AFM Round 1 – Earnest takes his first Formula Pacific win at Buttonwillow Raceway Park

Buttonwillow, California: Michael Earnest of Pacific Track Time took his first Formula Pacific win in 26 years of racing, narrowly beating Corey Sarros at the line, while defending Number One plate-holder Cory Call finished third. Earnest rode an EDR Performance GSX-R1000, while Sarros rode a BRG-tuned ex-Yoshimura GSX-R1000 with Call on a Team Realtree GSX-R1000. All three were on Dunlop tires.

Formula Pacific 1. Michael Earnest (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Correy Sarros (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Cory Call (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Chris Siglin (Duc 1098R) 5. James Randolph (KTM RC8) 6. Jeffrey Tigert (Hon CBR1000RR)

Open Superbike 1. Correy Sarros (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Cory Call (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. David Stanton (Yam YZF-R1) 4. Martin Szwarc (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Brant Wiwi (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. Scott Wilson (Suz GSX-R1000)

750 Superbike 1. Lenny Hale (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Jason Lauritzen (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Timothy Kamholz (Hon CBR600RR) 4. Greg McCullough (Yam YZF-R6) 5. Matt Presting (Yam YZF-R6) 6. Eric Gulbransen (KTM Super Duke R)

600 Superbike 1. Lenny Hale (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Jimmy Wood (Kaw ZX-6R) 3. Sebastiao Ferreira (Suz GSX-R600) 4. Joey Pascarella (Yam YZF-R6) 5. Timothy Kamholz (Hon CBR600RR) 6. Jason Lauritzen (Yam YZF-R6) 450 Superbike 1. Mark Elrod (Hon VFR400) 2. David Wallis (Hon VFR400) 3. Vlastimil Kotyza (Yam FZR400) 4. Ed Haazer (Hon) 5. Vik Anderson (Suz SV500) 6. Dave Moss (Hon VFR400)

250 Superbike 1. Alex Florea (Hon CRF450) 2. Kirk Korenko (Kaw EX250) 3. Brian Bartlow (Kaw EX250) 4. Mark McKinney (Kaw EX250) 5. Charles Weaver 6. Lisa Kinberger (Kaw EX250)

Open Production 1. Brant Wiwi (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Wyatt King (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Hollis Adams (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Benny Smith (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Jesse Carter (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. Neil Atterbury (Suz GSX-R1000)

750 Production 1. Lenny Hale (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Sebastiao Ferreira (Suz GSX-R600) 3. Wyatt King (Suz GSX-R750) 4. Jason Lauritzen (Yam YZF-R6) 5. Liko Miles (Yam YZF-R6) 6. Andy Carman (Suz GSX-R750)

600 Production 1. Jimmy Wood (Kaw ZX-6R) 2. Lenny Hale (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Joey Pascarella (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Greg McCullough (Yam YZF-R6) 5. Tyler O’Hara (Hon CBR600RR) 6. Berto Wooldridge (Yam YZF-R6)

650 Production Twins 1. David Raff (Suz SV650) 2. Thomas Dorsey (Suz SV650) 3. Everett Dittman (Suz SV650) 4. David Wallis (Hon VFR400) 5. Rick Williams (Suz SV650) 6. Dave Moss (Hon VFR400)

250 Production 1. Kirk Korenko (Kaw EX250) 2. Brian Bartlow (Kaw EX250) 3. Mark McKinney (Kaw EX250) 4. Lisa Kinberger (Kaw EX250) 5. Charles Weaver (Kaw EX250) 6. Wesley Rundall (Kaw EX250)

Open Grand Prix 1. Cory Call (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Corey Sarros (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Martin Szwarc (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. James Randolph (KTM RC8) 5. Scott Wilson (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. Hollis Adams (Suz GSX-R1000)

Formula 1 1. Greg McCullough (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Berto Wooldridge (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Timothy Kamholz (Hon CBR600RR) 4. Gabriel Santa Coloma (Hon CBR600RR) 5. Eric Gulbransen (KTM Super Duke R) 6. Liko Miles (Yam YZF-R6)

Formula 2 1. Richard Snowden (TSR 250) 2. Vincent Rolleri (Yam TZ250) 3. Michael Altamirano (Yam TZ250) 4. Brian Hoffman (Hon RS250) 5. Rob Drury (Yam TZ250) 6. Joe Roberts (Hon RS125)

Formula 3 1. Joe Roberts (Hon RS125) 2. Peter Lenz (Hon RS125) 3. Lex Hartl (Hon RS125) 4. Bennie Taylor (Hon RS125) 5. Cameron Gish (Hon RS125) 6. Andre Ochs (Hon RS125)

Formula 4 1. David Raff (Suz SV650) 2. Dan Sewell (Suz SV650) 3. Jay Avansino (Suz SV650) 4. Andrew Patterson (Suz SV650) 5. Scott Lesniewski (undefined) 6. Jay Kinberger (Suz SV650)

Open Twins 1. Chris Siglin (Duc 1098R) 2. James Randolph (KTM RC8) 3. Chase McFarland (Buell 1125R) 4. Patrick Blackburn (Duc 1098) 5. Eric Gulbransen (KTM RC8) 6. Thomas Montano (KTM)

650 Twins 1. David Raff (Suz SV650) 2. Dan Sewell (Suz SV650) 3. Scott Lesniewski 4. Jay Avansino (Suz SV650) 5. Jay Kinberger (Suz SV650) 6. Spencer Smith (Suz SV650)

500 Twins 1. Vik Anderson (Suz SV500) 2. Patrick Aldinger (Kaw EX500) 3. Brian Bartlow (Kaw EX250) 4. Chris Barbour (Suz) 5. Norbert Katona (Kaw) 6. TJ Kremlick (Hon)

Formula Singles 1. Peter Lenz (Hon MD250H) 2. Lex Hartl (Hon MD250H) 3. Michael Aquino (Yam) 4. Andre Ochs (Hon) 5. Alex Florea (Hon) 6. Tyler Linders (Hon)

Formula 40 Heavyweight 1. Peter O’Sullivan (Apr) 2. Patrick Blackburn (Duc 1098) 3. Neil Russell (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Michael Boardman (Hon CBR1000RR) 5. Ron Bunten (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. Thomas Montano (Duc)

Formula 40 Middleweight 1. Timothy Kamholz (Hon CBR600RR) 2. Andy Carman (Suz GSX-R750) 3. Kelly Barnett (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Zdenek Mika (Hon CBR600RR) 5. James Hendricks (Suz GSX-R600) 6. Garry Bannister (Suz)

Formula 40 Lightweight 1. Guy Hyder (Hon CBR600F3) 2. Jay Avansino (Suz SV650) 3. Dan Sewell (Suz SV650) 4. Thomas Dorsey (Suz SV650) 5. Jay Kinberger (Suz SV650) 6. Brad Woods (Suz SV650)

Formula AFemme 1. Joy Higa (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Debra Barton (Hon RS125) 3. Christie Cooley (Hon CBR600RR) 4. Zoe Rem (Duc 1098) 5. Jennifer Lauritzen (Suz SV650) 6. Lisa Wallace (Suz)

Super Dinosaur 1. Guy Hyder (Hon CBR600F3) 2. Mark Woodlief (Hon) 3. Peter Gabrovsky (Yam YZF750R) 4. Paul Rico (Yam) 5. Ed Haazer (Kaw) 6. Brian Mitchell (Duc)

USGPRU 125GP 1. Joe Roberts (Hon RS125) 2. Lex Hartl (Hon RS125) 3. Peter Lenz (Hon RS125) 4. Bennie Taylor (Hon RS125) 5. Andre Ochs (Hon RS125) 6. Erik Dadej (Hon RS125)

USGPRU 250GP 1. Vincent Rolleri (Yam TZ250) 2. Bruce Lind (Yam TZ250) 3. Jeff Pratt (Yam TZ250) 4. Kevin Winter (Yam TZ250) 5. Daniel Qualtire (Yam TZ250)

USGPRU Moto3 Race Results 1. Peter Lenz (Honda RS125) 2. Bennie Taylor (Honda RS125) 3. Andre Ochs (Honda RS125)

USGPRU MD250H 1. Peter Lenz (Mor MD250H) 2. Lex Hartl (Mor MD250H)

More, from a press release issued by Garage Endeavors:

Garage Endeavors Congratulates LENNY HALE on his Amazing Performance at AFM Round 1, Buttonwillow.

Northern Californian Lenny Hale completed a successful, if unlikely, first round at Sunday’s AFM races at Buttonwillow Raceway, walking away with two 750-class wins, a 600-class win and one 600-class second place aboard his Yamaha YZF-R6.

The morning started smoothly with a victory in the 600 Superbike class, which included a phenomenal last-lap battle with Jimmy Wood. Hale then backed that up with a runaway win in 750 Production.

Things got much more dramatic in the Formula 1 race later that afternoon. After a decent shot off the line, Hale set up a drive around the outside of turn one from 5th place. However, the rider two positions in front of Lenny lost the rear end in a spectacular high side, bunching up the grid as riders left the race line to avoid any carnage. Lenny’s R6 was forced into the dirt on the outside, down the small embankment and directly into the small pond between turns one and four, where the bike and rider were nearly submerged in the standing water. Obviously this resulted in a DNF for the Formula 1 event, and many attendees counted the water-logged bike out for the day, but the team had other plans…

By the time the crash truck had delivered the soggy R6 back to pit row, Lenny and his crew had already decided to try and finish out the day and salvage what valuable points could be had from the remaining 600 and 750 races. Practically as soon as it was unloaded, the Motoyard/Garage Endeavors crew had the little Yamaha stripped of its wheels, plastics, gas tank, air box and throttle bodies attempting to bring the locked motor back to life; at one point even holding the motorcycle upside-down with pond-water pouring out of the top end. Quick thinking, good teamwork, and a bit of luck got the bike cleaned, running and tech inspected in under 28 minutes.

Lenny rode that same R6 to second-place in the 600 Production class, and finished the day with another strong win in 750 Superbike.

Lenny Hale: “The weekend started perfectly. We were testing some software changes and trying out some of the new Ohlins suspension components and everything was just working really well until turn one of the Formula 1 race. After the bike made it back to the pits, it looked done, so we had to make the hard decision to either risk one of my AMA bikes, try and fix the crashed bike, or call it a day. The team really hustled and got everything back together well enough to try and score some points. I originally went out to just run a conservative pace and bring it home in one piece, but it ran well enough to put down some consistent times, and we ended the weekend pretty happy with the results.”

Lenny Hale will campaign his Garage Endeavors tuned R6 in the Daytona Sportbike class at next weekend’s AMA event in Fontana, CA.

www.garageendeavors.com