More On What Happened Last Weekend At Autobahn

More On What Happened Last Weekend At Autobahn

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WERA National Series Sets Precedent for Racing at Autobahn Country Club JOLIET, Ill. Establishing track records and close racing among the top amateur motorcycle road racers in the country were the hallmark of the WERA National Series’ first event at the new Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois, held May 7-8. Vesrah Suzuki earned their second consecutive overall and Heavyweight Superbike win during the four-hour WERA Dunlop National Endurance Series race on Saturday, May 7. Tray Batey and John Jacobi rode the Suzuki GSX-R1000, finishing four laps ahead of the rest of the field. Red Star took second place on a Yamaha YZF-R6, with riders Ben Thompson and Brett Champagne also claiming the Mediumweight Superbike victory. Heavyweight Superstock winner Team Eclipse finished third overall with Ryan Gordon and Dale Burroughs on a Suzuki GSX-R750. Royalty Racing won the Mediumweight Superstock class with Jason Quillman and Jeff Kramer piloting a Suzuki GSX-R600. Suzuki SV650 riders Steve Green, Shane Williams and Corey Bowen earned the Lightweight Superbike victory for Deals Gap Racing. Round two of the WERA Michelin National Challenge Series was held on Sunday as racers battled in eight-lap sprint races. The biggest winner in the expert division was Vesrah Suzuki’s Tray Batey, who took home the first-place trophies for Heavyweight Twins Superstock, 750 Superstock and Formula One. Vesrah’s Mark Junge was another rider who proved tough to beat, and he finished first in both Open Superstock and 600 Superstock. Roger Bell had a narrow margin of victory, winning Lightweight Twins Superstock by just 0.028 second. RacerSupply.com’s Ben Thompson won his second consecutive 750 Superbike race, while Adam Dolney won 600 Superbike. Kendrick Morrison ran away with the win in Formula 2. In the novice ranks, Charlie Coleman and J.B. Layman each won two races. Coleman won 750 Superstock and Open Superstock, and Layman was victorious in 600 Superstock and 600 Superbike. The 750 Superbike novice win went to Tony Palarie. David Johnson won Heavyweight Twins Superstock and John Foster took first place in Lightweight Twins Superstock. Round three of the WERA Dunlop National Endurance Series and the WERA Michelin National Challenge Series will be held during Cycle Jam at Virginia International Raceway, May 19-22. The event is one of the largest of the year, combining all of WERA’s regions with the National Series for three full days of racing. More information about WERA, including a schedule and updated championship points, can be found online at www.WERA.com. More, from a press release issued by Team Velocity Racing: Team Velocity Racing Earns 4th in Class after Crash in WERA Endurance at Autobahn JOLIET, Ill. Team Velocity Racing came back from a crash during round two of the WERA National Endurance Series to finish fourth in the Heavyweight Superstock class at Autobahn Country Club in Illinois. Chuck Ivey, Reuben Frankenfield and Mark Crozier rode the Team Velocity Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 during the four-hour endurance race on May 7. Crozier started the race, holding down fourth place in the opening laps. When he pitted, Frankenfield got on the bike and took off. His stint was interrupted when he low-sided, but he was uninjured and able to return to the pits for repairs. Ivey took the Yamaha back on the track, but had to pit again for some more adjustments following the crash. Ivey stayed on the bike after a red flag period, and he was able to conserve fuel so that Crozier could ride the final stint without needing to pit again for a splash of gas. Crozier made up more positions as the race wound down, and he crossed the finish line in ninth overall and fourth in class on the Team Velocity Racing Yamaha. “When we started the race everything was going good,” said team owner Ivey. “But when Mark came in after his first stint the front tire was shagged on the right side. We didn’t know why because in practice the tires looked great. We had to improvise and put Reuben on for a couple laps while we got ready for a front-tire change. The competition this weekend was pretty fierce. Mark really hauled in that last stint and brought us back up to the top ten.” Ivey added that the team would not have been able to break back into the top ten without the efforts of their pit crew, including Jody Stewart, James Murr and Erik Petersen. He said that “the team handled the unsuspected tire problems well. Jody, Erik and James did a real good job on pit stops.” “The first stint was tough because first the rear tire went away, then the front tire. The last stint I got on and the bike felt better, so I got to turn some good laps,” said Crozier. “I was cutting some decent lap times and I was about half an hour into my stint,” said Frankenfield about his crash. “I just tucked the front coming off the back straight. I picked the bike up as quickly as I could and made my way back to the pits.” Despite the tough weekend, Team Velocity Racing is holding down third in the overall championship. They are second in Heavyweight Superstock, but less than ten points away from the class leader. Team Velocity Racing will compete in round three of the WERA National Endurance Series next Friday, May 20, at Virginia International Raceway.

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