Journal Entry - Ted Cobb: 2005 WERA Endurance Race Road Atlanta

2005 WERA Endurance Race, Road Atlanta

Time, it stops for no one. What seems like a normal daily routine can suddenly change. Looking back on Kevin's professional racing career, one would say it did just that. For those of us lucky enough to have followed the path of Kevin Schwantz, we all probably thought at the time he would race forever.

It's been 10 years since Kevin officially retired from Grand Prix motorcycle racing, 11 since his last 500 GP win. People will ask today, "Does Kevin still have the ability to win?" To give an answer, one has to look deeper into the question. Being able to win at the Moto GP level requires near perfect conditions. The rider, bike and team all need to be honed razor sharp. I believe if we could get Kevin a couple new body parts, he most definitely could get the job done. But this is the year 2005 not 1985 and Kevin in my mind has nothing to prove. Well, maybe one or two things, as I recently learned.

Being a Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School (KSSS) Instructor for the past 5 years, I get mixed emotions every October. The changing of the seasons marks another completed School year and it will be 4 months off until we get to see everyone again. The time off in some ways is nice, as it allows me to get caught up with other responsibilities, however I know I'll miss being a part of the School. This past October would prove to be even more special than normal and it all began with a phone call from fellow KSSS Instructor Harry Vanderlinden.

In 2004, Harry came up with an idea to assemble a KSSS endurance race team for the WERA GNF at Road Atlanta. Harry had competed at the VIR endurance race earlier in the season, which enabled him to be Team Captain for the Road Atlanta race utilizing a different set of riders. When it was all said and done, the KSSS 2004 endurance team finished 3rd overall at Road Atlanta, with riders Kevin Schwantz, Jamie James and Ben Spies.

For 2005, Mr. Vanderlinden phoned me with a different plan. This year the KSSS would field 2 endurance bikes for the Road Atlanta 4 hour race. The 1st would be the team of Kevin Schwantz, Jamie James and Michael Martin, aboard a borrowed Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R1000. The 2nd team would consist of Instructors Harry Vanderlinden, Brad Coleman and me, aboard a Suzuki GSX-R750; the same bike that was raced in 2004. Everything sounded good up until the point when WERA said "no go" on the 2nd bike entry, so plan B was to go with the first team on the GSX-R1000.

How many times have we read, where just before a big race a rider gets hurt training or riding for fun? I can think of many, so it really came as no surprise when the day before the endurance race, Kevin, informs me that Michael Martin had reaggravated his shoulder injury while riding his trials bike. I hated it for Michael, as he is one of the best endurance racers around. So, while Kevin was getting ready to take Michael to the Hospital, he says to me, "it's going to be Jamie, you and me on the 1000". Now, unlike most of the other racers I've mentioned so far, I would consider myself to be pretty much an average Joe who can sometimes race a motorcycle okay. Within a blink of an eye, I found myself part of a 3-rider team that quite frankly made me feel a wee bit uneasy. I mean, we are talking about some serious talent with the likes of Kevin Schwantz and Jamie James and I sure as hell didn't want to let them down!

While Kevin was at the Hospital with Michael, Jamie and I began practicing and setting up the suspension on the GSX-R1000. This bike was the 2004 WERA Endurance overall Championship winning bike that Tray Batey, John Jacobi and Mark Junge of Vesrah Suzuki rode. It's equipped with an 8-gallon fuel tank and quick-change wheels, along with many other go fast features. The guys from Vesrah run 17" Pirelli tires, however we would be on 16.5" Michelins and in turn, the bike would need to be adjusted for the different tires. Overall, the bike ran good in practice and was a rocket! Going into turns on the brakes, the bike felt confident and stable. Exiting a couple of the corners however, the bike would head shake. It wasn't enough to really get the bike out of shape, but Jamie and I were concerned that over the course of an hour in the seat, it could wear us out. Jamie made a few adjustments to the suspension, which seemed to help and as Thursday's practice came to a close, I was looking forward to Friday's race.
The 2005 WERA Endurance season has seen some tight battles for points, especially between Vesrah Suzuki and Team Velocity Racing. The points were so close in fact, that the overall Championship would be decided at Road Atlanta. This would make things interesting for Team KSSS, as we potentially could affect the final outcome. That however was not our plan and we certainly didn't want to jeopardize either Team's run for the Championship. The night before our race, I remember reading on the Internet some folks saying that Team KSSS had "no chance" of winning the race, but with racing anything can happen.

Friday morning, we arrived at Road Atlanta and were greeted with dense fog surrounding the track. Because of this, practice would be shortened which was unfortunate, as we still needed to find a better set up. As Kevin prepared to go out on the bike, you could see his demeanor change to a more focused look. While Kevin practiced, Jamie, Harry and I watched along the front straight. This was the first time since 1994 that I personally got to see Kevin on a race bike and it was just like old times. He would drive off of turn 12 with that unmistakable Schwantz upright riding style and in one fluid motion, go through turn one and disappear over the hill. After about 15 minutes, Kevin came in from practice and I expected him to request a bunch of changes to the bike. This was not the case; Kevin took off his helmet and really didn't say much. Instead, you could see the wheels turning in his head and it was at that point I believe he was formulating a plan on how to ride the bike most efficiently during the race.
The start of the 4 hour race would begin at 12:00 Noon and as the time drew near, the pits along pit row were alive with a feverish bustle. As the first call for the race was given, Kevin was suited up in his Dainese leathers, with the look of a modern day gladiator about to do battle. Third and final call was given and it was go time. Kevin straddled the bike as the rear stand was lowered, thumbed the starter button and away he went for the warm up lap. As the race bikes settled into their appropriate grid positions, you could see just how far back we were. Having no points put Kevin on the last row and it looked like a mile between there and the front. A moment later, green flag and as the bikes hurried towards turn one, we all kept our fingers crossed.

The start of an endurance race is always a nail biter. There were over 30 teams on the grid and after getting through turn one; it takes about a minute and a half before they come around again. The silence was broken as Team Velocity Racing screamed down the hill out of turn 12, with Vesrah Suzuki's Tray Batey close behind. A moment later, the 34 bike rocketed by, with Kevin working his way from last to 16th in one lap! It only took Tray Batey a few laps to get around Velocity for the lead and from there, the Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R1000 began to put some distance on second place. Everything was going to plan; Vesrah was in the lead heading towards another Championship and Kevin was moving up through the pack. That's when disaster struck.

Road Atlanta is a fast and flowing track; many changes have been made over the years to make it as safe as possible. The most recent change was made in the turns 3-4 area. A new section of asphalt was laid, slowing that portion of track down and keeping crashed riders from coming in contact with a wall. The trick to getting through there quick is to get a good drive off the super-tight right-hander. Unfortunately, as Vesrah Suzuki's Tray Batey did just that, the rear of the GSX-R1000 stepped out and high-sided Tray, stopping the race.

As the riders funneled back to the pits, we looked for Kevin and began to get nervous. Kevin finally rode down pit in and after getting off the bike; he sat down and removed his helmet. Not saying anything, Kevin sat there with a look on his face that I will never forget. It was the look one gets after seeing something horrible; in this case, that of a friend, Tray Batey laying on the track in pain. It turned out that right after Tray crashed, Kevin rode up on the scene to find not only Tray, but another rider who hit Tray's downed bike and had crashed as well. At this point, no one knew how serious the injuries were. One thing was for certain, as the crash truck brought back the demolished GSX-R1000; all hopes of Vesrah Suzuki winning the Championship had vanished.

During a red flag the teams cannot touch the race bikes. Nothing can be done, no fuel added, no adjustments made and no repairs. Vesrah Suzuki opted to restart the race on their back up bike, putting them 25 laps down. Kevin went back out for the warm up lap restart, to complete his 1 hour and 15 minute stint. This time however, getting to start from the front row as he had worked his way up to 3rd! On the restart, Team Velocity got the hole-shot into turn one with Kevin glued to their tail. When the bikes came down the hill into turn 12, it was the 34 bike out front and I must say, that was a sight for sore eyes. Kevin rode like a man on a mission, smooth and fast, stringing together perfect laps and stretching out a comfortable lead before bringing it in for the 1st pit stop.

Next up would be Jamie James, the "Ragin' Cajun". Jamie is one of the nicest, most friendly people I know. The kind of guy that would loan you his last $20 bucks. Put a helmet on the guy and stick him in a race; you better watch out. Never one to give into a good battle on the track, I knew Jamie would continue the pace that Kevin had set. That's just what Mr. James did and for just over an hour, he rode flawlessly. Soon would be Team KSSS's second pit stop for the 3rd and final rider, me.

As the race neared the last hour, Kevin would look over to where I was sitting and let me know the remaining minutes to my ride. I tried to remain relaxed but found it difficult, as I thought of all the effort that went into this race. Let's see, Vesrah Suzuki loaned us the bike, Michelin provided us the tires, Road Atlanta provided the fuel. Then there's all the people behind Team KSSS, including the main man himself Kevin Schwantz. It was at this time that Kevin looked at me and gave me the best advice in the world, "go out and have fun". Seems simple enough, I remember thinking and if a guy like Schwantz gives you racing advice, you better take it! So, with somewhat of a nervous smile on my face, I strapped on my trusty Arai helmet and waited for my turn.

Jamie James came flying into the pits and during the 11 seconds it took to change both wheels and dump 8 gallons of fuel, I listened for Jamie's description of how the bike was handling. "G*D DAMN" was all I heard as I jumped on and took off up the hill. If all went to plan, I would ride for an hour and that would get us to the finish. Kevin and Jamie had built up about a minute and a half lead over 2nd place by the time I got on, so I just tried to find a good rhythm and not make any mistakes. About 20 minutes into my ride, my forearms were pumping up, making it difficult to work the controls. Needing to come up with a solution, I remembered what we teach in the School. By relaxing my grip and also using more of my lower body (to help steer the bike), I was able to get some feeling back in my hands. Around the 3 hour 30 minute mark in the race, Team Velocity exited the pits about 10 seconds in front of where I was on the track. This actually meant we were almost 1 full lap ahead of them, so I put my head down and passed them a few turns later. At this point Kevin began showing me the slow down sign and I started saying to myself "we are going to win this thing". With about 10 minutes left in the race, a second red flag came out for a minor incident. When I arrived back to our pit, some of the other teams were already celebrating, as the race was called complete; we won!

In the end, Team KSSS was awarded 1st in class and 1st overall. Team Velocity Racing won the overall Championship (congratulations on a job well done!) Tray Batey was diagnosed with a cracked right heel, and was well enough to win the Suzuki SV1000 Cup, two days later.

The 2005 WERA 4 hour endurance race at Road Atlanta will go down as one of the most memorable races in history. On that beautiful Fall day, a Championship upset was decided and I was lucky enough to be part of the KSSS Cinderella Story... And for one brief moment in time, watching Kevin Schwantz racing the number 34 again, made us all feel about 10 years younger.


See you at the track!

Ted "Cannonball" Cobb