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 RAAM Weather Forecastby Dave Speelman, Meteorologist KAMR NBC Channel 4, Amarillo TX Saturday will be cloudy, with rain likely throughout southern Georgia. Highs will be only in the 80s.
One Bloke Over The Line! 
Gerry Tatrai won the Solo Division of the 1998 Ensure Race Across America early Saturday morning in Savannah GA. The 34-year-old resident of Sydney Australia rode virtually unchallenged all the way from southern California to notch his second victory in what is billed as the world's toughest race. His final time was 8 days 12 hours 22 minutes, his third sub-nine-day crossing of the USA.
Tatrai was blesssed with cloud cover much of Friday, which kept the thrmometer from rising to levels more typical of summer. An afternoon breeze further cooled him, and allowed him to maintain a brisk pace southbound through the state.
The 2906-mile race pitted six former RAAM winners against one another, along with 16 other veterans and rookies. It was perhaps the most RAAM-capable assemblage ever in in the history of the race.
 Tatrai rode steadily through the day and into the final night, always in a jovial mood. From time to time he fidgeted with his bikes and changed wheels, but altogether kept his forward motion maximized. He easily kept his speed in the 20-22 mph range through much of the day, enjoying the gradual descent to near-sea level. The affable Aussie rode into town confidently, behind the flashing lights and blaring sirens of Savannah's finest. He didn't seem the worse for his mileage, and almost lamented the lack of competition in this year's race. He speculated that his foes simply let him get away because "they were waiting for me to blow up." It never happened.
In the Relay Team Division, Team Action Sports, of Bakersfield CA, scored an impressive victory with a time of 5 day 11 hours 2 minutes. They led the entire second one-half of the race, keeping second-polace Pacificare sufficiently at bay. The Action Sports team was backed by an incredible array of support vehicles (one motorhome and four vans, two of which were ambulances). They sped down the highway at speeds normally exceeding 25 mph. At the end, they were exchanging riders nearly every 15 minutes. With the Finish Line so close at hand, this strategy keeps fresh riders constantly on the bike, with sleep no longer an issue.
 One of the moving forces behind Team Action Sports is Kerry Ryan. A veteran of numerous RAAMs as well as Furnace Creek 508s, Ryan and his teammates rightfully send fear down the spines of competing teams.
 In second place was Team Pacificare, with a time of 5 days 11 hours 2 minutes, the closest-ever Team RAAM finish. Pacificare overcame a major navigational effort late in the race (which put them nearly two hours behind Action Sports), and steadily whittled away at Action Sports' lead. Unfortunately, Pacificare ran out of Georgia, and had to settle for second-best.
 Team Secure Horizons/SCOR broke the record for the 70-up age bracket in Team RAAM, with a very impressive finish in 8 days 9 hours 15 minutes. The foursome of former cardiac patients rode steadily and strongly throughout the race, and managed to chop over 16 hours from the previous record. Secure Horizons was featured nightly on the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw during the race, and proved worthy of the media attention.
 It is a special moment when the Team RAAM and its officials catches up with Solo RAAM. Normally, this occurs in southern Tennessee, but this time it did not occur until there were only 85 miles left in the race. Above, Robb Warren (left) and RAAM's Executive Director Michael Shermer were having a good time (still) when the two races converged. Tatrai did his best to hold Action Sports at bay, but when one fatigued rider goes up against four seasoned racers who have had some rest, the results are predictable. The teams go blowing by, and the solo riders enjoy a temporary "wave" as they go by.
   Perhaps the most inspiring story of RAAM occurred to Wolfgang Fasching, the defending champion from Austria. With 50 miles to go, Fasching clipped a road reflector and hit the pavement, breaking his clavicle. Undaunted, the stoic Austrian re-mounted his bike (very carefully) and rode one-handed the remaining 50 miles to Savannah. His courage preserved for him a second-place finish. In great pain, and with large areas of skin torn from the fall, Fasching rode confidently through the cobbles of River Street right to the Finish Line, waving his country's flag proudly. Tomorrow's installment will contain more photos and stories from the next wave of RAAM finishers.
Finishing stats for the 9th Day:
Use the menu below to check the updates posted each night during the race!
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