1999 NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
"Things in the CMRA were changing a lot. With tension between WERA and the CMRA, there were no more WERA Nationals in the region. It really made racing a lot more "dull". It was reportedly a "good business decision", but in my opinion, it was a terrible racing decision. Regardless, we (CMRA) were now "independent" and Ty Howard & John Haner stopped getting so much competition in the region. They continued to be the "fast guys", but it was not as Nationally noteworthy without the regular "national guys" dropping in."
"Regardless, Ben Spies was ready to burst on the national scene as he was still "just a little kid on a bike", but his laptimes and results showed the promise. Sam McDonald and Gregg Abbott had a slight "re-emergence" as the "Big Dogs" and their battles on Yamaha R-1's were legendary. Ty Howard and John Haner continued to be fast too! Many guys like Scott Crawford, Larry Locklear, Aaron Spettel, Ottis Lance, Lance Orr, Scott Foster, Jeremy Keller, Darren Behm, Andy Galindo, and many others were developing (or maintaining them) in CMRA Endurance Racing."
"Jim Bishop was the fast "up and comer" from the Novice ranks, with Bent Racing, G-Man, and No Homeless racing starting efforts that would be both fun to watch in turn into long term commitments to the CMRA endurance series in the case of G-Man and No Homeless."