Buell 1125R wins ASRA Team Challenge race at Road America

ELKHART LAKE, WIS. (July 7, 2008) - A near-stock Buell 1125R entered by Richie Morris Racing/Hal’s Speed Shop and ridden by Dan Bilansky and Clint Brotz won the ASRA Team Challenge endurance race, part of the three-day American Sportbike Racing Association (ASRA) Road America Festival of Speed held over Independence Day weekend. Bilansky and Brotz completed 38 laps of the four-mile Road America course to take the overall win and to lead the GTO class. James Gang/Hoban Bothers Racing/Appleton Buell riders Paul James and Jeff Johnson completed 37 laps to take the Team Challenge GTL class win and finish fifth overall on a Buell Firebolt XB12R.

Bilansky said the RMR/Hal’s Buell 1125R turned in a strong performance despite being raced in mostly stock trim.

“This is a bike we built for me to use in sprint races, and we decided to use the Team Challenge to shake it down,” said Bilansky. “We were using the stock Pirelli Corsa III street tires and even the stock brake pads, with racing bodywork, dry break refueling system, and a slip-on muffler as the only mods. It worked really well, in fact it’s probably the best-handling motorcycle I’ve ever raced at Road America.”

The ASRA/CCS races were witnessed by hundreds of Buell owners attending Buell 25th Anniversary events held at Road America during the weekend, including demo rides, autograph sessions with Buell racers and an opportunity to ride in a parade lap session around the 4-mile track. More than 500 Buell owners were registered for the historic event.

Estok Second in Pro Thunderbike
For the second race in a row, Deeley H-D/Buell Canada/Ruthless Racing rider David Estok turned in a strong performance on a Buell XB12R borrowed from another team and rode to a close second-place finish in the ASRA Pro Thunderbike National at Road America.

With his primary and back-up race bikes down with mechanical problems, the Deeley team borrowed a Buell XB12R from the Hal’s H-D/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop squad, fitted Estok’s suspension and bodywork, and put the defending Thunderbike champion on the starting grid. At the start, Estok joined a group at the front that included BMW rider Nate Kern, H-D/Buell of Frederick rider Bryan Bemisderfer, Hal’s H-D/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop rider Dan Bilansky and Bison Racing/Eagle H-D/Buell rider Walt Sipp. Kern led the first lap and started to open a gap on the group of Buell riders, but by lap three of the five-lap race Estok had set a new Thunderbike track lap record, reeled in the BMW and passed for the lead as the pair exited the first turn.

“I was not familiar with the clutch on the Hal’s bike, and I got a terrible start,” said Estok. “Then it took me a lap to get comfortable on the bike. Kern was faster on the long straights but I could out-brake him into the turns, so I focused on braking to close the gap.”

On the last lap of the race, Estok passed Kern again in the first turn. Kern took back the lead on the downhill straight leading to turn five, only to see Estok retake the lead as the pair exited Canada Corner. Kern was able to draft past Estok on the long straight to the finish line to take the win by .097-seconds, the closest finish in ASRA Thunderbike history.

“I got a really good drive out of the last turn, but he had the draft and I couldn’t hold him off,” said Estok. “I’d really like to thank Dan Bilansky and the Hal’s team for loaning me the bike. I may have to trade purse money with him.”

Bilansky finished third, several seconds behind Kern and Estok. James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing/Appleton Buell rider Paul James was awarded fourth place after Sipp was penalized for jumping the start of the race, and Bemisderfer was penalized for exceeding the class horsepower limit. Suzuki rider Ed Key finished fifth.

After five events, Kern leads the Thunderbike series with 162 points, followed by Estok with 132 points and Sipp with 115.

The next stop on the eight-race ASRA Pro Thunderbike schedule is the Barber Festival of Speed, August 9-10 at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala.

Buell Riders Win Six CCS Sprint Races
In MotoSport.com Championship Cup Series (CCS) twin sprint races at Road America, Joel Spalding rode a Buell XB12R to take two wins in Amateur Thunderbike. Dean Hagemann won Expert Lightweight F40 on a Buell XB12R. Bilansky rode a Buell 1125R to take two wins in Expert SuperTwins, and Estok won on Saturday in Expert Thunderbike.