Ty Howard and Cory Burleson close out 2005 season for RPS Racing Performance Services sponsored riders Ty Howard and Cory Burleson closed out the 2005 season in style at the WERA Grand National Finals. Both riders use custom-valved suspension solutions provided by RPS. Ty Howard earned two podiums in the Suzuki cup finals, while Burleson who hails from Harrison, Arkansas captured 10 race wins out of 11 races entered. Burleson’s win count is believed to be a modern record for the WERA Grand National Finals. Ty Howard Texan Ty Howard ventured to historic Road Atlanta for an opportunity to compete in the Suzuki GSXR Cup finals on his Kinest Homes GSXR’s (600, 750, and 1000). Howard came to the cup races with hopes of solid finishes that would put the Weatherford, Texas rider on the podium for his races and in position for some of the great prize money Suzuki provides for the cup riders. The team knew it would be tough with 3 bikes to setup and no opportunity outside the Suzuki cup practices and races to use for setup data, but if it were easy to compete with some of the best racers in the country then everyone would do it. Howard used Wednesday to get acclimated to racing at Road Atlanta for the first time in several years while Steve Upchurch of Motion Cycles made sure the engines were performing at peak class performance levels. Howard continued to work out small issues until the team had everything working its best for the Saturday timed qualifying sessions. Qualifying went very well despite some teething problems. In the 600 qualifying, Howard went with a soft tire to maximize the opportunity for a quick lap time. Unfortunately the quick shifter malfunctioned for the first lap and by the time everything settled out on lap 3, Howard had already used up his rear tire. Nonetheless, Howard posted a time that would put him 3rd fastest and on the pole for the 600 Suzuki Cup race by virtue of the Cup gridding rules. The 750 Qualifying was a real barn burner. Mike Smith, Brian Stokes, and Howard all ran within a tenth of a second of each other and a great race was sure to be the order on Sunday based on the qualifying times. In the 1000 cup qualifying, Howard posted the 7th fastest time and would start from the third row after a conservative qualifying effort. The 600 Cup race would start the day off for Howard on Sunday. All eyes were on Ty Howard, Mike Smith and Opie Caylor. Howard took a flyer of a start and lead the pack out of Turn one. As the race got ready to heat up, a red flag was brought out. The restart would see Mike Smith absent after suffering an injury from his crash. The restart was the same. Howard lead the pack through Turn one and the race was on. With Smith out, the race on the track was expected to be between Howard and Caylor. After the first lap, Howard crossed the finish line just a few seconds ahead of Opie. The Texan knew he would have to put 10 perfect laps together to beat Caylor on his home track and he put his head down trying to do just that. By lap 5 Caylor was within one second of Howard and the crowd was waiting for Caylor to make his move. Howard still held the point on lap 7 and some wondered if Opie’s hometrack advantage was going to hold up. On lap 8, the question was answered when Caylor slid inside Howard entering Turn One. Ty made a charge to re-take the point on the final two laps, but it just didn’t happen. The final finishing order saw Ty Howard finish behind Opie Caylor. Howard commented after the race, “That was a lot of fun. I hated to see Mike Smith not there with us, but I am glad he is ok. The bike worked great for me, Opie just rode really well and my hat is off to him for the job he did.” In the 750 Suzuki Cup race, more of the same was expected. At the drop of the green flag, a pack of 4 up front saw Jensen leading Stokes, Howard, and Jacobi. With the pace up front so fast (1:27’s), Howard decided to wait this race out until the end and make his move on the final laps. By the seventh lap, Jensen, Stokes, and Howard had distanced themselves from the rest of the pack and a tight finish was expected. On the 8th lap, Ty started to turn it up and picked up his pace. Catastrophe almost struck though as Howard struck one of the rumble strips really hard and looked to have possibly broke something inside the forks. With several seconds over fourth place, Howard cruised home to a third place finish and another Suzuki Cup final podium appearance. Ty looked back at the race, “That was a heck of race. I felt pretty confident that I would be there at the end with those guys, but I hit the curbing really hard. After that the bike didn’t want to turn. I think something got broken. I am still really pleased with how I ran and getting back on the podium again. Stokes and Jensen ran really well and I congratulate them on their race.” The 1000 Suzuki Cup race started off tough for Howard. A poor start left him in 7th place after lap one. Howard’s plan was to let the race come to him and move up over the last few laps, but a red flag brought for a burning bike, left the Texan in 6th position after the race was called. After earning several thousand dollars in Suzuki money on Sunday, Howard reflected on the week, “It was really a fun week. We are leaving here with some great winnings thanks to Suzuki. The bikes ran strong and handled great. I want to thank Steve Upchurch of Motion Cycles and Marcus McBain of Racing Performance Services for getting my bikes working really well. The bikes are still shiny after this weekend of racing and I get to drive home with my fiancé Miranda. It doesn’t get much better than that!” Cory Burleson The Arkansas rider came to the WERA Grand National Finals looking to ride well and hoped to win a few races. Cory had come to Road Atlanta after already winning over a hundred races in 2005 and the “Top Novice” award during the AMA Mid-Ohio Amateur races. Prior to this season, he had raced a total of 14 races after getting his race license during the 2004 season and was very surprised at the success he has enjoyed. At the end of the weekend, the 2nd year rider won 10 of 11 races entered and ran impressively fast. His one loss came by less than one second after the tire pressure on his Suzuki was not checked before the race. Cory was accompanied by his wife Merry and sixteen month old son Isaiah who would also be his pit crew for the first few days. Many challenged Burleson, but he always seemed to be able to step up his pace every time without riding over his head. Burelson came away with the following wins: Sportsman LWT SB LWT SS B Superbike B Superstock C Superstock National Challenge LWT SS 600 Superbike 600 Superstock 750 Superbike 750 Superstock With 6 WERA regional championships, 7 CMRA Championships, and 127 race wins out of 155 races entered, Burleson commented on the season and the future, “This was just a fantastic year. I can’t imagine how you can top this. I am really looking forward to the first race next year. I love to ride and I look forward to the challenges of moving up to expert status next year. Smith Cycle Center will be with me again next year and I can’t tell you how much they have helped me accomplish all of this. Whatever I end up riding next year, I will be glad I have Racing Performance Services Suspension again. The bikes have always handled really well all year and that is 90% of it from what I can see. Lastly, I can’t thank my wife Merry enough. She not only is out here supporting me, but really makes this a lot of fun.” More, from a press release issued by WERA: WERA National Series Champions Crowned at Road Atlanta BRASELTON, Ga. The WERA National Series 2005 season wrapped up over the weekend during the Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta, crowning 23 National Challenge Series and National Endurance Series champions along with the Sportsman Series, Vintage and Suzuki Cup champions. The racing started on Thursday, October 13 with Sportsman and Vintage events. The four-hour WERA Dunlop National Endurance Series finale was held on Friday. Vesrah Suzuki and Team Velocity have been locked in a points battle for the overall championship, but Vesrah crashed early in the race while Team Velocity’s Chuck Ivey, Reuben Frankenfield and Mark Crozier cruised to a finish of second overall. The finish locked up Team Velocity’s first overall endurance championship. The winners of the race were former World Champion Kevin Schwantz, Jamie James and Ted Cobb. The trio rode a second Heavyweight Superbike entry from Vesrah under the team name Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School. Sam Fleming, Scott Fisher, Ben Walters and Chris Peris wrapped up the Mediumweight Superbike championship for Army of Darkness with their class win. Dalke Motorsports clinched the Heavyweight Superstock championship at round nine, and Brian Dalke, Josh Smith-Moore and Wrenn Smith extended their lead with the class win at Road Atlanta. Blue Ridge Performance’s Martin Musil and Mark Biletnikoff won the Lightweight Superbike race, but the class championship went to Ghetto Customs. During the WERA Michelin National Challenge Series sprint races held throughout the weekend, Mike Smith was the only expert to take more than one victory. Smith won both 750 and Open Superstock. In the other expert classes, Matt Lynn won Formula 1, Josh Herrin held out for the win in 600 Superstock, and Opie Caylor beat Herrin to the 600 Superbike victory. Brandon Parrish was the top rider in 750 Superbike and Tray Batey got his usual dominant win in Heavyweight Twins Superstock despite riding with a broken heel. Jimmy Wood won Lightweight Twins Superstock and Avery Clark was at the top of Formula 2. In the novice ranks, Cory Burleson took an astounding five National Series wins, including 600 Superbike and Superstock, 750 Superbike and Superstock, and Lightweight Twins Superstock. Michael Dillion won Open Superstock novice, David Johnson was the victor in Heavyweight Twins Superstock and Matt LaPham won Formula 2. The Suzuki Cup Finals, held in conjunction every year with the WERA Grand National Finals, featured some of the most competitive races of the season as the top Suzuki riders in the country battled for the title of champion. Caylor was the top rider in the GSX-R600 Cup race, starting from the pole and riding to the win. Robert Jensen separated his shoulder in a crash early in the week, but he rallied to win the GSX-R750 Cup nonetheless. Batey took off at the start of the SV1000 Cup race and led all ten laps, holding off his teammate Mark Junge. Lynn was able to pull away from Caylor to win a red flag-shortened GSX-R1000 Cup race, and Jimmy Wood won the SV650 Cup event. The WERA National Series will get the 2006 season started next March with a round at Jennings GP in North Florida. More information about WERA and final points standings can be found online at www.WERA.com.