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Published August 07, 2007 12:41 am - At the start of the 2007 Central Motorcyle Roadracing Association season, Cycle Connection of Joplin needed a pair of solid, yet safe, drivers to take the seat of its brand-new $40,000 Buell XB9R Firebolt to see how the bike would stack up against the competition. Joplin business gets boost from riders By Levi Payton
sports@joplinglobe.com At the start of the 2007 Central Motorcyle Roadracing Association season, Cycle Connection of Joplin needed a pair of solid, yet safe, drivers to take the seat of its brand-new $40,000 Buell XB9R Firebolt to see how the bike would stack up against the competition. Enter Springfield riders Joe Feco, 25, and Frank “Speedy” Gonzalez, 32. Not only did the duo take the offer to race the new bike, but, also, they went out and won a Formula Two event just four races into the season, winning the Hallett Motor Racing Circuit’s five-hour endurance race, with riders taking turns, in Hallett, Okla., on July 28. The win turned out to be an amazing feat in many ways. First, an American-built Buell motorcycle had never won a CMRA race. Second, Feco and Gonzalez (brothers-in-law) managed to record the rare feat of finishing nearly two laps ahead of their nearest competition in the 208-lap race. “We never had one win on one of these bikes in any division of our circuit,” Gonzalez said. “So to come away with this now is just huge for us and our sport. “Not having a large pit crew like most other teams has definitely hurt us, but we just kept going and tried to keep extending our lead. That’s what we had to do if we were going to win because of our long pit stops.” The tandem won the race the hard way. Whereas most teams use up to five drivers to complete endurance races, Feco and Gonzalez didn’t need the extra help. “This is such a really big accomplishment for us, our team, the sponsors and the builders,” Gonzalez said. “When I get on the bike, I just put it in my head I’m going the distance. I’m proud to be a part of this team and a part of this win.” 
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