Saturday August 13th, Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA.
MV Agusta Dominates 2005 AFM 4-Hour Endurance Race
The Munroe Motors’ MV Agusta F4-1000 piloted by Tom Montano and Craig McLean was the second bike over the finish line at Infineon Raceway in the AFM 4 Hour Endurance race.
Montano and Munroe Motors had a successful run with the same bike earlier this summer at the Isle of Man TT Races, bringing home a Silver Replica trophy in the prestigious Senior race, and a Bronze Replica trophy in the Superbike race. “The only thing we changed on the bike since the TT was the rear spring, otherwise it was exactly the same,” said Montano after the race. “This bike simply works awesome!”
McLean and Montano are both experienced AMA and AFM veterans and old friends from Northern California. They decided to team up for the 4 hour Endurance race after competing against each other at the Isle of Man TT. McLean had seen the MV Agusta in action at the Island and was thrilled to have the opportunity to put it through its paces first hand. “I’ve raced a lot of great bikes,” he said. “The F4-1000 is amazingly comfortable, smooth and easy to ride fast - I could have ridden it all day”.
After stalling on the starting line when he dumped the clutch too fast, Montano was in last position at the end of the first lap. Just 5 laps later, he had sliced his way through the large field into 6th position. By the end of the first hour the team was leading the race. “We couldn’t believe what we were seeing,” said Munroe Motors’ race tech Jamie Karrick. “We thought we’d do well, but to be leading all the established race teams is incredible”.
The battle for the lead was fought with the P.T.T. Suzuki 1000 of AFM heavy hitters Michael Earnest, Jeff Tigert and Cory Call. The MV Agusta held firm until the final pit stop, after which the P.T.T. bike emerged to find itself in the lead, and the Munroe Motors team’s first place lead became a second place finish.
“We were thrilled to get on the podium - and second place is much more than we expected,” said Munroe Motors’ technical boss, Matthew Prentiss. “After completing over 1,000 practice and race miles on the Isle of Man, we checked the M.V.’s valve clearances before competing this weekend - and didn’t have to change a thing! The bike has been solid and fast from the very start”.
Munroe Motors race preparation for the MV Agusta F4-1000 included an Ohlins rear shock, Fast by Ferracci carbon fiber mufflers with a performance chip for the ECU, a mid-pipe conversion by Dennis Etcheverry, a Brembo GP front brake master cylinder, Marchesini forged aluminum wheels, lightweight racing bodywork, and re-valved forks by James Siddall of SPS suspension. Everything else on the bike is completely stock - as purchased from the showroom at Munroe Motors.
Tom Montano and the Munroe Motors team would like to thank their sponsors:
MV Agusta USA, Dunlop Tires, Vehicle Systems, Dennis Etcheverry, TAW for Brembo and Marchesini, James Siddall of SPS Suspension, Regina Chains, and Bobby Keith of Cycle Finish.
For more information please contact:
Jamie Karrick or Matt Prentiss
415-626-3496 ext 3
Munroe Motors of San Francisco and East Bay
www.munroemotors.com |
