| WCBR6 Continued |
| 1994 Season 2/10 TEST Willow Springs 3/4 SOS/Jr Savana, GA First (blew engine on last lap, pushed bike to finish line - had lapped field!) 3/4 350GP Savana, GA DNS (used 250) 3/7 350GP Daytona 2nd (lead every lap until last... motor rattling, tried to draft back past Roper) 3/7 Premier Daytona DNF (blew piston while in 6th) 5/7 SOS/Jr Las Vegas First 7/9 350GP Sears Point DNF (rear wheel bearing exploded) 7/10 SOS/Jr Sears point DNS |
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| Above; Mike Green #21 beats Dave Roper #1E to turn-1 at Daytona in 350GP action. MG lead nearly every lap... Below: Roper chases Green in 350GP action, Daytona '94. |
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| The 1994 season looked to be the one we'd waited for, we had our new sponsor from the year before, and the others, some of which we'd had for many years, gave us additional support for '94. In February Earl Minkler & Mike Green took five Ducati's to Willow Springs to test (we were the guest of Cycle World Magazine). With us was the 250 (WCBR5), the LS500GP machine, and three 350s' (WCBR6 & WCBR9 & a sponsor owened machine). With many miles under our belts, we headed for the shop to ready machine for Savana (GA) and Daytona. Once again Mike Green would ride WCBR6 (while Earl Minkler rode the sponsor owned machine & Jon Thompson of Cycle World would be on WCBR9). This year, Eric Tucker would help out at Savana & Daytona, having moved to Dallas area (Peterbuilt). At Savana the 350 went great guns in the Sound of Sngles/Jr race, but bbq-ed a piston on the last lap. Green coasted as far as he could, then pushed the bike across the line... and told Jeff Smith, "score me". Later Eric went to check the results and found that Green and the 350 had won, having lapped the field before the blow-up! In the 350Gp action we brought the 250 out (finishing 2nd). As the day went on Mike & Eric overhauled the 350 to make ready for Daytona. At Daytona the 350 was first away, beating Roper to and through turn-1 and lead every lap, the AJS not able to get close enough to force the issue (Of note, the clutch cable broke on the start line). That said, as the race wore on the 350 engine got hotter and hotter and began pinging badly.... know the end result, Green slowed the pace, and on the last lap pulled to the right after the infield kink and let Dave past, the idea was to draft behind the AJS and take some load off the Ducati engine. The plan worked, well almost. The 350 quit pinging while out on the banking... as the duo headed for the checkered flag Green pulled out from behind Dave, sadly about 5-seconds too late and Dave won by the width of a tyre! For the Premier race we rejetted the 350, but while holding down 6th it holed a piston. |
| At Las Vegas in May, the 350 won the SoS/Jr Qualifier race, but for the race itself the 250 was used (it won!). For Gratten, MI this machine stayed home, instead we shipped the sponsor owned bike to Gratten (we had planned on using this bike on the eastern evetns, and WCBR6 on the western events). During 350GP Green and Roper were at it again, the duo passing and re-passing. About half way through the race Green passed Roper on the outside of a bowled left hander, then it happened... "I heard something go off song, so I went for the clutch, but I wasn't quick enough, the rear wheel locked and I was down", said Green after the event. The 350 slid then flipped and landed in the grass, getting off with minor damage. Green had mnor damage to his foot, that got caught between the peg and brake pedal, and his right hand... but ok in general. The 350 big-end had locked, seems the new fangled clutch plates were coming apart and the debris got into the crank. The bike owner/sponsor withdrew from racing and us at that point. That's racing. At Sears Point in July we had a great run going yet again... unitl a rear wheel bearing exploded. With our sponsor cash now cut back, Steamboat, as with other races in '94 were out of our reach, so ended our season on a low note. |