver/Passenger, Chassis/Engine Saturday April 28, 2012 1. 84- William Becker/ Eric Becker, Becker/ Suzuki 2. 175- Rick Murray/ Gary McEwen, LCR/ Suzuki 3. 187- John Wood/ Giorgina Gottlieb, Windle/ Suzuki 4. 49- Chris Wood/ Brandon Matthews, ART/ Suzuki 5. 66- Sean Bakken/ Roger Preston, Spike/ Yamaha 6. 29- Steve Stull/ Heidi Neidhoefer, Baker/ Honda 7. 321- Donn Sayre/ Daniel Bergeron, Baker/ Suzuki 8. 21- Bernard Juchli/ Kevin Kautzky, CSR/ Honda 9. 95- Larry Campbell/ Larry Campbell, Rennsport/BMW (Vintage) Sunday April 29, 2012 1. 84- William Becker/ Eric Becker, Becker/ Suzuki 2. 187- John Wood/ Giorgina Gottlieb, Windle/ Suzuki 3. 175- Rick Murray/ Gary McEwen, LCR/ Suzuki 4. 66- Sean Bakken/ Roger Preston, Spike/ Yamaha 5. 29- Steve Stull/ Heidi Neidhoefer, Baker/ Honda 6. 321- Donn Sayre/ Daniel Bergeron, Baker/ Suzuki 7. 21- Bernard Juchli/ Kevin Kautzky, CSR/ Honda 8. 95- Larry Campbell/ Larry Campbell, Rennsport/BMW (Vintage) 9. 49- Chris Wood/ Brandon Matthews, ART/ Suzuki (DNF)