WFO!!! Komodo secures 2nd in class (A Superstock) in the CMRA Big Bike Endurance 2008.
The last race of the season was at one of the fastest tracks, Texas World Speedway. It’s a large track at 2.9 miles and has some very fast sections. It’s a track that welcomes a big bike and encourages the rider to go for it. Being the last race of the season, WFO!!! Komodo knew it was going to be an aggressive race; other teams would be fighting for overall standings and pride. Otter was first in the leg for this 6 hour event and managed to get a great start. Going into turn 1 Otter was clearly in the top 5, a great beginning for a long race. Otter managed to keep WFO!!! Komodo in the top 5 for the first hour. He was running a very quick pace (1:49), which is a couple of seconds faster than the last time he rode at Texas World. In the first hour Otter was being challenged on the back straight by a couple of very fast expert riders making for some tense moments as they were elbow to elbow before diving into turn 1 at over 140 mph. This is not the turn to fight for position as a crash here would definitely create carnage and major injury. Back in the pits we were carefully watching Otter’s times and knew tire life would be a real concern at that pace. Texas World is a fast, flowing track and it is hit and miss on tire wear. When Otter completed his first hour and came back into the pit the left side of the rear tire was clearly stressed; we’d probably make it to hour three if we slowed our pace down. Otter said, “It’s fast out there! I knew I was going faster than usual, but the top teams are hauling ass today and I got into a battle with one of them for several laps.” Strategy plays a role in these long races and tire life has be taken under consideration if you want to last the entire race. Wayne knew he’d have to run conservative times and in hour two rode the bike at a more sedate pace averaging 1:55 – it was after all a 6 hour race with two riders. WFO!!! Komodo had second place well cemented and were several hundred points ahead of third place. At this pace, Wayne could ride comfortably and with confidence while keeping WFO!!! Komodo in the top 10 overall for the last race.Thirty minutes into the second hour of the race Wayne was in the carousel and while exiting the corner grabbed a handful of gas and in the process low-sided the GSXR 1000 on the ride side doing about 70 mph. The GSXR 1000 slid off the track tumbling over a couple of times with Wayne following it and cart wheeling head over heels. It made for a great crash, but when Wayne stopped and picked the bike up it was clear the damage had been done. The rear brake lever was obliterated and the clip on’s were nicely bent at an awkward angle. Thankfully, the bike started and Wayne was able to ride it back to the pits, but clearly, the race was over for WFO!!! Komodo.According to Wayne the bike was running very fast and turning in very quickly; faster than usual. He thinks the colder temperature had an impact on the bike that day as the temperature was in the 70’s that morning. Wayne admitted the crash was due to operator error as he typically is not a crasher. “The bike felt great! It was pulling hard and turning in quicker than usual. My confidence was high and I just got on the gas earlier and in the process lost the front end”. Thankfully, it happened in the carousel because if you’re going to crash at Texas World, that is probably the safest corner to do it.WFO!!! Komodo secured 2nd in A Superstock for the Big Bike Endurance at CMRA. Since they missed the Hallett race completely due to an injury, they ended up 11th overall. Finishing in the top 10 was always the goal and easily within reach, but to make it to the top 10 you must finish every race.For the 2009 season, WFO!!! Komodo has already secured its rider lineup, which will consist of Ottis “Otter” Lance, Wayne Wilder and Danny Kelsey. The chemistry amongst all three is very good and with the addition of Danny to the team, the racer DNA is now complete and promises to bring excitement every race and success for next season.
APRILIA USA / LLOYD BROTHERS MOTORSPORTS EARN BACK-TO-BACK MOTO-ST CHAMPIONSHIPS
Daytona Beach, Fla…October 18th was definitely a night for celebration in the Aprilia USA / Lloyd Brothers Motorsports pit as they brought home their second SunTrust MOTO-ST Series SST crown aboard the powerful Tuono 1000 R, at the season finale at Daytona International Speedway.
Finishing 4th in class and 8th overall at the 8 Hours At Daytona, this championship team took first place in this year’s SST class with a total of 225 points.
“We are really thrilled to be able to win this prestigious title two years in a row,” smiled team co-owner David Lloyd. “Competing in both the Moto-ST Series and the AMA Grand National Flat Track Series in the same year is an extremely busy schedule. Our crew and riders did an outstanding job all season.”
“They really went the extra mile and we are very proud of every person on our team.,” explained team co-owner, Michael Lloyd. “They are the best and we would really like to thank Chuck Looper, David Gamble, Bill and Bearl Himmelsbach, Dean Phelps, Steve Mora, Steve Stivers and everyone else that pitched in this year.”
Boasting the riding talents of Mike Himmelsbach (Quakertown, Pa.) and Ty Howard (Weatherford, Texas) the team earned victories at Daytona, Virginia International Raceway and New Jersey Motorsports Park. In addition, they took home second at Road America and Barber Motorsports Park and a fourth at Topeka and the 8 Hours At Daytona.
“Naturally, you always want to win every race,” continued David, “but being able to finish in the top five each time out is a great testament to our entire crew.” “The competition in this series is tough and each race was always a challenge, continued Michael. “Mike and Ty are extremely talented riders and we feel lucky to have them on our team. Bryan West, Henry Wiles and Zac Chapman also rode very well on our second entry earlier in the year. Bryan did a great job as our third rider at this event.”
“We came into Daytona with a 16 point lead which meant we had to finish 12th or better to take the crown,” explains Himmelsbach. “Our plan was to be somewhat conservative in the beginning and when we knew we had 12th, we would drop the hammer. We knew that the most important thing was to win the championship, but we really wanted to win the race too. Apparently the proverbial gremlins had other ideas and just about 18 laps before the end we had a technical problem. But, being able to bring home the championship was awesome and I couldn’t be happier. The Aprilia 1000R is a fantastic machine and that coupled with the team’s tuning ability, expertise in the pit and strong race strategy, made it possible for us to win.”
“We ran a really consistent pace throughout the race,” adds Howard. “When it started sprinkling late in the event, we took the gamble and decided to change tires. Of course, right after we did that the rain stopped and that cost us a lap. We got our lap back and we still had a shot at winning, but then we developed a small electrical problem and finished fourth. However, we did the important thing and took the title which is outstanding for the entire team.”
Aprilia USA / Lloyd Brothers Motorsports would not be able to compete at this level without our incredible marketing partners Aprilia USA, American Agip, F3 Motorsports, Penske Racing Shocks, Motion Pro, K & N Filters, Vesrah Brakes, Diamond Chain, Vortex, Leo Vince, Dynojet, Suzuka Tire Warmers, Martin Eurosports, Sharkskinz, Saddlemen, RaceImage, Tech Care, Strapless Transport Systems, Af1 Racing Aprilia, Daniel Kalal, FI Research, Yuasa Batteries and Arai Helmets
On behalf of the WFO!!! Komodo – Endurance Race Team, I would like to personally thank the following people who made a contribution to us this season. First, thanks to my team mates, Ricky Jordan and Ottis “Otter” Lance. After all these years, Otter showed us that you only get faster as you get older; he can still ride the bike fast and also kept our GSXR well maintained. Every race the bike delivered the goods. Even after multiple crashes and an engine that “burped ugly” at Hallett, the bike would still hold the line every time and the motor kept its edge. It was a great setup that worked. Thanks Otter!We had several people this year in the pits who made a difference and need to be acknowledged: Joel Sadu, Terry Deshotel, Mikey, Joey, Greg and Sarah; “Thank You” for sacrificing your time for our benefit and making sure everything ran smoothly. Our pits stops were clean and without drama. You spoiled us. Thanks again, TEAM!Michelin also deserve mention as our tires exceeded our expectations. We were able to complete several races on one set of tires; we gave those tires “H*LL” and they never lost their grip.Lastly, BIG props goes out to the CMRA and its dedicated staff. Thank you for keeping the race series fun and competitive. Every time I had a question someone was there to help me (I asked a lot of questions!). Also, thanks to the corner workers; I crashed at TWS and they quickly picked me off of the curb and helped me back on the bike. I for one am grateful for our corner workers.We had a GREAT TIME!
I wish everyone well and look forward to seeing you at the banquet – and next season.
2nd in Class - A Super Stock8th Overall Big Bike Endurance
WFO!!! Komodo STRIKES AGAIN!
Ottis Lance and Wayne Wilder raced in the 6 hour CMRA Endurance last weekend at
Eagles Canyon Raceway on a 2005 Suzuki GSXR 1000R.
Eagles Canyon is a new 2.5 mile race course that is known for being technical
with some fast straights that we estimate are good for around 140mph, maybe
150mph. The track offers 70 ft. of elevation and has 11 turns and 6 straight
aways. Bring your “A” game because this track should be a lot of fun, but also
be physically demanding.
The biggest challenge we would face was enduring 3 hours each per rider. Also,
let’s not forget tire life was an unknown. This was WFO!!! Komodo’s first time
to ride/race at Eagles Canyon Raceway. This was true for the majority of the
riders who were racing that day, which meant it would be a good indication of
how Komodo would match up against some of the faster and more experienced
teams.
Otter and I decided to ride one full hour each, pit and switch riders. After
speaking with Otter, he mentioned the first session/hour was pretty much
getting to know the track, where to break and learn which gears to use for
certain parts of the track. One thing WFO!!! Komodo learned at Eagles Canyon
was that the faster you went, the smoother the bike rode resulting in less
physical effort required to get around the track. If you slowed down, the
track demanded more of the rider. When I was into my second session I found my
“rythym” and was able to keep my head down and focus on my lines. It was a lot
of fun. I really enjoyed the track and my times showed improvement.
The bike was running well even in the 90 degree temperature. One thing we
noticed was how well the Michelin tires were holding up. We were watching the
tires carefully because we didn’t want to put ourselves or the bike at risk
for a crash; again, it was our first time at the track and had no reference on
how the tires would hold up. We shouldn’t have been surprised because our
tires also help up extremely well at MSR-Cresson, which is famous for being
very hard on tires.
I was wearng the new K-LT race suit and was very pleased with its performance.
Being able to race really helps me identify areas of our race suits that perform
- or find areas in need of improving.
The new K-LT design uses some patterns taken directly from the proven K-FX suit;
(the K-FX is the same race suit Ty Howard races in) and allowed great mobility on the race bike.
There were a couple of times where I had to make some quick transitions on the bike and
change my line immediately to prevent hitting another rider in the corners.
One thing that is important is that your race leathers need to be snug, but allow you to
move as needed without compromising your safety while at speed.
The K-LT passed the test with ease. In addition, it also ventilated extremely well while
on the race bike; I could feel the air flow into the race suit and it did make a difference
in keeping my body temperature more cool.
Into our last sessions, it was clear we were losing time due to fatigue.
However, we still managed to hold onto 8th overall and also maintained our
current standing of 2nd in class (A Super Stock). We were very pleased with
our results considering it was a two man team.
Racing requies a team effort and WFO!!! Komodo would like to extend our thanks
to the CMRA staff for making this endurance race a great experience.
Additionally, the staff of Eagles Canyon were very helpful and showed us
around the facility, which was quite impressive. Let’s not forget our friends
who supported us in the Hot Pit; Joel, Terry, Mikey, Joey, Greg and Sarah;
“Thank You” for your time and helping us make some very quick pit stops.
Without you guys supporting us, we would not be acheiving our goals as a race team.
Dave Hirsch at Michelin deserves some respect for supplying WFO!!! Komodo with some great tires. I would like to mention that we completed all six hours on one set of tires! Now that is performance. If you have been considering Michelin as your choice of tires,
you will not be disappointed.
Faith on Wheels Racing visited the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH on August 1-3 for the AMA National. It was an all Hart effort with John doing the racing and Philip acting as crew chief, lead mechanic and riding coach. John’s Dad, Felix, manned the Bibles and we gave out over thirty. Mr. Hart has a passion for witnessing and had several opportunities to share the gospel as he handed out the Bibles, tracts and FOWR stickers. It is a huge blessing to have Mr. Hart at the track. John’s mom, Geneva, made it to Ohio as well. And Kathy (being an Ohio native) had the pleasure of entertaining her sister, brother-in-law and five of her nieces and nephews.From a racing perspective it was a qualified success. John made significant progress as he continued to come to terms with the 600 after two years on the 750. Having never been to Mid-Ohio he knew that qualifying would be tough. And though a crash in one of Thursday’s practice sessions robbed him of valuable track time on Friday, he continued to get faster every time he hit the track. In the end, however, he came away 0.2 seconds (that’s two tenths of a second!) from qualifying for Sunday’s Super Sport race. To get that close and to not make it, even though it constituted major progress, was still tough to swallow. Fortunately, VIR was only two weeks away.
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Virginia International Raceway near Danville, VA is a country club setting with a track that John has seen many times before. This time his full crew was present: Donald Burch, Philip Hart, and Cody Nilsson. He was pretty confident that he would qualify for his first professional race. And he did. By a comfortable margin he qualified for the Formula Extreme (FX) race the following day. It was a great achievement and we are all very proud of John, but the work wasn’t over yet. Saturday morning’s task was to qualify for the Super Sport event. And if close only counted. With several laps of qualifying to go and only 0.1 of second from reaching the cut-off time he high-sided in turn three. It was a hard hit and although John was pretty fortunate to stand up and walk away, the bike took a pretty hard hit too. With only an hour until his FX race began the crew was within minutes of having the bike put back together, but as I said.if close only counted. The real highlight turned out to be the performance turned in by John’s 14 year-old daughter Daphne. When the AMA officials found out that Daphne was going to miss the chance to be her daddy’s umbrella girl because his crash, they made arrangements for her to be the umbrella girl for 6-time National Superbike champion, pole sitter, and eventual race winner Matt Mladin.on national TV no less. And as much as we wanted to see John race on the big screen, Daphne is a whole lot cuter! We continue to receive positive responses to our AMA program. Below are some of the emails that followed VIR. Mr. Lowery, My name is Tom Bushley, I am the corner worker that helped John to the tire wall at VIR on Saturday after his bad get off in turn 3. I just wanted to check up on him and to let you guys know that we are praying for you all. My 9 year old son Patrick, who is a hare scramble racer in district 13 had the opportunity to meet with John and Phillip in the paddock. We too are Christians and he received 2 bibles and some stickers to give to 2 of his neighborhood buddies here in Richmond that do not go to church. As soon as we got home last night he had to go to the shop and put one of your stickers on his race bike. You all keep up the great ministry work and if ever I can do any thing to help please do not hesitate to call on us. God Bless you ALL, Tom & Patrick Bushley
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Mr. Lowery, I have been riding motorcycles for 35 years (I am 59), mostly sport-touring. A month ago a friend invited me to join him the weekend of August 16-18 to attend the AMA races at VIR. It was a FANTASTIC experience from two perspectives. I got to see some incredible bikes, riders, and racing. Also, I met John Hart, and the rest of the folks who were there that weekend as part of Faith on Wheels Racing. It was exciting for me to see the combination of excellence in riding/racing and a Christian testimony. Your team is truly a witness for Christ. John was gracious in explaining to my friend and I the finer points of his sport, while at the same time communicating clearly that its all about what Christ is doing in and through the members of the team. I plan to spend more time learning about AMA Superbike (and related classes) racing, and hope to attend more races. I also will be following the FOW team as best I can.I was sorry that we were not able to see him race, but look forward to seeing that in the future. In any event, the weekend was a success for us on many levels. We will hold your team up in prayer as you continue to be God’s presence in the exciting world of motorcycle racing. Blessings, Dave Huston
This past weekend I attended the WERA Southeast region races at Road Atlanta. Friday was practice which would give me a day to learn the new track with the changes to turns 4 and 12. Turn 4 saw several big crashes during the day and after my third practice session the changed back to the old turn 4. Turn 12 took some time to get used to and created a new braking zone that is downhill but worked fine once you get used to it. On Saturday I competed in the LWT solo placing 4th. All race long I battled with other riders for places and passed back and fourth multiple times per lap. On Sunday I was raced in the DSB and F2 races. I placed 7th in F2 and won DSB. DSB was interesting as On the 5th lap it started to rain at turn 7 and on the last lap it was raining from turn 3 to the finish line. That made it interesting with a front slick but I was able to hang on for the win.
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