Construction has resumed on the new chicane on the front straightaway at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington.
The chicane is being added to slow riders down before Turn One and to add an extra passing zone, Tracie Schmitt, General Manager of Ridge Motorsports Park, told Roadracingworld.com in February.
Watch a short, time-lapse video of paving happening on the new chicane section below.
MotoAmerica is scheduled to race at Ridge Motorsports Park August 28-30.
MRA 2020 season opener at Pikes Peak International Raceway this weekend,
June 6-7
Fountain, CO – After a delayed start of the season, the MRA is
happy to announce they will open their 2020 Road Race Championship Series at
Pikes Peak International Raceway over the weekend of June 6-7. The MRA
Board of Directors in cooperation with the PPIR management team have been
working hard to bring back full speed motorcycle road racing to Colorado in
the midst of COVID-19 restrictions & closures across the state.
This weekend will feature the familiar high speed MRA sprints of years past
along with three new classes for 2020. The new Premier Amateur class will
use Heavyweight Superbike rules but will focus on bringing a purse payout to
amateur racers. Formula 40 Extreme GTU & GTO is also new this year pitting
the fastest “maturing” racers in the MRA against each other while the
existing Formula 40 GTO/GTU will provide additional podium & contingency
opportunities for amateur racers.
Another benefit due to the close cooperation between PPIR management & the
MRA, the postponed MRA New Racers’ School will now be held on Friday
intermingled with open lapping practice for MRA licensed racers. New Rider
Director Jeff Brown will be pairing up road race students with his deeply
experienced set of instructors during most of the day on Friday.
Due to continuing COVID-19 restrictions, this weekend is a non-spectator
event. Racers are encouraged to bring a minimal number close crew and
family and will need to follow current Colorado COVID-19 mitigation
protocols.
The Motorcycle Roadracing Association is dedicated to promoting safe and
competitive motorcycle road racing events for enthusiasts in Colorado and
the surrounding area. For more information, go to http://www.mra-racing.org/
This was an interesting end to our season here with CVMA. With Covid-19 restrictions, we had to cancel the March and April rounds of CVMA. This left us in a bit of a pickle. Thanks to Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, we were able to complete the season finale of the 2019-20 Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association season on May 30-31 2020. The weekend was greeted with pretty hot weather conditions which led to some great racing!
CVMA had special Covid-19 provisions, for registration, tech inspection, gridding, etc.. to ensure everyone kept up with “social distancing guidelines”.
Due to the nature of the weekend, CVMA offered double-points for all classes.
The weekend kicked off with Chad Lewin scoring the win in Open Supersport competition on his Kawasaki ZX-10R. Chad later won Sunday’s Formula Open race on his ZX-10R.
In the Middleweight classes, the show was run by Daniel Riser who with his lightning fast Kawasaki ZX-6R won the Formula Middleweight Races both days, and Saturday’s Supersport Middleweight race.
In the Formula Twins and Formula 2 classes Ryan Fritz put on a clinic scoring wins both days in both classes. Elder-statesman Jon Glaefke scored a string of 2nd places in these classes, with Trapper Keeper bike riding Josh Merrill on the SV-650 rounding the top 3.
For the CVMA Shootout race, presented by TrackDaz, and SoCal Trackdays, Michael Gilbert who was racing MotoAmerica the same weekend, literally flew back Saturday night from Wisconsin to race Sunday in the effort to win the CVMA #1 plate. Wyatt Farris did everything he needed to do, by winning the race. Michael Gilbert came in 2nd with Chad Lewin rounding out the podium. With the points scored, Michael ends the season winning the #1 plate by a mere 7 points.
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.
Additionally, CVMA offers free reciprocity as a means of encouraging racers from other clubs to come out and compete. Log on to www.cvmaracing.com for more information.
CVMA. It’s club racing done right.
Results:
Formula Middleweight
Saturday:
Daniel Riser (Kaw ZX-6R)
Aaron Hartshorn (Yam YZF-R6)
Jack Bakken (Yam YZF-R6)
Grant Boldt (Yam YZF-R6)
David Grey (Yam YZF-R6)
Oscan Fernandez (Yam YZF-R6)
Sunday:
Daniel Riser (Kaw ZX-6R)
David Grey (Yam YZF-R6)
Robert Brittain (Suz GSX-R600)
Nick Lundquist (Yam YZF-R6)
Robert McCoy (Yam YZF-R6)
Open Supersport
Saturday:
Chad Lewin (Kaw ZX-10R)
Wes Farnsworth (Kaw ZX-10R)
Anthony Norton (Kaw ZX-10R)
Steven Zoumaras (Kaw ZX-10R)
Tyler Bengford (Kaw ZX-10R)
John Menzie (Kaw ZX-10R)
Sunday:
Anthony Norton (Kaw ZX-10R)
Steven Zoumaras (Kaw ZX-10R)
Tyler Bengford (Kaw ZX-10R)
David Thomas (BMW S1000RR)
Amateuer Open Supersport
Saturday:
Alex Page (Yam YZF-R1)
Roger Miller (Yam YZF-R1)
LJ Elder (Kaw ZX-6R)
Kyle Renaud (Suz GSX-R1000)
Craig Walker (Suz GSX-R1000)
Kevin Madden (Hon CBR1000RR)
Sunday:
Alex Page (Yam YZF-R1)
Roger Miller (Yam YZF-R1)
Craig Walker (Suz GSX-R1000)
Pratt Wellman (Yam YZF-R6)
Kevin Madden (Hon CBR1000RR)
Alyssa Davis (Hon CBR600RR)
Amateur 500 Supersport
Saturday:
Owen Williams (Kaw 400)
Sunday:
Owen Williams (Kaw 400)
500 Supersport
Saturday:
Rafael Revelo (Kaw 400)
Jared Kapoor (Kaw 400)
Emily Grana (Kaw 400)
Sunday:
Rafael Revelo (Kaw 400)
Emily Grana (Kaw 400)
Jared Kapoor (Kaw 400)
Amateur Formula Middleweight
Saturday:
Andre Pettas (Yam YZF-R6)
Lee Callins (Yam YZF-R6)
Robert Montgomerie (Yam YZF-R6)
Michael Aibel (Yam YZF-R6)
Mitchell Hall (Yam YZF-R6)
Alexander Martino (Yam YZF-R6)
Sunday:
August Nord (Yam YZF-R6)
Lee Callins (Yam YZF-R6)
John Butler (Yam YZF-R6)
Robert Montgomerie (Yam YZF-R6)
Mike Bishop (Yam YZF-R6)
Mitchell Hall (Yam YZF-R6)
Amateur Supersport MIddleweight
Saturday:
Andre Pettas (Yam YZF-R6)
LJ Elder (Kaw ZX-6R)
Michael Aibel (Yam YZF-R6)
Mike Bishop (Yam YZF-R6)
Christopher Jaach (TRI 675)
Mitchell Hall (Yam YZF-R6)
Sunday:
Andre Pettas (Yam YZF-R6)
Lee Callins (Yam YZF-R6)
Robert Montgomerie (Yam YZF-R6)
john Butler (Yam YZF-R6)
Michael Aibel (Yam YZF-R6)
Pratt Wellman (Yam YZF-R6)
Formula 40 Ultra Lightweight
Saturday:
Pittman Wallace (Yam YZF-R3)
Matt Ray (Yam YZF-R3)
Sunday:
Pittman Wallace (Yam YZF-R3)
Matt Ray (Yam YZF-R3)
Formula Twins
Saturday:
Ryan Fritz (Suz SV650)
Jon Glaefke (Kra Evo2R)
Josh Merrill (Suz SV650)
Micheal Kim (Suz SV650)
Michael Souza (Suz SV650)
Charles Fathy (Yam MT07)
Sunday:
Ryan Fritz (Suz SV650)
Jon Glaefke (Kra Evo2R)
Josh Merrill (Suz SV650)
Don Williams (Suz SV650)
Simon Barrett(Yam FZ07)
Formula 2
Saturday:
Ryan Fritz (Suz SV650)
Jon Glaefke (Kra Evo2R)
Josh Merrill (Suz SV650)
Michael Souza (Suz SV650)
Simon Barrett (Yam FZ07)
Serge Martin (Yam FZ07)
Sunday:
Ryan Fritz (Suz SV650)
Jon Glaefke (Kra Evo2R)
Josh Merrill (Suz SV650)
Michael Souza (Suz SV650)
Simon Barrett (Yam FZ07)
Christopher Binker (Suz SV650)
Formula 40
Saturday:
Aaron Sherman (Yam YZF-R1)
John Menzie (Kaw ZX-10R)
Steve Crabtree (Apr RSV4RF)
Keven Madden (Hon CBR1000RR)
Sunday:
Keven Madden (Hon CBR1000RR)
Formula 40 Middleweight
Saturday:
Grant Boldt (Yam YZF-R6)
Jose Revelo (Yam YZF-R6)
David Kolb (Kaw ZX-6R)
Mike Bishop (Yam YZF-R6)
Christopher Jeech (Tri 675R)
Sunday:
David Kolb (Kaw ZX-6R)
Jose Revelo (Yam YZF-R6)
Terry Heard (Suz GSX-R600)
Mike Bishop (Yam YZF-R6)
Christopher Jeech (Tri 675R)
Formula 40 Lightweight
Saturday:
Jon Glaefke (Kra Evo2R)
Micheal Kim (Suz SV650)
Donald Williams (Suz SV650)
Josh Merrill (Suz SV650)
Simon Barrett (Yam FZ07)
Sunday:
Donald Williams (Suz SV650)
Simon Barrett (Yam FZ07)
Femmewalla
Saturday:
Alyssa Davis (Hon CBR600RR)
Rainey Pogue (Yam YZF-R6)
Bonnie Chiurazzi (Kaw ZX-6R)
Sunday:
Alyssa Davis (Hon CBR600RR)
Rainey Pogue (Yam YZF-R6)
Bonnie Chiurazzi (Kaw ZX-6R)
Ashley Koehler (Suz SV650)
Femmewalla Ultra Lightweight
Saturday:
Emily Grana (Kaw 400)
Shannon Deane (Yam YZF-R3)
Savannah Jaska (Kaw 300R)
Miyouko Wu (Yam YZF-R3)
Kathy Zhao (Yam YZF-R3)
Ana Mata (Yam YZF-R3)
Sunday:
Emily Grana (Kaw 400)
Shannon Deane (Yam YZF-R3)
Savannah Jaska (Kaw 300R)
Miyouko Wu (Yam YZF-R3)
Formula Open
Saturday:
Chad Lewin (Kaw ZX-10R)
Wes Farnsworth (Kaw ZX-10R)
Anthony Norton (Kaw ZX-10R)
Garrett Pacheco (BMW S1000RR)
Tyler Bengford (Kaw ZX-10R)
Dallas Sherman (Yam YZF-R1)
Sunday:
Michael Gilbert (Kaw ZX-10R)
Chad Lewin (Kaw ZX-10R)
William Russell (Kaw ZX-10R)
Anthony Norton (Kaw ZX-10R)
Garrett Pacheco (BMW S1000RR)
Dallas Sherman (Yam YZF-R1)
Amateur Formula Open:
Saturday:
Alex Page (Yam YZF-R1)
Craig Walker (Suz GSX-R1000)
Christopher Jaech (Tri 675)
Kyle Renaud (Suz GSX-R1000)
Kevin Madden (Hon CBR1000RR)
Matt Cooper (Apr RSV4)
Sunday:
Alex Page (Yam YZF-R1)
Andre Pettas (Yam YZF-R6)
August Nord (Yam YZF-R6)
Roger Miller (Yam YZF-R1)
Craig Walker (Suz GSX-R1000)
Kyle Renaud (Suz GSX-R1000)
Supersport Middleweight
Saturday:
Daniel Riser (Kaw ZX-6R)
Jack Bakken (Yam YZF-R6)
Aaron Hartshorn (Yam YZF-R6)
Grant Boldt (Yam YZF-R6)
David Grey (Yam YZF-R6)
Robert Brittain (Suz GSX-R600)
Sunday:
Jack Bakken (Yam YZF-R6)
David Grey (Yam YZF-R6)
David Kolb (Kaw ZX-6R)
Terry Heard (Suz GSX-R600)
Robert Brittain (Suz GSX-R600)
Nick Lundquist (Yam YZF-R6)
350 Supersport
Saturday:
Pittman Wallace (Yam YZF-R3)
Shannon Deane (Yam YZF-R3)
Sunday:
Pittman Wallace (Yam YZF-R3)
Shannon Deane (Yam YZF-R3)
Amateur 350 Supersport
Saturday:
Yohei Sakane (Yam YZF-R3)
Matt Hornschu (Yam YZF-R3)
Christopher Newman (Yam YZF-R3)
Savannah Jaska (Kaw 300R)
Miyouko Wu (Yam YZF-R3)
Kathy Zhao (Yam YZF-R3)
Sunday:
Yohei Sakane (Yam YZF-R3)
Matt Hornschu (Yam YZF-R3)
Savannah Jaska (Kaw 300R)
Ultra Lightweight Shootout
Saturday:
Jesse Norton (Kaw 400)
Rafael Revelo (Kaw 400)
Emily Grana (Kaw 400)
Jarred Kapoor (Kaw 400)
Owen Williams (Kaw 400)
Sunday:
Jesse Norton (Kaw 400)
Rafael Revelo (Kaw 400)
Owen Williams (Kaw 400)
Jarred Kapoor (Kaw 400)
Emily Grana (Kaw 400)
CVMA Shootout – Presented by TrackDaz, and Socal Trackdays
Sunday Only:
Wyatt Farris (Kaw ZX-10R)
Michael Gilbert (Kaw ZX-10R)
Chad Lewin (Kaw ZX-10R)
William Russell (Kaw ZX-10R)
Garrett Pacheco (BMW S1000RR)
Steven Zoumaras (Kaw ZX-10R)
The UtahSBA held its season opening Round 2 Saturday May 30th on Utah Motorsports Campus’ West track.
The UtahSBA faced many challenges in getting the 2020 season started following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the hardships associated with it. Through the tireless work of the UtahSBA board of directors, volunteers, and the deepened support of the club’s members and sponsors, including new title sponsor Utah Motorcycle Law, Round 2 moved forward and was very successful using a temporary single day racing format.
On Friday prior to the round the club hosted 17 New Racer Certification (NRC) students and 6 Advanced Racer course (ARC) students for a variety of skills development on and off the track. The classes were held in partnership with Apex Trackdays utilizing what is ordinarily their C group. The classes went very well with accelerating lap times across both groups of students and only one set of bars touching down throughout the day marking a strong start to the modified weekend and season schedule of the UtahSBA. Spirits were high and everyone was excited to be back on track.
With the new one-day racing schedule Saturday moved into high gear after some brief practice sessions in the morning. Riders in the Formula 40 GTO/GTU class (colloquially referred to in the pits as “formula old guy”) lined up early in the day for one of the club’s most celebrated races. As red lights turned off 16 riders flew down the straight into turn one. By the end of the first lap Bill Davis of Phoenix, Arizona had maneuvered himself from 9th into the first-place spot followed closely by Erik Grim and Michael Bradshaw. Bradshaw fought hard and managed to overtake Davis and Grim simultaneously in the 5th lap. Bradshaw held onto this lead taking the win with Davis in 2nd and Grim in 3rd.
Racing continued with Moto Station and AZ Riding Academy King of the Mountain (KOM) Qualifying. Out of the gate all qualifiers laid down blistering lap times considering the green track and the despised yet familiar Tooele Valley sustained southerly winds. Adam Robarts, of Duvall Washington kicked things into overdrive early on, laying down a 1:33.26 early in qualifying, a time that could have secured him pole. Undeterred by the irritating wind, Robarts and his BMW S1000RR fitted with Pirelli WSBK slicks and suspension built by Penske and GP Suspension shaved another nearly 1.5 seconds off to a 1:31.883. No one had a chance to best that as the session ended early, red flagged due to possible oil on track.
The KOM combined race kicked off with a dust-devil start and 17 racers banging for position for the entire lap first lap. 2018 KOM Champion Michael Bradshaw was leading into turn 10; as the racers approached the final turn Robarts made his move to overtake Bradshaw in the belly of the hairpin corner. The two nearly made contact as they howled onto the front straight with Robarts sticking the pass. Robarts switched on his BMW’s overdrive seen in qualifying and gapped the back from retirement Bradshaw. As racing progressed the real battle on the track was playing out for 3rd with 2019 KOM Champion Jerry Hicks on his R6 out cornering youngster Genaro Lopez and his BMW S1000RR and Bill Davis’ Beemer through lap 4. The 3 stayed close until the start of lap 6 when Lopez made a brave yet futile attempt to block pass Hicks into turn 1 but couldn’t make it stick. He stayed close and 1 lap later Lopez succeeded in turn 1. Lopez then set his sights on Bradshaw, who had built up a respectable gap courtesy of Lopez and Hicks’ shenanigans. Mother nature had other plans, however, with the winds increasing during lap 11 dramatically reducing visibility as a dust storm kicked up. The winds made short work sending debris of all kinds flying and the race was immediately red flagged. Since the race distance exceeded the half-way mark it was ruled complete with Robarts as the winner, Bradshaw 9.0 seconds behind and Lopez just 0.3 seconds behind Bradshaw.
It is springtime in the high desert, and our storm left us to destroy the marina at the Great Salt Lake. Racing did persist throughout the afternoon without incident, very successful racing all around. Notables include sophomore racer James Kling winning ee Racing Corps Open Twins and Bill Squires winning Blud Racing Lubricants Nov-O, Pilot Bill Davis taking Edge Powersports Deseret Dash Expert honors, Dave Purcell finally getting some over Brad Moore in the Inspired Financial Prod 500, and Jerry Hicks winning MotoStation Middleweight Superbike.
Even though the virus decreased numbers of racing enthusiasts during round 2, as racers rolled up their rugs and toolkits, you could feel the blustery excitement building for the upcoming Utah Motorcycle Law Masters of the Mountains Classic Round 3, scheduled for June 20th on UMC’s East Track and the chase for points offered by any season.
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
Overall Results:
Motostation/AZ Riding Academy KOM Overall:
1. Adam Robarts (BMW S1000RR)
2. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
3. Genaro Lopez (BMW S1000RR)
4. Jerry Hicks (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
6. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R1)
Motostation KOM GTO:
1. Adam Robarts (BMW S1000RR)
2. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
3. Genaro Lopez (BMW S1000RR)
4. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
5. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R1)
6. Cody Cochran (BMW S1000RR)
AZ Riding Academy KOM GTU:
1. Jerry Hicks (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Brian Childree (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Dennis Stowers (TRI 675R)
4. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Cole Phillips (YAM YZF-R6)
Harrison Eurosports Combined GTO
1. Steven Marco (YAM YZF-R1)
2. Rick Squires (HON CBR1000RR)
3. Marshall Miller (BMW S1000RR)
4. Joshua Snow (YAM YZF-R1)
5. Mark Taylor (KAW NINJA 400)
6. Miguel Alamillo (SUZ GSX-R600)
Kimco Combined GTU
1. Grant Cowan (Yamaha YZF-R1)
2. Nicholas Schmit (SUZ GSX-R600)
3. Raymond Clark (SUZ SV650)
4. Max Tseng (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Belisario Arango (KAW ZX-6R)
6. Phil O’Bryan (KAW ZX-6R)
The Edge Powersports Deseret Dash – Expert
1. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
2. Braden Jones (YAM YZF-R1)
3. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R6)
4. David Meyer (SUZ GSX-R1000)
5. Marshall Miller (BMW S1000RR)
6. Michael Montgomery (KAW ZX-6R)
The Edge Powersports Deseret Dash – Novice
1. Rick Squires (HON CBR1000RR)
2. James Kling (DUC 1198)
3. John Hewett (KAW ZX-10R)
4. Raymond Clark (SUZ GSX-R600)
5. Braxton Young (HON CBR600RR
Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 – GTO
1. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
2. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
3. Erik Grim (BMW S1000RR)
4. Kevin Dolan (KAW ZX-10R)
5. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R6)
6. Steven Marco (YAM YZF-R1)
Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 – GTU
1. Jason Johnson (DUC 848)
2. Phil O’Bryan (KAW ZX-6R)
3. Kirk Doyle (KAW ZX-6R)
4. Mark Taylor (KAW NINJA 400)
5. Richard VanderStraten (HON CBR600RR)
6. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)
The Edge Powersports Lightweight Superbike
1. David Purcell (KAW NINJA 400)
2. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)
3. Christopher De La Torre (SUZ SV650)
4. Mark Taylor (KAW NINJA 400)
5. Brock Jones (KTM RC 390)
Moto Station Middleweight Superbike
1. Jerry Hicks (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Brian Childree (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Grant Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Michael Montgomery (KAW ZX-6R)
5. Cole Phillips (YAM YZF-R6)
Toxic Moto Racing Middleweight Superstock
1. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Grant Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Cole Phillips (YAM YZF-R6)
The Mechanic Modern Vintage – GTO
1. David Meyer (BMW S1000RR)
2. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)
3. James Kling (DUC 1198)
4. Marshall Miller (BMW S1000RR)
5. Josh Snow (YAM YZF-R1)
6. Rick Squires (HON CBR1000RR)
The Mechanic Modern Vintage – GTU
1. Grant Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Jason Johnson (DUC 848)
3. Phil O’Bryan (KAW ZX-6R)
4. Michael Montgomery (KAW ZX-6R)
5. Raymond Clark (SUZ GSX-R600)
6. Nicholas Schmit (SUZ GSX-R600)
MotoUnited Moto 2
1. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Dennis Stowers (TRI 657R)
4. Grant Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Michael Montgomery (KAW ZX-6R)
6. Nicholas Schmit (SUZ GSX-R600)
The Edge Powersports Moto 3
1. David Purcell (KAW NINJA 400)
2. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)
3. Matt Phoumyxay (SUZ SV650)
4. Mark Taylor (KAW NINJA 400)
5. Christopher De La Torre (SUZ SV650)
6. Timothy Nielsen (KTM RC 390)
Blud Racing Lubricants Novice GTO
1. James Kling (DUC 1198)
2. Rick Squires (HON CBR1000RR)
3. James Dailey (DUC V4R)
4. Joshua Snow (YAM YZF-R1)
5. John Hewett (KAW ZX-10R)
6. Nicholas Schmit (SUZ GSX-R600)
Blud Racing Lubricants Novice GTU
1. Nicholas Schmit (SUZ GSX-R600)
2. Belasario Arango (KAW ZX-6R)
3. Raymond Clark (SUZ GSX-R600)
4. Max Tseng (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Kirk Doyle (KAW ZX-6R)
6. Russell Carpenter (YAM YZF-R6)
Moto Station Open Superbike
1. Adam Robarts (BMW S1000RR)
2. Genaro Lopez (BMW S1000RR)
3. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
4. Brian Childree (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Jerry Hicks (YAM YZF-R6)
6. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R1)
MotoUnited Open Superstock
1. Genaro Lopez (BMW S1000RR)
2. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
3. Cody Cochran (BMW S1000RR)
4. David Meyer (SUZ GSX-R1000)
5. Steven Marco (YAM YZF-R1)
6. Spencer Kruger (YAM YZF-R1)
ee Racing Corps Open Twins
1. James Kling (DUC 1198)
2. Dennis Stowers (TRI 675R)
3. Jason Johnson (DUC 848)
4. Raymond Clark (SUZ SV650)
5. Matt Phoumyxay (SUZ SV650)
6. Christopher De La Torre (SUZ SV650)
Inspired Financial Production 500
1. David Purcell (KAW NINJA 400)
2. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)
3. Mark Taylor (KAW NINJA 400)
4. Brock Jones (KTM RC 390)
5. Phil O’Brian (KAW NINJA 400)
Monarch Powersports Sportsman
1. Russell Carpenter (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Kirk Doyle (KAW ZX-6R)
3. John Hewitt (KAW ZX-10R)
4. Chris Cramer (APR 1100R)
C&R Coatings Stock 1000
1. Cody Cochran (BMW S1000RR)
2. David Meyer (SUZ GSX-R1000)
3. James Peterec (SUZ GSX-R1000)
4. James Dailey (DUC V4 R)
5. Rick Squires (HON CBR1000RR)
6. John Hewett (KAW ZX-10R)
Mountain Autosport Super Street Bike
1. Cole Phillips (YAM FZ8)
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is not and will never be closed down to turn it into a housing development.
A call came into Roadracing World Wednesday, and the caller mentioned a rumor they had heard that the historic road course on the California coastline was shutting down immediately to be turned into a housing development.
If true, this news would have had huge implications. Not only does the 63-year-old racetrack have a full, albeit delayed schedule of major motorsports events, (including IMSA, Indycar, and MotoAmerica races), Monterey County, which owns the land the racetrack sits on, just entered a controversial new contract with A&D Narigi Consulting, LLC to manage the facility through 2023.
Roadracing World investigated the rumor and found it to be untrue, with absolutely no basis in fact.
“No, it’s not going to close down, and no, it’s never going to be a housing development,” said Gill Campbell, who served as CEO and General Manager for Laguna Seca from 2001 to 2017. “The reason for that is the deed dictates what that property can be used for.”
The land that Laguna Seca resides on was originally a privately-owned ranch dating back to 1867. In 1917, the U.S. Army acquired the land and turned it into Fort Ord. In 1957, the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) leased land from Fort Ord for the purpose of constructing a dedicated road course where they could relocate the Pebble Beach Road Races.
In 1974, the U.S. Army deeded the land over to Monterey County, transferring ownership, and it’s that deed that safeguards the racetrack.
“The deed states that it can never be sold,” continued Campbell. “That’s why there’s not a lease in place for it because it cannot be leased or sold. It is the property of the County and they are restricted by that deed.”
For confirmation, Roadracing World reached out to Monterey County, and Assistant County Administrative Officer Dewayne Woods confirmed Campbell’s information.
“Back in the day when the land was granted over, that was written in the deed because there was an Army base there before,” Woods told Roadracingworld.com. “So yeah, that is in the deed. I’m sure the Feds don’t have that issue now [that Fort Ord is closed], but it would take a deed change. But the reality is that’s not where the County is going and never was or never even thought about it.
“The County is clear. Not only do we want to value the history and make sure the track is there for future generations, it is a huge part of our regional economy. As Gill Campbell says, ‘Lots of places have football stadiums. Laguna Seca is our football stadium.’”
While the COVID-19 pandemic and safer-at-home orders have put motorsports on hold worldwide since March, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca has found new ways to utilize and market itself, such as recently hosting drive-thru graduation ceremonies for seven local high schools.
“They were wonderfully received by the community,” said Woods. “It was great to be able to do that for the kids who graduated and had to endure the stay-in-place situation. Plus, having that many families locally and that many young kids locally explore and drive around the track through their final victory lap hopefully what it does is it engenders for generations to come a love of that track locally.”
HONOS rider Richie Escalante began his MotoAmerica Supersport Championship 2020 campaign in perfect form on the track and capitalized his efforts to take home both podiums at number one.
“I’m really happy,” said Escalante. “It’s my first time to double win in the MotoAmerica Championship, so I am really happy about that. In the race. The ZX-6R Kawasaki is amazing. I’m very happy. My team is working really good. I’m very comfortable right now, so I’m ready for Road America two next month.”
Richie and team HONOS look to build off this momentum and come back to Wisconsin (Road America) for race number two and continue to write their story for this years championship.
More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports Tucker Hagerty Team:
MotoAmerica: Strong Season Opener for the Altus Motorsports Tucker Hagerty Team
(Elkhart Lake, WI) Altus Motorsports is deeply committed to MotoAmerica and the sport of motorcycle road racing. Each season they raise the bar for themselves both on and off the track. For 2020 the team has added additional staff and changed their rider lineup. “Every year I’m super proud of how we show up in the pits at Round 1 and 2020 is no exception. Adding a rider like Cam Petersen is a great boost. And not just for his results on the track. He’s helping the rest of the team be better riders. Our crew chief, Eric Gray, has added to this already solid team. Melissa Paris is on board as the lead mechanic for Cam. We have a fantastic and fantastically talented family,” said team-owner Geoge Nassaney.
Honos Superbike & Stock 1000: Cameron Petersen is doing double duty by racing both Stock 1000 and Superbike classes during the 2020 season. The trick is that he’s doing it on the exact same bike – the Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000. Unfortunately, the weekend at Road America did not get off to a great start. Petersen had a massive crash in the first practice session. As a result, he missed nearly all of the practice and qualifying sessions while the Altus team put the bike back together.
In the Honos Superbike class, Petersen started both races from 11th. In race one he finished with a 15th, followed by 7th in race two. That is impressive on a Stock 1000 legal motorcycle.
Round 1 is a single-race weekend for the Stock 1000 class. Petersen missed the qualifying practices but, based on his lap times from Superbike, MotoAmerica slotted him on the front row. In spite of limited practice time, Cam piloted the Altus GSX-R to an impressive 2nd place finish.
“Great first weekend! Unfortunately, it started off on a rough note with a massive crash in the first session. Melissa Paris and the whole team did a great job to rebuild the bike and give me the best possible equipment!” said Cam Petersen. “I’m so stoked to get on the podium again and to give the team the result they deserve! This weekend left me hungrier than I’ve ever been and I’m searching for those victories that I know are coming soon! Once again, a massive shoutout to the whole Altus Motorsports Tucker Hagerty team for all the effort that goes into the program!”
“I’ve never worked for another team. Every mechanic wants an opportunity to turn wrenches for someone with Cam’s talent, so I jumped at the chance,” said Melissa Paris.
Supersport: After finishing second in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup in 2019, Kevin Olmedo has moved up to compete in the Supersport class on an Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R600. Based on his results at Road America, he’s getting up to speed quickly. As it’s his first time at the Wisconsin track on a 600, Olmedo spent the practice sessions adapting his track knowledge to a significantly different machine. By the end of the second qualifying session, he was 7th fastest. In the first two laps of race one, Kevin jumped up to 4th position and finished on the podium in 3rd. An outstanding result on his inaugural outing on the 600. A tough first lap in race two put Kevin back in 15th. He spent most of the race making up for lost time but did manage a Top 10 finish. All in all, an amazing first round for the young racer.
Teammate and fellow 600 rider, Jaret Nassaney, spent most of the weekend fighting a clutch issue. Despite the problem, Jaret qualified 8th – his best ever grid position. The clutch started acting up again during the race. He had a great battle for 7th, but without the ability to draft he had to settle for 9th. In Sunday’s race, he slipped back to 13th off the start then fought back to finish in 9th, garnering two Top 10 finishes on the weekend.
“It felt great to be back in the MotoAmerica paddock! It was a bit frustrating but we ended up walking away with two 9th place finishes. We know the problem and we are going to go over the data and get things figured out and come out swinging at the end of the month,” said Jaret Nassaney.
Liqui Moly Junior Cup: Daniel Kinard joins the team for 2020 to ride the Altus Motorsports-prepared Ninja 400. This is his first season in MotoAmerica and he’s looking for steady improvement throughout the year. Road America is a challenging track for anyone because of its length and complexities, but Daniel was up for the challenge. He spent the first qualifying session getting familiar with the track. With the help of teammate Kevin Olmedo, who rode the Altus factory-built Ninja 400 in Junior Cup last year, Kinard shaved six seconds off his time in the second qualifying practice and continued to improve every session. He started both of the races from 14th on the grid. In race one, he dropped an additional three seconds and finished in 11th place. While setting his fastest lap during race two, Daniel was caught up in a battle for 11th place for the entire race. He felt that he could have gone faster if he had broken away. His final result in the Sunday race was a 12th place finish.
“I had a blast for my first MotoAmerica race weekend and consider it a success. I believe a Top 10 finish is very plausible going into the next round,” said Daniel Kinard.
The entire team is excited for the next round of the MotoAmerica season back at Road America again at the end of June.
More, from a press release issued by Thrashed Bike Racing:
Thrashed Bike Racing MotoAmerica
Round 1 Road America
Thrashed Bike Racing was relieved to actually kick off the 2020 MotoAmerica season at Road America in the Covid-19 era, The 2020 Yamaha race R1 was not quite ready for its debut with the team so Rider Max Flinders was onboard last year’s race bike which is a 2015 frame with a 2018 engine.
Shaking off the cobwebs it was great to see the teams lap time improve significantly from last year with a qualifying position of 13th. Race one was drama free for the team, we knew we could not match the outright top speeds of the machines around us, but consistency and good handling put the team into an 11th place standing at the finish flag. A new clutch was fitted and Max saw a better start in race two and he spent most of the race chasing down a Fly Kawasaki machine, natural attrition with some crashes up front put Max into 10th place, he finally put the Kawasaki behind him with a lap to go and pulled a gap before the flag which gave him an excellent 9th place on the leader board.
The team will be installing the 2020 Used Bike Direct supported Yamaha R1 with its race engine next week and plan to have a Superstock Yamaha R1 entry for the next round with Walt Sipp returning to the Thrashed bike team for round 2 of the MotoAmerica season.
Tim Ivanoff stated: “This was a good solid start to the season, the bike was flawless and our lap times were significantly improved from last year, we are really looking forward to round two as we can build on the data gathered at round one and build on that knowledge. We are also looking forward to seeing Walt back onboard our superstock bike, he stood in for Max (when he was injured) at New Jersey and it will be good to have him back with the team for select rounds”
Rider Max Flinders was buzzing after the inaugural races of 2020, “ It’s great to be back racing I have been going stir crazy at home! I have had some track time at NOLA motorsports park prior to event and appreciate the guys down there for accommodating me. Thanks to Tim and our awesome sponsors we hopefully will be running the 2020 bike at the next round so I can’t wait to push harder at round 2!” said Max.
Thrashed Bike Racing
Thrashed Bike Racing is a Louisiana-based superbike team competing in the MotoAmerica national series. We are committed to showcasing the best young talent at the highest level of US motorcycle sport. We know the challenges are difficult and the cost of running a season at this level is high but our resolve is firm and we will continue to be one of the smallest, friendliest and most consistent teams in the paddock.
Thanks to – Arrow Aviation, Liqui Moly, Friendly Powersports, Arai Helmets, Used Bikes Direct, Moto-D, Moto-tech, FAO Global, Superbike unlimited, Bonamici, Spark exhausts, and the army of fans. SEE YOU AT THE RACES!
More, from a press release issued by BARTCON Racing:
BARTCON Racings Dominic Doyle #25 Junior Cup & Cooper McDonald #20 Twins Cup did not disappoint in the opening round of the MotoAmerica season.
Young South African rider Dominic Doyle managed to break the lap record not once but three times, setting a new lap record in Q1 then again in Q2 & finally in Race 2
Race 1 was a close battle between Dominic and defending champion Rocco Landers with each taking turns in leading the race all the way to the final corner but
Dominic kept his head down and managed a win with a gap of only .078 seconds. Race 2 was most definitely one of the best power matched races ever displayed in the only 3rd years of Jnr Cup with Dominic beating Rocco again this time with an even smaller margin of only .007 seconds.
Cooper McDonald had 2 great races in the Twins Cup series, taking a 6th place in Race 1 and a 7th place in race 2 on a bike that is frankly not 100%, we are not ones to make excuses at BARTCON Racing but we were most definitely had issues with transferring power to the rear tyre due to suspension set up which we believe we have since resolved and are chomping at the bitt to return to Road America at the end of the month to put both of our bikes and riders on the box.
Big shout out to Skip Orient Express for supplying our brilliant K-Tech Suspension along with track side support in the form of Lenny Albin. Robert from Bison leathers & Arai Helmets for all our new gear and Inde Motorsport Ranch in Arizona for giving us so much time at their facility to get the lads ready. Lastly, every member of Bartcon Racing that I know I don’t have to constantly praise or thank because we’re all just a hard working race team just getting it done.
2020 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Postponed, New Date To Be Determined
Annual celebration of America’s motorcycling heritage benefits the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum
PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Mid-Ohio), working closely with state and local health authorities, are postponing AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, scheduled for July 10-12 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, in accordance with the state’s “Responsible RestartOhio” guidelines for holding public events amid the coronavirus pandemic. New dates for the event later in 2020 have not been finalized.
“Unfortunately, event restrictions in place under order of the Ohio Department of Health prohibit many traditional elements of AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days that our competitors and fans have come to enjoy,” said AMA Chief Operating Officer James Holter. “The social interaction and camaraderie are an integral component that we love about this event. The multi-day swap meet, the camping, in-field activities, the crowds, not to mention the organic fun of the event, are impossible in light of the current situation.”
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course President Craig Rust added: “We are disappointed, but this is the right decision. Mid-Ohio will continue to work closely with the AMA, as well as our state and local health officials, to monitor the ongoing coronavirus situation and identify when AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days can be rescheduled for 2020. We ask for everyone’s patience, and we will announce a new date as soon as possible.”
Previously purchased tickets will be honored on the new date.
Established in 1990 and held at Mid-Ohio for the past 24 years, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is hailed as an annual celebration of America’s motorcycling heritage, welcoming thousands of enthusiasts and hundreds of vendors for bike shows, racing, seminars, the country’s largest motorcycle swap meet and more.
Proceeds from AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days support the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. For the latest news about the event, visit www.vintagemotorcycledays.com or www.facebook.com/AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, located on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio, tells the stories and preserves the history of motorcycling’s legends and heroes. For more information, call (614) 856-2222, or visit the Hall of Fame website at www.americanmotorcyclist.com/hall-of-fame/.
About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.
Not a member? Join the AMA today: www.americanmotorcyclist.com
Debrief: Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta on the future, racing outside Europe and how the paddock could look in 2020
Wednesday, 03 June 2020
Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta once again sat down with motogp.com recently, debriefing developments and outlining a glimpse of what the 2020 season may look like as we get closer to the possibility of getting back on track.
Here is the transcript, you can watch the video here.
What is MotoGP™ working on now, and in the future more long term?
“We’ve had several fruitful meetings and especially had a very profitable meeting with the manufacturers, we presented the protocol to them before we presented it to the Spanish and later to other authorities. We agreed a few different things, we gave them the chance to explain to us what they think about different possibilities, it was very profitable and we also approved the number of engines depending on the number of races we will have this season, which was agreed unanimously by all manufacturers. We also talked about the necessities for the future, but it was essentially to get their view on the protocol and then later to approve the situation regarding engines in the 2020 season.”
Are there any updates on races outside Europe being held at the end of the season?
“This was something I explained in the meeting with them: the calendar we hope to present next week that starts, if everything goes well, on the 19th of July in Jerez. And the latest race on that calendar will be at the beginning of November, with 12 or 13 rounds. But races outside of Europe is something we need to decide, still. There will be a number of races presented – the four non-European races that have not been cancelled: Thailand, Malaysia, Americas and Argentina – for which we will search for approval and we have a deadline of the end of July to tell everybody if we continue with them or stop. After the first two races we will see if the calendar will be 12, 14 or a maximum of 16 rounds.”
We’ve seen riders back training and even a KTM test in Austria, what do you think of that as a sign of hope about the Championship getting closer?
“This is very good, the start of training! And when we knew that some circuits had the idea to let professionals start, we thought it was a very good idea. In fact, we knew for some riders that when they even had the change to do motocross and things like that, it was very helpful for all of them. I know they’re happy because the MotoGP riders haven’t ridden since the test before Qatar, and Moto2 and Moto3 since Qatar. It’s important to start and they’re all anxious to start again!”
What will the paddock look like this season? What special measures and controls will there be, and how will the teams prepare?
“We’ve made a very defined protocol, working together with the different Ministers of Sport in different countries we will visit, to have an idea from any of the countries what we can do. Then in principle, any rider coming to race will have a medical before, and if the doctor decides they need to have a test, they will do it before coming to the first race in Spain. Then later, before coming to the paddock, there will be another test, and then a protocol with control every day, plenty of things in the paddock and especially insulation between each team. We have also some measures for places to eat and everything, in principle, where people are coming from the hotel to the circuit, and circuit to the hotel. Obviously this is for how the situation is right now, if between now and July, the situation in any country is more flexible, we’ll allow for that. In principle we want to isolate the paddock from other things and there will be no connection between the permanent people working at the circuit and the MotoGP family. Finally, the MotoGP family will be around or less than 1300 people and we have increased by five the number of members of each manufacturer for the MotoGP class. The numbers for Moto2 and Moto3 remain the same as originally stated.”
Do we know any more about WorldSBK?
“WorldSBK and the FIM CEV Repsol are defining another protocol, they are related to the national federations. All protocols related to any FIM Championship are connected to the FIM and the FIM is the final party who approve the protocols. World Superbike is the same and they will also present their protocol to any national federation.”
Robert Zerbisias, a former mechanic for Tommy, Nicky, and Roger Hayden during their early years of racing, is auctioning an autographed Nicky Hayden fairing to benefit the Nicky Hayden Memorial Foundation.
“I was the boys’ mechanic when they first started road racing with WERA, since they were too young for AMA,” Zerbisias wrote in an email to Roadracing World. “I lived at their house and traveled with Earl, Tom, Nick, and later Rog to the races.”
Nicky Hayden, who was the defending Champion and riding for the factory Honda team at the time, was involved in a multi-rider crash during the AMA Pro Supersport race at Daytona International Speedway in 2000.
Zerbisias, who was no longer Hayden’s mechanic, visited his garage after the race to see how his old friend was doing.
“His mechanic was removing all the damaged parts from the crashed bike [Honda CBR600F4] and this upper was in the trash bin,” wrote Zerbisias. “I asked Nicky to sign it and he said ‘That’s going to be worth some money when I become world champion!’ He signed it ‘Big D ’00 Nicky Hayden #1′”
The “Big D” was a reference to Daytona International Speedway.
“I kept it all these years and I think it’s time to do what he said that day,” wrote Zerbisias. “I want to auction it to the highest bidder and donate 100% of the proceeds to the Nicky Hayden Memorial Foundation. He would be thrilled, I know.”
The auction is posted HERE, and it is scheduled to end on June 10, 2020.
Nicky Hayden, the 2006 MotoGP World Champion, died May 22, 2017, from injuries he sustained when he was struck by a car while training on his bicycle in Italy.
Hayden’s family established the Nicky Hayden Memorial Foundation to honor his legacy of giving to charities that help women and children in his hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky.
WERA RETURNS TO SUMMIT POINT RACEWAY WITH N2!
It was 2015 when WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was last at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia, and this weekend, June 5-7, we return with our Endurance Partner N2 Track Days.
On Friday, N2 will host a Track Day, and on Saturday, N2 and WERA Motorcycle Roadracing will host Round #1 of the N2/WERA Endurance Series with an Ultra Lightweight two-hour race in the morning and a Big-Bike 4-hour starting at 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon. Sunday will see a WERA Sportsman Sprint round for the Atlantic Coastal Region.
If you are planning to ride on Friday with N2, they are asking that everyone pre-register for the day. Registration will close Thursday, June 4th, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. EST. Rider and crew only. There will be no spectators allowed. We want to avoid “same day, at event” sign ups so please pre-register. If you are not an N2 member you can create a free account here: https://my.n2td.org/User/Register.cfm.
Registered riders will be emailed a link for a digital waiver shortly after registration closes. This must be signed before you can ride.
When you get the waiver, please click the link and sign. We will have limited paper waivers and encourage digital signing. Please being your own pen. We will also be sending out supplemental guidelines in this email. The guidelines are for the three days and will be listed on the back of the weekend schedule. Post entry for the N2/WERA Endurance and WERA Sprints will be available at the track.
“We are excited to return to Summit Point after a five-year absence and ask that you understand this is a non-spectator event due to the Covid-19 situation we are all experiencing. I also ask that the participants limit the amount of crew you bring with you to this event and that masks be worn when not in your pits or vehicles as a courtesy to everyone’s well being,” said CEO of WERA Motorcycle Roadracing Evelyne Clarke.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was established in 1973 and is currently co-sanctioning event with AMA and partners with N2 on the National Endurance Series. Web site is wera.com and more information is available on the website as well as our Facebook Page business.facebook.com/wera.roadracing/.
Construction has resumed on the new chicane on the front straightaway at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington.
The chicane is being added to slow riders down before Turn One and to add an extra passing zone, Tracie Schmitt, General Manager of Ridge Motorsports Park, told Roadracingworld.com in February.
Watch a short, time-lapse video of paving happening on the new chicane section below.
MotoAmerica is scheduled to race at Ridge Motorsports Park August 28-30.
MRA 2020 season opener at Pikes Peak International Raceway this weekend,
June 6-7
Fountain, CO – After a delayed start of the season, the MRA is
happy to announce they will open their 2020 Road Race Championship Series at
Pikes Peak International Raceway over the weekend of June 6-7. The MRA
Board of Directors in cooperation with the PPIR management team have been
working hard to bring back full speed motorcycle road racing to Colorado in
the midst of COVID-19 restrictions & closures across the state.
This weekend will feature the familiar high speed MRA sprints of years past
along with three new classes for 2020. The new Premier Amateur class will
use Heavyweight Superbike rules but will focus on bringing a purse payout to
amateur racers. Formula 40 Extreme GTU & GTO is also new this year pitting
the fastest “maturing” racers in the MRA against each other while the
existing Formula 40 GTO/GTU will provide additional podium & contingency
opportunities for amateur racers.
Another benefit due to the close cooperation between PPIR management & the
MRA, the postponed MRA New Racers’ School will now be held on Friday
intermingled with open lapping practice for MRA licensed racers. New Rider
Director Jeff Brown will be pairing up road race students with his deeply
experienced set of instructors during most of the day on Friday.
Due to continuing COVID-19 restrictions, this weekend is a non-spectator
event. Racers are encouraged to bring a minimal number close crew and
family and will need to follow current Colorado COVID-19 mitigation
protocols.
The Motorcycle Roadracing Association is dedicated to promoting safe and
competitive motorcycle road racing events for enthusiasts in Colorado and
the surrounding area. For more information, go to http://www.mra-racing.org/
This was an interesting end to our season here with CVMA. With Covid-19 restrictions, we had to cancel the March and April rounds of CVMA. This left us in a bit of a pickle. Thanks to Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, we were able to complete the season finale of the 2019-20 Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association season on May 30-31 2020. The weekend was greeted with pretty hot weather conditions which led to some great racing!
CVMA had special Covid-19 provisions, for registration, tech inspection, gridding, etc.. to ensure everyone kept up with “social distancing guidelines”.
Due to the nature of the weekend, CVMA offered double-points for all classes.
The weekend kicked off with Chad Lewin scoring the win in Open Supersport competition on his Kawasaki ZX-10R. Chad later won Sunday’s Formula Open race on his ZX-10R.
In the Middleweight classes, the show was run by Daniel Riser who with his lightning fast Kawasaki ZX-6R won the Formula Middleweight Races both days, and Saturday’s Supersport Middleweight race.
In the Formula Twins and Formula 2 classes Ryan Fritz put on a clinic scoring wins both days in both classes. Elder-statesman Jon Glaefke scored a string of 2nd places in these classes, with Trapper Keeper bike riding Josh Merrill on the SV-650 rounding the top 3.
For the CVMA Shootout race, presented by TrackDaz, and SoCal Trackdays, Michael Gilbert who was racing MotoAmerica the same weekend, literally flew back Saturday night from Wisconsin to race Sunday in the effort to win the CVMA #1 plate. Wyatt Farris did everything he needed to do, by winning the race. Michael Gilbert came in 2nd with Chad Lewin rounding out the podium. With the points scored, Michael ends the season winning the #1 plate by a mere 7 points.
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.
Additionally, CVMA offers free reciprocity as a means of encouraging racers from other clubs to come out and compete. Log on to www.cvmaracing.com for more information.
CVMA. It’s club racing done right.
Results:
Formula Middleweight
Saturday:
Daniel Riser (Kaw ZX-6R)
Aaron Hartshorn (Yam YZF-R6)
Jack Bakken (Yam YZF-R6)
Grant Boldt (Yam YZF-R6)
David Grey (Yam YZF-R6)
Oscan Fernandez (Yam YZF-R6)
Sunday:
Daniel Riser (Kaw ZX-6R)
David Grey (Yam YZF-R6)
Robert Brittain (Suz GSX-R600)
Nick Lundquist (Yam YZF-R6)
Robert McCoy (Yam YZF-R6)
Open Supersport
Saturday:
Chad Lewin (Kaw ZX-10R)
Wes Farnsworth (Kaw ZX-10R)
Anthony Norton (Kaw ZX-10R)
Steven Zoumaras (Kaw ZX-10R)
Tyler Bengford (Kaw ZX-10R)
John Menzie (Kaw ZX-10R)
Sunday:
Anthony Norton (Kaw ZX-10R)
Steven Zoumaras (Kaw ZX-10R)
Tyler Bengford (Kaw ZX-10R)
David Thomas (BMW S1000RR)
Amateuer Open Supersport
Saturday:
Alex Page (Yam YZF-R1)
Roger Miller (Yam YZF-R1)
LJ Elder (Kaw ZX-6R)
Kyle Renaud (Suz GSX-R1000)
Craig Walker (Suz GSX-R1000)
Kevin Madden (Hon CBR1000RR)
Sunday:
Alex Page (Yam YZF-R1)
Roger Miller (Yam YZF-R1)
Craig Walker (Suz GSX-R1000)
Pratt Wellman (Yam YZF-R6)
Kevin Madden (Hon CBR1000RR)
Alyssa Davis (Hon CBR600RR)
Amateur 500 Supersport
Saturday:
Owen Williams (Kaw 400)
Sunday:
Owen Williams (Kaw 400)
500 Supersport
Saturday:
Rafael Revelo (Kaw 400)
Jared Kapoor (Kaw 400)
Emily Grana (Kaw 400)
Sunday:
Rafael Revelo (Kaw 400)
Emily Grana (Kaw 400)
Jared Kapoor (Kaw 400)
Amateur Formula Middleweight
Saturday:
Andre Pettas (Yam YZF-R6)
Lee Callins (Yam YZF-R6)
Robert Montgomerie (Yam YZF-R6)
Michael Aibel (Yam YZF-R6)
Mitchell Hall (Yam YZF-R6)
Alexander Martino (Yam YZF-R6)
Sunday:
August Nord (Yam YZF-R6)
Lee Callins (Yam YZF-R6)
John Butler (Yam YZF-R6)
Robert Montgomerie (Yam YZF-R6)
Mike Bishop (Yam YZF-R6)
Mitchell Hall (Yam YZF-R6)
Amateur Supersport MIddleweight
Saturday:
Andre Pettas (Yam YZF-R6)
LJ Elder (Kaw ZX-6R)
Michael Aibel (Yam YZF-R6)
Mike Bishop (Yam YZF-R6)
Christopher Jaach (TRI 675)
Mitchell Hall (Yam YZF-R6)
Sunday:
Andre Pettas (Yam YZF-R6)
Lee Callins (Yam YZF-R6)
Robert Montgomerie (Yam YZF-R6)
john Butler (Yam YZF-R6)
Michael Aibel (Yam YZF-R6)
Pratt Wellman (Yam YZF-R6)
Formula 40 Ultra Lightweight
Saturday:
Pittman Wallace (Yam YZF-R3)
Matt Ray (Yam YZF-R3)
Sunday:
Pittman Wallace (Yam YZF-R3)
Matt Ray (Yam YZF-R3)
Formula Twins
Saturday:
Ryan Fritz (Suz SV650)
Jon Glaefke (Kra Evo2R)
Josh Merrill (Suz SV650)
Micheal Kim (Suz SV650)
Michael Souza (Suz SV650)
Charles Fathy (Yam MT07)
Sunday:
Ryan Fritz (Suz SV650)
Jon Glaefke (Kra Evo2R)
Josh Merrill (Suz SV650)
Don Williams (Suz SV650)
Simon Barrett(Yam FZ07)
Formula 2
Saturday:
Ryan Fritz (Suz SV650)
Jon Glaefke (Kra Evo2R)
Josh Merrill (Suz SV650)
Michael Souza (Suz SV650)
Simon Barrett (Yam FZ07)
Serge Martin (Yam FZ07)
Sunday:
Ryan Fritz (Suz SV650)
Jon Glaefke (Kra Evo2R)
Josh Merrill (Suz SV650)
Michael Souza (Suz SV650)
Simon Barrett (Yam FZ07)
Christopher Binker (Suz SV650)
Formula 40
Saturday:
Aaron Sherman (Yam YZF-R1)
John Menzie (Kaw ZX-10R)
Steve Crabtree (Apr RSV4RF)
Keven Madden (Hon CBR1000RR)
Sunday:
Keven Madden (Hon CBR1000RR)
Formula 40 Middleweight
Saturday:
Grant Boldt (Yam YZF-R6)
Jose Revelo (Yam YZF-R6)
David Kolb (Kaw ZX-6R)
Mike Bishop (Yam YZF-R6)
Christopher Jeech (Tri 675R)
Sunday:
David Kolb (Kaw ZX-6R)
Jose Revelo (Yam YZF-R6)
Terry Heard (Suz GSX-R600)
Mike Bishop (Yam YZF-R6)
Christopher Jeech (Tri 675R)
Formula 40 Lightweight
Saturday:
Jon Glaefke (Kra Evo2R)
Micheal Kim (Suz SV650)
Donald Williams (Suz SV650)
Josh Merrill (Suz SV650)
Simon Barrett (Yam FZ07)
Sunday:
Donald Williams (Suz SV650)
Simon Barrett (Yam FZ07)
Femmewalla
Saturday:
Alyssa Davis (Hon CBR600RR)
Rainey Pogue (Yam YZF-R6)
Bonnie Chiurazzi (Kaw ZX-6R)
Sunday:
Alyssa Davis (Hon CBR600RR)
Rainey Pogue (Yam YZF-R6)
Bonnie Chiurazzi (Kaw ZX-6R)
Ashley Koehler (Suz SV650)
Femmewalla Ultra Lightweight
Saturday:
Emily Grana (Kaw 400)
Shannon Deane (Yam YZF-R3)
Savannah Jaska (Kaw 300R)
Miyouko Wu (Yam YZF-R3)
Kathy Zhao (Yam YZF-R3)
Ana Mata (Yam YZF-R3)
Sunday:
Emily Grana (Kaw 400)
Shannon Deane (Yam YZF-R3)
Savannah Jaska (Kaw 300R)
Miyouko Wu (Yam YZF-R3)
Formula Open
Saturday:
Chad Lewin (Kaw ZX-10R)
Wes Farnsworth (Kaw ZX-10R)
Anthony Norton (Kaw ZX-10R)
Garrett Pacheco (BMW S1000RR)
Tyler Bengford (Kaw ZX-10R)
Dallas Sherman (Yam YZF-R1)
Sunday:
Michael Gilbert (Kaw ZX-10R)
Chad Lewin (Kaw ZX-10R)
William Russell (Kaw ZX-10R)
Anthony Norton (Kaw ZX-10R)
Garrett Pacheco (BMW S1000RR)
Dallas Sherman (Yam YZF-R1)
Amateur Formula Open:
Saturday:
Alex Page (Yam YZF-R1)
Craig Walker (Suz GSX-R1000)
Christopher Jaech (Tri 675)
Kyle Renaud (Suz GSX-R1000)
Kevin Madden (Hon CBR1000RR)
Matt Cooper (Apr RSV4)
Sunday:
Alex Page (Yam YZF-R1)
Andre Pettas (Yam YZF-R6)
August Nord (Yam YZF-R6)
Roger Miller (Yam YZF-R1)
Craig Walker (Suz GSX-R1000)
Kyle Renaud (Suz GSX-R1000)
Supersport Middleweight
Saturday:
Daniel Riser (Kaw ZX-6R)
Jack Bakken (Yam YZF-R6)
Aaron Hartshorn (Yam YZF-R6)
Grant Boldt (Yam YZF-R6)
David Grey (Yam YZF-R6)
Robert Brittain (Suz GSX-R600)
Sunday:
Jack Bakken (Yam YZF-R6)
David Grey (Yam YZF-R6)
David Kolb (Kaw ZX-6R)
Terry Heard (Suz GSX-R600)
Robert Brittain (Suz GSX-R600)
Nick Lundquist (Yam YZF-R6)
350 Supersport
Saturday:
Pittman Wallace (Yam YZF-R3)
Shannon Deane (Yam YZF-R3)
Sunday:
Pittman Wallace (Yam YZF-R3)
Shannon Deane (Yam YZF-R3)
Amateur 350 Supersport
Saturday:
Yohei Sakane (Yam YZF-R3)
Matt Hornschu (Yam YZF-R3)
Christopher Newman (Yam YZF-R3)
Savannah Jaska (Kaw 300R)
Miyouko Wu (Yam YZF-R3)
Kathy Zhao (Yam YZF-R3)
Sunday:
Yohei Sakane (Yam YZF-R3)
Matt Hornschu (Yam YZF-R3)
Savannah Jaska (Kaw 300R)
Ultra Lightweight Shootout
Saturday:
Jesse Norton (Kaw 400)
Rafael Revelo (Kaw 400)
Emily Grana (Kaw 400)
Jarred Kapoor (Kaw 400)
Owen Williams (Kaw 400)
Sunday:
Jesse Norton (Kaw 400)
Rafael Revelo (Kaw 400)
Owen Williams (Kaw 400)
Jarred Kapoor (Kaw 400)
Emily Grana (Kaw 400)
CVMA Shootout – Presented by TrackDaz, and Socal Trackdays
Sunday Only:
Wyatt Farris (Kaw ZX-10R)
Michael Gilbert (Kaw ZX-10R)
Chad Lewin (Kaw ZX-10R)
William Russell (Kaw ZX-10R)
Garrett Pacheco (BMW S1000RR)
Steven Zoumaras (Kaw ZX-10R)
The UtahSBA held its season opening Round 2 Saturday May 30th on Utah Motorsports Campus’ West track.
The UtahSBA faced many challenges in getting the 2020 season started following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the hardships associated with it. Through the tireless work of the UtahSBA board of directors, volunteers, and the deepened support of the club’s members and sponsors, including new title sponsor Utah Motorcycle Law, Round 2 moved forward and was very successful using a temporary single day racing format.
On Friday prior to the round the club hosted 17 New Racer Certification (NRC) students and 6 Advanced Racer course (ARC) students for a variety of skills development on and off the track. The classes were held in partnership with Apex Trackdays utilizing what is ordinarily their C group. The classes went very well with accelerating lap times across both groups of students and only one set of bars touching down throughout the day marking a strong start to the modified weekend and season schedule of the UtahSBA. Spirits were high and everyone was excited to be back on track.
With the new one-day racing schedule Saturday moved into high gear after some brief practice sessions in the morning. Riders in the Formula 40 GTO/GTU class (colloquially referred to in the pits as “formula old guy”) lined up early in the day for one of the club’s most celebrated races. As red lights turned off 16 riders flew down the straight into turn one. By the end of the first lap Bill Davis of Phoenix, Arizona had maneuvered himself from 9th into the first-place spot followed closely by Erik Grim and Michael Bradshaw. Bradshaw fought hard and managed to overtake Davis and Grim simultaneously in the 5th lap. Bradshaw held onto this lead taking the win with Davis in 2nd and Grim in 3rd.
Racing continued with Moto Station and AZ Riding Academy King of the Mountain (KOM) Qualifying. Out of the gate all qualifiers laid down blistering lap times considering the green track and the despised yet familiar Tooele Valley sustained southerly winds. Adam Robarts, of Duvall Washington kicked things into overdrive early on, laying down a 1:33.26 early in qualifying, a time that could have secured him pole. Undeterred by the irritating wind, Robarts and his BMW S1000RR fitted with Pirelli WSBK slicks and suspension built by Penske and GP Suspension shaved another nearly 1.5 seconds off to a 1:31.883. No one had a chance to best that as the session ended early, red flagged due to possible oil on track.
The KOM combined race kicked off with a dust-devil start and 17 racers banging for position for the entire lap first lap. 2018 KOM Champion Michael Bradshaw was leading into turn 10; as the racers approached the final turn Robarts made his move to overtake Bradshaw in the belly of the hairpin corner. The two nearly made contact as they howled onto the front straight with Robarts sticking the pass. Robarts switched on his BMW’s overdrive seen in qualifying and gapped the back from retirement Bradshaw. As racing progressed the real battle on the track was playing out for 3rd with 2019 KOM Champion Jerry Hicks on his R6 out cornering youngster Genaro Lopez and his BMW S1000RR and Bill Davis’ Beemer through lap 4. The 3 stayed close until the start of lap 6 when Lopez made a brave yet futile attempt to block pass Hicks into turn 1 but couldn’t make it stick. He stayed close and 1 lap later Lopez succeeded in turn 1. Lopez then set his sights on Bradshaw, who had built up a respectable gap courtesy of Lopez and Hicks’ shenanigans. Mother nature had other plans, however, with the winds increasing during lap 11 dramatically reducing visibility as a dust storm kicked up. The winds made short work sending debris of all kinds flying and the race was immediately red flagged. Since the race distance exceeded the half-way mark it was ruled complete with Robarts as the winner, Bradshaw 9.0 seconds behind and Lopez just 0.3 seconds behind Bradshaw.
It is springtime in the high desert, and our storm left us to destroy the marina at the Great Salt Lake. Racing did persist throughout the afternoon without incident, very successful racing all around. Notables include sophomore racer James Kling winning ee Racing Corps Open Twins and Bill Squires winning Blud Racing Lubricants Nov-O, Pilot Bill Davis taking Edge Powersports Deseret Dash Expert honors, Dave Purcell finally getting some over Brad Moore in the Inspired Financial Prod 500, and Jerry Hicks winning MotoStation Middleweight Superbike.
Even though the virus decreased numbers of racing enthusiasts during round 2, as racers rolled up their rugs and toolkits, you could feel the blustery excitement building for the upcoming Utah Motorcycle Law Masters of the Mountains Classic Round 3, scheduled for June 20th on UMC’s East Track and the chase for points offered by any season.
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
Overall Results:
Motostation/AZ Riding Academy KOM Overall:
1. Adam Robarts (BMW S1000RR)
2. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
3. Genaro Lopez (BMW S1000RR)
4. Jerry Hicks (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
6. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R1)
Motostation KOM GTO:
1. Adam Robarts (BMW S1000RR)
2. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
3. Genaro Lopez (BMW S1000RR)
4. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
5. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R1)
6. Cody Cochran (BMW S1000RR)
AZ Riding Academy KOM GTU:
1. Jerry Hicks (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Brian Childree (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Dennis Stowers (TRI 675R)
4. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Cole Phillips (YAM YZF-R6)
Harrison Eurosports Combined GTO
1. Steven Marco (YAM YZF-R1)
2. Rick Squires (HON CBR1000RR)
3. Marshall Miller (BMW S1000RR)
4. Joshua Snow (YAM YZF-R1)
5. Mark Taylor (KAW NINJA 400)
6. Miguel Alamillo (SUZ GSX-R600)
Kimco Combined GTU
1. Grant Cowan (Yamaha YZF-R1)
2. Nicholas Schmit (SUZ GSX-R600)
3. Raymond Clark (SUZ SV650)
4. Max Tseng (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Belisario Arango (KAW ZX-6R)
6. Phil O’Bryan (KAW ZX-6R)
The Edge Powersports Deseret Dash – Expert
1. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
2. Braden Jones (YAM YZF-R1)
3. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R6)
4. David Meyer (SUZ GSX-R1000)
5. Marshall Miller (BMW S1000RR)
6. Michael Montgomery (KAW ZX-6R)
The Edge Powersports Deseret Dash – Novice
1. Rick Squires (HON CBR1000RR)
2. James Kling (DUC 1198)
3. John Hewett (KAW ZX-10R)
4. Raymond Clark (SUZ GSX-R600)
5. Braxton Young (HON CBR600RR
Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 – GTO
1. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
2. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
3. Erik Grim (BMW S1000RR)
4. Kevin Dolan (KAW ZX-10R)
5. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R6)
6. Steven Marco (YAM YZF-R1)
Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 – GTU
1. Jason Johnson (DUC 848)
2. Phil O’Bryan (KAW ZX-6R)
3. Kirk Doyle (KAW ZX-6R)
4. Mark Taylor (KAW NINJA 400)
5. Richard VanderStraten (HON CBR600RR)
6. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)
The Edge Powersports Lightweight Superbike
1. David Purcell (KAW NINJA 400)
2. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)
3. Christopher De La Torre (SUZ SV650)
4. Mark Taylor (KAW NINJA 400)
5. Brock Jones (KTM RC 390)
Moto Station Middleweight Superbike
1. Jerry Hicks (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Brian Childree (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Grant Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Michael Montgomery (KAW ZX-6R)
5. Cole Phillips (YAM YZF-R6)
Toxic Moto Racing Middleweight Superstock
1. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Grant Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Cole Phillips (YAM YZF-R6)
The Mechanic Modern Vintage – GTO
1. David Meyer (BMW S1000RR)
2. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)
3. James Kling (DUC 1198)
4. Marshall Miller (BMW S1000RR)
5. Josh Snow (YAM YZF-R1)
6. Rick Squires (HON CBR1000RR)
The Mechanic Modern Vintage – GTU
1. Grant Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Jason Johnson (DUC 848)
3. Phil O’Bryan (KAW ZX-6R)
4. Michael Montgomery (KAW ZX-6R)
5. Raymond Clark (SUZ GSX-R600)
6. Nicholas Schmit (SUZ GSX-R600)
MotoUnited Moto 2
1. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Dennis Stowers (TRI 657R)
4. Grant Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Michael Montgomery (KAW ZX-6R)
6. Nicholas Schmit (SUZ GSX-R600)
The Edge Powersports Moto 3
1. David Purcell (KAW NINJA 400)
2. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)
3. Matt Phoumyxay (SUZ SV650)
4. Mark Taylor (KAW NINJA 400)
5. Christopher De La Torre (SUZ SV650)
6. Timothy Nielsen (KTM RC 390)
Blud Racing Lubricants Novice GTO
1. James Kling (DUC 1198)
2. Rick Squires (HON CBR1000RR)
3. James Dailey (DUC V4R)
4. Joshua Snow (YAM YZF-R1)
5. John Hewett (KAW ZX-10R)
6. Nicholas Schmit (SUZ GSX-R600)
Blud Racing Lubricants Novice GTU
1. Nicholas Schmit (SUZ GSX-R600)
2. Belasario Arango (KAW ZX-6R)
3. Raymond Clark (SUZ GSX-R600)
4. Max Tseng (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Kirk Doyle (KAW ZX-6R)
6. Russell Carpenter (YAM YZF-R6)
Moto Station Open Superbike
1. Adam Robarts (BMW S1000RR)
2. Genaro Lopez (BMW S1000RR)
3. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
4. Brian Childree (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Jerry Hicks (YAM YZF-R6)
6. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R1)
MotoUnited Open Superstock
1. Genaro Lopez (BMW S1000RR)
2. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
3. Cody Cochran (BMW S1000RR)
4. David Meyer (SUZ GSX-R1000)
5. Steven Marco (YAM YZF-R1)
6. Spencer Kruger (YAM YZF-R1)
ee Racing Corps Open Twins
1. James Kling (DUC 1198)
2. Dennis Stowers (TRI 675R)
3. Jason Johnson (DUC 848)
4. Raymond Clark (SUZ SV650)
5. Matt Phoumyxay (SUZ SV650)
6. Christopher De La Torre (SUZ SV650)
Inspired Financial Production 500
1. David Purcell (KAW NINJA 400)
2. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)
3. Mark Taylor (KAW NINJA 400)
4. Brock Jones (KTM RC 390)
5. Phil O’Brian (KAW NINJA 400)
Monarch Powersports Sportsman
1. Russell Carpenter (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Kirk Doyle (KAW ZX-6R)
3. John Hewitt (KAW ZX-10R)
4. Chris Cramer (APR 1100R)
C&R Coatings Stock 1000
1. Cody Cochran (BMW S1000RR)
2. David Meyer (SUZ GSX-R1000)
3. James Peterec (SUZ GSX-R1000)
4. James Dailey (DUC V4 R)
5. Rick Squires (HON CBR1000RR)
6. John Hewett (KAW ZX-10R)
Mountain Autosport Super Street Bike
1. Cole Phillips (YAM FZ8)
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is not and will never be closed down to turn it into a housing development.
A call came into Roadracing World Wednesday, and the caller mentioned a rumor they had heard that the historic road course on the California coastline was shutting down immediately to be turned into a housing development.
If true, this news would have had huge implications. Not only does the 63-year-old racetrack have a full, albeit delayed schedule of major motorsports events, (including IMSA, Indycar, and MotoAmerica races), Monterey County, which owns the land the racetrack sits on, just entered a controversial new contract with A&D Narigi Consulting, LLC to manage the facility through 2023.
Roadracing World investigated the rumor and found it to be untrue, with absolutely no basis in fact.
“No, it’s not going to close down, and no, it’s never going to be a housing development,” said Gill Campbell, who served as CEO and General Manager for Laguna Seca from 2001 to 2017. “The reason for that is the deed dictates what that property can be used for.”
The land that Laguna Seca resides on was originally a privately-owned ranch dating back to 1867. In 1917, the U.S. Army acquired the land and turned it into Fort Ord. In 1957, the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) leased land from Fort Ord for the purpose of constructing a dedicated road course where they could relocate the Pebble Beach Road Races.
In 1974, the U.S. Army deeded the land over to Monterey County, transferring ownership, and it’s that deed that safeguards the racetrack.
“The deed states that it can never be sold,” continued Campbell. “That’s why there’s not a lease in place for it because it cannot be leased or sold. It is the property of the County and they are restricted by that deed.”
For confirmation, Roadracing World reached out to Monterey County, and Assistant County Administrative Officer Dewayne Woods confirmed Campbell’s information.
“Back in the day when the land was granted over, that was written in the deed because there was an Army base there before,” Woods told Roadracingworld.com. “So yeah, that is in the deed. I’m sure the Feds don’t have that issue now [that Fort Ord is closed], but it would take a deed change. But the reality is that’s not where the County is going and never was or never even thought about it.
“The County is clear. Not only do we want to value the history and make sure the track is there for future generations, it is a huge part of our regional economy. As Gill Campbell says, ‘Lots of places have football stadiums. Laguna Seca is our football stadium.’”
While the COVID-19 pandemic and safer-at-home orders have put motorsports on hold worldwide since March, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca has found new ways to utilize and market itself, such as recently hosting drive-thru graduation ceremonies for seven local high schools.
“They were wonderfully received by the community,” said Woods. “It was great to be able to do that for the kids who graduated and had to endure the stay-in-place situation. Plus, having that many families locally and that many young kids locally explore and drive around the track through their final victory lap hopefully what it does is it engenders for generations to come a love of that track locally.”
HONOS rider Richie Escalante began his MotoAmerica Supersport Championship 2020 campaign in perfect form on the track and capitalized his efforts to take home both podiums at number one.
“I’m really happy,” said Escalante. “It’s my first time to double win in the MotoAmerica Championship, so I am really happy about that. In the race. The ZX-6R Kawasaki is amazing. I’m very happy. My team is working really good. I’m very comfortable right now, so I’m ready for Road America two next month.”
Richie and team HONOS look to build off this momentum and come back to Wisconsin (Road America) for race number two and continue to write their story for this years championship.
More, from a press release issued by Altus Motorsports Tucker Hagerty Team:
MotoAmerica: Strong Season Opener for the Altus Motorsports Tucker Hagerty Team
(Elkhart Lake, WI) Altus Motorsports is deeply committed to MotoAmerica and the sport of motorcycle road racing. Each season they raise the bar for themselves both on and off the track. For 2020 the team has added additional staff and changed their rider lineup. “Every year I’m super proud of how we show up in the pits at Round 1 and 2020 is no exception. Adding a rider like Cam Petersen is a great boost. And not just for his results on the track. He’s helping the rest of the team be better riders. Our crew chief, Eric Gray, has added to this already solid team. Melissa Paris is on board as the lead mechanic for Cam. We have a fantastic and fantastically talented family,” said team-owner Geoge Nassaney.
Honos Superbike & Stock 1000: Cameron Petersen is doing double duty by racing both Stock 1000 and Superbike classes during the 2020 season. The trick is that he’s doing it on the exact same bike – the Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000. Unfortunately, the weekend at Road America did not get off to a great start. Petersen had a massive crash in the first practice session. As a result, he missed nearly all of the practice and qualifying sessions while the Altus team put the bike back together.
In the Honos Superbike class, Petersen started both races from 11th. In race one he finished with a 15th, followed by 7th in race two. That is impressive on a Stock 1000 legal motorcycle.
Round 1 is a single-race weekend for the Stock 1000 class. Petersen missed the qualifying practices but, based on his lap times from Superbike, MotoAmerica slotted him on the front row. In spite of limited practice time, Cam piloted the Altus GSX-R to an impressive 2nd place finish.
“Great first weekend! Unfortunately, it started off on a rough note with a massive crash in the first session. Melissa Paris and the whole team did a great job to rebuild the bike and give me the best possible equipment!” said Cam Petersen. “I’m so stoked to get on the podium again and to give the team the result they deserve! This weekend left me hungrier than I’ve ever been and I’m searching for those victories that I know are coming soon! Once again, a massive shoutout to the whole Altus Motorsports Tucker Hagerty team for all the effort that goes into the program!”
“I’ve never worked for another team. Every mechanic wants an opportunity to turn wrenches for someone with Cam’s talent, so I jumped at the chance,” said Melissa Paris.
Supersport: After finishing second in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup in 2019, Kevin Olmedo has moved up to compete in the Supersport class on an Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R600. Based on his results at Road America, he’s getting up to speed quickly. As it’s his first time at the Wisconsin track on a 600, Olmedo spent the practice sessions adapting his track knowledge to a significantly different machine. By the end of the second qualifying session, he was 7th fastest. In the first two laps of race one, Kevin jumped up to 4th position and finished on the podium in 3rd. An outstanding result on his inaugural outing on the 600. A tough first lap in race two put Kevin back in 15th. He spent most of the race making up for lost time but did manage a Top 10 finish. All in all, an amazing first round for the young racer.
Teammate and fellow 600 rider, Jaret Nassaney, spent most of the weekend fighting a clutch issue. Despite the problem, Jaret qualified 8th – his best ever grid position. The clutch started acting up again during the race. He had a great battle for 7th, but without the ability to draft he had to settle for 9th. In Sunday’s race, he slipped back to 13th off the start then fought back to finish in 9th, garnering two Top 10 finishes on the weekend.
“It felt great to be back in the MotoAmerica paddock! It was a bit frustrating but we ended up walking away with two 9th place finishes. We know the problem and we are going to go over the data and get things figured out and come out swinging at the end of the month,” said Jaret Nassaney.
Liqui Moly Junior Cup: Daniel Kinard joins the team for 2020 to ride the Altus Motorsports-prepared Ninja 400. This is his first season in MotoAmerica and he’s looking for steady improvement throughout the year. Road America is a challenging track for anyone because of its length and complexities, but Daniel was up for the challenge. He spent the first qualifying session getting familiar with the track. With the help of teammate Kevin Olmedo, who rode the Altus factory-built Ninja 400 in Junior Cup last year, Kinard shaved six seconds off his time in the second qualifying practice and continued to improve every session. He started both of the races from 14th on the grid. In race one, he dropped an additional three seconds and finished in 11th place. While setting his fastest lap during race two, Daniel was caught up in a battle for 11th place for the entire race. He felt that he could have gone faster if he had broken away. His final result in the Sunday race was a 12th place finish.
“I had a blast for my first MotoAmerica race weekend and consider it a success. I believe a Top 10 finish is very plausible going into the next round,” said Daniel Kinard.
The entire team is excited for the next round of the MotoAmerica season back at Road America again at the end of June.
More, from a press release issued by Thrashed Bike Racing:
Thrashed Bike Racing MotoAmerica
Round 1 Road America
Thrashed Bike Racing was relieved to actually kick off the 2020 MotoAmerica season at Road America in the Covid-19 era, The 2020 Yamaha race R1 was not quite ready for its debut with the team so Rider Max Flinders was onboard last year’s race bike which is a 2015 frame with a 2018 engine.
Shaking off the cobwebs it was great to see the teams lap time improve significantly from last year with a qualifying position of 13th. Race one was drama free for the team, we knew we could not match the outright top speeds of the machines around us, but consistency and good handling put the team into an 11th place standing at the finish flag. A new clutch was fitted and Max saw a better start in race two and he spent most of the race chasing down a Fly Kawasaki machine, natural attrition with some crashes up front put Max into 10th place, he finally put the Kawasaki behind him with a lap to go and pulled a gap before the flag which gave him an excellent 9th place on the leader board.
The team will be installing the 2020 Used Bike Direct supported Yamaha R1 with its race engine next week and plan to have a Superstock Yamaha R1 entry for the next round with Walt Sipp returning to the Thrashed bike team for round 2 of the MotoAmerica season.
Tim Ivanoff stated: “This was a good solid start to the season, the bike was flawless and our lap times were significantly improved from last year, we are really looking forward to round two as we can build on the data gathered at round one and build on that knowledge. We are also looking forward to seeing Walt back onboard our superstock bike, he stood in for Max (when he was injured) at New Jersey and it will be good to have him back with the team for select rounds”
Rider Max Flinders was buzzing after the inaugural races of 2020, “ It’s great to be back racing I have been going stir crazy at home! I have had some track time at NOLA motorsports park prior to event and appreciate the guys down there for accommodating me. Thanks to Tim and our awesome sponsors we hopefully will be running the 2020 bike at the next round so I can’t wait to push harder at round 2!” said Max.
Thrashed Bike Racing
Thrashed Bike Racing is a Louisiana-based superbike team competing in the MotoAmerica national series. We are committed to showcasing the best young talent at the highest level of US motorcycle sport. We know the challenges are difficult and the cost of running a season at this level is high but our resolve is firm and we will continue to be one of the smallest, friendliest and most consistent teams in the paddock.
Thanks to – Arrow Aviation, Liqui Moly, Friendly Powersports, Arai Helmets, Used Bikes Direct, Moto-D, Moto-tech, FAO Global, Superbike unlimited, Bonamici, Spark exhausts, and the army of fans. SEE YOU AT THE RACES!
More, from a press release issued by BARTCON Racing:
BARTCON Racings Dominic Doyle #25 Junior Cup & Cooper McDonald #20 Twins Cup did not disappoint in the opening round of the MotoAmerica season.
Young South African rider Dominic Doyle managed to break the lap record not once but three times, setting a new lap record in Q1 then again in Q2 & finally in Race 2
Race 1 was a close battle between Dominic and defending champion Rocco Landers with each taking turns in leading the race all the way to the final corner but
Dominic kept his head down and managed a win with a gap of only .078 seconds. Race 2 was most definitely one of the best power matched races ever displayed in the only 3rd years of Jnr Cup with Dominic beating Rocco again this time with an even smaller margin of only .007 seconds.
Cooper McDonald had 2 great races in the Twins Cup series, taking a 6th place in Race 1 and a 7th place in race 2 on a bike that is frankly not 100%, we are not ones to make excuses at BARTCON Racing but we were most definitely had issues with transferring power to the rear tyre due to suspension set up which we believe we have since resolved and are chomping at the bitt to return to Road America at the end of the month to put both of our bikes and riders on the box.
Big shout out to Skip Orient Express for supplying our brilliant K-Tech Suspension along with track side support in the form of Lenny Albin. Robert from Bison leathers & Arai Helmets for all our new gear and Inde Motorsport Ranch in Arizona for giving us so much time at their facility to get the lads ready. Lastly, every member of Bartcon Racing that I know I don’t have to constantly praise or thank because we’re all just a hard working race team just getting it done.
2020 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Postponed, New Date To Be Determined
Annual celebration of America’s motorcycling heritage benefits the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum
PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Mid-Ohio), working closely with state and local health authorities, are postponing AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, scheduled for July 10-12 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, in accordance with the state’s “Responsible RestartOhio” guidelines for holding public events amid the coronavirus pandemic. New dates for the event later in 2020 have not been finalized.
“Unfortunately, event restrictions in place under order of the Ohio Department of Health prohibit many traditional elements of AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days that our competitors and fans have come to enjoy,” said AMA Chief Operating Officer James Holter. “The social interaction and camaraderie are an integral component that we love about this event. The multi-day swap meet, the camping, in-field activities, the crowds, not to mention the organic fun of the event, are impossible in light of the current situation.”
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course President Craig Rust added: “We are disappointed, but this is the right decision. Mid-Ohio will continue to work closely with the AMA, as well as our state and local health officials, to monitor the ongoing coronavirus situation and identify when AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days can be rescheduled for 2020. We ask for everyone’s patience, and we will announce a new date as soon as possible.”
Previously purchased tickets will be honored on the new date.
Established in 1990 and held at Mid-Ohio for the past 24 years, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is hailed as an annual celebration of America’s motorcycling heritage, welcoming thousands of enthusiasts and hundreds of vendors for bike shows, racing, seminars, the country’s largest motorcycle swap meet and more.
Proceeds from AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days support the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. For the latest news about the event, visit www.vintagemotorcycledays.com or www.facebook.com/AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, located on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio, tells the stories and preserves the history of motorcycling’s legends and heroes. For more information, call (614) 856-2222, or visit the Hall of Fame website at www.americanmotorcyclist.com/hall-of-fame/.
About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.
Not a member? Join the AMA today: www.americanmotorcyclist.com
Debrief: Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta on the future, racing outside Europe and how the paddock could look in 2020
Wednesday, 03 June 2020
Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta once again sat down with motogp.com recently, debriefing developments and outlining a glimpse of what the 2020 season may look like as we get closer to the possibility of getting back on track.
Here is the transcript, you can watch the video here.
What is MotoGP™ working on now, and in the future more long term?
“We’ve had several fruitful meetings and especially had a very profitable meeting with the manufacturers, we presented the protocol to them before we presented it to the Spanish and later to other authorities. We agreed a few different things, we gave them the chance to explain to us what they think about different possibilities, it was very profitable and we also approved the number of engines depending on the number of races we will have this season, which was agreed unanimously by all manufacturers. We also talked about the necessities for the future, but it was essentially to get their view on the protocol and then later to approve the situation regarding engines in the 2020 season.”
Are there any updates on races outside Europe being held at the end of the season?
“This was something I explained in the meeting with them: the calendar we hope to present next week that starts, if everything goes well, on the 19th of July in Jerez. And the latest race on that calendar will be at the beginning of November, with 12 or 13 rounds. But races outside of Europe is something we need to decide, still. There will be a number of races presented – the four non-European races that have not been cancelled: Thailand, Malaysia, Americas and Argentina – for which we will search for approval and we have a deadline of the end of July to tell everybody if we continue with them or stop. After the first two races we will see if the calendar will be 12, 14 or a maximum of 16 rounds.”
We’ve seen riders back training and even a KTM test in Austria, what do you think of that as a sign of hope about the Championship getting closer?
“This is very good, the start of training! And when we knew that some circuits had the idea to let professionals start, we thought it was a very good idea. In fact, we knew for some riders that when they even had the change to do motocross and things like that, it was very helpful for all of them. I know they’re happy because the MotoGP riders haven’t ridden since the test before Qatar, and Moto2 and Moto3 since Qatar. It’s important to start and they’re all anxious to start again!”
What will the paddock look like this season? What special measures and controls will there be, and how will the teams prepare?
“We’ve made a very defined protocol, working together with the different Ministers of Sport in different countries we will visit, to have an idea from any of the countries what we can do. Then in principle, any rider coming to race will have a medical before, and if the doctor decides they need to have a test, they will do it before coming to the first race in Spain. Then later, before coming to the paddock, there will be another test, and then a protocol with control every day, plenty of things in the paddock and especially insulation between each team. We have also some measures for places to eat and everything, in principle, where people are coming from the hotel to the circuit, and circuit to the hotel. Obviously this is for how the situation is right now, if between now and July, the situation in any country is more flexible, we’ll allow for that. In principle we want to isolate the paddock from other things and there will be no connection between the permanent people working at the circuit and the MotoGP family. Finally, the MotoGP family will be around or less than 1300 people and we have increased by five the number of members of each manufacturer for the MotoGP class. The numbers for Moto2 and Moto3 remain the same as originally stated.”
Do we know any more about WorldSBK?
“WorldSBK and the FIM CEV Repsol are defining another protocol, they are related to the national federations. All protocols related to any FIM Championship are connected to the FIM and the FIM is the final party who approve the protocols. World Superbike is the same and they will also present their protocol to any national federation.”
Robert Zerbisias, a former mechanic for Tommy, Nicky, and Roger Hayden during their early years of racing, is auctioning an autographed Nicky Hayden fairing to benefit the Nicky Hayden Memorial Foundation.
“I was the boys’ mechanic when they first started road racing with WERA, since they were too young for AMA,” Zerbisias wrote in an email to Roadracing World. “I lived at their house and traveled with Earl, Tom, Nick, and later Rog to the races.”
Nicky Hayden, who was the defending Champion and riding for the factory Honda team at the time, was involved in a multi-rider crash during the AMA Pro Supersport race at Daytona International Speedway in 2000.
Zerbisias, who was no longer Hayden’s mechanic, visited his garage after the race to see how his old friend was doing.
“His mechanic was removing all the damaged parts from the crashed bike [Honda CBR600F4] and this upper was in the trash bin,” wrote Zerbisias. “I asked Nicky to sign it and he said ‘That’s going to be worth some money when I become world champion!’ He signed it ‘Big D ’00 Nicky Hayden #1′”
The “Big D” was a reference to Daytona International Speedway.
“I kept it all these years and I think it’s time to do what he said that day,” wrote Zerbisias. “I want to auction it to the highest bidder and donate 100% of the proceeds to the Nicky Hayden Memorial Foundation. He would be thrilled, I know.”
The auction is posted HERE, and it is scheduled to end on June 10, 2020.
Nicky Hayden, the 2006 MotoGP World Champion, died May 22, 2017, from injuries he sustained when he was struck by a car while training on his bicycle in Italy.
Hayden’s family established the Nicky Hayden Memorial Foundation to honor his legacy of giving to charities that help women and children in his hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky.
WERA RETURNS TO SUMMIT POINT RACEWAY WITH N2!
It was 2015 when WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was last at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia, and this weekend, June 5-7, we return with our Endurance Partner N2 Track Days.
On Friday, N2 will host a Track Day, and on Saturday, N2 and WERA Motorcycle Roadracing will host Round #1 of the N2/WERA Endurance Series with an Ultra Lightweight two-hour race in the morning and a Big-Bike 4-hour starting at 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon. Sunday will see a WERA Sportsman Sprint round for the Atlantic Coastal Region.
If you are planning to ride on Friday with N2, they are asking that everyone pre-register for the day. Registration will close Thursday, June 4th, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. EST. Rider and crew only. There will be no spectators allowed. We want to avoid “same day, at event” sign ups so please pre-register. If you are not an N2 member you can create a free account here: https://my.n2td.org/User/Register.cfm.
Registered riders will be emailed a link for a digital waiver shortly after registration closes. This must be signed before you can ride.
When you get the waiver, please click the link and sign. We will have limited paper waivers and encourage digital signing. Please being your own pen. We will also be sending out supplemental guidelines in this email. The guidelines are for the three days and will be listed on the back of the weekend schedule. Post entry for the N2/WERA Endurance and WERA Sprints will be available at the track.
“We are excited to return to Summit Point after a five-year absence and ask that you understand this is a non-spectator event due to the Covid-19 situation we are all experiencing. I also ask that the participants limit the amount of crew you bring with you to this event and that masks be worn when not in your pits or vehicles as a courtesy to everyone’s well being,” said CEO of WERA Motorcycle Roadracing Evelyne Clarke.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was established in 1973 and is currently co-sanctioning event with AMA and partners with N2 on the National Endurance Series. Web site is wera.com and more information is available on the website as well as our Facebook Page business.facebook.com/wera.roadracing/.
