Despite the absence of AOD crew chief Tim Gooding, who had been inconveniently incapacitated by a virus that he termed “green lung,” Army of Darkness emerged victorious at the end of almost four hours of endurance racing at the track that witnessed the team’s inception with WERA endurance 32 years ago.

Friday practice dawned clear and cool, with intermittent clouds delivering a pleasant day for testing riders and equipment. Upon hearing the news that Tim would not be in attendance, the radiator on the team’s A bike began weeping uncontrollably through a pinhole introduced by a special Ohio pebble that may have been round on the ends and hi in the middle, which proved to be the only setback for the weekend. A spare radiator and radiator guard were quickly installed and practice continued with no further drama or emotional outbursts.

In AOD’s debut race back in 1993, the team’s trusty FZR600 excitedly attempted to engage in two gears simultaneously, thereby bringing the team’s first attempt at an endurance race to a premature end. AOD has had mixed success at Nelson Ledges since then, but on this race day, AOD’s Josh Hayes grabbed the lead from the start and never relinquished it, with teammates Hunter Dunham and Taylor Knapp extending it to 6 laps by the end of the race that was shortened by about 20 minutes due to a single red flag for a blown motor that put down oil on the track and fumigated the nearby woods early in the first hour.

AOD is sponsored by Army of Darkness, Dunlop, Woodcraft, Hindle, Vortex, EK Chains, Thermosman Suspensions, Champ School, WERA, Roadracing World, and Industry 13.