In a busy day for MiniSBK competitors, a week after the opening National of the season suffered a rain out at Brechin, ON, and some competitors were racing for Team Canada in China, a strong field competed for victory around the perimeter Pro layout of Shannonville Motorsport Park at round four of the RACEMoto Regional Ontario Championship Series.
Opening regional winner on the 613 Cycle-backed Ohvale 160, Jager Stockill qualified on pole for the Moto1 class in warm and sunny conditions, and then got the jump on the deepest grid so far in the first year for the category running with the revamped Shannonville Regional Championships.
Jonathan Massignani held second on his Bucci 190 ahead of YCF190 pilot Ben Hodgson, while Philippe Luisgan was moving up to fourth aboard a YCF190 after stalling as the start lights turned oK.
A good mid-field battle developed for what would eventually turn out to be fifth overall, with two-stroke Kawasaki KX112 super moto pilot Chelsea Boursier, 15-years-old, holding off a group of several top runners. Eventually an on-form Boursier earned fifth ahead of her father, Yam Boursier (Bucci 190) in sixth, Ohvale 160 National Series competitor Mateen O’Brien (seventh) and eight overall Jacob Abnett on a YCF190.
Up front, Stockill gradually pulled clear for a solid (12.7 second at the chequered) advantage, turning a best tour at 49.19 seconds, close to his pole performance of 49.32. Inthe fight for second, Luisgnan used traffic to pass both Massignani and Hodgson, with second overall (and series rookie) Luisgnan turning the best overall lap of the race at 48.75 seconds.
A small field took to the inside Go Kart layout for the Moto4 or “50s” race, and a solid fight developed for first between Honda mounted Thorleif Grummet and Austin Da on a Yamaha. Da got the hole shot but Grummett, grand son of RACEMoto series co-founders Dave and Jill Grummett, moved into first and hung on from the pressuring Da. But Da had bike issues in the backfield Chicane and had to pull off track, loosing almost a lap as Grummett ran away.
8-year-old Grumett eventually won by 52 seconds in his second career road race, fresh from a recent M/X Camp. A frustrated Da (age 10) netted second, but did turn the best lap of the race at 1:05.78, to the 1:07.6 of victor Grummett.
Next Mini event is a Motul MiniGP National round at Lombardy Raceway, north of Kingston, ON, August 22-23 with the series returning to Shannonville in a month, September 5-6.