Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yochum Motorsports’ Dave Ebben and Nate Kern rode a Dunlop-equipped Suzuki GSX-R1000 to win the Formula USA Team Challenge endurance event Saturday at Summit Point Raceway in Summit Point, West Virginia. It was the third consecutive Team Challenge race win in three rounds for the team in 2004.

Yocum Motorsports, the defending F-USA Team Challenge National Champions, used fast laps and better pit-stop strategy – stopping for fuel only once quickly while most teams pitted for two, slower fuel stops – to win the race.

“Staying consistent every lap and doing only one, fast pit stop was the key,” Ebben told Roadracingworld.com.

Fast Lane Racing (Rick Beggs/Jeff Allen) made two stops to refuel its Dunlop-fitted Kawasaki 636cc ZX-6R, but fast laps by Beggs during his opening and closing shifts helped the team finish second overall and first in the GTU category.

“I’ve been racing here for 15 years, and I’ve never gone faster than I just went in that race,” Beggs told reporters. “I was chasing Des Conboy, that’s how I went that fast. When I was alone at the end, I went slower.”

Himmelsbach Racing’s father and son combination of Bill and Michael Himmelsbach teamed with Chris Rich to claim third overall and second in the GTU class on their Pirelli-sponsored Yamaha YZF-R6.

“It’s a big, heavy boat,” the elder Himmelsbach, a long-time 250cc Grand Prix racer, said of his 2003 Yamaha YZF-R6. “No, really I just need to learn how to ride a 600 and get used to the way it wallows around the track.”

Roaring Toyz’s Robert Fisher and Dave Yaakov rode a Suzuki SV650 fitted with Pirelli rubber to finish sixth overall and first in the GT Lights class thanks in part to a one-pit-stop strategy. Fisher told Roadracingworld.com that his team wouldn’t have been in the race if not for Czaia Racing loaning his team an engine. Ironically, Czaia Racing, 5th in GT Lights, DNF with engine troubles.

Twenty-seven teams competed in the Team Challenge.


Team Challenge:

Overall:
1. Yochum Motorsports (Dave Ebben/Nate Kern), Suz GSX-R1000, GTO, 78 laps
2. Fast Lane Racing (Rick Beggs/Jeff Allen), Kaw ZX-6R, GTU, 78 laps
3. Himmelsbach Racing (Michael Himmelsbach/Bill Himmelsbach/Chris Rich), Yam YZF-R6, GTU, 77 laps
4. Team Celtic Racing(Des Conboy/Finbar Gilsenan), Yam YZF-R6, GTU, 77 laps
5. Roaring Toyz (Robert Fisher/Tim Hall/Dave Yaakov), Suz SV650, GTL, 76 laps
6. Baker Race Gear (Brian Baker/Matt Malterer), Suz, GTO, 76 laps
7. Hooters Northeast (Scott Greenwood/Tom Bibeau/Matthew Scott Silva), Suz GSX-R600, GTO, 75 laps
8. Kingpin Racing (Dan Ortega/James Ptak/Dave Rosno), Yam YZF-R6, GTU, 75 laps
9. Yochum Motorsports II (Jesse Janisch/Calvin Martinez), Suz GSX-R600, GTU, 74 laps
10. Vallely Racing (Thomas Vallely/Joe Ribeiro/Robert Lombardi), Suz GSX-R750, GTO, 74 laps

GTO:
1. Yochum Motorsports
2. Baker Race Gear
3. Hooters Northeast
4. Vallely Racing
5. York Service (Adam Mihulka/Richard Downer), Suz GSX-R750
6. Heat Miser Racing (John Farrell/Thomas Smith)

GTU:
1. Fast Lane Racing
2. Himmelsbach Racing
3. Team Celtic Racing
4. Kingpin Racing
5. Yochum Motorsports II
6. Celtic Racing (Joseph Rozynski/Sam Rozynski/Dan Bilansky), Suz GSX-R600

GT Lights:
1. Roaring Toyz
2. Happy Guts Racing (Darren Danilowicz/Joey Thomas), Suz SV650
3. CBG Racing 2 (Cordell Green/Kent Larson/Tony Tinsley), Suz SV650
4. Tight Squeeze Racing (Steve Clark/Steve Keener), Suz SV650
5. Czaia Racing (C.J. Czaia/John Linder), Suz SV650
6. MRP Motorsports (Daniel Riter), Suz SV650