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The ASRA Team Challenge was a 52 lap endurance race consisting of three classes, GTO, GTU and GT Lights. The Team had entries in both GTO and GTU. In GTO, riders Marco Martinez and Calvin Martinez (no relation) rode their Suzuki GSXR1000RR to a third place finish overall and in their class. Their Suzuki ran up front most of the race, but the decision to save time in the pits and run the same rear tire for the entire distance ultimately cost them and slowed lap times during the final stage of the race. A 1000cc machine, combined with the forces of the high banks at Daytona, can sometimes push a rear tire beyond its capability. “We were going for the win,” said Calvin. "We took a chance, the tire looked good in the pit stop prior and we thought we could go the whole way. It really didn’t get ugly until the very end so it could have gone either way. We still managed to finish on the podium and we’re happy about that. It’s a great start to the year.”
The second entry of Jason Temme and Scott Harwood followed their team mates into fourth overall and first in the GTU class. The only bikes to finish in front of the pair’s Ducati were all 1000cc machines. The pair ran the distance on one set of Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tires. “The Pirellis held up great, "commented Temme. "Even after I pushed them hard early, I ran off the track and had to play catch-up for a while. The bike was flawless and is so good in the draft here. The aerodynamics of this bike are amazing and we were very fast in the tri-oval.” Harwood added, “The bike worked really well and even when the tire went off, the power delivery was such that it was easy to ride and very predicable. Jason and I are both glad we were able to bring this early victory to the team and to Ducati.”
Serpent Racing also made their Moto-ST debut at Daytona on March 2nd and finished inside the top ten. Marco Martinez started the race and shared riding duties with Jason Temme. The riders fought a rear wheel problem during the first part of the race and were forced to drop back to 13th position. Radio communications failed early on and made things even tougher for the team. Luckily, a full course caution came into play around lap 26 and Temme was able to pit for a closer inspection and repair of the rear wheel, but the team was unable to resolve the radio issues. From then on the two riders clawed their way back into the top ten, running as high as seventh place. A close call on gas mileage saw Temme coasting and out of gas on the last lap. He was passed in NASCAR turn four just before the checkered and relegated back to eighth place.
“Both Jason and I ran consistent stints lapping at times that would have been ultra competitive when looking at last years results,” said Marco Martinez. "Without that rear wheel problem early on I truly believe we would have run up front all day and been able to adjust to the quicker pace that was set by the leaders this year.”
“I couldn’t have asked for a better match in a teammate,” Temme added. “Marco did a great job and I enjoyed competing with him. We and the whole team learned a lot and have a much better understanding of what it will take to bring a Moto-ST victory to the team. We are looking forward to the next round and will be prepared to improve on the results we had here.”
Team sponsors include (listed in alphabetical order) - Arai, Dynojet, GRP Stabilizers, Held, Lockhart Phillips USA, Motul, National Precious Metals, NGK Spark Plugs, PCS Enterprises Inc., Pirelli, Spiegler, Sprocket Specialists, SR Sign Designs, Woodcraft.
For more information about Team Serpent Racing and the fine companies and people that sponsor the team, visit www.serpentracing.com.
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