Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Beth Wyse

Vesrah Suzuki’s Mark Junge, Tray Batey and John Jacobi wrapped up the team’s third consecutive Dunlop/WERA National Endurance Series Championship Saturday during round nine of the 10-round series at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Vesrah Suzuki finished with a three-lap margin of victory in the 4-hour race.

Jeff Walker and Sam Fleming rode the Army of Darkness Suzuki GSX-R600 to second place overall, winning in the Mediumweight Superbike class and clinching the MSB class Championship.

Team InfoTech/Valter Moto’s Nicky Wimbauer, Bradley Champion and Brian Hanson rode a Yamaha YZF-R6 to third overall and the Mediumweight Superstock class win.

Vesrah Suzuki’s Batey took the lead at the start and quickly built a one-lap lead before a red flag came out one hour and 24 minutes into the race. The race was restarted 15 minutes before the halfway point, and Jacobi and Junge were able to gain another two laps on the field during the remainder of the race.

Corey Eaton, Chris “Opie” Caylor and Morgan Broadhead won in the Heavyweight Superstock class on the Team OMC Suzuki GSX-R1000, finishing sixth overall. The team ran as high as second overall, but fell back to sixth after Broadhead crashed late in the race.

Roaring Toyz’s Robert Fisher and Steve Leckie rode a Suzuki SV650 to the Lightweight Superbike class win and 20th overall. It was the team’s first endurance race and Leckie’s second race weekend ever.

Chris Ulrich took a GSX-R600, entered by AOD under the Cooper Peformance banner, from 47th on the grid to second overall shortly after the end of the first hour. The team, which also featured Ed Sorbo and Chris Ulrich’s father John, eventually finished 11th overall, fourth in Mediumweight Superbike. The race was the first appearance of the only father-son WERA National Endurance Champions (John Ulrich, 1983 and 1984, Chris Ulrich, 2001) on the same machine, and also was John Ulrich’s first WERA National Endurance Series event since 1985.

The race at Barber Motorsports Park attracted 52 teams, one of the biggest fields of the season. Many of the extra teams included AMA racers who wanted to gain track time in preparation for the AMA Pro Racing event at the new facility next weekend.

The only round remaining in the series is a 4-hour race at the Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta in October.

RESULTS

1. Vesrah Suzuki (Tray Batey/Mark Junge/John Jacobi), Heavyweight Superbike, Suz GSX-R1000, 135 laps

2. Army of Darkness (Sam Fleming/Jeff Walker), Mediumweight Superbike, Suz GSX-R600, 132 laps

3. Team InfoTech/Valter Moto (Bradley Champion/Nicky Wimbauer/Brian Hanson), Mediumweight Superstock, Yam YZF-R6, 132 laps

4. Team Velocity Racing (Chuck Ivey/Reuben Frankenfield/Steven Breckenridge), Mediumweight Superstock, Suz GSX-R600, 130 laps

5. Velocity Crew Racing (Kevin Perkins/Paul Youngman/John Joseph/Larry Goldstein), Mediumweight Superbike, Suz GSX-R600, 130 laps

6. Team OMC (Corey Eaton/Morgan Broadhead), Heavyweight Superstock, Suz GSX-R1000, 129 laps

7. Firehawk 27 (Scotty VanScoik/JP Tache/Jason Temme), Mediumweight Superstock, Yam YZF-R6, 129 laps

8. Ricochet Racing (Kevin Suffridge/Lee Fields/C.R. Gittere), Mediumweight Superstock, Suz GSX-R600, 129 laps

9. Underdog Racing (Brett Champagne/Shane Keuhler/Mike Sanchez), Mediumweight Superbike, Yam YZF-R6, 129 laps

10. Team Xtreme II (Billy Ethridge/Mark Edwards), Heavyweight Superbike, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 128 laps