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Hal's Performance Advantage/Richie Morris Racing rider Dan Bilansky placed third aboard a Buell Firebolt in the final Formula USA Thunderbike National race of the season at Daytona International Speedway.
Millville & Wildwood Harley-Davidson/Buell rider David Estok, who clinched the 2005 Thunderbike series championship at the previous race on September 11, put his Buell Firebolt on the pole with a lap of 1 minute 50.864 seconds. At the start of the eight-lap national it was Suzuki rider Ed Key, who qualified sixth, getting a jump on the field and taking the lead, with Bilansky, Estok and Ducati rider Matt Carr giving chase. The four riders pulled away from the pack and engaged in a back-and-forth drafting battle, keeping Key under constant pressure. Bilansky did pass Key to take the lead as the group passed the finish line to begin the final lap, but Key re-passed the Buell rider and held on to nip Carr by just 0.036 seconds at the line, closely followed by Bilansky and Estok.
Blue Springs Harley-Davidson/Buell rider Walt Sipp was fifth on a Buell, followed by Ducati rider Rhiannon Lucente. Buell riders rounded out the top ten, with Daytona Harley-Davidson/Richie Morris Racing rider Clint Brotz seventh, Hal's Performance Advantage/Sound Waves rider Joe Rozynski eighth, Hal's Performance Advantage rider Paul James ninth, and Customworld.com rider Andrew Hamblin tenth.
At the end of the eight-race Formula USA Thunderbike National series, Estok tops the series with 214 points. Bilansky's strong finish at the last race pulled him up to second with 152 points. Suzuki rider David Yaakov ends the season in third with 149 points, followed by Brotz with 138 points and Joe Rozynski with 131. In the series final points race, seven Buell riders finished in the top ten.
"The Thunderbike series this year was really intense," said Erik Buell, Chief Technical Officer of Buell Motorcycle Company. "We're excited that Buell rider Dave Estok won the championship and that seven Buell riders finished in the top ten in the points race."
The Formula USA National Thunderbike series is a horsepower-to-weight ratio restricted class, open to a variety of production-based motorcycles. Buell-mounted riders compete in the eight-event 2005 Thunderbike series race for a share of the $70,500 contingency fund posted by Buell Motorcycle Company.
To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. For the Buell dealer nearest you, pull into www.buell.com.
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