UMRA MINI ROADRACING 24 HOUR ENDURANCE RACE REPORT

Apple Valley, CA – The third annual United Mini Racing Association 24 Hour Endurance event took place September 3 at Grange Motor Circuit, in Apple Valley, California, in scorching weather, and the competition was even hotter. Team Cagica, racing a highly modified Honda XR100 in the Formula 5 Class, completed 1,131 laps, just five laps ahead of Team Bike Curious on their Yamaha TTR125. Third overall, and setting the fastest lap of the race, was the Super Street 125 Class winner, Team NRGY1 Racing’s Honda Grom completing 1,096 laps.

The Thunderbike class for stock XR100s and similar air cooled singles was even more closely contested. The all-girl team, Wild Ones, finished third in class, an agonizingly close two laps behind second place Team Flat Rabbit. Less than the time it took for one pit stop. Team #goonsquad won the class with 1,043 laps.

Super Street 125 class saw the return of the factory Kymko effort, their second successful 24 Hour event showcasing the reliability of their 125cc K-Pipe model street bike. They finished fourth in class with 1,031 laps completed. The only scooter in the event, a Yamaha Zuma 125 on the ironically named Gears Racing team, finished third in class. Underscoring the popularity of scooter racing in Asia, some riders on the team flew in from Korea just for this event. Second in class and fourth overall went to the Kawasaki Z-125 of Team 142, only 29 laps behind class winner and talent-laden Team NRGY1. Heavy hitters on that team included Isle of Man TT winner and Macau GP racer Mark Miller, VR46 Rider Academy racer Damian Jigalov, and the rider with the fastest lap of the race in any class, nine year old (yes, nine) Rossi Moor.

In the Formula 5 class, rider Mark Miller did double duty and was briefly reunited with his former AMA crew chief and team owner Carry Andrew of Team Hypercycle. Their Suzuki powered KTM chassis completed 1,067 laps for third in class and sixth overall. “I was riding the (NRGY1) bike as a first obligation but lent a hand to my old friends on the (Hypercycle) bike as they were down on riders plus their machine worked so well. Was really awesome to be a co-rider with Carry as he’s an excellent competitor with true grit and talent” said Miller.

Remarkably, every bike that started the race saw the checkered flag. For one team, it was a lot harder than it was for the rest of the field. Team Senility’s XR100 was in with a chance for the overall win until they broke a crankshaft around midnight, half way through the race. It took a five and a half hour pit stop and parts from three engines before they could continue. Perhaps just as grueling, the winning team consisted of just four riders.

Formula 5 Endurance Class Podium

1st Place – Team Cagica – Bike #66 – 1131 laps completed. Team Cagica is Hitoshi Yanagisawa, Nick Tanabe, Tomonori Watanabe, and Ayumu Takeidui

2nd place – Team Bike Curious – Bike #77 – 1126 laps completed. Bike Curious is Walter Nitto Jr, Cody Newman, Vishal Bhosale, Shane Liberty, Ryan Whitman, and Joel Bailey.

3rd place – Team Hypercycle – Bike #41 – 1045 laps completed. Hypercycle is Mark Rittner, Bruce Durfy, Michael Gallagher, Carry Andrew, and Mark Miller.

Super Street 125 Endurance Class Podium

1st Place – Team NRGY1 Racing – Bike #88 – 1096 laps completed. NRGY1 Racing Team is Daniel Oprea, Randy Newman, Mitsu Ueda, Rossi Moor, Damian Jigalov, Mark Miller, and Andre Castanos.

2nd place – Team 142 – Bike #142 – 1067 laps completed. Team 142 is Carlos Johnston, David Brown, Eric Gray, Derek Keys, and Andrew Lee.

3rd place – Team Gears Racing – Bike #911 – 1054 laps completed. Gears Racing Team is Anthony Tai, Tina Hyu, Yu Jui Li, Cameron Diputado, and Tim Ames.

Thunderbike Endurance Class Podium

1st Place – Team #GoonSquad – Bike #13 – 1043 laps completed. Team #GoonSquad is Joseph Alves, Jeremy Horn, Ryan Harper, Andre Ochs, Kristian “Big Dad” Daniel, Abhi Eswarappa, and Nathan May.

2nd place – Team Flat Rabbit Racing – Bike #68 – 926 laps completed. Flat Rabbit Racing is Nate Hall, Willie Alexander, Greg Salazar, and Kellan Chavies.

3rd place – Team Wild Ones – Bike #17 – 924 laps completed. Wild Ones are Riley Munin, Saibeth Mudek, Christina Orris, Susie Chiu, Cheyenne Covarrubias, Becky Uribe, and Maria Ogborn.

About UMRA: Based in Southern California, the United Mini Racing Association exists to promote the sport of mini motorcycle roadracing. We seek to create a supportive and positive environment for everyone to learn how to race like a pro. We have a wide range of race classes to suit most types of mini bikes. For more information, visit us at raceumra.com.