N2/WERA Endurance: Army Of Darkness Takes Overall Victory In Four-Hour Race At PittRace (Updated)

N2/WERA Endurance: Army Of Darkness Takes Overall Victory In Four-Hour Race At PittRace (Updated)

© 2017, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

N2 / WERA 4 and 2 Hour Race Results – July 15th, 2017 @ Pittsburgh International Race Complex

N2 and WERA would like to congratulate all of Saturday’s winners in the Steel City Superbike Challenge. Army of Darkness with riders Chris Peris and Ben Walters claim the overall win for this event.

Sponsors: Pirelli, Yamaha, Karns Performance, Barnes Bros. Motorcycles, Mosites Motorsports and Yamaha Champions Riding School.

Four-Hour Race Results:

Heavyweight:

1. Army of Darkness, Chris Peris/Ben Walters, (BMW 1000), Total Time: 3:58:55.526, Laps: 130, Best Time: 1:45.242

2. DLNQNT Racing (SUZ 1000), Total Time: 3:59:25.545, Laps: 126, Best Time: 1:45.266

3. Barry Motorsports (YAM 1000), Total Time: 3:59:46.294, Laps: 125, Best Time: 1:48.510

4. Team Raceday (SUZ 750), Total Time: 3:58:19.570, Laps: 107, Best Time: 1:56.922

5. Team Nerdy & Dirty – HW (KTM 1190), Total Time: 1:02:17.609, Laps: 24, Best Time: 1:54.905


Mediumweight:

1. Twisted Speed Racing (KAW 636), Total Time: 3:59:22.608, Laps: 127, Best Time: 1:45.618

2. Apex Mfg/Team Hammerhead (TRI 675), Total Time: 3:58:38.244, Laps: 126, Best Time: 1:48.012

3. Team Ramrod/Bobblehead Moto (YAM 600), Total Time: 3:59:48.024, Laps: 126, Best Time: 1:48.697

4. Team Dietz (YAM 600), Total Time: 3:59:59.857, Laps: 125, Best Time: 1:47.700

5. Double Stuf Racing (TRI 675), Total Time: 3:58:51.552, Laps: 119, Best Time: 1:53.829

6. 3 Marines Racing (YAM 600), Total Time: 3:59:43.889, Laps: 119, Best Time: 1:52.603

7. Northknight (KAW 600), Total Time: 3:58:46.677, Laps: 117, Best Time: 1:53.336

8. Hard-Bow Racing (YAM 600), Total Time: 3:58:23.388, Laps: 116, Best Time: 1:53.398

9. Gassy Geezers (HON 600), Total Time: 3:58:23.404, Laps: 106, Best Time: 1:56.528

10. Turn Zero Racing (HON 600), Total Time: 3:58:57.003, Laps: 103, Best Time: 1:57.799

11. LaRoche Racing (YAM 600), Total Time: 54:54.395, Laps: 29, Best Time: 1:48.306

12. Mi Scusi SDK (YAM 600), Total Time: 3:59:20.859, Laps: 28, Best Time: 1:49.252


Lightweight:

1. RBOM 128 (SUZ 650), Total Time: 3:59:12.759, Laps: 121, Best Time: 1:51.005

2. RBOM 117 (SUZ 650), Total Time: 3:59:16.265, Laps: 120, Best Time: 1:55.726

3. Rusty Fork Racing (SUZ 650), Total Time: 3:58:56.591, Laps: 118, Best Time: 1:56.136

4. Team Meat (SUZ 650), Total Time: 3:58:36.367, Laps: 117, Best Time: 1:54.803

5. 419 Racing (SUZ 650), Total Time: 3:58:10.422, Laps: 116, Best Time: 1:57.162

6. Thumbs Up, Balls Out (SUZ 650), Total Time: 3:58:53.168, Laps: 116, Best Time: 1:57.203

7. Buckeye Racing (SUZ 650), Total Time: 3:59:41.780, Laps: 111, Best Time: 1:58.516

8. Cymbal Monkey Racing (SUZ 650), Total Time: 3:58:24.050, Laps: 110, Best Time: 1:54.067

9. Phoenix Racing (SUZ 650), Total Time: 3:59:51.405, Laps: 99, Best Time: 1:52.372

10. Chiefs Racing Team (SUZ 650), Total Time: 3:31:24.395, Laps: 85, Best Time: 1:51.690

11. MPR (SUZ 650), Total Time: 3:55:30.538, Laps: 56, Best Time: 1:59.028


Two-Hour Race Results:

Ultra Lightweight:

1. Thedraik77 by Quarterley (KTM 390), Total Time: 1:59:36.156, Laps: 58, Best Time: 2:00.853

2. Quarterley On Track Development (KTM 390), Total Time: 1:59:41.411, Laps: 58, Best Time: 2:01.194

3. Team Apex/Team Hammerhead II (YAM 321), Total Time: 1:59:39.122, Laps: 56, Best Time: 2:00.503

4. The Kid – Blake Davis Racing (YAM 321), Total Time: 1:59:51.415, Laps: 56, Best Time: 2:03.807

5. Aces High Racing (YAM 321), Total Time: 1:57:33.580, Laps: 55, Best Time: 2:00.924

6. Swang Motorsports (YAM 321), Total Time: 1:58:15.542, Laps: 54, Best Time: 2:06.082

7. Earl’s Racing Team (KTM 390), Total Time: 1:58:46.118, Laps: 54, Best Time: 2:06.081

8. Evolve GT Racing (KAW 300), Total Time: 1:59:51.356, Laps: 53, Best Time: 2:00.786

9. Team Nerdy and Dirty (KTM 390), Total Time: 1:58:19.829, Laps: 51, Best Time: 2:05.867

10. Three Dude and a Chick (YAM 321), Total Time: 1:56:34.269, Laps: 50, Best Time: 2:09.762

11. Cymbal Monkey Lite (KAW 250), Total Time: 1:59:22.121, Laps: 49, Best Time: 2:18.246

12. Dragons and Tigers (YAM 321), Total Time: 38:46.687, Laps: 18, Best Time: 2:06.315

More, from a press release issued by RBoM Racing:

Perfect weather conditions greeted Saturday’s endurance racers at the freshly re-paved Pittsburgh International Race Complex as 29 teams took to the grid at the 2nd round of the 2017 N2/WERA Superbike Challange 4-hour Endurance race series.

5 heavyweight teams, 13 middleweight teams, and 11 lightweight teams made up the field as tire wear on the new pavement was a concern for all. RBoM Racing once again fielded 2 official team bikes, RBoM128 and RBoM117, with a third RBoM SV650 thrown in the mix with MotoAmerica 390 Cup racers Draik Beauchamp and Trevor Standish sharing the riding duties with southeast region SV650 racer Anthony Paul.

The RBoM128 bike of Parrish and Buric switched to Michelin rubber for the PIRC event, thanks to David Gray’s support from Sportbike Tire Service. As the RBoM117 bike struggled during Friday’s practice to find a tire-managing set-up, an executive decision was implemented to switch that bike to Michelin tires also. A calculated risk that did not backfire.

Chris Parrish took the early lead in the lightweight class on the RBoM128 entry, after challenging the RBoM crew’s preparedness with an uncharacteristic crash in the morning practice session. Parrish clicked off consistent, and ridiculously fast, SV650 lap times for the first hour and 15 minutes, built up a nice lead, and handed the riding chores over to canned soup connoisseur Simon Buric.

The RBoM117 entry gave Chris Bays a chance to redeem himself after his sampling of New Jersey’s finest fescue in round 1. A new strategy was instituted for the RBoM 117 bike as a slightly larger gas tank was fitted to give Bays ample time to hone his skills. Bays calmed his aggression and rode an easy hour and 40 minute first stint, although some fuel light issues almost sunk the effort as Bays barely made it up the hill at pit-in and slowly coasted down the long pit road, allowing the competition to gain some ground.

New RBoM recruit Steve Tsotsoros took over on the RBoM117 bike and headed out to see if he could also match Bays long stint, minus 1 lap, of course. Tsotsoros put in a solid hour and a half stint, pitted for fuel only, and handed the RBoM117 bike back over to Chris Bays for the the final 50 minutes.

(Steve Tsotsoros was recruited to help with riding duties as team principal and SV engine builder Michael Copoulos recovers from minor testing injuries, minor only because of Performance Riding Experience’s deployment of Roadracing World Action Fund Airfence soft barriers at their trackday at VIR the weekend prior. A life saving deployment. Thank you John Ulrich, John Allen, Mike Ruhe, all the members of PRE, N2, Roadracing World, and anyone else who has helped or contributed to the Roadracing World Action Fund (airfence fund). Please encourage all organizations to deploy any airfence that is available to them.)

At the 2:45 mark of the race, Simon Buric brought the RBoM128 bike in for it’s second, and final, scheduled pitstop. As the waft of evaporating coolant filled the air, a hole in the radiator was discovered and the crew made a hasty radiator swap on pitlane and sent Parrish out to finish the race. The big lead that Parrish and Buric had established also evaporated, which put the RBoM117 bike into the class lead.

The stage was set for the final hour of the race. The RBoM Racing entries were running 1st and 2nd in class, they were on the same lap, nearly identically prepared SV650’s, the same set of Michelin Power Race Evo tires that they started the race on, but the trailing bike was running slightly faster laptimes. Chris Parrish caught and passed Chris Bays to re-take the class lead with less than 30 minutes left in the race, and that’s how they finished. RBoM128/RBoM117, 1st and 2nd in the lightweight class, 8th and 9th place in the overall standings.

The 3rd and final round of the N2/WERA endurance at VIR is less than 3 weeks away. A huge $10,000 purse is up for grabs. RBoM Racing will be prepared for the finale with “at least” two entries. Perhaps a podium sweep is in the works.

RBoM Racing congratulates Army of Darkness and Twisted Speed for their respective class wins, plus congratulations to all the teams that entered and finished the grueling 4-hour challenge. Also thanks to N2 Trackdays and WERA for putting on the event, hopefully the grid is even larger at VIR.

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