Walters and Champagne on the WERA Endurance Podium at Summit Point

SUMMIT POINT, W. Va. Ben Walters and Brett Champagne continued the podium streak for Brand X Yamaha on Saturday, scoring second both overall and in the Heavyweight Superbike class on a Yamaha YZF-R1 during the six-hour WERA National Endurance Series race at Summit Point Raceway.

The long day had an added reward for Walters: since Summit Point is his home track, his family attended the race to cheer on Brand X. Family members included Walters’ wife, their daughter (who was making her first visit to the track) and his 83-year-old grandfather. Walters’ former Army of Darkness teammates joined the pit crew, too, adding an extra hand.

Both Walters and Champagne posted career best lap times at the track, and they had plenty of opportunities for turning fast laps: with just the two of them handling the riding, they each rode three stints of nearly an hour each. Usually the oversized Superbike gas tank allows them to stay on track longer, but Summit Point’s quick pace burned through a tank in about 58 minutes.

The race was nearly perfect for Brand X thanks to great riding and flawless pit stops. “We had a really good race,” said Walters. “As a team it’s our best to date. Every time we ride those bikes they get better. I can’t wait until we’ve got a full season under our belts on the Yamaha and really start to see this team’s potential.”

Walters added that Brand X has seen what it will take to win, and they’re learning from their competition every weekend. “(Vesrah’s) Tray Batey is a hard guy to beat. I got down to the 1:14s but it just wasn’t enough. I figured that running within a second of the time set by the second-place qualifier in Open Superstock would be enough, but it wasn’t. There was nothing else we as a team could have done. But if you’re going to get beat, you want to get beat by the best competition in the paddock.”

“We didn’t put a wheel wrong all day,” said a satisfied Champagne. “Traffic is tough at that track, but we put our heads down and stayed out of trouble. It was a good weekend, even though we didn’t win. This was a good confidence booster for Barber next month; that’s a rider’s track and I think the R1s will be great there.”

Keep up with Brand X’s season online at www.BrandX13.com.

More, from a press release issued by Team Velocity Racing:

Team Velocity Racing Scores Two Class Podiums in WERA Endurance at Summit Point

SUMMIT POINT, W. Va. Team Velocity Racing scored two class podiums during Saturday’s WERA National Endurance Series race at Summit Point Raceway, winning Heavyweight Superstock and finishing third in Mediumweight Superstock.

Chuck Ivey, James Vanderhaar and Zac Chapman rode the TVR 131 Yamaha YZF-R1 in the Heavyweight Superstock class, overcoming an early mechanical problem to win the class and finish sixth overall.

Vanderhaar started the race, but shortly into his stint a problem developed with the chain and sprocket. He had to pit so the crew could put on a new sprocket and adjust the chain, dropping TVR 131 down four laps. The team went from a top-five position to out of the top 20 in a matter of minutes.

With most of the six-hour race remaining, TVR 131 got to work making up for the lost time. Chapman and Vanderhaar each rode three stints, and Ivey rode one, splitting his time between the two bikes.

“The guys rode well and pulled us back up, even though we had to make up time against such stiff competition,” said Ivey of the class win. “We only had one person Reuben Frankenfield in the pits helping both teams, so that made it hard to do.”

“I got back out and did my best to get back up to speed,” said Vanderhaar of the problematic sprocket. “Then I ended up having a wardrobe malfunction! The zipper on my leathers came down. I thought I was going to get a black flag, so I pulled in to fix my leathers. After that it was an uneventful race.”

“I got new tires for my second stint, and set a 1:15.3, my fastest time of the race, and I had a good time out there,” commented 18-year-old Chapman. “In my third stint, I had to pace myself to conserve fuel and tires. The low fuel light came on with eight laps to go. Usually, we can only get four laps after the light comes on, so I had to short shift and really conserve. It was a really fun race.”

Ivey also rode with James Dellinger and Mike Wheelis to finish third in Mediumweight Superstock on the TVR 136 Yamaha YZF-R6. The trio had a nearly flawless race, and it was one of the best races to date for both Dellinger and Wheelis.

The Pirelli tires held up so well that TVR 136 used only one front tire during the entire race, and they only changed the rear once. “I had to take it easy on the front tire at the end but still managed to maintain our lap times,” said Dellinger. “Mike rode the best I’ve seen all year, and Chuck said it was the best he’s seen me ride. Everything worked out really well.”

Wheelis added, “I went out in the second hour and the bike felt good even on old tires. I got good times and it went pretty easy. There were no issues. I felt good on the bike and we’re proud of third in class. I wish we could have finished better overall but it was a smooth race, and I think we’ll do well at Barber.”

The TVR Yamaha R1 and R6 have held up impressively through seven endurance rounds, and the next stop for TVR will be at Barber Motorsports Park on September 20. Keep up with the team online at www.TeamVelocityRacing.com.

More, from a press release issued by WERA:

Mother Nature Wins Round #7 Summit Point Raceway

The Bridgestone/WERA National Endurance Series and Michelin/WERA National Sprints Round at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia August 8/9/10 saw beautiful weather on Friday and Saturday, but Mother Nature put a real hurting on Sunday.

Friday saw low 80 degrees with sunshine and a cool breeze. Qualifying saw Robert Jensen, Dane Westby and local David Joseph Rose duke it out in the 600 Superstock to take the front row in that order. In the Open Superstock the Master, Tray Batey took five laps and took pole for Sunday. Dane Westby and local Tim Bemisderfer rounded out the front row for Sunday’s race.

Saturday was a repeat of Sunday. 27 Teams took the grid of the Bridgestone, WERA National Endurance Round #7. At the end of six hours, with only one short red flag in hour four for a bike down in the track in Turn 1, Vesrah finished with 268 laps, Brand X was on lap 266 at the end and the #7 Dalke Motorsports was third with 260 laps. Vesrah, with John Jacoby and Tray Batey riding took 1st Heavyweight Superbike, TVR 131, with Chuck Ivey, Zac Chapman and Jimmy Vanderhaar took 1st Heavyweight Superstock. Local Team and Series Contender Velocity Crew with Kevin Perkins, Paul Youngman and Evan Semoff took 1st Mediumweight Superbike. Dalke Motorsports took 1st Mediumweight Superstock with riders Dane Westby and Dustin Meador on board and 1st Lightweight Superbike honors went to Tenessee’s Ghetto Customs with riders Chris Parrish, Russ Stoddard, Cale Swiger and Tim Birdsong sharing riding duties.

Sunday saw a good start to the day and after the lunch break clouds started coming in. Race #1 of the Michelin/WERA National Challenge, Open Superstock Expert/Novice, saw Tray Batey take the win. Behind him were locals Tim Bemisderfer and then Series regular Robert Jensen rounded out the podium Jensen setting the fastest lap of the race with a 1:12.422. Jimmy Merck took the Novice win with Keith Dattisman and Michel Wheelis rounding out their podium. Race #2, 600 Superstock Novice saw Greg Miller from Centreville, VA take the win from series regular Jevaughn Simmons from Smiths, Bermuda taking second and Michigan’s Robert Rowles taking third. Race #3, 600 Superstock Expert had Dane Westby first, Robert Jensen second and David Joseph Rose third, a finish mirrored by the qualifying on Friday. Race #4 was not run and in Race #5, 750 Superstock Novice Jimmy Merck took the win with Greg Miller and Robert Rowles rounding out the podium. Then Mother Nature decided to come through with a shower. The track has pavement problems in turns 1, 4, 5 and 6 and the sealer used to try to patch until repaving can be completed was not friendly in the wet. WERA Officials decided to wait it out, but another shower just as the track was drying had the track still wet at 4:30pm. The track blower tried to dissipate the water, but in spite of a valiant effort races had to be called at 5:00pm when the track was still not close to dry. WERA will issue credits to those who did not get to race on Sunday and will also look at re-assigning the contingency still available. For complete results and any further information check the website.

Round #8 finds the Bridgestone/WERA National Endurance, Michelin/WERA National Sprint riders at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama over the September 19/20/21 weekend.. Camping is available at the track. Check out WERA @www.wera.com for more information.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

Suzuki International Europe’s Andy Meklau has moved into third place in the German IDM Superbike series after finishing fourth and seventh at the weekend’s rain-lashed Oschersleben round.

Both races were won by Jorg Teuchert (Yamaha). In the second heat Roman Stamm (Suzuki Switzerland) and Gabor Rizmayer (Suzuki Hungary) joined him on the podium.

Andreas Meklau:

“Hats off to Roman and Gabor. They rode a high-risk race in spite of the bad weather. They could afford to, though, because they didn’t have much to lose. I had to be more careful because I wanted to gain third place in the overall positioning. In wet conditions the rules are different and it’s a whole other ball game. This time titleholders Martin Bauer (Honda) and Werner Daemen (Yoshimura Van Zon Schafer Motorsport Suzuki) came off badly.”

Evren Bischoff – Team Manager:

“Once again the results depended on whether the tyre gamble paid off or not. The state of the championships counted a lot for us as well. Andy Meklau is now the best Suzuki rider and has moved up from fourth place to third place in the table. His other Suzuki colleagues, Werner Daemen and Roman Stamm, have taken up positions behind him. We might not be able to win the title, but we will show everyone just how strong we are in the final.”

1st heat: 1st Jorg Teuchert (D-Yamaha), 2nd Gwen Giabbani (F-Kawasaki), 3rd Martin Bauer (A-Honda), 4th Andy Meklau (A-Suzuki), 5th Andrzej Pawelec (PL-Yamaha), 6th Dominic Lammert (D-Suzuki), 7th Roman Stamm (CH-Suzuki), 8th Günther Knobloch (A-Ducati), 9th Diego Lozano Ortiz (ESP-Honda), 10th Nina Prinz (D-Yamaha).

2nd heat: 1st Jorg Teuchert (D-Yamaha), 2nd Roman Stamm (CH-Suzuki), 3rd Gábor Rizmayer (H-Suzuki), 4th Gwen Giabbani (F-Kawasaki), 5th Werner Daemen (B-Suzuki), 6th Martin Bauer (A-Honda), 7th Andy Meklau (A-Suzuki), 8th Kari Vehniäinen (FIN-Yamaha), 9th Christian Kellner (D-Ducati), 10th Andrzej Pawelec (PL-Yamaha).

Points: 1st Bauer 282, 2nd Teuchert 265, 3rd Meklau 204, 4th Daemen 199, 5th Stamm 139, 6th Andersen 78, 7th Rizmayer 76, 8th Lammert 75, 9th Knobloch 74, 10th Depoorter.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

Team Suzuki’s Clint McBain and Chris Peris both scored wins at the weekend’s Parts Canada Superbike Championship fifth and sixth round at Atlantic Motorsport Park, just outside of Shubenacadia, Nova Scotia.

Superbike action on Saturday saw a fierce battle between McBain on his Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 and current champion Jordon Szoke. With leads changes throughout the 22 lap race, McBain scored a close second place finish as Szoke crossed the line just 0.055 seconds ahead of the Suzuki GSX-R1000 pilot. Completing the podium in third spot was Team Suzuki rider Chris Peris on his Team Suzuki, Blackfoot Direct, Picotte Performance GSX-R750. Knowing that handling and agility can be a bigger factor than all out horsepower at the AMP circuit, the Team thought the GSX-R750 might be the right weapon to use at ‘Shubie’. A third-place finish in its first outing showed that the GSX-R750 has a lot of potential at this circuit.

Sunday’s Superbike race was all McBain and his Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000. Taking the holeshot and leading every lap, McBain was not to be denied victory after having to settle for second in Saturday’s race. With a 6.2 second margin of victory, McBain leaves Shubenacadia holding onto second place in the championship standings. Peris & Matt McBride brought their GSX-Rs home in fourth and fifth spots respectively putting three Suzuki GSX-Rs in the top 5.

The Yoshimura Pro600 race on Saturday saw Peris crash out of race while in the lead. He had taken the holeshot and led every lap before he crashed and handed the victory to Andrew Nelson. A bit of irony took place in Sunday’s Yoshimura Pro600 race when Nelson crashed out of the lead and handed the victory to Peris on his GSX-R600. Peris made no mistakes this time and took his GSX-R600 to a 7.4 second margin of victory over Brett McCormick. Peris’ team mate McBride, brought his GSX-R600 home in fifth position.

Patrick Marques of Calgary Alberta scored his first National victory on his Suzuki GSX-R600 with a win in the Armour Bodies Amateur National Championship on Saturday. Proving that the podium is where Marques likes to stand, he backed up Saturday’s victory with a second-place finish on Sunday. Joining Marques on the podium after Sunday’s amateur race was 2007 Suzuki SV Cup Champion Martin Grande. Grande put in an inspired race on Sunday but was penalised for a jump start which put him third in the final results.

The Suzuki SV Cup races at Atlantic Motorsport Park belonged to Cody Matechuk. The 14 year-old from Calgary lead both races from start to finish setting new lap records for the class in the process. With Matechuk firmly in control of the lead, one of the bigger battles on the track was between the point’s leader John Jarvie and SV Cup veteran Rob Busby.

Jarvie needed to score second place finishes if he was to maintain the points lead heading to the final round at Shannonville but Busby wasn’t about to make it easy for Jarvie. In both SV Cup finals, Jarvie and Busby had intense battles throughout the races with Jarvie coming out on top both times.

Going to the final round, Jarvie holds a slim two-point lead over Matechuk for the SV Cup Championship.

Visit www.cdnsuperbike.com for complete standings and results.

More, from a press release issued by Buell:

BILANSKY AND DELK PUT BUELL ON ASRA PODIUM AT BARBER

First Pro Thunderbike National Podium for Delk; Sipp Crashes out of Second

LEEDS, ALA. Hal’s H-D/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop rider Dan Bilansky rode a Buell XB12R to second place in the ASRA Pro Thunderbike National at Barber Motorsports Park. Roanoke Harley-Davidson/Buell rider James Delk was third on a Buell XB12R to take his first ASRA Pro National podium position. The race was won by Nate Kern on a BMW.

Only five riders made the start of the eight-lap Thunderbike National on the 2.38-mile Barber road course. Kern took the lead at the green flag with Bison Racing/Eagle H-D/Buell rider Walt Sipp and Bilansky in close pursuit. Sipp was in second place when he lost the front end and crashed out of the race on lap four. Kern then stretched his lead over Bilansky and Delk and was not challenged for the rest of the race. Ray Price Harley-Davidson/Buell rider Carl Reid was fourth on a Buell XB12R. Sipp was not awarded fifth-place points because his motorcycle was too badly damaged to run for a post-race dyno test.

Several of the regular Thunderbike series riders were unable to be at the Barber race, including the defending Thunderbike champion, Deeley H-D/Buell Canada/Ruthless Racing rider David Estok, who was committed to race in Canada this weekend.

After six of eight events on the 2008 ASRA Thunderbike schedule, Kern leads the series with 197 points, followed by Estok with 132 points, Sipp with 115, and Bilansky with 110 points.

The next stop on the ASRA Pro Thunderbike schedule is the Summer’s End Cyclefest, September 5-7, at Summit Point Motorsports Park, Summit Point, W.V.

Reid Rides Buell to Seven CCS Sprint Victories

In a double-header weekend of MotoSport.com Championship Cup Series (CCS) sprint races at Barber Motorsports Park, Ray Price Harley-Davidson/Buell rider Carl Reid rode a Buell XB12R to win the following classes: Amateur Lightweight Superbike (2), Amateur Lightweight Grand Prix (2), Amateur GT Lights, and Amateur Thunderbike (2). On Sunday, Bilansky won the CCS Expert Thunderbike race on a Hal’s H-D/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop Buell XB12R.

To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. For the Buell dealer nearest you, pull into www.buell.com.

More, from a press release issued by Fasttrax:

NELSONS LEDGES, Ohio Shawn Strawser a young man from Lewis Center, Ohio is quickly making a name for himself in the Fasttrax organization.

Strawser with only a half-dozen race weekends petitioned for a white plate Saturday. His request was granted, putting him on the grids in Sunday’s Fasttrax sprint races as an expert where he took two firsts in class, combining one with a first overall, and a second in class for his three races of the day.

Strawser riding a Buell XB9R dipped into the 1:14s on the 2.1-mile Nelsons Ledges circuit.

Fasttrax is a family-oriented club racing organization with its home track at Nelsons Ledges, Ohio. For information on all of Fasttrax’s events and programs visit www.Fasttraxlive.com

Results:

600 Supersport Expert: 1. Cassidy Martin (Kaw ZX-6R

600 Supersport Novice: 1. Michael Farmer (Suz GSX-R600); 2. Michael Hall Kas ZX-6R); 3.Garrett Rosania (Kaw ZX636); 4. Kenneth Fischer (Yam YZF-R6); 5. Robert Roush (Suz GSX-R600); 6. Donald Quallen (Suz GSX-R600); 7. Lee Barbicas (Suz GSX-R600); 8. Ross Lubrani (Yam YZF-R6).

F40 Heavyweight Expert: 1. Fred Neumyer (Duc 999)

GTII Expert: 1. Shawn Strawser (Buell XB9R); 2. Eric Boettcher (Yam FZR400); 3. Marty Sires (Suz SV650); 4. David Ingram (suz SV650).

GTII Novice: 1. Jeff Manley (Suz SV650); 2. Broderick Crain (Suz SV650); 3. John Noel Bartlett (Suz SV650); 4. Bill Smith (Buell XB9R); 5. Scott Landrum (Suz SV650); 6. Casey Crain (Suz SV650).

GP Heavy: 1. Joseph Ball (Tri Daytona 675); 2. Michael Molnar (Hon CBR1000RR); 3. Jon Clausen (Duc 996).

F40: 1. Joseph Ball (Tri Daytona 675); 2. Michael Farmer (Suz GSX-R600); 3. Greg Massie (Suz GSX-R1000); 4. Kenneth Fischer (Yam YZF-R6); 5. Robert Matejka (Kaw ZX636); 6. Fred Neumeyer (Duc 999).

Medium Twins Expert: 1. Tim Goldsmith (Sux SV650); 2. Shawn Strawser (Buell XB9R); 3. David Ingram (Suz SV650); 4. Marty Sires (Suz SV650).

Medium Twins Novice: 1. Jeff Manley (Suz SV650); 2. John Noel Bartlett (Suz SV650); 3. Scott Landrum (Suz SV650); 4. Bill Smith (Buell XB9R); 5. Casey Crain (Suz SV650); 6. Steve Nero (Suz GS500); 7. Broderick Crain (Suz SV650).

Veterans 70: 1. Sam Williams (Kaw KZ1000); 2. Bill Bloom (Kaw KZ1000); 3. Aaron Lacefield (Kaw GPZ750).

Veterans 80: 1. Jim Sublet (Yam FZR 1000).

GTI Expert: 1. Michael Molnar (Hon CBR1000RR); 2. Toney Ruggerio (Suz GSX-R750).

GTI Novice: 1. Greg Massie (Suz GSX-R1000); 2. Michael Farmer (Suz GSX-R600); 3. Robert Roush (Suz GSX-R600); 4. Donald Guallen (Suz GSX-R600).

Supertwins Experts: 1. Jon Clausen (Duc 999).

Supertwins Novice: 1. Chris Gustin (Suz SV1000).

F40 Light Expert:1. Fred Neumeyer (Apr RS250).

Sportsman: 1. Steve Nero (Suz GS500); 2. Bill Bloom (Kaw GPZ550)

Superbike Light Expert: 1. Eric Boettcher.

600 Superbike Expert: 1. Joseph Ball (Tri Daytona 675); 2. Kenneth Fischer (Yam YZF-R6; 3. Robert Matejka (Kaw ZX636)

600 Superbike Novice: 1. Michael Farmer (Suz GSX-R600); 2. Michael Hall (Kaw ZX-6R); 3. Donald Quallen (Suz GSX-R600); 4. Robert Rousch (Suz GSX-R600).

Buell: 1. Shawn Strawser (Buell XB9R); 2. Bill Smith (Buell XB9R).

Veterans 70 Light: 1. Sam Williams (Kaw Z1000); 2. John Blike (Kaw GPZ550); 3. Bill Bloom (Kaw GPZ550); 4. Aaron Lacefield (Hon CB650).

Veterans 80 Light: 1. Eric Boettcher (Yam FZR400); 2. Steve Nero (Suz GS500).

Unlimited Superbike Expert: 1. Michael Molnar (Hon CBR1000RR); 2. Toney Ruggerio (Suz GSX-R750).

Unlimited Superbike Novice: 1. Greg Massie (Suz GSX-R1000).

More, from a press release issued by Guy Martin’s publicist:

Martin’s back in the points at Knockhill

Guy Martin got himself back in the points at round 8 of the British Superbike Championship at Knockhill, when he finished 14th in Sunday’s second race. It was somewhat of a stop-start affair on race day for the Hydrex Bike Animal.Com Honda rider but he battled hard for 2 more championship points before heading off to the Ulster Grand Prix for the final International road race of the season. Qualifying conditions at the Scottish venue saw riders battling the elements with yet more rain falling but Guy adapted well and put his Honda Fireblade into 15th place on the grid for a fourth row start. Eighth in morning warm-up bode well but there were problems on the warm-up lap of the opening 30-lap race and Guy was forced to start from the pitlane. It was clear that all was not well with the machine and he reluctantly pulled into the pits to retire on the 5th lap. There was more drama in the second race when it was red flagged on the tenth lap and with the rain having stopped, Guy made a last minute dash into the pits to fix a loose hose clip, which meant he had to start the race from the back of the grid. He soon fought his way through the pack though and he was up in to the points as early as the 7th lap, He had climbed to 14th when the red flags came out again on the 15th lap, race leader Shane Byrne having fallen heavily. Talking about the weekend, Guy commented: “It took me a while to get going in practice and I struggled on Friday but we got a good set-up on Saturday and the bike was working really well in qualifying so I felt confident of getting some good points on race day. The morning warm-up boosted my confidence even more but the bike started going downhill on the warm-up lap and although I pulled in to try and make some ultra-late adjustments it proved to be fruitless and my race was soon over.” “Starting from pit lane in the second race meant it was going to be hard work but the slicks were the way forward and I was soon up in the points. I reckoned I could have got higher than 14th but the red flag put paid to that. Still, it’s good to be back in the points and with the next round at my home circuit of Cadwell, I’ll be looking to improve on that. The boys did a great job all weekend and I can’t wait to get to the Ulster now for some proper, hard-core racing!” The International Ulster Grand Prix takes place on the 7.4-mile Dundrod circuit with practice getting underway on Wednesday August 13th.

More, from a press release issued by Damian Cudlin’s publicist:

DOUBLE DUTIES KEEPS CUDLIN ON HIS TOES

Damian Cudlin combined his German Supersport duties with his World Endurance commitments at Oschersleben in Germany on the weekend.

Competing in both championships, Cudlin was kept busy over the weekend, constantly swapping from R6 to R1 in a hectic schedule that saw highs and lows for the young Aussie.

Starting with Saturday’s first Supersport race, Cudlin made a terrific start on his SKM Bike Promotion R6, surging to 3rd in the opening laps, before making a move on current champion Diss for 2nd.

Cudlin then strung together a series of fast laps, trying to mount pressure on race leader Tode. However Tode proved too strong in the first leg and held his nerve, despite Cudlin’s best efforts, to take the win 2 seconds clear of Cudlin, closely followed by Penzkofer.

“I tried as hard as I could to put the pressure on Tode today but he was just too strong.” Cudlin conceded.

“I rode a good race but finished 2nd. Tode was just a little faster today and he deserved to win. I’ve got some ideas that might help us tomorrow, so we’ll see what happens in race 2. It’s still a great result for our team, made even better with Penz on the podium too.”

Cudlin didn’t have much time to celebrate as his attention turned swiftly to the World Endurance series and the 8 Hour Endurance race for his Phase One Yamaha team.

Teamed with former YART team mate Sebastian Scarnato and current Spanish Supersport Champion Graeme Gowland, Cudlin led the Phase One charge in the first hour, climbing to 7th despite starting from a low 24th position on the grid.

Gowland took the baton from Cudlin for the team’s second leg and impressed with his speed and consistency. Despite missing most of practice due to other commitments, Scarnato also got on with the job at hand, as the team moved into contention for the podium by the halfway mark.

Current World Champions SERT were staging a comeback after a small crash at the halfway point, which pushed the Phase One crew harder to keep their podium chances alive, however the SERT force proved too strong and overcome Phase One in the 7th hour.

Pushing to keep the pressure on, Cudlin raced hard in the final stint before giving all of the Phase One crew a scare with a fall just 15 minutes from the finish. In a gritty display Cudlin picked up the damaged machine with incredible speed and raced on to the finish, losing just 25 seconds on the lap of the crash.

“I was trying hard to keep the pressure on SERT and saw my crew signalling with an extra pit board giving me the gap, but it was dark and I couldn’t see the numbers. I just assumed it must have been close, so I pushed as hard as I could, perhaps a little too much.” Cudlin explained with a smile.

“I was passing a slower rider when I missed a gear change on a 3rd gear left hander. Before I knew it I was on my ass. I was just lucky the bike wasn’t too badly damaged and I could carry on. Certainly gave the boys a scare!”

Cudlin crossed the line in 4th and secured 16 points towards the World Championship, lifting Phase One to 9th in the standings.

Forced to miss the end of race celebrations, Cudlin enjoyed a few hours sleep before lining up for Sunday’s second Supersport leg.

The 600 field was faced with a wet track on Sunday as Cudlin faced his last chance to keep his championship alive. Finishing behind Tode would hand the title to the German, so all eyes were on the battle at hand.

Cudlin started strongly in the wet encounter, sitting 4th, closely following Tode’s every move. With 2 laps remaining Tode dragged away on the back straight as Cudlin’s bike slowed to a halt. An electrical fault put an end to Cudlin’s race, as Tode finished 3rd securing the 2008 Supersport Championship.

“It was a real shame we had this problem today but that’s racing”

“Tode deserved to be champion this year and full credit to him and his crew. We gave it our best shot and I think we can still be proud of everything we’ve accomplished this year already. Now we’ve just got to fight for the runner up spot at Hockenheim.” Cudlin said.

Cudlin will now enjoy a 3 week break before heading to the German Championship final round at Hockenheim on 5/6/7th of September.

More, from a press release issued by Steve Plater’s publicist:

SECOND PLACE FOR PLATER IN GERMANY

Along with team-mates Igor Jerman and Steve Martin, Steve Plater rode to a fine second place for Yamaha Austria in the Eight Hour World Endurance round that took place at Oschersleben in Germany on Saturday to claim the first podium finish of the current campaign and move into second place in the championship.

Starting from third place, Plater started the race for YART and entered into a good battle with Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha Germany during the opening laps.

He and Jorg Teuchart (Yamaha Germany) pulled away from the pursuing pack but the latter pitted early to refuel leaving Plater to take up the lead during the first hour.

At the changeover YART had dropped down to second but continued to chase the leader and again took the lead only to lose it again at the next pit stop.

Current champions SERT took the lead but then went on to crash and handed the lead to Kawasaki France.

Steve rode the last 70 minutes, holding a good advantage over the SERT team who had managed to remount and continue on their way to the chequered flag.

With one hour left to go it was still anyone’s race with positions changing as teams pitted for the last time.

Steve pushed as hard as possible but, after one of the most closely fought contests in recent years, eventually had to settle for the runner up spot.

The points accrued at Oschersleben were sufficient to move the YART team up into second place in the World Endurance Championship with two rounds left to race.

The next round will take place in France at the Magny-Cours circuit for the Bol d’Or 24-hour race on September 13/14.

More, from a press release issued by USGPRU:

10 August 2008 ­ Birmingham, AL: The USGPRU joined the ASRA at Barber Motorsports Park for the final east coast round of the USGPRU’s 2008 season. The weather was uncharacteristically pleasant for August in Alabama with high temperatures only in the low 90’s all weekend. The Moriwaki MD250H race featured 7 young racers fighting for their piece of the $10k purse. The identically prepared Honda CRF250X powered machines thundered off the line with Hayden Gillim claiming the early lead. He started to pull a little gap on the rest of the field, something that is rarely done in this class. The fight for second was a 4-way battle between Miles Thornton, Kris Turner, Garrett Gerloff, and Jake Lewis. On lap 3 of 8, Thornton finally broke free from the pack and reeled in Gillim. The two racers fought on for the rest of the race, with Gillim having a clear advantage in the later part of the lap, and Thornton dominating the first half. The race came down to the last lap with Gillim leading into the final turn when he lost the rear end of the bike and crashed out. Thornton was forced off track, but recovered and still made it to the finish ahead of the second place battle. That battle came down to a photo finish between Turner and Lewis, with Turner narrowly taking the position by .002 second. The Rising Sun Cycle 125GP race featured a 37-bike grid with racers coming in from all across the country and several from overseas. Kris Turner was on pole position aboard the Veloce Racing Aprilia RS125, with USGPRU regular Nobi Iso gridded in second on the other Aprilia. Both riders took off like a shot, but Turner did something few riders can or have done, he started to walk away from Iso. In the process, he also set a new USGPRU track record of 1:33.926. While Turner and Iso checked out, the battle for third started heating up as Canadian Royce McLean diced it up with Miles Thornton and Lloyd Worrell-Ramsey. On lap 5, an incident in mid-pack brought out a red flag, and the race was declared final with Turner winning over Iso and McLean. It should be noted that of the top 10 finishers in this class, only 3 are over 16-years-old! Whoever says we don’t have young talent coming up in roadracing needs to watch this class a little more closely. In the Moto Liberty 250GP race, Melissa Paris got an amazing start and led the field into turn 1. She was setting a blistering pace ahead of Kyle Ferris, Kris Turner, Adam Roberts, and Mike Aboyoun when the race had to be stopped due to another red-flag incident. The race was quickly restarted, and Paris again charged into the lead, but this time she was caught and passed by Ferris and Turner early on. Kyle Ferris then put his head down and proceeded to click off some fast laps. Turner was riding his Aprilia RS125, and amazingly stayed ahead of the other 250GP bikes. But on lap 4, Turner crashed out in turn 3 and left Roberts and Paris to charge after Ferris. But the gap was too large, and Ferris comfortably won the race followed by Roberts and Paris claiming the final podium spot. 

The USGPRU would like to thank the CCS / ASRA team for another great weekend. This weekend wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the 2008 USGPRU National Series sponsors: RoadracingWorld.com, Rising Sun Cycles, Moto Liberty, Motion Pro, Repsol Lubricants, REV’IT, Bridgestone Tires, Dunlop Tires, EBC Brakes, GP Tech, Rich Oliver’s Mystery School, Powerstands, Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers, Hjelm Motorsports, Michelin Tires, Regina Chains, and Starlane by Yoyodyne. 

Full race results as follows: 

Moriwaki MD250H Powered by HONDA race results 1. Miles Thornton (MD250H) 2. Kris Turner (MD250H) 3. Jake Lewis (MD250H) 4. Garrett Gerloff (MD250H) 5. Nick Hansen (MD250H) 6. Hayden Gillim (MD250H) 7. Adam Neese (MD250H) 

Rising Sun Cycles 125GP race results 1. Kris Turner (Apr RS125) 2. Nobi Iso (Apr RS125) 3. Royce McLean (Yam TZ125) 4. Miles Thornton (Hon RS125) 5. Lloyd Worrell (Hon RS125) 6. Jake Lewis (Hon RS125) 7. Cassidy Heiser (Hon RS125) 8. Chase Vivion (Hon RS125) 9. Fernando Ferreyra (Yam TZ125) 10. Garrett Gerloff (Hon RS125) 11. Ben Young (Hon RS125) 12. Steven Nickerson (Hon RS125) 13. Eric Yurejefcic (Hon RS125) 14. Jacob Cunningham (Hon RS125) 15. John Hjelm (Hon RS125) 16. Michael Lainhart (Hon RS125) 17. Huntley Nash (Hon RS125) 18. Nick Hansen (Hon RS125) 19. Charles Boyd (Hon RS125) 20. Lee Hollimon (Hon RS125) 21. Jason Mortimer (Hon RS125) 22. Morten Frederiksen (Hon RS125) 23. Brian McLaughlin (Yam TZ125) 24. Alex Nieves (Hon RS125) 25. Wayne Bishop (Hon RS125) 26. Joey Schmidt (Hon RS125) 27. Chris Birdsong (Hon RS125) 28. Tony Wang (Hon RS125) 29. Shellie Matthews (Hon RS125) 30. Paul Hoyt Nelson (Hon RS125) 31. Scott Thompson (Hon RS125) 32. Tomas Bohm (Hon RS125) 33. Adam Neese (Hon RS125) 34. Josh Cook (Hon RS125) 35. Andres Calderon (Hon RS125) 36. Jack Robaczewski (Hon RS125) 

Moto Liberty 250GP race results 1. Kyle Ferris (Yam TZ250) 2. Adam Roberts (Yam TZ250) 3. Melissa Paris (Hon RS250) 4. Royce McLean (Yam TZ125) 5. Mike Aboyoun (Hon RS250) 6. Kory Gill (Yam TZ250) 7. Mark Stiles (Yam TZ250) 8. Angus Borland (Yam TZ250) 9. Zachry Lee (Yam TZ250) 10. Miles Thornton (Yam TZ250) 11. Jeff Johnson (Yam TZ250) 12. Jim Bergey (Hon RS250) 13. Michael Danielson (Yam TZ250) 14. Bruce Lind (Yam TZ250) 15. Daniele Lenarduzzi (Yam TZ250) 16. Tad Murley (Yam TZ250) 17. Mike Wright (Yam TZ250) 18. David Matthews (Yam TZ250) 19. Paul Hoyt Nelson (Hon RS250) 20. Tony Wang (Hon RS250) 21. Michael Lainhart (Hon RS125) 22. Jon Cone (Hon RS250) 23. Rich DuBarton (Yam TZ250) 24. Kris Turner (Apr RS125) 25. Patrick Dowd (Yam TZ250) 26. Mike Orien (Hon RS250) DNS 27. Perry Melneciuc (Yam TZ250) DNS