Rising stars Nicky Moore and Jason Perez each won multiple Sportsman Series races as WERA West raced past sunset and into darkness Sunday at California Speedway, in Fontana, California.
Riding his Hotbodies Racing-sponsored 2005 Yamaha YZF-R6, Moore, 19, won in C Superstock, C Superbike and B Superstock.
“I’m just here to keep tuned up,” said AMA Championship Series regular Moore. “I haven’t ridden in a while except for trails and supermoto. I’m just trying to get ready for Daytona.” Moore also said he was using the race weekend to test new race fuel from Sunoco.
Starting from the second wave in the shortened C Superstock and C Superbike races, Perez could not catch Moore (Perez finished second in C Superbike), but in A Superstock and Formula One no one could catch Perez on his Rojo Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.
“I’m just here to have fun,” said Perez, 21, who said he is currently negotiating deals to ride in either MotoGP or 1000cc European Superstock. “The R6 I rode had all stock suspension. And starting from the second wave was a little sketchy, but it was good practice passing people. So I’m just riding the R6 for fun and just trying to stay in tune with the 1000.”
The afternoon race schedule was marred by several crashes and delays (one caused by the temporary debris fence outside of turn nine being blown over by gusty winds), which caused the crowded schedule to run long well past sunset. In fact, the A Superbike sprint, the last race of the day, was run in some of the darkest conditions ever seen by some racers.
“It was dark,” stated Michael Sanchez, fourth-place finisher in A Superbike. “I was using the backfire flames from the bikes in front of me as braking markers. I couldn’t see the cones. I don’t think I saw a single cone out there.”
“That was definitely the darkest I’ve ever raced in,” said Corey Sarros, the third-place finisher in A Superbike. “You really had to look, especially for turn one. You were hurting if you missed that.”
“I could’ve done without that part (the darkness),” said Rocky Aiello, after missing his brake marker and overshooting turn 12, at the end of the infield straightaway, costing him the lead on the last lap.
“On the last lap, he drafted past me, went up the inside at the end of the infield straightaway and went sideways straight through the corner,” said Foothills Racing’s Brad Hendry, the eventual A Superbike winner. “I was trying to find the cones out there, but mainly, I was just going on feel. And I’ve only been here twice.”
Other winners Sunday included: Twin Works Factory’s Zoran Vujasnovic in Formula Two and Lightweight Twins Superbike, GPR’s Corey Eaton in Heavyweight Twins Superstock, Jay Tanner in Senior Superbike (a.k.a. Formula 40), Robert Gosney in D Superbike, Josh Galster in Lightweight Twins Superstock, Oceanside Aprilia-Ducati’s Kenny Kopecky in Heavyweight Twins Superbike, Karl Lowry in B Superbike, J.C. Gibbs in D Superstock, Ryan Sturz in Clubman and Kids: Don’t Smoke!/Roadracingworld.com’s 12-year-old Elena Myers in 125cc Grand Prix.
WERA announced that the rider turnout for the California Speedway event was a record, 138, up from the previous best, 90.