Tooele, Utah – Oleg Pianykh secured the King of the Mountain title by the slimmest of margins at round six of UtahSBA’s ‘Masters of the Mountains’ series at Miller Motorsports this past weekend.
Entering the final round of the season, the biggest threat to Pianykh’s title chase was Canadian racer Peter de Graff. Only a 17 point margin separated the two riders and pre-race arithmetic suggested that all Pianyk needed was a top ten finish position and the title would be safely secured. Instead, the premier event played out to be one of the most dramatic season closers in the history of the club. The starting line-up for Sunday afternoons 14 lap King of the Mountain ‘O’ race featured some strong contenders in the form of Pianykh, de Graff, Rob Christman, Chad Swain and Michael Bradshaw. It was Colorado native Rob Christman who got the hole-shot into Turn One with Pianykh and de Graaf in tow.
On the second lap, Pianykh chose the exit of Millers East Turn One to make his move and slotted his bike in front of Christman. De Graff was the man with everything to gain and quickly took command of his race. Passing Christman at the entry of Clubhouse Corner he then began the relentless hunt for Pianykh.
With four laps remaining, the hard charging de Graff had forged his ex-Blake Young Suzuki to within only two bike lengths of Pianykh but could not find the edge to make a pass. The race was quickly winding down and de Graff’s opportunities for clinching a win were all but exhausted when the race took an unexpected turn. Midway through the 180 degree Wind-Up corner, Pianykh suddenly lost the front on his Moto Station Suzuki and bike and rider slid off the track in a spray of sand and gravel.
The dynamics of the race, and the title chase, had quickly changed. Like the dust hanging in the air, Pianykh’s championship hopes also hung. As de Graff cruised to victory, race officials in the tower calculated the points balance that would ultimately determine which rider would take the title.
It was Pianykh who was crowned King of the Mountain champion for 2013. By virtue of completing 50% race distance and still managing to glean some critical points his title was secured by a single point. This extraordinary and dramatic season closer will go down in the annals of UtahSBA history as being the closest points finish on record and also Pianykh being the first back-to-back double KOM champion.
Pianykh had mixed emotions when reflecting on his weekend: “It was unfortunate to crash but thankfully I still won the championship. It’s been a great year with a lot of ups and downs but we pulled through in the end.” Pianykh credited his sponsors for his success this season: “I couldn’t do it without these guys and want to thank Moto Station SLC, Scott Larsen from Fastline Race Tire, Vortex, Evolution Machining and ACT Leathers.”
Race fans were treated to equally close racing in the middleweight class. Scott Decker, having already secured the King of the Mountain GTU title, had nothing to prove in this race other than to finish. The showdown was between Canadian rider Chad Swain and local racer Jerry Hicks.
Despite being one of the smaller grids of the weekend, the KOM GTU race proved to be one of the most spectacular and tightly fought races of the day. It was Hicks that got the holeshot into turn one with Canadians Swain and Scott Decker close behind. Gapping the rest of the field by a considerable margin, Swain stuck to the tail of Hicks’ Honda and strategized. The play-book maneuver was delivered on lap five, on the entry to Clubhouse Corner running deep and taking a wider line placed Swain in the ideal position for an inside drive for the complex of Wind-Up and Release. The tactic played out beautifully and Swain slotted his AIQ Yamaha R6 into the lead.
Now roles were reversed, and Hicks was on the attack with Swain defending his lead. On lap five, positions changed again and Hicks took the lead back at Turn One. Swain, already having played his hand at Clubhouse, was running out of options on where to make an attempt to gain his position back. This gave Hicks the advantage of running a defensive race and blocking every corner until the chequered flag. Although falling short of getting the GTU KOM title, it was the race of the day, and probably the race of the year for Hicks.
A jubilant Hick’s said after the race: “Scott [Decker] had already mathematically secured the title, so I went into the race wanting to win at any cost” said Hicks “it was a ‘win it or bin it’ situation and it turned out to be a great race.” Hicks went on to thank his sponsors; Honda Suzuki of Salt Lake, Fastline Race Tire, Corporate Suspension and his girlfriend Carrie for their support this year.
UtahSBA also thank their class sponsors and vendors for their support this season; Apex Trackdays, BMW/Triumph of Utah, Bullydog Technologies, Cortech, Darkside Tactical, ECS HVAC, Edge Motorsports, Fastline Racetire, Fulmer Helmets, Honda Suzuki of Salt Lake, Lamonica’s Restaurant Services, Maverik Kick Start Radio, Moto-Station, Salt Lake Motorsports, South Valley Motorsports, Trackstar, Vortex Racing and Wrights Parts & Accessories.
The UtahSBA Masters of the Mountains series shall return to Miller Motorsports Park in April 2014
The Masters of the Mountains is a motorcycle road racing series organized by the Utah Sport Bike Association, held at Miller Motorsports Park, and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). The UtahSBA is a member-based non-profit organization committed to furthering the sport of motorcycle road racing through racing, rider education and safety. For more information on schedule, rulebook, class sponsors, purses and contingency please visit www.utahsba.com/racing or link to the UtahSBA page on Facebook.
Masters of the Mountains 2013 Round 6 Results
King of the Mountain O 1. Peter de Graff (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Rob Christman (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Michael Bradshaw (BMW S1000RR) 4. Chad Swain (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Jerry Hicks (Hon CBR600RR) 6. Ryan Brand (BMW S1000RR)
King of the Mountain U 1. Jerry Hicks (Hon CBR600RR) 2. Chad Swain (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Scott Decker (Suz GSXR-600) 4. David Kendal (Suz GSXR-600)
Deseret Dash R1 (Expert) 1. Oleg Pianykh (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Peter de Graaf (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Sean Griffiths (KTM RC8) 4. Colton Hicks (Hon CBR1000RR) 5. Eric Postnieks (BMW S1000RR) 6. David Purcell (Yam YZF-R6)
Deseret Dash R1 (Novice) 1. Tanner Hicks (Kaw ZX-6R) 2. Damien Olson (Hon CBR1000RR) 3. Arthur Chen (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Corey Brand (Duc 1098) 5. Jeff Donelson (Kaw ZX-6R)
Deseret Dash R2 (Expert) 1. Peter de Graaf (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Rob Christman (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Oleg Pianykh (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Peter Tabor (Kaw ZX-10R) 5. Eric Jones (Hon CBR1000RR) 6. Matthew Lewis (Yam YZF-R6)
Deseret Dash R2 (Novice) 1. Tanner Hicks (Kaw ZX-6R) 2. Damien Olson (Hon CBR1000RR) 3. Arthur Chen (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Corey Brand (Duc 1098) 5. Albert Andrade (Suz GSX-R1000)
Endurance (Overall) 1. King / Stern (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Hicks / Hicks (Hon CBR1000RR) 3. Wilson / White (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Whipple / Giguere (Tri 675) 5. Snethen / Richardson (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. Derek Festavan (Kaw ZX-6R)
Super Twins 1. John Crump (Buell 1125R) 2. Sean Griffiths (KTM RC8) 3. Eric Grimm (KTM RC8) 4. Jeff Healy (Duc 848) 5. Brad Moore (Suz SV650) 6. Jeff Masters (Buell 1125)
Middleweight Superbike 1. Chad Swain (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Scott Decker (Suz GSX-R600) 3. David Purcell (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Mark Harper (Hon CBR600RR) 5. David Kendal (Suz GSXR-600) 6. Jim King (Yam YZF-R6)
Womens GTO 1. Lindsey Willis (Suz SV650) 2. Amanda Mahue (Kaw 250R)
Novice GTU 1. Devin Husband (Kaw ZX-6R) 2. Ryan Luke (Suz GSX-R600) 3. Derek Festavan (Kaw ZX-6R) 4. Scott Peck (Suz GSX-R600) 5. Arthur Chen (Yam YZF-R6) 6. James Peterc (Tri 675)
Open Superbike 1. Oleg Pianykh (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Peter de Graaf (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Rob Christman (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Ryan Brand (BMW S1000R) 5. Michael Bradshaw (BMW S1000R) 6. Justin Knapik (Kaw ZX-10R)
MOTO 3 1. Brian Childree (Mor MD250) 2. Joe Washburn (Kaw 250R) 3. Gauge Rees (Kaw 250R) 4. Jeff Masters (Kaw 250R) 5. Ryan Richards (Kaw 250R) 6. Dale Bell (Kaw 250R)
Combined GTO 1. Joe Washburn (Suz GSX-R600) 2. Damien Olson (Hon CBR1000RR) 3. Sean Griffiths (KTM RC8) 4. Trent Owens (Hon CBR1000RR) 5. John Crump (Buell 1125R) 6. Jarvis Hoffhines (Suz GSX-R1000)
Combined GTU 1. Joe Washburn (Suz GSX-R600) 2. Devin Husband (Kaw ZX6R) 3. Brian Worsdall (Hon CBR600RR) 4. Derek Festavan (Kaw ZX-6R) 5. Briar Handly (Yam YZF-R6) 6. Ryan Luke (Suz GSX-R600)
Formula 40 GTO 1. Michael Bradshaw (BMW S1000RR) 2. Rob Christman (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Ryan Brand (BMW S1000RR) 4. Eric Jones (Hon CBR1000RR) 5. John Hopperstad (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. Kevin Dolan (Suz GSX-R1000)
Formula 40 GTU 1. Jim King (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Michael Cormier (Kaw ZX-6R)
Twins GTO 1. Brian Childree (Mor MD250H) 2. Jeff Healy (Duc 848) 3. Brad Moore (Suz SV650)
Twins GTU 1. Brian Childree (Mor MD250H) 2. Tim Gallagher (Suz SV650) 3. Lindsey Willis (Suz SV650) 4. Amanda Mahue (Kaw 250R) 5. Gauge Rees (Kaw 250R) 6. Ryan Richardson (Kaw 250R)
Open Superstock 1. Peter Tabor (Kaw ZX-10R) 2. Michael Bradshaw (BMW S1000RR) 3. Chad Swain (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Ryan Brand (BMW S1000R) 5. Randy Callicoat (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. Shane White (Suz GSX-R1000)
Heavy Weight Superstock 1. Scott Decker (Suz GSX-R600) 2. Joe Washburn (Suz GSX-R600) 3. David Purcell (Yam YZF-R6) 4. David Peterson (Suz GSX-R750) 5. Danny Egbert (Yam YZF-R6) 6. Nicholas Nelson (Tri 675)
Sportsman 1. Damien Olson (Hon CBR1000RR) 2. James Peterc (Tri 675) 3. Steve Kozicki (Yam YZF-6R) 4. Albert Andrade (Suz GSX-R750) 5. Michael Cormier (Hon CBR600RR) 6. Daniel Howe (Yam YZF-R6)
Formula 5 (GTO) 1. Shane White (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Scott Paras (Hon CBR1000RR) 3. John Hopperstad (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Eric Jones (Hon CBR1000RR) 5. Kevin Dolan (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. Trent Owens (Hon CBR1000RR)
Formula 5 (GTU) 1. Joe Washburn (Hon CBR600RR) 2. Jonathan Howard (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Danny Egbert (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Brian Worsdall (Hon CBR600RR) 5. Brian Whipple (Tri 675) 6. Ryan Luke (Suz GSX-R600)
Production 250 1. Amanda Mahue (Kaw 250R) 2. Gauge Rees (Kaw 250R) 3. Jeff Masters (Kaw 250R) 4. Dale Bell (Kaw 250R) 5. Ryan Richardson (Kaw 250R)
Novice GTO 1. Damien Olson (Hon CBR1000RR) 2. Jarvis Hofhines (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Derek Festavan (Kaw ZX-6R) 4. Arthur Chen (Yam YZF-R6) 5. Steven Olson (Hon CBR1000RR) 6. Scott Peck (Suz GSX-R600)
Middleweight Superstock 1. Scott Decker (Suz GSX-R600) 2. Joe Washburn (Suz GSX-R600) 3. David Purcell (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Brian Worsdall (Hon CBR600RR) 5. Steve Kozicki (Yam YZF-6R) 6. Aaron Nourbakhsh (Tri 675)