2021 WERA/N2 Endurance Pre-Season Outlook

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The race season is upon us and for 2021, N2 racing in conjunction with WERA have stepped up big time with a Dunlop title sponsored 5 race endurance series with a very healthy purse for all four classes. As in previous years, the ultra-lightweight bikes will run a 2 hour race while the lightweight, mediumweight, and heavyweight bikes will run together in a 4 hour endurance race. With $2500 for the class win, a lot of teams have stepped up their game for the 2021 season. Since this is LWTRacer, we’ll be talking about the lightweight teams that will be gridding up for 2021. In 2020, three Ohio based teams finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the lightweight class, so we’ll start with them.

419 Racing. Jerry Reeves and Jon Crawford will be back in 2021 to defend their 2020 title. They will pilot the same 2 nd gen SV650 that they rode in 2020 with some improvements. The team has been flirting with the idea of a one stop strategy. Have they enlarged their fuel tank to squeak it out to 120 minutes? We will see…

Chiefs Racing Team. They took 2 nd in the class championship in 2020. Team Captain Greg Reisinger has freshened up his 2 nd gen SV650 endurance bike and will be back with riders Kevin Boda, Dave Stauffer, Brian “Tuna” Mullins, and Jared Trees.

Buckeye Racing. Joe Ball and Tristan Konnecker are back again to do battle in 2021. Buckeye Racing started in 1996 and they’re still turning laps and burning rubber. For 2021, they’ll be riding their clapped out 2 nd gen Sv650, and you can expect them to take advantage of their enormous gas tank which keeps pit stops to a minimum

Team Going the Distance. This new team is the one to watch. Team head honcho Mike Davis has assembled a trio of Moto America kids to do battle in the lightweight class. Blake Davis, Jackson Blackmon, and Damian Jigalov will pilot a 2 nd gen Sv650 which is equipped with a big tank that will make it to the critical 80 minute mark. The kids will be fast, but the rookie squad will have to prove itself if and when adversity strikes.

Team YO!. Keith Buras will be back in 2021 with a strong team. Multi-time endurance champion Chris Parrish will pilot the much improved SV650 alongside Darren Crooks, and Kris Lillegard. The teams 2nd gen Sv650 got a lot of attention in the off season. More power, new bodywork, fresh suspension and bigger brakes are some of the improvements. You can count on this team running in the front, and their “never quit” mentality is something that all endurance teams should emulate.

Team Meat. Dave Belsterling and Simon Buric are the pilots for the very trick Team Meat 1 st gen SV650. The bike has lots of lightweight goodies and is powered by a TWF Racing engine that breathes through a set of flat slide carbs. In the past, the team has had some fueling issues, but that’s expected because carbs blow, but when the bike is on point, this team can run up front for the win.

Four Dudes on a Twin. Perfect attendance and consistency won them the 2019 LW endurance championship. They will be back for 2021 on their 2 nd gen SV650 with pilots Rob Cichielo Jr, Brian Muscavich, Chris Lenart, and Steve Wilson. There is a rumor that the team may field an Aprilia RS660 in 2021, but nothing has been confirmed.

Four Dudes on the Other Twin. The sister bike to Four Dudes on a Twin was assembled from all the salvage junk left over from Robbie Junior’s path of destruction during his years riding SVs. The riders on this team will vary as it is basically a loaner bike for those who may want to try endurance racing. Good luck…

Browntown Racing. David “doo doo” Brown along with sons Reese and Chase have been doing the business this year in the WERA southeast regionals on their SV650s and Yamaha R6s. They will field a 2nd gen SV650 in the lightweight class. They’re all fast, but the lack of quick fuel endurance equipment will hamper their efforts. They will run up front until their fuel tank runs low at the 1 hour mark.

Get Off My Lawn. Scott Nelson, Todd Tolson, JT Turner, and Ray Hixon will run a freshly rebuilt 2nd gen SV650 equipped with an enlarged tank and quick fuel equipment. With a combined age of 229, I suggest any pitted near them keep the noise down after 7pm.

Some Expense Spared. After firing himself off of the RBOM Endurance Team at the end of 2018, Chris Bays has decided to jump into the team owner/rider mode for 2021. Bays acquired a frame and other bits out of the Masecar skunkworks scrap pile and assembled a good looking 2 nd gen SV650 with some fresh Ghetto Customs bodywork and endurance tank. Once the bike was built and proven to be track worthy, Bays recruited Moto America twins cup riders Tyler Freeman and Trevor Standish to join the fun. If the bike is reliable, they will be front runners.

Robem Engineering. Dr. Carl Price, Robert “Roaring Toyz” Fisher, and yours truly Mike Copoulos will ride a 3rd gen SV650 at select endurance rounds in 2021. Carl will reunite with the Moto America twins cup bike he raced in 2020, but now equipped with an endurance spec engine and a very bulbous fuel tank. With a 3 rider combined weight of 640 pounds, the team holds a tactical advantage of mechanical grip with the harder compound endurance tires.

R2D Twin. Ryan Carson Dan Hawkins and Ron Jenkins will run a 2nd gen Sv650 which was acquired and assembled by Carson. Expectations are low….

KSQ Racing. Damian Kelly, Corey Hart, and Rodney Vest will run an ex RBOM 2 nd gen SV650. The bike has quick fuel equipment and the team should perform fairly well if Rodney can keep the grass stains off of his USMC dress blue themed leathers.

Team Swetty Menz. Steve Wilkening, James Eberhart, Mike Martin, and John Mulcahy will ride the Swetty Mens #241 SV650. Team owner Wilkening may field a 2 nd bike, but that decision is still up in the air.

These are the fifteen teams we were able to gather information on. There are several more teams that will be racing in the WERA/N2 Endurance series but we weren’t able to get confirmation at this time. If you have a lightweight team and wish to be added, drop us a note and we will add you in. We look forward to seeing everyone at the opening round at Carolina Motorsports Park on April 24th . Safe Travels!

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