The final round of the CVMA 2025/2026 Winter Series kicked off on Friday, 4/24/2026, with racer practice and the New Racer School. Four enthusiastic riders completed the program and are now set to compete in the amateur ranks with CVMA. Perfect weather greeted the weekend, with sunshine and surprisingly cool temperatures adding to the thrill. On track, racers pushed their limits in fierce battles for the double championship points on offer in the series finale.
Saturday night featured a spirited club event, complete with a delicious dinner, thrilling raffles, and generous giveaways from our vendors and sponsors supporting the club. The weekend of racing action was awesome, and it was a fitting finale for the CVMA 2025/2026 Winter Series.
Saturday Qualifying
The fastest of all in Saturday morning qualifying was Brenden Ketelesen, turning a 1:44.829 lap time on his middleweight bike.
Michael Gilbert was fastest on an open-class bike, turning a 1:46.008 lap time.
Gio Alvarez was fastest on a lightweight bike with a 1:49.748 lap time.
Nathan Gravelle was fastest on an ultra-lightweight bike with a 1:57.833 lap time.
Joel Ohman was fastest on a CVMA Hooligan bike with a 1:50.708 lap time.
Saturday Races
Standout racers on Saturday included:
● Mark Degross won two open-class races.
● Eugene McMahel won two amateur open-class races.
● Joel Ohman won both CVMA Hooligans races.
● Gio Alvarez won two lightweight races.
● Ryan Champ won two amateur middleweight races.
Sunday Shootouts
In the premier race of the day, The Shootout, Michael Gilbert got the holeshot on his BPR Yamaha YZF-R1. At the completion of the first lap, Gilbert led, followed by Nicholas Ciling and Aldo Rovirosa in second and third, respectively, all riders on Yamaha YZF-R1s. Rovirosa carried tremendous speed around turn thirteen (the bowl) and set up an inside pass for second in turn fourteen, demoting Ciling to third on the second lap. Things spread out after that, with all the racers maintaining positions until the eighth lap. On lap eight, Mark DeGross (Yamaha YZFR1) made a pass on Ciling to take third. Unfortunately, DeGross crashed out in turn seven on the last lap, handing third back to Ciling. In the end, it was Gilbert for the win, Rovirosa second, and Ciling third. The race win secured the Shootout class championship for Gilbert, earning him his fourth CVMA #1 plate!
At the start of the Middleweight Shootout, Brenden Ketelesen (Yamaha YZF-R9) was first off the line and into turn one, followed by Alexander Enriquez (Yamaha YZF-R9) and Jack Roach (Kawasaki ZX-6R). Ketelesen and Enriquez ran nose to tail until the fourth lap when Enriquez crashed out, handing second to Roach and Third to Alberto Rovirosa (Yamaha YZF-R6). The order was unchanged for the remainder of the race, with Ketelesen taking the win, Roach second, Rovirosa third.
The Formula Lightweight Twins Shootout started with Gio Alvarez (Aprilia RS 660) getting the hole shot with Matt Cavarlez (Kramer HKR EVO2-690) second and Andrew Krall (Yamaha YZF-R7) third. Krall was able to take second on the third lap from Cavarlez. On the Final lap Harry Brehm (Aprilia RS 660) made a charge from fourth to second, passing Cavarlez for third into turn four and then going around Krall in turn 11. At the stripe, it was Alvarez with a runaway win, followed by Brehm in second and Krall third.
At the start of the Formula Ultra Lightweight Shootout, Nathan Gravelle (Kawasaki Ninja 500) was first, followed by Jojo Dabalos (Kawasaki Ninja 400) and Anthony Estrada (Kawasaki Ninja 400). At the halfway point, Estrada passed Dabalos for second. Gravelle made a big mistake and ran off the track while leading on lap six. This handed the lead to Estrada, second to Dabalos, and third to Chris Binker. At the finish, it was Estrada for the win, Dabalos second, and Binker third.
- Full race results can be found on Speedhive: https://speedhive.mylaps.com/events/3475575
- Check out the replays of the races on the 951 Live YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@951live
CVMA looks forward to following our racers as they compete with other organizations around the world during our summer break. The CVMA 2026/2027 Winter Series is scheduled to kick off with round one on October 23-25, 2026, and we look forward to seeing everyone back at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway in the fall for another great season of the best club racing anywhere!
CVMA offers two full days of racing every race weekend and also includes Saturday qualifying for grid position in all classes, amateur, and expert, as well as a wide variety of classes to choose from.
CVMA offers free reciprocity as a means of encouraging racers from other clubs to come out and compete. CVMA also offers a New Racers School for those starting in racing on the Friday before each race weekend. Log on to www.cvmaracing.com to sign up or for more information.
CVMA. For racers by racers and offering the best racing experience around!
CVMA would also like to thank the 2024/2025 Winter Series Sponsors: Support Moto Racing, Apex Assassins, Ryder Gear, CaliPhotography, Racers Edge/Dunlop, Del’s Flooring, The California Superbike School, Ride HMVC, First Team IT, Yamaha, CT Racing/Pirelli, Compact Octane Trackdays, 2 Fast Track Days, LapSnap
NRS Sponsors: Alpinestars, 6D Helmets, Five Gloves, and Racers Edge/Dunlop
