808 Miles in 8 hours

[Randy]

Went to Nelson Ledges Road Course in Ohio on Saturday to watch the WERA National Endurance Series run an 8 hour event that started at 3:30 p.m. and ran into the night. As the team I used to work for has retired from the WERA Endurance series, I haven't been around them much and forgot about how much fun it used to be.

The winning team was Team Vesrah Suzuki finishing 404 laps of the 2 mile course. That's right - they averaged over 100mph for 8 hours including pit stops. The nighttime racing isn't like the night races you see on TV where the entire track is lit up. Rather, the only lighting available is what is mounted on the bikes (there are a couple of useless pole lights on the front straight and each team lights up their own pit stall). So, this is true nighttime racing. The fast guys were only about 1 second off of their fastest lap times at night - truly a stelar performance.

There were quite a few teams that succumbed to electrical gremlins. Apparently, they didn't take into consideration the fact that these bikes don't have unlimited spare power. I lent a hand to some friends that were running a GSXR600. When I showed up at the track an hour before the race, I looked at the bike and, after noticing the (4) power sucking supplemental lights from Pep Boys, I immediately asked 'can the charging system handle all of the auxilliary lights'? They looked at me like I had a 3rd eye (or, they hadn't thought of it and didn't want to admit it). An hour into the night, I saw the bike coming in with dull headlights. They said 'the battery is toast - switch it'. So we did. No good. I suggested replacing the regulator/recitifier. Bingo. Before they took off, I suggested disconnecting the headlight. Well, they unhooked one of the headlights, but, not the other. In they came after an hour...again with a dead bike. Switched battery and reg/rec and went out again. 30 minutes later, in came the bike sputtering. All that drain on the charging system fried the stator. Next year, they'll have an HID set up like the rest of the teams that didn't have electrical issues.

For those not familiar with the series, WERA runs a National Endurance series in conjunction with their National Challenge series. The WERA National Challenge Series is a step down from the top level AMA Pro Series. The Endurance events are mostly 4 or 6 hours long. They used to do 24 hour events (I've been to 2 of them), but, it's not easy finding a track that will allow racing through the night or teams that are willing to take on the challenge.

 

[SkooterG]

No comment.

 

[skyway]

Resisting temptation. :drinks:

Congratulations to all riders involved. :clapping:

Edit: You beat me to it! :dribble:

 

[Bounce]

Did he say it took a "team" to do those miles? Hmmm. Interesting.

 

[Warchild]

No comment.

Resisting temptation. :drinks:

Good job, gents..... appreciate it.

Seriously.

 

[Randy]

ok, guys....I know what you're doing here. Before you get into the 'whats the big deal' mindset, keep in mind there are no 'straightaways for days' here. The longest 'straight' is about 3/4 of a mile and it's not really that straight. Most big bikes only see top gear for a few seconds per lap.

The winning team goes through about 7 1/2 gallons of fuel in about an hour and 5 minutes and replaces the front and rear tires at every stop - takes all of about 15 seconds.

They were covering the 2 mile course in about 1 minute 8 seconds which translates to an AVERAGE speed of about 113 mph.

Think it's easy? Get your racing license and give it a shot. They'll gladly accept your money.

btw - the winning team was on a 190+hp GSXR1000 capable of 200mph top speeds.

 

[Ignacio]

ok, guys....I know what you're doing here.

I know it's apples and oranges and don't discount the non-straight factor. It just makes a few of us chuckle that we're able to make some comparisons....especially the team thing and shortness of the event.

I bet it was a fun event.

 

[twowheelnut]

I once stayed awake for 8 hours... Wazzat git me? Honestly, I can't imagine doing either. Yet.

 

[Randy]

ok, guys....I know what you're doing here.

I know it's apples and oranges and don't discount the non-straight factor. It just makes a few of us chuckle that we're able to make some comparisons....especially the team thing and shortness of the event.

I bet it was a fun event.

Yep...truly apples and oranges. And I know why the select group of you are chuckling :nono: and for what it is that I know you did and knowing that you can't say what it is that you did, I applaud you.

But, while there are comparisons, about the only true comparisons are that both involve (relatively) long distances on motorcycles and both involve doing what only a small group of people are capable of doing. I'm not in the same class as others here, but, I've got a little bit of LD riding experience myself (some of they guys at the track thought I was nuts to ride 300 miles out, watch the race, then ride 300 miles home) and you can't compare pushing a bike on the track to it's absolute limits for hours and hours vs. riding on the public roads, straight or not, for hours and hours (and hours and hours and hours.....)

And yes, it was a fun event. Riding at night in the chilly fog/mist through the mountains of Ohio and Pennsylvania, well, that's a different story.

 

[skyway]

ok, guys....I know what you're doing here. Before you get into the 'whats the big deal' mindset, keep in mind there are no 'straightaways for days' here. The longest 'straight' is about 3/4 of a mile and it's not really that straight. Most big bikes only see top gear for a few seconds per lap.The winning team goes through about 7 1/2 gallons of fuel in about an hour and 5 minutes and replaces the front and rear tires at every stop - takes all of about 15 seconds.

They were covering the 2 mile course in about 1 minute 8 seconds which translates to an AVERAGE speed of about 113 mph.

Think it's easy? Get your racing license and give it a shot. They'll gladly accept your money.

btw - the winning team was on a 190+hp GSXR1000 capable of 200mph top speeds.

Randy, I'm certainly NOT downplaying the accomplishments of this team at all, I just have a vague idea of what it took them to achieve this average speed AND MORE IMPORTANTLY maintain it over an extended period of time. Hence the congratulations comment posted above.

As the saying goes "If it was that easy, everyone would do it"

 

[Randy]

No sweat, bro. We're all just bustin seeds here, anyway. Having spent quite a few years working on a team running this endurance series (and winning the national championship 2 years in a row), I know what it takes of the rider(s) and machine. Are there comparisons between LD riding and LD racing? You betcha. You need to have a well prepared bike and skilled/conditioned rider(s). While none of us on the board can run on the track at the speed of these top-level racers (if you can, I know some sponsors looking for riders), I doubt many of them could jump on a bike and end up in the top half of a 1088.

And the saying fits perfectly.

 

[Rogue]

The bike shop I used to wrench at in the 80s did the 24hour at Willow Springs every year (& won it in 85' & 86' when I was on the cpit crew).

That used to be a blast!

 

[Bounce]

ok, guys....I know what you're doing here.

I know it's apples and oranges and don't discount the non-straight factor. It just makes a few of us chuckle that we're able to make some comparisons....especially the team thing and shortness of the event.

I bet it was a fun event.

I was thinking of the rider who did the Baja 1000 as a solo rider compared to the other bikes that did the race using a team. Talk about earning serious props!

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

In the history of the Dakar Rally/Raid there have been many instances of solo attempts (some successful). These guys (who ride day after day in the mountains and deserts of Africa and repair their bike themselves) are, more often than not, Finns.