“Privateer” is a term somewhat in flux these days in AMA roadracing, but by the classic definition, Chris Peris and the Evan Steel Performance Iron Horse BMW team did quite a bit better than most non-transporter teams last year in AMA SuperBike. Steel and engine man Phil Allison cut their teeth in SoCal roadracing, then relocated to Tucson, Arizona, a few seasons ago to start their own motorcycle business.
Who should happen into the shop one day but John Cartwright, owner of Iron Horse BMW, who’d brought along a new S1000RR to run on the dyno and find out if all the hype was true? It was. “Since the bike was here,” says Steel, “we weighed it, measured it with a MegaMax frame measurement machine, and all the numbers were very impressive: Horsepower, weight and chassis geometry were all very similar to our ’08 GSX-R1000 Superstock bike, which Chris had put on an AMA Superbike podium in ’08 [at VIR]. We all got excited and brought Chris down to ride a stocker, and he broke our local track record on it by over a second in his second session. So we said let’s go for it and race this thing…”
Phil Allison dove in and decided the stock rods, pistons, valves and cams looked fine, and the machined combustion chambers were things of beauty straight from the factory. Bumping compression slightly and changing the cam timing a tad resulted in 187 horsepower and 83 foot-pounds of torque—no porting, no valve job. At Fontana, Peris finished 11th in AMA SuperBike, and at Sears Point he broke into the top 10.
The good news for small teams in AMA SuperBike is that spec Dunlops remove the tire variable. The bad news is they’re $465 a set, and Peris goes through about eight sets per race weekend (!); ESP couldn’t afford to race again until Laguna Seca. But when they got to Laguna, it was worth it: The ESP BMW was second-fastest through the speed trap in the first qualifying session and was the fastest Superbike in Q2, even though it is in fact a Superstock bike. In the race, Peris didn’t get bumped out of 7th place until the closing laps by the pair of Jordan Suzukis, and he wound up ninth (two spots behind our own Eric Bostrom). Except for EBoz, everybody ahead of Peris would appear to be a well-funded effort with some level of factory connection.
Expensive trick parts and inside information from Europe or what? Not so much, says Steel. Their BMW made do with a Power Commander and a stock ECU reflashed to make the traction control cut in more softly. But softer was still too much for Peris’ heavy throttle paw: “We actually run the bike in slick mode with the traction control turned completely off 99 percent of the time,” says Steel. “The stock traction control is great for normal humans; every club racer or trackday rider who’s tried it has loved it—we have demo rides at our track days and at Chris’s riding school (www.perisrs.com)—but for superman types, the stock TC slows us down 3 or 4 tenths a lap. It cuts the motor too much. It also cuts in and out hard enough to cause the bike to get a little out of sorts and wear the tire out early, but only if a psychotic is riding it. When our local 1000cc club champion rode it, the ABS turned itself on twice in a 10-lap stint, and he said the traction control kicked in at two or three spots per lap. When Chris is riding it, ABS comes on at every corner entry, and the traction control is cutting in dramatically at every exit. Psycho!! I’m sure if we could adjust it to suit Chris’s aggressive style, it would make us 3 or 4 tenths faster, as well as save the tire a little bit—make those last 7 or 8 laps a little faster and more under control. But we haven’t got there yet.”
Tricky high-end chassis parts then? Not really. Your basic Öhlins 30mm fork kit (in Attack adjustable-offset triple-clamps) and a TTX shock control stock wheels, brake calipers and rotors—though EPS did spring for a Brembo RCS master cylinder and new brake lines. From there, it’s all standard, good, over-the-counter stuff: Attack rearsets and clip-ons, Armour Bodies plastic, Driven chain and sprockets, LeoVince pipe, GPR steering damper, Vesrah clutch plates and brake pads, and a really light Speedcell battery. Other than that, there’s no secret sauce from Europe, no factory support, nothing but a grass-roots effort made possible by lots of nice customers, friends, family members and local companies, most notably “Run GP,” “Kurvey Girl” and one Bruce Barker.
Imagine how Peris and the kids might do with a little more money and backing? Maybe we’ll get to find out. Rumors were circulating that BMW would step into AMA SuperBike in a big way in 2011; but BMW says there won’t be an official team after all, “due to a number of influencing issues.” Makes sense. Why buy the cow when you can lay a little cheese on the Iron Horse boys? Enough to cover the tire bill would be a good start. In the meantime, hats off to Chris Peris and crew for doing a lot with a little, and for keeping SuperBike super.
NEWS FLASH! A chunk of cheddar of officially unknown origin, we’re informed, has touched down in Tucson, and if all goes well, Team Iron Horse BMW/ESP and Chris Peris will be racing the full 2011 AMA SuperBike series from a sweet new box truck, in which Steel and Phil Allison will also be taking up residence “if we don’t win some races soon,” says Evan. “We’ve got some sponsorship, Chris’s riding school is doing well, and we hope to have our best season ever. Thanks to everyone for all the help!”
