UtahSBA: Jerry Hicks Wins King Of The Mountain GTO Race At UMC

UtahSBA: Jerry Hicks Wins King Of The Mountain GTO Race At UMC

© 2017, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Jerry Hicks extends his lead in KoM GTO

June 17-18, 2017 at the East Track of the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah

The end of round 3 marks the half way point for the Utah Sport Bike Association’s Masters of the Mountains series and while there are several classes in which probable champions are emerging, many more are close enough that one poor tire choice, one set-up mistake, or even a stroke of bad luck could have catastrophic results for the championship hopes of the top three contenders.

The highlight of the weekend was the KoM GTO race. The grid was a little lighter than normal, but the racing was more intense than the previous two rounds. 7 riders took the grid, and after a knife fight through turn one, the racers started to separate into two groups. Jerry Hicks, Brian Childree, and Michael Bradshaw quickly opened a gap between themselves and the rest of the field. The first half of the 14 lap race was intense, with each rider challenging the rider in front of them. Two riders held the lead at points in the race, and each of the top three battled for second place. As the race progressed, and each rider settled in to their race pace, passes happened less frequently, but there were several attempts. There was no point during the race where any of the three could relax. 

Eventually, despite inevitable fatigue, and dealing with the reduced grip of a wearing tire, Hicks managed to open a small gap between himself and Bradshaw. Bradshaw opened a similar sized gap between himself and Childree. The gaps stayed the same for the last two and a half laps, but they were close enough that the spectators knew that any rider that made a mistake would pay for it with the loss of at least one finishing position. All three maintained their composure however, and Hicks took the win, followed by Bradshaw in second, and Childree rounding out the podium in third. 

The first portion of the race was a demonstration of skill as each of the three charged corners, and challenged each other at every opportunity at high speed. The last four laps were a testament to each rider’s patience, consistency, and mental toughness as they continued to ride their machines to their limits for the entire race. 

Bradshaw said, “It is really a pleasure to race against Brian and Jerry. There are some really fast people out there, but there’s nothing in the world like going into a corner as hard as you can three wide because you trust the skill and judgment of the competitors next to you. Jerry is naturally fast, and it seems like he’s always on the gas sooner that it seems possible, so trying to keep pace with him is really tough. Brian is super smooth and consistent, and it took a few laps before I figured out how to get around him. I learn something from the both of them every time I get on track with them.”

Kory Cowan took the win in the KoM GTU class. The race looked like it would be closely contested at first as Trackstar Racing’s Ryan Richardson showed Cowan a wheel several times over the first couple laps. Cowan found some extra speed and was able to start opening a gap on Richardson. Bradshaw came from behind, making his way through traffic, eventually working his way to second place. It looked possible that he might be able to seriously challenge Cowan for the win, but just couldn’t get enough drive out of the last corner to overtake and pass Cowan. Richardson finished the race in third position. Sean Thomas, racing out of Colorado had one of the strongest performances of his rookie season on a 600cc bike, and stayed glued to Richardson’s back wheel for the entire race, eventually finishing fourth.

Another race that was exciting to watch was Modern Vintage. Modern Vintage is a combined GTO/GTU race in which the bikes have to be at least 10 years old. Kevin Dolan has been dominating the GTO portion of the class, winning every race on his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Joshua Bronfman has experienced similar success in the GTU field, also winning the past two races without serious challenge on his Yamaha YZF-R6. The first three laps looked to be a repeat of the last two rounds, but then things started to get thrilling as Bronfman started to challenge Dolan for the honor of crossing the start/finish line first. 

Bronfman charged Dolan into every corner, never quite able to make a pass stick as the more powerful GTO bike walked away from him between every corner. For three laps, there was an attempted pass on almost every corner of the circuit, with Dolan fighting him off every single time. Bronfman managed to close the gap enough on turn 1 at the start of the sixth lap, and didn’t let Dolan get too far ahead. Coming into turn 5, a very sharp right hander, Bronfman managed to get inside Dolan’s line and beat him to the corner on the brakes and make a pass that finally stuck. 

The race was far from over as Dolan had the horsepower advantage. He would close the gap on every straight, but Bronfman was able to maneuver his more nimble R6 through the corners at a much higher speed. Bronfman crossed the line just in front of Dolan. Although there is no “overall” winner in the Modern Vintage class, and Dolan and Bronfman each took the top spot on the podium for their respective classes, it was a very exciting race to watch.

Every class had its battles, whether they happened at the front or the middle of the pack, and the top finishers have varied enough that the championship in most classes is still completely up for grabs. Round 4 will happen in July on the Perimeter configuration, and it is anticipated that there will be more racers than usual attending the event. New talent and a seldom raced track configuration will make for some very interesting racing, and could make the championship points standings even more unpredictable.

The Utah Sport Bike Association is a Utah Non-Profit dedicated to promoting education, safe riding and competition in the Intermountain West. You can find more information about the USBA, upcoming events, and schools at www.utahsba.com or find us on Facebook at www.utahsba.com

RESULTS:

The Moto Station KoM GTO

1. Jerry Hicks (SUZ GSX-R1000)

2. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)

3. Brian Childree (SUZ GSX-R1000)

4. Justin Delong (BMW S1000RR)

5. Steve Kozicki (YAM YZF-R1)

Rickdiculous Racing KoM GTU

1. Kory Kowan (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Michael Bradshaw (TRI 675)

3. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Sean Thomas (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Matt Guiver (YAM YZF-R6)

The Edge Motorsports Deseret Dash GTO 1 (Expert)

1. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)

2. Ryan McGowan (KAW ZX-10R)

3. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R1)

4. Phil O’Bryan (Kaw ZX-6R)

The Edge Motorsports Deseret Dash GTO 2 (Expert)

1. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)

2. Ryan McGowan (KAW ZX-10R)

3. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R1)

4. Phil O’Bryan (Kaw ZX-6R)

The Edge Motorsports Deseret Dash GTO 1 (Novice)

1. Zac Miller (BMW S1000RR)

2. Matt DeVico (DUC 899)

3. Jeff VanDerVoort (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Michael Cormier (KAW ZX-6R)

5. Andy Blunt (YAM YZF-R6)

The Edge Motorsports Deseret Dash GTO 2 (Novice)

1. Matt DeVico (DUC 899)

2. Zac Miller (BMW S1000RR)

3. Randy Schuler (KAW ZX-6R)

4. Jeff VanDerVoort (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Michael Cormier (KAW ZX-6R)

The MotoStation Open Superbike

1. Jerry Hicks (SUZ GSX-R1000)

2. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)

3. Brian Childree (SUZ GSX-R1000)

4. Justin Delong (BMW S1000 RR)

5. Steve Kozicki (YAM YZF-R1)

South Valley Motorsports Open Superstock

1. Kory Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Neil Carlson (DUC 1199)

3. John Crump (SUZ GSX-R1000)

4. Justin Delong (BMW S1000RR)

5. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)

Lamonica’s Restaurant Supply

1. Kory Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Erick Grim (YAM YZF-R6)

3. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R6)

4. James Peterec (TRI 675)

5. Spencer Kruger (SUZ GSX-R750)

The MotoStation Middleweight Superbike

1. Kory Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Matt Guiver (YAM YZF-R6)

3. Sean Thomas (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Jerry Carson (SUZ GSX-R 600)

Trackstar Racing Middleweight Superstock

1. Kory Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)

3. Sean Thomas (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Erik Grim (YAM YZF-R6)

Recycle Solutions Moto 1

1. Joshua Bronfman (YAM YZF-R1)

2. Jerry Hicks (SUZ GSX-R1000)

3. MIchael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)

4. Ryan McGowan (KAW ZX-10R)

5. Steve Kozicki (YAM YZF-R1)

Fastline Race Tire Moto 2

1. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Sean Thomas (YAM YZF-R6)

3. Erik Grim (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Taylor Clark (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Kory Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)

Discount Tire Novice GTO

1. Joshua Bronfman (YAM YZF-R1)

2. Braden Jones (HON CBR1000RR)

3. Zac Miller (BMW S1000 RR)

4. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Jeff VanDerVoort (YAM YZF-R6)

Keystone Solutions Novice GTU

1. Randy Schuler (KAW ZX-6R)

2. Chris Padilla (YAM YZF-R6)

3. Tom Webb (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Jeff VanDerVoort (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Michael Cormier (KAW ZX-6R)

Harrison Eurosports Combined GTO

1. Joshua Bronfman (YAM YZF-R1)

2. Neil Carlson (DUC 1199)

3. Justin Delong (BMW S100 RR)

4. Braden Jones (HON CBR1000RR)

5. Steve Marco (YAM YZF-R1)

Novo Advisors Combined GTU

1. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Jeff VanDerVoort (YAM YZF-R6)

3. Tom Webb (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Randy Schuler (KAW ZX-6R)

5. Andy Blunt (YAM YZF-R6)

Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 GTO

1. Steve Kozicki (YAM YZF-R1)

2. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)

3. Danny Egbert (DUC 899 S)

4. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R1)

Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 GTU)

1. Michael Cormier (KAW ZX-6R)

2. Michael Hawkins (SUZ GSX-R600)

3. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)

4. Mike Surrat (KTM 690)

The Green Pig Pub Open Twins

1. Neil Carlson (DUC 1199)

2. Matt DeVico (DUC 899)

3. John Crump (Buell 1125R)

4. Scott Rybarik (DUC 899)

5. Brad Moore (SUZ SV650)

Wright’s M/C Parts and Accessories Production 300 Race 1

1. Chad Carson (KAW 300)

2. Mark Barton (KAW 250)

Wright’s M/C Parts and Accessories Production 300 Race 2

1. Chad Carson (KAW 300)

2. Mark Barton (KAW 250)

3. Jason Jorgensen (KAW 250)

4. Chad Richins (KAW 250)

Carey’s Cycle Production 500 Race 1

1.Jason Madama (YAM YZF-R3)

2. Chad Carson (YAM YZF-R3)

3. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)

4. Anthony Morgan (YAM YZF-R3)

5. Ryan Luke (YAM YZF-R3)

Carey’s Cycle Production 500 Race 2

1. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)

2. Shawn Bandel (YAM YZF-R3)

3. Chad Carson (YAM YZF-R3)

4. Cameron Lee (YAM YZF-R3)

5. Jeff Masters (YAM YZF-R3)

The Mechanic Modern Vintage GTO

1. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)

2. Braden Jones (HON CBR1000RR)

3. John Crump (SUZ GSX-R1000)

The Mechanic Modern Vintage GTU

1. Joshua Bronfman (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Michael Cormier (KAW ZX-6R)

3. Brad Moore (SUZ SV650)

4. Chris Padilla (YAM YZF-R6)

The Edge Motorsports Moto 3

1. Mike Surrat (KTM 690)

2. Jason Madama (YAM YZF-R3)

3. Chad Carson (YAM YZF-R3)

4. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)

5. Ryan Luke (YAM YZF-R3)

Southpaw Motorsports Lightweight Twins

1. Brad Moore (Suz SV650)

2. Mike Surrat (KTM 690)

3. Shawn Bandel (YAM YZF-R3)

4. Robert Nolan (YAM FZR 400)

5. Jeff Masters (YAM YZF-R3)

Stansbury Concert Series Race 1

1. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Tom Webb (YAM YZF-R6)

3. Don Losee (BMW S1000RR)

4. Jeff Sloan (TRI 675)

5. Chris Padilla (YAM YZF-R6)

Stansbury Concert Series Race 2

1. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Chris Padilla (YAM YZF-R6)

3. Jeff Sloan (TRI 675)

4. Jerry Carson (SUZ GSX-R600)

5. Jason Jorgensen (YAM YZF-R6)

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