Weekend #4 / 4 Hr Endurance

Race Weekend #4 was an, um, character building weekend.

First, the good news.

I have picked up another race sponsor, Spears Racing, out of Manteca, California!  Spears has been the preeminent source for parts and service for the small twins racebikes for decades, and I am excited to have their expertise and catalog available to my race program.  I have had many conversations with the proprietor Greg Spears, and his quiet manner and wealth of knowledge leave me feeling better about my race program every time. They have goodies for both race and street bikes - take a look!

The second piece of good news is the performance of team Zip Ties & Duct Tape in the MRA's 4 Hour Endurance Race for 2019.  This annual event has grown into quite a production.   Team captain Rod Mattison competed in the solo event three years ago, finishing just out of the trophies, and convinced me to join him for the True Endurance category two years ago.  He spent the entire winter getting my old Suzuki 600 GSX-R ready to compete.  I then promptly crashed it on the third lap, forcing us to retire with 3 hrs, 50 minutes left in the race!  It turned out that last place was still good enough for a 5th place trophy, and we were hooked.  We gave up on the Gixxer, and last year competed on Rod's Suzuki SV 650.  This time the field was a little larger, and we ended up out of the trophies in 6th place, just one lap down from 5th place.  Looking for a way forward, Rod ended up purchasing the bike that beat us last year, and we successfully recruited Stephen Husbands to join us.This year, with Rod's meticulous preparation, and a last minute clutch change by Stephen at the track the night before the race, we were able to keep both our heads and the rubber side down, and bring the 12 year old Yamaha R6 home in 2nd place!