MECHANICAL WOES FOR WOOD AND KERN AT 2006 HEART OF AMERICA CYCLEFEST IN TOPEKA KANSAS Fathers Day weekend CCS and ASRA traveled to Heartland Park for the fourth of eight stops on the National series tour. The very warm and windy weekend began in usual fashion with the ASRA Team Challenge Series and ended with a few upsets in the ASRA Sprints. The Friday Team Challenge races concluded with Moons Cycle winning GTO, Fastlane Racing winning GTU, Team Fatboy Racing winning GTL and the A&J Recognition Solo Challenge went to Kris Pippin Racing. LB United’s Rob Lombardi took a spill in the Solo Challenge causing him to fall to second place in the race for the championship. Lombardi, 2005 Solo Challenge Champion, suffered an early season injury causing him to miss a round of competition. It is reported that Lombardi has broken a few ribs. Arclight Suzuki’s Jeff Wood still leads the ASRA Sportbike and Superbike classes however an uncommon mechanical failure in the Factory Pro Sportbike race allowed Mike Himmelsbach on the Triumph to temporarily dethrone the 2005 Champion. Himmelsbach got to the top of the box this weekend but Wood has a cushion in the point standings so no change to the top running order for the championship. ASRA Thunderbike never disappoints those looking for a close race. This weekend was no different, for most of the race Dave Estok led with Nate Kern, Brian Beminsderfer, and Ed Key fighting over the following spots. Kern got a good lead off the start but slipped back to fourth as the race progressed. Bemisderfer was running in the third position with Kern close behind when he lowsided in turn 8. Kern passed Bemisderfer only to have a driveline failure just two turns later causing him to bow out of the rest of the race. Bemisderfer was able to recover for a fifth place finish. Final finishing order for Thunderbike was Estok on a XB12, Key on a SV 650 and Walt Sipp on a XB12. This was a first national podium appearance for Sipp. Estok’s win brought him up to third place in the championship running and in good position to make a charge for repeat title. Kern slips to second place trailing the new leader Bryan Bemisdefer by only five points. Four rounds in the ASRA Thunderbike championship and it is still anyone’s title. CCS and ASRA head to Virginia International Raceway for round five of the ASRA Sprints. The upcoming race will guarantee some close racing as these riders compete in the big money races. More, from a press release issued by RRSW: HOT ACTION AT FIREBIRD RACEWAY FOR RRSW/CCS RACERS With temperatures in the 105-degree range and it being Father’s Day weekend, the turn out for this weekend’s event was smaller than usual, but the racing action was not. Saturday started with the Tracktime GT Lights class and the Mongrel Racing entry of Wayne Neilson taking the win over the young Aron Weiss and the not as young Jack O’Keefe. Aron returned the favor on his AZTracktime.com SV during the Cobbs Restaurant LW Supersport race with Bob Russell second and Neilson third. Sunday got off to a rough start with a first turn crash from Joe Dawson who “used too much throttle” coming out of the kink of turn two during the AJ’s Performance/TintWizard Expert Unlimited Superbike race. “Ironman” Ivan Garza started with a win on his Mezcal Beneva Kawasaki ZX10-R. Lenny Beckman came in second on his J6Racing.com Suzuki ahead of Kevin Wehner. The small bikes got after it again during the Value Pools and Spas LW Superbike event with Bob Russell topping he box on his Shelly’s-the-Best SV 650. Weiss and Neilson finished second and third. The Moto Services Expert MW Grand Prix saw Eric Bartlett finish tried behind the Hotbodies Kawasaki of Nick Terrell and race winner Ivan Garza’s Evan Steel Performance powered 600 Kawi. The three would finish in the same order for the Racer’s Edge Expert MW Supersport race. Ivan yet again took his Bridgestone shod 1000 to a win in the Heatwave Cycles Unlimited Supersport race. The amateurs got their turn for some contingency during the Jim Cox Racing MW Supersport. Ray Thibedeau won on his Vortex Sprockets R6 but Kyle Klein got the Dunlop certificate with his second place. Will Harfert won the Powerstands prize in Amateur MW Superbike on his North Valley Honda CBR 600RR ahead of Rick Bucher and Klein. Garza won the expert Powerstands race. The Pirelli Suzuki of Joe “Eight Ball” Dawson who borrowed the bike from his teammate after his first race crash spoiled Garza’s bid for a perfect weekend. The two took off from the start of the RoadraceSW.com Unlimited GP and battled until the end, leaving Lenny Beckman to fend for himself in third. When asked about racing at such intensity in the very hot weather, Joe replied, “This is nothing, we are just racing”, in deference to the conditions faced by U.S. troops overseas. Overall, the weekend went very smoothly and there were no serious injuries. RRSW/CCS races next on Labor Day weekend in Las Vegas with the USGPRU joining in for the fun. Complete results, lap times and up to date points can be found at www.roadracesw.com as well as all forms and the complete rulebook.