Rounds 13 and 14 of the AHRMA season took place June 27th and 28th at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, as part of the 2026 AHRMA National Roadracing Series, presented by VIB-ISO. 

Sponsored by NYC Norton (nycnorton.com), and Roadracingworld.com, this year AHRMA’s 2026 Vintage Cup features the 250 Grand Prix class, which includes any fully GP-kitted 250cc OHV/OHC four-stroke; 250cc air-cooled single cylinder two stroke; 175cc liquid cooled single cylinder two-stroke; or 175cc air-cooled twin-cylinder two-stroke built before December 31, 1968.  It’s a showdown of classic small displacement racing that relies heavily on corner-speed, momentum, and precise engineering, and certain to leave fans on the edge of their seats.

Typical AHRMA 250GP grids include a wide variety of motorcycles such as Aermacchi, Bultaco, Greeves, Montesa, Ducati, NSU, Ossa, and more.

As is the norm for summer in the Northeast, the weather can be intense down in this corner of the Garden State. Friday practice was dry, the forecast for Saturday threatened rain—which arrived between races 5 and 6. Lightning delays pushed the schedule back, so by the time the Vintage Cup race 7 was called the track had mostly dried save for a few spots of puddling. 

When the green flag dropped, Tim Terrell, riding his 1966 Honda CB160, took the holeshot with Craig Hirko on his 1967 Bridgestone TA 1 right behind, followed by Holly Varey on her 1968 VanTech CS3, Alex McLean riding Jonathan White’s 1967 Ducati 250, and Frances Ganance on his 1966 Ducati 250 Single, with the rest of the grid in pursuit. Terrell held the lead until about the halfway point, when Hirko overtook him, put his head down, and built a commanding lead to take the win. Further back, a tight battle developed between Varey, McLean, and Ganance. McLean and Varey swapped positions several times, while Ganance advanced past McLean to challenge Varey. Varey successfully defended third place, with Ganance fourth and McLean fifth.

The rest of the field finished in the following order: Bill Doran (1970 Yamaha CS3), Robert Brangaccio (1971 Ducati), James Chapman (1962 Ducati Diana), David Roper (1967 Harley-Davidson CRTT), and Trever Scales (1969 Honda CB160).

Sunday brought dry conditions and a clean track, albeit quite humid. Our 2-stroke friends had some tuning to do. This time Holly Varey was first through turn one, followed closely by Terrell and Hirko. Varey led for the first lap and a half and had pulled out a good gap.  Terrell wasn’t having it though and clawed away in the back section. Unfortunately, contact occurred between Terrell and Varey in Turn 4 during a passing attempt, resulting in Varey going down. She was fortunately okay, but her race was over. Seizing the opportunity as Terrell checked up, Hirko took the lead. Terrell regrouped and mounted a strong chase, catching Hirko at the line in a near-photo finish (and from the tower’s perspective actually led over the line by half a wheel), but transponders confirmed Hirko as the winner due to Terrell having his transponder in his leathers.  So Hirko with the win, Terrell second, and Jim Jowers (1965 Ducati 250) rounding out the podium in third place.

The rest of the grid finished as follows: Trever Scales (1969 Honda CB160), Doran, McLean, Ganance, Chapman, Brangaccio, Steven Fowler (1962 Harley-Davidson CRTT), and Varey.

“New Jersey Motorsports Park is an AHRMA favorite and top class facility. The Thunderbolt circuit is a fast, flowing, complex of corners – great for all the types of bikes AHRMA puts on the grids. Regarding our Vintage Cup 250 Grand Prix series – I’ve said it every weekend – what a great championship series this has become. YamaHolly and Bezerko Hirko have been dueling back and forth in the points, but with a multitude of other racers taking the win this season, anything and everything can change in a weekend. I’m sad to see Holly go out of a race with a crash after really putting in a serious effort. And I’m happy to see my buddy Craig Hirko get his ducks in a row and score some good points. The next two Midwest rounds (back-to-back weekends) at Gingerman and Blackhawk Farms are going to really put some telling championship points on the board. As an old racer friend said: It’s gonna be Hot and Hazy, Fast and Crazy!” said series sponsor Kenny Cummings of NYC Norton.

AHRMA first launched the Vintage Cup series during 2019 by spotlighting the 350 GP class.  The series resumed during 2021 and highlighted the 500 Premier class.  It was followed by Vintage Superbike Heavyweight in 2022, and Formula 750 in 2023.  In 2024, the second rotation of featured classes was initiated with 350GP, followed by 500 Premier in 2025.  250GP was added to the series in 2026 – the first year it has been featured.

“The Vintage Cup delivered a thrilling showcase of racing at our NJMP weekend. A full grid—and a surge of new competitors jumping straight into the fray—immediately raised the question of how this would shape the ongoing duel between Craig Hirko and Holly Varey. Saturday’s wet conditions proved unforgiving: Varey struggled off the start, and Hirko seized the moment, pushing hard to secure the win,” said Leasha Overturf, AHRMA’s Road Race Director.

“Sunday promised a reset, but fate had other plans. With Varey going down just a few laps in, the fight shifted to Hirko and Terrell—and what a fight it was. I found myself holding my breath as they blasted out of Turn 12 side‑by‑side, heads down, elbows out, neither willing to lift. Their wheel‑to‑wheel charge to the line ended in an astonishing finish: Hirko edging ahead by a mere .001 seconds. Pure racing drama at its finest.

With back‑to‑back weekends at Gingerman Raceway and Blackhawk Farms Raceway on the horizon, there’s no doubt the next chapter of this story is already writing itself.”

Rounds fifteen and sixteen of the AHRMA National Road Race Series Presented by VIB-ISO will be July 24-26 at Gingerman Raceway, South Haven, MI.

The annual Vintage Cup spotlights one of AHRMA’s road racing classes with extra attention on competitors in the selected class during each race event. Enhanced awards for the Vintage Cup competitors are presented separately from other class trophies during the Saturday awards ceremony at each AHRMA National Road Race event. Highlights from each Vintage Cup race will be reported in RoadRacingWorld.com’s online edition. At the conclusion of each season, the perpetual Vintage Cup trophy will be engraved with the national champion winner’s name and presented to the winner at the National Awards Banquet to keep for one year.

2026 AHRMA Roadracing Series Presented by VIB-ISO, 250GP – Vintage Cup Results: 

Saturday, June 27, 2026

1. 641 Craig Hirko, 1967 Bridgestone TA 1, Newark Valley, NY
2. 220 Tim Terrell, 1966 Honda CB160, Burlington, NC
3. 50H Holly Varey, 1968 VanTech CS3, Brantford, ON
4. 97F Francis Ganance, 1966 Ducati 250 Single, Cincinnati, OH
5. 17X Alex McLean, 1967 Ducati 250, Jacksonville Beach, FL
6. 6 Bill Doran, 1970 Yamaha CS3, Athens, OH
7. 903 Robert Brangaccio, 1971 Ducati, Basking Ridge, NJ
8. 773 James Chapman, 1962 Ducati Diana, Atglen, PA
9. 7 David Roper, 1967 Harley-Davidson CRTT, Hicksville, NY
10. 779 Trever Scales, 1969 Honda CB160, Graham, NC

Sunday, June 28, 2026

1. 641 Craig Hirko, 1967 Bridgestone TA 1, Newark Valley, NY
2. 220 Tim Terrell, 1966 Honda CB160, Burlington, NC
3. 37 Jim Jowers, 1965 Ducati 250, East Hampton, NY
4. 779 Trever Scales, 1969 Honda CB160, Graham, NC
5. 6 Bill Doran, 1970 Yamaha CS3, Athens, OH
6. 17X Alex McLean, 1967 Ducati 250, Jacksonville Beach, FL
7. 97F Francis Ganance, 1966 Ducati 250 Single, Cincinnati, OH
8. 773 James Chapman, 1962 Ducati Diana, Atglen, PA
9. 903 Robert Brangaccio, 1971 Ducati, Basking Ridge, NJ
10. 716 Steven Fowler, 1962 Harley-Davidson CRTT, Ashville, NC
11. 50H Holly Varey, 1968 VanTech CS3, Brantford, ON

About AHRMA:

The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to competing on fantastic classic and true vintage along with a wide range of modern motorcycles.  With over 3,000 members, AHRMA is the largest vintage racing group in North America and one of the biggest in the world. The association has grown steadily over the years, reflecting the increasing interest in classic bikes.