| 2006 News |
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| 10/21/05 |
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Summary of Race 10 at Second Creek Raceway:
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| The last weekend of the MRA season marked the end of a multi-decade era of racing at Second Creek Raceway.
The track will be permanently closed down at the beginning of November,
which definitely boosted the attendance of both racers and spectators alike.
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| Unfortunately, 4 Horsemen attendance was diminished -
Hoopty was still a victim to mechanical issues, with strong suspicions of head gasket failure, and
Gene underwent surgery the Thursday prior to repair a broken right thumb & had a cast on his wrist,
so it was up to Bob to lead the charge for this recuperation team - a challenge he gladly accepted.
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| The day started out with disappointment, when, in Middleweight Superbike,
Bob crashed going into the first turn after colliding with another rider.
Fortunately, he suffered no major injury to himself or the bike,
and with the help of a stand-in pit-crew he was able to get back out and continue the weekend.
And continue he did, with Gene and Hoopty in attendance, he rode to an impressive 7th place finish in Amateur GTU,
matching his best finish in that class. But Bob was just getting warmed up!
For his last race of the season, he put together and incredible race effort -
he got a great start from the 4th row and jumped into 9th place,
then he put together a consistent string of 1:13's which helped him defend that position for almost 6 & 1/2 laps,
but it wasn't quite fast enough for 2 riders, who passed him near the end,
relegating him to an 11th place finish in Middleweight Supersport.
This was by far his best result not only in the class, but in any expert race he entered!
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| After Race 9's ROR GTU, Gene was well positioned for a 10th place season finish in that class,
but crashing and breaking his thumb put that into question. It wasn't a total write-off though -
if he could just do one lap and collect points for last place, there was a chance he could still pull it off.
Despite a heavily damaged bike, hurt ribs, and 2 fresh pins in his right hand, Gene refused to let that stop him.
His weekend started on Friday when he got a special glove (made by BAB Leathers) to fit over the post-surgery splint,
as well as the go ahead to borrow Joe LoGalbo's bike to do one lap in ROR GTU.
Come Sunday, Gene was ready, and his plight was announced over the PA during as the racers lined up on the grid.
Gene gridded himself well behind everyone else, and when the light went green, he was very conservative in his pace.
To the delight of the crowd, Gene was able to complete one lap,
and as he came around the last corner and neared the exit, they applauded his efforts.
Gene was finally classified as having finished in 14th, place,
which was enough for him to beat Corbin Swan by 4 points for the final top 10 spot in the ROR GTU points standings.
Mission accomplished!
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| Hoopty is currently awaiting the start of the 2006 season,
when he plans to challenge for the top spot in both Amateur GTU and GTO.
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| The team would like to thank their families, friends, and sponsors for all their support throughout the season,
they couldn't have done it without you!
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Results from Race 10 at Second Creek Raceway have been posted,
and the points standings have been updated.
See the menu on the left for links or click here for results.
and here for points standings.
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| 9/30/05 |
Summary of Race 9 at Pueblo Motorsports Park:
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| | Race 9 at Pueblo, the second-to-last race of the season, was somewhat of a disappointment overall
for the team. |
| In the week leading up to the race, Hoopty discovered a problem with his bike that he was unable to fix in time
to race this weekend. It turns out the problem is severe enough that he will also miss the last event of the
season at Second Creek this upcoming weekend. |
| Bob made some gearing changes to help him try and surpass his previous best lap time (of 1:40).
He matched it, but was unable to better it. In the process of trying, though, he managed a strong 8th place finish
in the Amateur GTU race, and twin 16th place finishes in both Middleweight races. |
| Gene’s weekend started off looking very promising - in Saturday’s endurance race, he matched his previous best
lap time (of 1:38), and finished in 8th place. On Sunday, Gene set a new personal best lap-time of 1:37.535
on his way to another strong 10th place finish in ROR GTU. On the 4th lap of the Heavyweight Supersport race,
Gene’s last race of the day, he crashed hard in turn 2, breaking his right hand and severely damaging his bike.
Gene underwent surgery on 9/29 to repair the break, and although it’s highly unlikely he’ll be racing at the last
race at Second Creek, he is hoping to start the ROR GTU race on a borrowed bike, complete 1 lap, then exit,
just to secure some extra points in that class. |
| The next race, and final event of the season, will be the last time the MRA races at Second Creek Raceway -
the track will be closing its gates for good on November 1st. This was the "home" track to many racers,
including the 4 Horsemen, and it pains us to know that we won't be there to compete in full force. |
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| 9/29/05 |
Results from Race 9 at Pueblo Motorsports Park have been posted, and the points standings have been updated.
See the menu on the left for links or click here for results
and here for points standings.
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| 9/22/05 |
Summary of Races 7 & 8 at Pikes Peak Intl. Raceway:
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| | This was a special event because it was a double-header weekend -
two race weekends were combined into a single, 3-day weekend,
with Sunday and Monday running identical schedules.
Points were accumulated on both days, and the results were tallied separately.
Since this schedule only allowed the Saturday Endurance races to be run once,
the championship points for those were doubled. |
| The format of the race weekend added an extra element of adversity:
a crash on Sunday could have twice the ramifications in the points standings,
since it may be very difficult to put the bike back together for the next day.
Luckily, the 4 Horsemen were able to avoid any major trouble for the weekend. |
| Hoopty had and exceptional weekend, challenging Jason Trabert for the lead in the Amateur GTU race on both days,
but the task proved too difficult once the major horsepower difference got factored in,
and he finishing as the vice-winner both days.
Hoopty's determination helped him excel to a best time of 1:00.351, making him,
once again, the fastest of the 4 Horsemen for the weekend.
Kudos should also be given for a very strong double top-10 finish on Monday in both of the Middleweight races. |
| Gene had a very consistent weekend that allowed him to move up in the point standings
(that suffered heavily after La Junta).
His twin 12th place finish in ROR U bumped him up to 10th in the overall point standings for that class.
Also notable is a 7th place finish in Heavyweight Supersport - not only does this match Gene's best finish in that class,
it was a very close finish to Mike Applehans, a very experienced rider on a 750cc motorcycle. |
| Bob's weekend started out a little shaky with an early morning crash on Saturday,
however he was able to quickly repair his machinery and continue on to a very impassive weekend.
Bob isn't fond of PPIR, but managed to accumulate a double top-15 finish in the Amateur GTU races.
His best time of 1:01.943 would have been quick enough to qualify him for the AMA PPIR nationals earlier this year.
With this latest breakthrough in speed, all of the 4 Horsemen team became eligible (time-wise) to run
at the highest level of roadracing in the country. |
| The team is looking forward to the next race at Pueblo,
hoping to improve upon their times and results there last month. |
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| 9/17/05 |
| Results from Races 7 & 8 at Pikes Peak Intl. Raceway have been posted,
and the points standings have been updated.
See the menu on the left for links or click here for results.
and here for points standings. |
| Racing Performance Services
is no longer one of our sponsors. It is with some disappointment that we make this announcement,
however it was a mutual decision. At the beginning of the year, we were looking forward to working with RPS,
but after only 2 race weekends, they announced a drastic cut in their trackside support of the Colorado region.
RPS is based out of Texas, and the rising cost of fuel was one of the main reasons, so it’s understandable, albeit
unfortunate. After waiting to see if the situation might change, 4 Horsemen Racing and RPS decided it’s best if we
terminate the sponsorship. We wish RPS all the best and hope to see them return to Colorado again in the future.
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| 9/13/05 |
Website updates:
| New Logo (introduced 9/09)
| no more flaming logo with hard-to-read old-fashioned font |
| this is the same font used for our stickers and banners |
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| Redesigned Home page
| fits better on a 800x600 display (the minimum standard for web pages) |
| new picture of the team which links to "The Team" page |
| slideshow of on-track images now links to the "Photo Gallery" |
| added MRA logo which links to the MRA website |
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| Subscribe for email updates
| see the box at the top of this page |
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| "Home" link removed from the Menu
| click on the logo at the top of the page to get back to the home page |
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| New picture on The Team page
| larger version of the picture on the home page |
| each rider mapped as a clickable link to their bio |
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| 8/26/05 |
The website has been updated with pictures from this season.
New pictures appear on the Home page,
The Team page (and each rider's bio page), and in the
Photo Gallery.
Photos from last year can now be viewed by clicking the link at the bottom of each riders's photo gallery page.
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| 8/25/05 |
Summary of Race 6 at Pueblo Motorsports Park:
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| | Overall, this was a good weekend for the team, with 5 top-10 finishes, including 1 top-5 finish. |
| Bob had been out of town for most of the break since La Junta, and still isn't used to his new bike.
To make matters worse, he missed Saturday practice while diagnosing an electrical problem. Things went better on Sunday.
In Amateur GTU, Bob matched his previous best lap time (of 1:41) and finished 10th
(putting him back into the top-10 in points). It's obvious he's still getting used to his new bike,
because in his next race, he dropped over a second off his lap times, averaging in the 1:40's,
and setting a new personal best of 1:40.129.
This impressive ride in Middleweight Supersport resulted in a 13th place finish - his best yet in that class. |
| Hoopty was the fastest of the 4 Horsemen at Pueblo, posting a very respectable (and personal best)
lap time of 1:38.037 in the Middleweight Supersport race. This fast lap, along with a string of consistent 1:38's,
propelled him to a strong 7th place finish in that race (his best finish yet in that class).
Hoopty got the only top-5 finish for the team - 4th place in Amateur GTO -
despite being down on power to some of his competitors at yet another horsepower dominant track. |
| Gene had an interesting weekend. Following the crash at La Junta, and an unfortunate series of events,
it seemed rather doubtful that Gene would even be able to participate at the Pueblo races. However, with some
last minute magic and some help from Josh Newton and Joe LoGalbo, Gene was able to sign-up late and attend the races.
Gene’s biggest accomplishment of the weekend was a 7th place in Heavyweight Supersport (his best to date).
Also notable is a strong 6th place finish in Middleweight Endurance, that boosted him to 7th in the points,
just 1 point away from 6th. |
| We are looking forward to the double-header weekend (Races 7 & 8 - Sunday & Monday of Labor-Day weekend)
at Pike's Peak International Raceway. |
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| 8/22/05 |
Results from Race 6 at Pueblo Motorsports Park have been posted, and the points standings have been updated.
See the menu on the left for links or click here for results
and here for points standings.
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| 7/22/05 |
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Summary of Race 5 at La Junta Raceway:
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| | This was a very trying weekend, with some equipment changes, a somewhat unfamiliar track,
and temperatures over 110oF in the shade. |
| Bob's equipment upgrade came through as expected, but included a lot of last-minute preperation,
and even a couple of all-nighters to get it ready for La Junta.
His first ride on the new bike was during Saturday morning practice, and although there were a few
new/different things he needed to get used to, he was able to adapt and get up to speed.
Despite running off the track twice during Amateur GTU, he still managed to finish 12th in a field of 29 riders.
He also managed a top-15 finish in Middleweight Supersport, but wasn't so fortunate in Middleweight Superbike,
where another off-road excursion put him at the back of the pack and had him fighting to get out of last place. |
| An equipment upgrade made a huge difference for Gene,
Saturday he was able to run a 53.52 as well as three 53s in a row.
Also a 6th place finish in Endurance Middleweight (on used tires), made for a solid performance on Saturday.
Sunday was rather less fortunate for Gene, since it brought a spectacular, and very high-speed crash in the
fastest turn in Colorado. Earlier in the day, Gene had a top-15 finish in Middleweight Superbike, and
he was running in 10th place in ROR GTU when he crashed.
Damage to his bike prevented him from competing in Middleweight Supersport and Heavyweight Supersport.
Gene escaped the weekend without any major injury, and is expected to return for Pueblo. |
| Dave came to La Junta, a horsepower dominant track, with a major disadvantage.
However he battled on very competatively to top-5 finishes in both Amateur classes,
as well as top-15 finishes in both Middleweight classes, further solidifying his very respectable point standings.
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| The team is looking forward to our next race, at Pueblo in August. |
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Results from Race 5 at La Junta Raceway have been posted, and the points standings have been updated.
See the menu on the left for links or click here for results
and here for points standings.
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Dean Whittinger has left 4 Horsemen Racing.
After missing the last 3 race weekends, Dean has officially announced that he will be
taking a break from full-time roadracing in order to pursue other interests.
He will still attend some of the races, but since he can't commit to completing the entire season,
he's agreed to step down as one of the members of the 4 Horsemen.
We wish Dean the best in his other endeavors, and in his limited racing appearances.
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| 7/09/05 |
Gene & Bob have both upgraded their rides.
Gene will now be riding a 2005 Yamaha YZF-R6 (which replaces his 2003 Yamaha YZF-R6),
and Bob's 1999 Yamaha YZF-R6 has been replaced by a 2003 Yamaha YZF-R6 (Gene's old bike).
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| 7/05/05 |
We're proud to announce our newest sponsor -
The Custom Sticker.com.
Many thanks to them, as they'll be handling all of our custom graphics for the season.
For all your vinyl decal needs, The Custom Sticker.com is there to help with fast & friendly service.
Be sure to tell them 4 Horsemen Racing sent you!
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| 6/29/05 |
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Summary of Race 4 at Continental Divide Raceway:
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| Another successful weekend for the 4 Horsemen: |
| A break-through weekend for Bob, considering he suffered a concussion when he crashed at this track
earlier this year. Not only did he virtually break into the 1:07s (with a 1:08.004), he also managed top-15
finishes in both Middleweight classes. In Amateur GTU, he was running as high as 7th place, until a bike
malfunction forced him to drop out of the race. |
| Hoopty was the hardest working out of the entire team this weekend.
Due to a paperwork issue he was forced to start from the back of the grid.
This means that he ended up passing more people then Bob and Gene combined.
Despite this major handicap, he managed to lead the rest of the 4 Horsemen to the finish in Middleweight Superbike,
and got the hole-shot on the second wave in the Amateur GTO race, where he also registered his fastest lap of the day
- a very respectable 1:07.231. |
| Gene managed to finish top 10 in ROR GTU for the second time in a row,
with a best time of 1:06.247 and an average time of 1:07.2.
Perhaps, what is more notable is that he was running 7th in a very competitive Middleweight Supersport field
until a missed shift in the Dragon Slide sent him back to 9th, where he would eventually end up finishing. |
| The entire 4 Horsemen Team is looking toward La Junta,
which might bring the return of Dean to active road race competition.
Gene and Bob are both expecting equipment upgrades by then,
and Hoopty is going to ensure the same clerical error doesn’t happen again,
so he is looking forward to a much more favorable starting position. |
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Results from Race 4 at Continental Divide Raceway have been posted, and the points standings have been updated.
See the menu on the left for links or click here for results
and here for points standings.
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|
The "Point Standings" page has been improved with more useable information.
In the past, we just showed you the points & position for each of the 4 Horsemen,
but we felt that format didn't put things into perspective.
We've added the names, numbers, points & position for all the riders in front of us, as well as some of those behind us.
We've also made it easy for you to find the 4 Horsemen in each of those lists.
See the menu on the left for the link or click here to see the improved points standings.
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| 6/12/05 |
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Summary of Race 3 at Second Creek Raceway:
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| Well first and most importantly it has already been a third of the season and no one took a digger.
Bazyl, Hoopty and Spiderman each had some interesting moments but are still on good behavior. |
| Bob had a complete Renaissance weekend where he managed a top 15 finish in Middleweight Supersport
(up 9 positions from Race 2), and another top 10 in Amateur GTU. |
| Hoopty cleaned up the Amatuer races with podiums in both races. |
| Bazyl got his first expert win in less the perfect conditions, as well as a top 10 in ROR. |
| Dean took a minor sabbatical, but we're hoping he'll return well rested for Race 4. |
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Results from Race 3 at Second Creek Raceway have been posted, and the points standings have been updated.
See the menu on the left for links or click here for results
and here for points standings.
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Summary of Race 2 at Pikes Peak Intl. Raceway:
Sorry it took so long to get this posted,
but the webmaster (Bob) is having problems with the computer he usually uses to update the website.
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| Dave "Hoopty" VanDeWeert clearly lead the 4 Horsemen through the second round of racing this year
for the Motorcycle Road-Racing Association. Not only was he able to secure a podium finish in Amateur
GTO, he was also able to get the hole-shot in both the Amateur GTO and GTU races. |
| Despite serious misfortune at the end of last season and the beginning of this one Bob "Spiderman"
Hasenhundl came back exceptionally strong at Pikes Peak International raceway. His struggle was
exemplified by a very late Friday night where he worked until 1 AM getting the bike ready for the
action coming in the days ahead. He not only managed to get into the 1:02 lap times he also pulled
off a 9th place finish in Amateur GTU securing him a third row start for the next round of racing
at Second Creek. |
| Dean Whitinger came to PPIR with an almost brand new bike. His off-season changes included new bodywork,
suspension and drive train. For him, the weekend consisted of setting up and getting used to his more
finely tuned machine. However by Sunday, Dean started to get things figured out. He even managed a very
impressive 11th place finish in the highly competitive Open Supersport race, as well as an 8th place in
Amateur GTO. |
| The highlight of Gene Bazyl’s weekend was the Middleweight Endurance race where he managed to pull off a
6th place finish despite starting on the last row of a huge field of 34 riders on equally competetive
bikes. Sunday was a little bit less notable day for Gene, since he would have to once again start at the
back of all the grids because he missed the first race at Pueblo. Unfortunately, he only managed a 16th
place finish in ROR GTU and a 12th place finish in very competitive Middleweight Supersport. However
Gene is optimistic that his finishes will improve with the better starting position that he will have
next race. |
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| 5/17/05 |
Results from Race 2 at Pikes Peak Intl. Raceway have been posted, and the points standings have been updated.
See the menu on the left for links or click here for results
and here for points standings.
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| 5/04/05 |
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We're excited to announce a "Verbal Coupon" good at CarQuest Auto Parts of Lafayette.
This is all part of their renewed sponsorship for 2005.
They're located at
1230 Etna Dr. in Lafayette,on the north side of W. South Boulder Road.
They have everything for your automotive needs, and even a few for your motorcycle (oil filters, spark plugs & wheel bearings).
Now here's the good part - tell them that 4 Horsemen Racing sent you and save 10% on your purchase price!
(not valid with any other offers or coupons)
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2004 Results and Points Standings have been moved to the Archives.
Now that the 2005 season is upon us, we needed to make room for this years results and points standings.
As a result, all the data from 2004 has been moved into the Archives.
See the menu on the left for a link or click here.
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| 5/03/05 |
Race 1 at Pueblo was cancelled after a vote by riders not to race in the cold snow/rain.
Here's a brief summary of the weekend:
Friday was originally scheduled as an official (yet optional) practice day.
The start was postponed until noon, at which time it was cancelled due to snow, rain, & cold.
Saturday turned out to be much nicer, weather-wise, and the day's events went on without a hitch
(morning practice, afternoon endurance races, and motard races).
The afternoon was sunny and warm, until about 4:30 pm, when a cold front blew in.
Sunday (the day when we're supposed to race) started out cold and wet,
but the track dried out enough for us to put in some practice laps.
It started snowing again around 10:00 AM, and after one of the faster experts (Mike Applehans, #25) crashed
while on the dragstrip-portion of the straightaway (on a Suzuki SV-650 - a low-horsepower bike), it was deemed that
the dragstrip was far more slippery than originally anticipated, and was causing unsafe conditions.
This, mixed with the fact that several riders were complaining of snow buildup on their helmet visors caused the MRA
board of directors to hold a vote among the riders to decide if we should race or not.
The majority voted not to race, so the day was officially cancelled.
There is no word yet if it will be rescheduled, but the MRA board is looking into options,
and we'll let you know as soon as we find out.
The good news is that the bikes are all working fine, and now we're looking forward even more to the next race,
May 15th, at PPIR. If you attend, please be sure to find our garage, stop by & say "Hi"!
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| 4/15/05 |
Some details about or sponsors are available when you put your mouse over their logo (this works with
Microsoft Internet Explorer,
and may work with other browsers, however it does not work with all browsers).
See the menu on the left for the "Sponsors" link or click here,
then put your mouse pointer over the sponsor's logo.
Most of our sponsors have a little write-up with some detail about them.
The pop-up window will automatically disappear when you move your pointer off the logo.
If the pop-up window disappears before you're done reading, simply move your pointer off the logo, then back on again.
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| 3/15/05 |
We're proud to announce that TK Motorsports
has decided to sponsor us again.
Located conveniently off I-25 at 8th Ave, near downtown Denver, TK can handle all your parts, apparel and service needs.
Whether you ride dirt or street, sportbike to cruiser (and everything in-between), or race (road, drag or dirt),
no job is too big or too small for Brian & Bart at TK. Want to know how much power your bike is producing?
TK is one of the only local shops that has a Dyno! They can also fine-tune your bike to get the most out of it.
Even if you just need an honest & unbiased opinion, give them a call or stop in & say "Hi".
Be sure to tell them 4 Horsemen Racing sent you!
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| 2/11/05 |
We're proud to announce our newest sponsor -
Breckenridge Brewery & Pub.
Located on Blake St., just north of Coors Field, it's the perfect downtown destination for food, drink,
rendez-vous location, or special event. The atmosphere is casual and inviting, with a seperate bar & dining area,
and they even have a semi-private room available for special functions.
The menu is eclectic, ranging from traditional pub fare, great burgers and sandwiches,
to salads, bar-b-que, Tex-Mex and daily specials, and don't forget to try one of their fine signature Ales!
Be sure to tell them 4 Horsemen Racing sent you!
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| 1/28/05 |
We're proud to announce our newest sponsor -
Racing Performance Services.
RPS will be handling all of our suspension needs & can do the same for you
(even if you don't race, find out what you've been missing - have them dial-in your streetbike's suspension specifically
for you!).Please visit their website (www.RoadracingHelp.com)
for lots of useful track-oriented information (not just suspension help). Tell them 4 Horsemen Racing sent you!
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| 1/15/05 |
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Results & Points Standings have been updated. Sorry for the delay, but we experienced some pretty serious computer problems. |
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The 2005 Season Schedule has been posted. |
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A Photo Gallery has been added to the website. See the menu on the left for a link or click here. |
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Kip has decided to stop racing (at least for now). |
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Mike has decided to go at it on his own this year. He still remains a good friend of 4 Horsemen Racing,
and we wish him all the best for the '05 season.
Look for him on a new bike & sporting a new number: #98.
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4 Horsemen Racing is proud to announce its 2 newest members:
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Dean Whitinger (#20) rides a 2003 Yamaha R1, and finished the 2004 season in 5th place overall for NGTO
(despite missing 3 races due to a broken collarbone).
He had three 1st place finishes and finished on the podium 5 times in all.
He also competed in AGTO and finished the season in 11th place overall, with a best finish of 4th place.
Dean raced as #127 in 2004.
Click here to see all of Dean's results.
|
|
Gene Bazyl (#502) rides a 2003 Yamaha R6, and won the NGTO championship in 2004.
He also finished 3rd overall in NGTU, 11th overall in AGTU, and 7th overall in AGTO.
Click here to see all of Gene's results.
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|
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Each member of this years team moved to expert for 2005 because they finished in the top-10 of one or more of
the Novice classes (and according to MRA rules, the top-10 season points finishers in either of the Novice classes
must move to expert for the following year). |
|
Bob has a new number for this year: #24 |
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Dave has a new racebike for this year: a 2003 Suzuki GSX-R600 |
