Hall Takes Indy Superstock Race

• Larry Lawrence

In an April of 1991 WERA A Superstock race Kurt Hall – who called IRP his home track – quickly jumped out to a big lead. New Team Hammer support rider Steve Patterson was in second holding off a big pack that included Steve Heilman, Ray Yoder and Todd Hoge.

Turning lap times in the 1:41 range, Hall continued to build on his lead, his margin over second ballooning to eight seconds by mid-way. On lap three Yoder passed Patterson on the outside of turn four to take over second. Andy Deatherage moved by Heilman and Hoge to grab fourth on the next lap.

Hall went on to win the race easily with Yoder a lonely second and Patterson third. Deatherage held on to fourth while Hoge held off Tom Wilson and Heilman for fifth.

Kurt Hall leads Steve Patterson, Todd Hoge and the rest of the field in a WERA A Superstock race at Indianapolis Raceway Park in April of 1991. (Larry Lawrence photo)

Kurt Hall leads Steve Patterson, Todd Hoge and the rest of the field in a WERA A Superstock race at Indianapolis Raceway Park in April of 1991. (Larry Lawrence photo)

7 thoughts on “Hall Takes Indy Superstock Race”

  1. I remember doing a track day at Putnam a few years back and Kurt Hall was there turning a few laps. It was pretty cool be see a racer of his caliper turning laps at a track day. I had the opportunity to see his style up close and personal for fleeing second as he lapped me over and over and over 🙂 If I remember correctly then Commonwealth Ducati owner Ed Hessel (sp?) had one of Kurts Valvoline Emgo Suzuki’s on a shelf in the showroom.

    Great site! Keep up the good work from a fellow Hoosier.

    Like

    Reply

  2. Doug

    Ed was one of Hall’s riding buddies fromt the Louisville area. I think the two actually bought a bike (maybe a GPz550) together to go endurance road racing. Ed was fast too.

    Larry

    Like

    Reply

  3. There’s another name from the past. Ed Hessel. Got any pictures of him in his purple leathers laying around? He looked like Barney in those things. Ed was a really fun guy to hang out with, but his accent was nearly impossible to understand, once you got a few beers in him. Ed ran a GSXR750 in 86 and 87, but crashed it hard and sold it to some doofus (namely me), and I don’t think he ever really got back into it. He did do some endurance rides in the early 90’s.

    Those sure were fun times back then. After hanging up my leathers in ’94, I came back to visit a few years later. Things sure had changed. It seemed that everyone was much more serious, and the days of having a competitor loan you parts (so you could go out and beat him), seemed long gone. Not to say that everyone hated each other, but they just didn’t seem to have the camaraderie we had in years past.

    Like

    Reply

  4. Just a dumb tidbit to add to this, last year I bought Ed’s mothers car from him for my daughter. I didn’t know it was him selling the car until I went to look at it. He is still wrenching in his garage and doing some tuning for some local guys, but mainly he seemed to be working on a personal project that consisted of a jacked up Suzuki Bandit street fighter. My wife even talked his wife out of a few over grown Peonies that are doing quite well in my back yard.

    Like

    Reply
  5. Pingback: Ed Hessel – IRP (1986) « The Rider Files

  6. so I was admiring the photos of Kurt and I saw this photo of me? (weird) Larry always took some great shots! Hey Kevin do they know what was always taped to your taillight? Doug, I hope your daughter is enjoying here car (no problems). And lastly I was never a moto-xer, that was Kurt’s brother Scott’s specialty, I was just a dumb street rider till I met Alan Darby & Joe Mcneil in the early 80’s

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment