Tooele Utah The final round of UtahSBA’s Masters of the Mountains race series October 7-8 at Miller Motorsports Park saw Canadian riders Bodhi Edie and Geoff Gerbrandt take a rout of victories in all of the premier races throughout the weekend. With the curtains closing on another race season and the organizers laying on some increased purse incentives resulted in a large rider turnout. Round six of the UtahSBA Masters of the Mountains championship proved to be one of the most exciting and memorable rounds of the year.

When the practice times were posted on Saturday morning, the expectations for some very close racing were set. Oleg Pianykh, Jesse Sherstan and sixteen year old Bodhi Edie (from Saskatoon, Canada) all laid down a series of 1:34 lap times on Miller Motorsports East configuration. With a $1000 cash purse on the line and never having raced at Miller before, the young Edie was establishing himself as a formidable foe to the regular contenders. In seemingly characteristic form, Pianykh managed to crash his Edge Powersports sponsored machine again during KoM ‘O’ qualifying. A bemused pit crew surveyed a very broken GSX-R1000 and the prospects of a race start, let alone a top 5 finish, looked rather bleak. The remainder of qualifying time (and the afternoon) was spent feverishly repairing the machine in preparation for the upcoming race.

Despite local rider Oleg Pianykh having secured the #1 “King of the Mountain” plate at Round 5, the closing KoM ‘O’ race proved to be anything but bland. Jesse Sherstan took the hole-shot into turn one, with Bodhi Edie, Peter de Graff and Ryan Brand hot on his tail. Pianykh, starting from the back of the grid, forged his machine through the field and, within 3 laps, put himself in fourth position behind de Graff. Meanwhile Sherstan was fighting off the rabid attacks of the young upstart Bodhi Edie both riders exerting every possible effort from their machines. As the two riders approached Clubhouse Corner, Edie made a herculean late braking maneuver; both riders backing their machines into the entry of the corner, the front tires on the limits of adhesion, Edie managed to slide his BMW S1000R up the inside of Sherstan’s Suzuki to take the lead. It was a move that reflected the maturity and skill that this young rider possesses. For the remaining four laps Edie rode a defensive race and secured the win over Sherstan. Farther back the field, Pianykh made a pass on de Graff yet did not have the time to make any headway on Sherstan and took a well-earned third place.

A grinning Bodhi Edie, fresh from the Canadian Superbike series, reflected on his season and his closing race: “It was a great race, once I got past Sherstan I just put my head down and never looked back. I put this same bike on the podium at Mosport and it did really well here again today. It was a lot of fun.”

The middleweight classes saw equal excitement. Only 6 points separated Scott Decker, Chad Swain and Gerry Hicks going in to the KoM ‘U’ round and all riders had the ability to take home the class championship. The inspiration to succeed was further sweetened with a $500 cash prize for the win. Unfortunately Scott Decker’s chance of competing was dashed after a crash in the endurance race on Saturday afternoon. With Decker absent, his left hand broken, left Swain and Hicks vying for the title but it was Saskatchewan native Geoff Gerbrandt who took the honors for the race win. Gerbrandt got a good start in the 12 lap race and slotted his Honda CBR600RR in third, strategically trailing the fighting duo of Swain and Hicks. As the two front runners fiercely exchanged positions throughout the race, Gerbrandt patiently waited and then finally showed his hand in the Wind-up and Release complex taking the lead with one lap to spare. Hicks and Swain laid on a masterful display of riding, but could not counter another challenge for the win. The final showdown saw Canadian Chad Swain taking the overall title on his AIQ sponsored Yamaha YZF-R6.

The supporting races did not disappoint either; spectators were treated to some great racing during the Open Superbike race with Jesse Sherstan taking the win over Bodhi Edie. The familiar trio of Swain, Hicks and Gerbrandt were engaged in an exciting battle for the Middleweight Superstock event, resulting in Swain securing the Middleweight title with a 3 point margin over Hicks.

Gerry Hicks has made considerable progress in the short time he has been racing and thanked his sponsors after the event: “This has been a great season” he reflected “I want to thank Honda Suzuki of Salt Lake, they have been a huge support this year and my Honda CBR600RR has been the break-through bike for me this year. Jason Eldridge at Corporate suspension and Scott Larsen at Fastline Race Tire have been a tremendous support too.” Not forgetting the emotional and moral support needed for racing, Gerry went on the thank his girlfriend Carrie for all her support this year too. “I couldn’t have done it without them.”

UtahSBA would also thank the class sponsors and all of the supporting vendors for their help this season; Honda Suzuki of Salt Lake, Apex Trackdays, Wrights Parts & Accessories, Redline Motorsports, SBS Performance, Plaza Cycle and Fastline Race Tire.

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 2012 Round 6 Results

Deseret Dash (Expert): 1. Oleg Pianykh (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Clint Warner (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Peter de Graff (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Ryan Brand (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. David Mobley (Yam YZF-R6) 6. Doug Pogue (Hon CBR1000RR) Deseret Dash (Novice): 1. Sean Griffiths (KTM RC8) 2. Trent Owens (Hon CBR1000RR) 3. Colton Hicks (Hon CBR1000RR) 4. Riley Hicks (Hon CBR1000RR) 5. Erik Postnieks (BMW S1000RR) 6. Travis Froelich (Yam YZF-R6) Endurance GTO: 1. Shane White (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Colton Hicks (Hon CBR1000RR) 3. Erik Postnieks (BMW S1000RR) 4. Riley Hicks (Hon CBR1000RR) Endurance GTU: 1. Dylon Husband (Kaw ZX-6R) 2. Jim King (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Raymond Clark (Suz GSX-R600) 4. Derek Festevan (Kaw ZX-6R) 5. Dana Wilson (Yam YZF-R6) 6. Grant Smith (Yam YZF-R6) Endurance Relay: 1. Clint Warner (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Brad Moore (Suz GSX-R600) 3. Ken Yee (Kaw ZX-6R) Formula 5: 1. Geoffrey Gerbrandt (Hon CBR600RR) 2. John Hopperstad (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Mark Snethen (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Jonathon Law (Yam YZF-R6) 5. Carey Fougere (Yam YZF-R1) 6. David Petersen (Suz GSX-R750) Super Twins: 1. Kory Cowan (Duc 1098R) 2. Sean Griffiths (KTM RC8R) 3. Eric Grimm (KTM RC8R) 4. John Crump (Buell 1125R) 5. Jeff Healy (Duc 848) 6. Brian Childree (Mor MD250) Middleweight Superbike: 1. Chad Swain (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Matthew Lewis (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Geoffrey Gerbrandt (Hon CBR600RR) 4. Peter Tabor (Kaw ZX-6R) 5. David Mobley (Yam YZF-R6) 6. Zach Shearon (Yam YZF-R6) Womens GTO: 1. Caya Snethen (Kaw ZX636) 2. Lindsey Willis (Suz SV650) Twins GTO: 1. John Crump (Buell 1125R) 2. Jeff Healy (Duc 848) 3. Brad Moore (Suz SV650) 4. Chris Crump (Buell 1125R) Novice GTU: 1. Jeremy Ross (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Derek Festevan (Kaw ZX-6R) 3. Cody Steggell (Suz GSX-R600) 4. Matt Diehl (Yam YZF-R6) 5. Devin Husband (Kaw ZX-6R) 6. Randy Callicoat (Yam YZF-R6) Open Superbike: 1. Jesse Sherstan (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Bodhi Edie (BMW S1000RR) 3. Peter de Graff (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Mark Harper (Hon CBR1000RR) 5. Ryan Brand (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. Shane White (Suz GSX-R1000) MOTO 3: 1. Brian Childree (Mor MD250) 2. Gauge Rees (Hon RS125) Combined GTO: 1. Rob Kauffman (Yam YZF-R1) 2. David Purcell (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Doug Pogue (Hon CBR1000RR) 4. Mark Snethen (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Tommy Richardson (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. Spencer Steed (Hon CBR1000RR) King of the Mountain U: 1. Geoffrey Gerbrandt (Hon CBR600RR) 2. Gerry Hicks (Hon CBR600RR) 3. Chad Swain (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Jeff Stern (Kaw ZX-6R) 5. Peter Tabor (Kaw ZX-6R) 6. Matthew Lewis (Yam YZF-R6) Combined GTU: 1. David Mobely (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Dave Purcell (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Zach Shearon (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Matt Diehl (Yam YZF-R6) 5. Devin Husband (Kaw ZX-6R) 6. Aaron Nourbakhsh (Tri 675) Twins GTU: 1. Brian Childree (Mor MD250H) 2. Brad Moore (Suz SV650) 3. Tim Gallagher (Suz SV650) 4. Kevin Johnson (Buell XB9R) 5. Gauge Rees (Hon RS125) 6. Lindsey Willis (Suz SV650) Open Superstock: 1. Bodhi Edie (BMW S1000RR) 2. Jesse Sherstan (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Ryan Brand (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Justin Knapik 5. Michael Bradshaw (BMW S1000RR 6. Shane White (Suz GSX-R1000) Heavy Weight Superstock: 1. Geoffrey Gerbrandt (Hon CBR600RR) 2. Peter Tabor (Kaw ZX-6-R) 3. Zach Shearon (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Matthew Elder (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Nyles Gourlie (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. David Peterson (Suz GSX-R750) Sportsman: 1. Aaron Nourbakhsh (Tri 675) 2. Ryan Luke (Suz GSX-R600) 3. Scott Blair (Suz GSX-R600) 4. Damon Stewart (Kaw ZX-6R) 5. James Peters (Tri 675) 6. Marshall Miller (Yam YZF-R1) Novice GTO: 1. Erik Grimm (KTM RC8) 2. Trent Owens (Hon CBR1000RR) 3. Jeremy Ross (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Erik Postnieks (BMW S1000RR) 5. Steven Marco (Hon CBR1000RR) 6. Derek Festavan (Kaw ZX-6R) Middleweight Superstock: 1. Chad Swain (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Gerald Hicks (Hon CBR600RR) 3. Geoffrey Gerbrandt (Hon CBR600RR) 4. Peter Tabor (Kaw ZX-6R) 5. David Mobley (Yam YZF-R6) 6. Matthew Lewis (Yam YZF-R6) King of the Mountain O: 1. Bodhi Edie (BMW S1000RR) 2. Jesse Sherstan (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Oleg Pianykh (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Peter de Graff (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Jeff Stern (Kaw ZX-10R) 6. Ryan Brand (Suz GSX-R1000) Formula 40: 1. Michael Bradshaw (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. John Hopperstad (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Kevin Dolan (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Mark Snethen (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Tommy Richardson (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. Douglas Pogue (Hon CBR1000RR)