British Superbike: Race Two & Race Three Results From Thruxton

David Swarts

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August 11, 2024

British Superbike: Race Two & Race Three Results From Thruxton

Editorial Note: Americans Julian Correa, Joshua Raymond, Jr., and Eli Banish finished third, ninth, and 20th, respectively, in British Talent Cup Race Two Sunday at Thruxton Circuit.

BSB R2
BSB R3
BSB Points after R3

More, from a press release issued by MSVR:

Vickers strikes twice as Cook and McConnell celebrate podium success

Ryan Vickers won all three British Superbike races at Thruxton Circuit. Photo courtesy MSVR. — Ryan Vickers won both British Superbike races Sunday at Thruxton Circuit. Photo courtesy MSVR.

Ryan Vickers was an unstoppable force in today’s Bennetts British Superbike Championship races at Thruxton as the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing rider stormed to a double victory, holding off the his title rivals to celebrate his seventh win of the season in race three.

Kyle Ryde had given the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing team the first victory of the weekend in Saturday’s race, but Vickers delivered a high-speed masterclass in Hampshire to take the double in two very different contests.

Vickers stormed from his fifteenth place grid position to take the victory in a dramatic second Bennetts race as he continued the team’s winning momentum.

Max Cook had fired off the Omologato Pole position to take the lead on the opening lap ahead of Storm Stacey and Glenn Irwin, but there was drama for the Hager PBM Ducati rider who crashed out after a huge highside at Campbell, which meant the race was red flagged.

On the restart, Stacey launched the Team LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki into the lead ahead of Cook and Josh Brookes, but on the second lap, Alex Olsen and Franco Bourne crashed out at Village and the BMW Safety Car was deployed.

When the race got back underway, it became a five-lap sprint to the finish and Cook was holding the lead until the penultimate lap when Vickers gained two places to return to the front, making his move into the Complex.

Cook then had Brookes and Danny Kent for company, as the McAMS Racing Yamaha rider carved his way through the pack and he was pushing for a return to the podium. Cook was able to hold second to the line to celebrate a career first podium finish in Bennetts BSB.

Brookes narrowly missed out on his first podium of the season for FHO Racing BMW Motorrad as Kent stole third on the final lap.

In race three, Kent launched to the front of the field ahead of Tommy Bridewell and McConnell and on the opening lap the lead changed three times with the trio all having a spell before the reigning champion held the edge.

Bridewell was holding the advantage from McConnell when he dramatically slowed on the exit of the chicane caused by a quickshifter problem and the pack concertinaed and the Honda Racing UK rider lost ground that dropped him down the order before he recovered to sixth at the chequered flag.

Vickers had swept into the lead on the fifth lap and then was trying to manage the race, whilst McConnell and BSB Pathway Lewis Rollo were initially the front of the chasing pack. The IN Competition SENCAT Aprilia rider later dropped to just outside the top ten, whilst Kent got embroiled in the battle for the podium.

Vickers had enough to take the chequered flag despite a last corner moment, when the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing R1 slid out of line, with Kent able to move into second with five laps remaining and then he held off McConnell.

The podium for the Australian marked the C&L Fairburn Properties/Look Forward Racing Honda team’s first since joining the championship this year as he became the 14th different rider to take a top three finish in 2024, whilst the achievement marked the eleventh different team to celebrate podium success.

Bridewell continues his title defence by leading the standings ahead of Honda Racing UK’s home round at Cadwell Park on the August Bank Holiday weekend. He holds a 25-point advantage over Ryde as Christian Iddon moved ahead of Glenn Irwin in the standings as Vickers elevated himself into the top five.

Ryan Vickers

OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha

“It’s been a strong weekend for us and the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Team, taking two wins today. It was always going to be difficult starting 15th in what was planned to be a ten-lap race, but it’s even harder to go from 15th to 1st in six laps!

“I’m really happy with how I rode in that race, I attacked in the right places at the right time and managed to pick up a handful of positions each lap and eventually took the lead when Max Cook had a moment ahead. The last lap I just pushed, hit my markers and brought it home.

“The final race of the weekend didn’t actually go to my plan because I hit the front early on. I could see Billy was quick but it maybe wasn’t coming quite as easy. I got by and just ticked the laps off. Had a bit of a moment on the final corner, but it’s all good and I’m delighted to take the lucky number seven R1 to a seventh win of 2024. I’m now looking forward to continuing this form on to Cadwell Park over the Bank Holiday weekend.”

WorldSBK: Race Two Results From Algarve International Circuit (Updated)

David Swarts

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August 11, 2024

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WorldSBK: Race Two Results From Algarve International Circuit (Updated)

Toprak Razgatlioglu won FIM Superbike World Championship Race Two Sunday evening at Algarve International Circuit, in Portimao, Portugal. Riding his ROKiT BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR on spec Pirelli tires, Razgatlioglu won the 20-lap race by a scant 0.035 second. It was the Turkish star’s 13th consecutive race victory, extending his lead in the World Championship standings.

Rookie sensation Nicolo Bulega was the runner-up, finishing right behind Razgatlioglu on his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R.

Alex Lowes placed third on his factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR.

American Gerloff Garrett, riding his Bonovo Action BMW, won a battle for eighth place with Team HRC’s Xavi Vierge (ninth) and GYTR GRT Yamaha’s Dominic Aegerter (10th).

WSBK R2
WSBK Points after R2

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Sharpshooter Toprak makes it 13

Toprak Razgatlioglu held off Nicolo Bulega to win Race Two in Portugal. Photo courtesy Dorna.

Tissot Superpole Race Highlights

Toprak Razgatlioglu made WorldSBK history by winning his 12th consecutive race. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team rider was one of the few front runners to use the harder rear tyre during the shorter 10 lap race but took the lead at Turn 1 on Lap 2 and was never challenged there after. Razgatlioglu held a comfortable three second lead by the time he took the flag and celebrated his milestone victory

A first career Superpole Race podium for Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) continued his strong Portuguese Round.

From the middle of the front row Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) once again made a good start. He held onto second position for the first half of the race before Petrucci and Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) came past him. On the final lap Lowes was able to surprise van der Mark at Turn 8 and held off his former teammate to the line by just 0.021s

Race 2 Highlights

While it was another hat-trick for Razgatlioglu this was a challenging race. A clash with Alex Lowes on Lap 6 saw the right wing ripped off the BMW. With the balance of his bike changed Razgatlioglu struggled in the longer corners and was under attack from Bautista and Bulega

Bautista was the closest challenger but the Spaniard crashed at Turn 5 on Lap 15. Having been able to set the fastest lap of the race the Ducati rider was charging and chasing down Razgatlioglu’s lead. Having taken the lead Razgatlioglu shot back at Turn 4 before Bautista’s mistake. The double World Champion was chasing his first win since the Superpole Race at Assen. The Ducati star remounted but finished outside the points

There were eight changes of the lead over the course of the 20 lap race. For the first time since 2021 Michael van der Mark led a race with the BMW rider eventually finishing in seventh position after a race long battle with Petrucci and Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha)

Bulega continued his run of finishing on the podium at every round this season. The reigning WorldSSP champion started from fifth position on the grid but dropped to sixth position at one third distance before recovering through the leading group to get into the podium positions at half distance. After Bautista’s crash it was Bulega’s turn to carry the baton for Ducati and while he led the race he wasn’t able to claim the win. Just 0.035s separated Bulega from a second win of the season

Alex Lowes led three laps and was running comfortably in fourth position when Bautista crashed. Elevated to the podium he opened a gap of 2.5s to Iannone at the flag. The Englishman now trails Bautista by just ten points for third in the standings

Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) enjoyed a strong day. Having finished ninth in the Superpole Race the rookie was able to have a combative race in the evening to finish as the leading Independent Rider in fourth position

In the championship Razgatlioglu holds a 92 point lead from Bulega with Bautista a further ten points adrift. BMW leads the manufacturers standings by 20 points from Ducati

Key Points:

Race 2 winner: Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)

Race fastest lap: Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – 1’40.753

World Supersport: Race Two Results From Portugal

David Swarts

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August 11, 2024

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World Supersport: Race Two Results From Portugal

Yari Montella won FIM Supersport World Championship Race Two Sunday at Algarve International Circuit, in Portimao, Portugal. Riding his Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati Panigale V2 on Pirelli control tires, the Italian won the 17-lap race by nearly six seconds. It was Montella’s second straight win and his fourth of the season.

Stefano Manzi was the runner-up on his Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing YZF-R6.

Former MotoAmerica Supersport regular Valentin Debise placed third on his Evan Bros. Racing Yamaha.

Adrian Huertas, the current World Championship point leader, crashed his Aruba.it Racing Ducati, but was able to rejoin the race and still finish 12th.

WSS R2
WSS Points after R2

WorldSBK: Superpole Race Results From Portugal

David Swarts

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August 11, 2024

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WorldSBK: Superpole Race Results From Portugal

Toprak Razgatlioglu won the FIM Superbike World Championship Superpole Race Sunday at Algarve International Circuit, in Portimao, Portugal. Piloting his Pirelli-shod ROKiT BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR, Razgatlioglu won the 10-lap race by nearly three seconds. It was the Turkish star’s 12th race win in a row, a new World Superbike record, extending his lead in the World Championship point standings.

Barni Spark Racing Team’s Danilo Petrucci was the runner-up on his Ducati Panigale V4 R, and Alex Lowes placed third on his factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR.

American Garrett Gerloff finished 11th on his Bonovo Action BMW.

WSBK SP Race
WSBK Points after SP race

Canadian Superbike: Race One Report From CTMP

David Swarts

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August 10, 2024

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Canadian Superbike: Race One Report From CTMP

Dumas fends off Young in dramatic Superbike race one at CTMP

Bowmanville, ON – The trip back to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was a good one for Alex Dumas, as the former champion secured his first victory of the season in a thrilling race one battle in the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship on Saturday.

Starting second on the GP Bikes Pro Superbike grid, Dumas grabbed the holeshot from pole-sitter Sam Guerin and led for virtually the entire race, but never by a comfortable margin as title rivals Guerin and Ben Young pressured him from start-to-finish.

Young wasted no time in making up for his disastrous ninth-place spot on the grid, moving to third by the end of lap one as he followed the duo with Jordan Szoke in tow.

Guerin would hold second for the first half of the race, though, and seemed to be lining up a move on Dumas when Young decided to pounce, shunting Guerin to third and beginning his chase towards Dumas.

The old championship foes would run almost nose-to-tail for the final eight laps, with Young trying a late cut-back out of the tight final turn ten but ultimately falling just 0.071 seconds shy at the line – the fifth-closest margin of victory in Pro Superbike history.

That would hand Dumas his first win since the 2023 finale at Shannonville, and his first victory since the 2021 champion switched to Economy Lube Ducati machinery – scoring Ducati’s first Superbike triumph in nearly 30 years.

“Both Sam and I got a great start, but I was able to get under him in turn one and just tried to put my head down and pull away,” Dumas said. “I was struggling with the setup yesterday, but today felt a lot better so I owe a huge thanks to the team. It feels good to be back on top, hopefully we can do it again tomorrow!”

The charge from ninth to second was a spectacular salvage job from Young and the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW squad, who inched slightly closer to a fourth Canada Cup with a 40-point lead and just 79 points remaining.

However, the points leader would take a veiled shot at the Economy Lube Ducati team after an unusual pre-race refueling process, with the high-powered BMW’s surprisingly unable to catch the V4 Panigale down the long Andretti Straightaway.

“We had a bit of a mishap in qualifying yesterday, but I got a great start and was able to catch right back up to the back of Sam and then tried to hunt down Alex,” Young said. “It’s amazing, we have 12 more horsepower than the bike in front us but can’t seem to go faster than that one. But the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW crew got the bike back together and it did the best it could within the legal power limit.”

The subtle jab was seemingly shared by Guerin and the EFC Group BMW team, as Guerin settled for a strong third after his own attempts to pass Dumas were denied.

“It was an interesting race with Alex. His bike is super fast down the straight, it was really hard to stay in the draft,” Guerin said. “Once Ben got me in turn five and started to chase after Alex, I just looked at the gap behind me and decided to bring it home and be ready to fight again tomorrow.”

Guerin’s championship hopes will take a slight hit as Young claws back the four points he lost in qualifying, though he will remain firmly in contention entering a pivotal race two on Sunday.

The duo did inch closer to a third consecutive Constructors Championship for BMW, stretching out a 113-point advantage over Kawasaki with only 135 points remaining to each manufacturer. The battle for third in the standings heated up with Ducati’s victory, as they leapfrog Honda with three races left on the calendar.

Jordan Szoke would keep his perfect run of top-four finishes alive, fading from the lead battle around the midway point but managing his CKM Kawasaki enough to fend off a late push from Tomas Casas and Torin Collins.

Collins and Casas went back-and-forth across the final five laps after dispatching David MacKay earlier in the contest, though Casas got the last laugh with a strong final lap in his season debut for Yamaha Motors Canada.

That would leave Collins sixth in his first race for Economy Lube/CKM Kawasaki, a strong effort as he continues to adjust to his new machine at the new venue.

MacKay’s early bid for a top-five would fade away as Casas and Collins charged through, though he was able to settle things down aboard his ODH Snow City Cycle Honda and exit race one with a strong seventh-place finish.

Eli Daccache would claim eighth for Yamaha, a strong but lonely ride as he moved clear of front row starter Trevor Daley in the middle portion.

Daley was seemingly battling issues in the first half as he sank down the order for OneSpeed Suzuki, though he rebounded with stronger pace in the second half to come out on top of a hectic duel with Paul Macdonell and Sebastian Hothaza.

Hothaza would score the final top-ten spot in his Superbike debut for Ride42 Yamaha, narrowly defeating Macdonell aboard the PMR/Vass Performance BMW by just 0.369 seconds.

The feature class will now prepare for race two on Sunday at CTMP, just an hour east of Toronto, where Young and Guerin will continue their title battle at roughly 2:30 pm ET.

Full results can be found on the series’ official website.

MotoAmerica: Race Results From Day One Of Mini Cup National Final

David Swarts

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August 10, 2024

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MotoAmerica: Race Results From Day One Of Mini Cup National Final

Nationals_r1
Nationals_r2

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Winners Earn Big Points Leads After Saturday Sweeps in MotoAmerica Mini Cup Finals

Perfect First Day For All Five Winners Going Into Sunday’s Championship Deciders At Road America

ELKHART LAKE, WI (August. 10, 2024) – The first day of racing in the MotoAmerica Mission Mini Cup By Motul National Final on Saturday witnessed great racing and the rising talent of some of America’s leading youth racers.

Riders raced two legs on Saturday and will race two more on Sunday on a different track layout at the Briggs & Statton Motorplex to determine the overall class champions. Saturday was a day of sweeps with all five winners scoring wins in both legs of their races in windy conditions.

There was some exciting action Saturday, on and off the track. In the GP 190 class leading qualifier Mahdi Salem almost missed race one and it was just by the luck of a red flag that he was able to race.

Mahdi’s machine blew a motor in qualifying and his is father installed a new engine and had it ready just before the drop of the green flag. Unfortunately, the screws on the cylinder head were not completely tight and oil was seeping out of Mahdi’s bike and onto the pavement. On the grid MotoAmerica officials made him pull off to the side of the track and the race started without him. But Lady Luck was on Mahdi’s side. There was a red flag that stopped the race and Mahdi’s dad was able to tighten the loose screws and he made the restart.

After taking the lead, Mahdi pulled away to a convincing victory over Kensei Matsudaira. Mahdi also won the second leg, this time with little drama, to take a big points lead going into Sunday’s action.

The most exciting race of the day was Stock 50 race two where brothers Chase and Cooper Jazikoff battled for the lead in the middle laps of the race. Little brother Cooper made a mistake and nearly crashed in the closing laps, but recovered to finish fourth. Chase won and was later seen trying to cheer up his little brother.

Chase Jazikoff (right) tries to cheer up his little brother Cooper (left) after Stock 50 race two on Saturday. Cooper challenged his big brother for the lead, but a mistake in the closing laps dropped him out of contention. Photo by Larry Lawrence, courtesy MotoAmerica.

Jase Dill is all smiles while being interviewed by Roger Hayden after winning Saturday’s GP 160 race one at Road America. Photo by Larry Lawrence, courtesy MotoAmerica.

Other winners on Saturday included Jase Dill, who scored two wins in GP 160, Gabriel Datis in Stock 110 and Cameron Jones in Street GP.

It was Gabriel Datis (shown here on his Ohvale) coming through in the Stock 110 class to win on his Kawasaki. Photo by Larry Lawrence, courtesy MotoAmerica.

Tomorrow’s action promises to be hot and heavy and you can tune in to watch the racing on MotoAmerica Live+ with live streaming and video on-demand for Sunday’s race action with commentary from MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Roger Hayden and current Mission King Of The Baggers star James Rispoli. MotoAmerica Live+ will start streaming at 1 p.m. (central time) on Sunday and will conclude at 4:30 p.m. (central time).

Cameron Jones used the power of his Honda Grom to score victories in the Street GP class.Photo by Larry Lawrence, courtesy MotoAmerica. — Cameron Jones used the power of his Honda Grom to score victories in the Street GP class.
Photo by Larry Lawrence, courtesy MotoAmerica.

British Superbike: Race One Results From Thruxton

David Swarts

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August 10, 2024

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British Superbike: Race One Results From Thruxton

Editorial Note: Americans Julian Correa, Joshua Raymond, Jr., and Eli Banish finished third, ninth, and 17th, respectively, in British Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Thruxton.

BSB R1
BSB Points after R1

More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing (MSVR):

Ryde wins opening Thruxton thriller after seven-strong last lap dogfight

Kyle Ryde (77), Jason O'Halloran (22), and Ryan Vickers (7) fight for the lead at Thruxton. Photo courtesy MSVR. — Kyle Ryde (77), Jason O’Halloran (22), and Ryan Vickers (7) fight for the lead at Thruxton. Photo courtesy MSVR.

Kyle Ryde delivered an incredible hard-fought victory in a thrilling Thruxton dogfight in the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend, which went down to the wire with seven riders involved in the high-speed duel for supremacy.

The lead changed seven times on the final lap with Tommy Bridewell holding the edge as the last lap got underway but the Honda Racing UK rider was instantly under attack and both Ryde and Danny Kent moved ahead.

A defiant Bridewell fought back in determined style with a move on both of his Yamaha rivals to move from third to second with a decisive move around the outside.

Bridewell led the freight train out of Goodwood but as they approached Church, Ryde struck back with a big move to push to the front, before Billy McConnell swooped into the lead, before Vickers then led the pack.

Into the Club Chicane for the final time, Ryde won the battle on the brakes as he launched back ahead as Andrew Irwin dramatically crashed out of seventh place as the Honda Racing UK Fireblade cartwheeled out of contention.

Ryde held the edge to the line as Vickers dived into second to make it an OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing one-two with O’Halloran able to carve into third, which pushed Bridewell into fourth place.

McConnell celebrated his best result of the season in fifth place for the C&L Fairburn Properties/Look Forward Racing Honda ahead of Leon Haslam, who was the top BMW rider in sixth place for the ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad team.

Kent had been embroiled in the battle to the finish, but he was forced wide on the final lap and subsequently he ended the race with a mechanical issue, which forced him out at the last corner.

Lee Jackson held seventh ahead of Max Cook, with Christian Iddon in the battle for the podium before dropping to ninth in the closing stages on the Oxford Products Racing Ducati with Peter Hickman completing the top ten.

The opening race has moved Ryde into second ahead of Glenn Irwin in the standings, with the Hager PBM Ducati rider finishing 14th.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Thruxton, Race 1 result:

Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing)
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) +0.168s
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +0.502s
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) +0.650s
Billy McConnell (C&L Fairburn Properties/Look Forward Racing Honda) +1.044s
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) +1.358s
Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) +1.784s
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +2.057s
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +2.585s
Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +2.722s

Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:

Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) 229
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 203
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) 200
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 200
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 162
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 148
Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) 142
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) 132
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) 105
Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) 105

For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com

Kyle Ryde

OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha

“As I said on Friday, the two practice sessions were really good which I think helped us achieve at least a podium today.

“I worked really hard to win the race and the overtakes at the last corner during the race certainly helped me win it at the end!

“We have our hands full tomorrow starting from 13th in the shorter race, but we’ll dig in and take the most from it as we possibly can.

“That was definitely a tough race but one you want to be in!”

One Fast Move: A Movie Where The “Racing” Didn’t Make Me Cringe

John Ulrich

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August 10, 2024

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One Fast Move: A Movie Where The “Racing” Didn’t Make Me Cringe

First Person/Opinion:

By Michael Gougis

The Amazon MGP Studios film “One Fast Move” is not a story about motorcycle road racing. Ironically, that frees the creators to make a movie where the parts about motorcycle road racing are about as realistic as it gets in the world of fictionalized narratives. The “racing” in the movie is just background for the storyline, but“One Fast Move” gets more right about racing than it gets wrong.

“One Fast Move” — a partial quote from beat author Jack Kerouac — is a movie about father-son relationships, about abandonment, pain, redemption, definitions of masculinity and hope. The movie explores those themes through events that happen in the world of club racing, on and off the track.

Director Kelly Blatz, a self-described motorcycle addict and road racing fan, says his team went to great lengths to make sure the on-track footage looked authentic. A fan of classic racing movies like “Grand Prix” with James Garner, Blatz sought top-level talent and brought on renowned Hollywood motorcycle action coordinator (a past AMA National race winner) Greg Smrz. The production team hired current racers — including two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch, who now races a Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R in MotoAmerica Superbike. They brought on motojournalist and former racer Zach Courts as a consultant. Hanging out at club races at Willow Springs International Raceway and Buttonwillow Raceway Park gave Blatz a first-hand look at what club racing looks like. And creating the equipment to capture the on-track action was key as well, Blatz says.

“We realized that the way to capture speed was by putting a camera on a racebike,” Blatz said. “We developed (movie camera) rigs for a racebike — I believe it was a Yamaha YZF-R1. We built a custom race car … and we also used a helicopter because a drone won’t keep up with a racebike.”

The result is footage from Atlanta Motor Speedway and Road Atlanta that looks somewhat realistic to anyone who has spent time at a club race. Part of the authenticity came from capturing racers in unscripted mock race action on the track, although reigning in their competitive urges and getting them to follow the script proved to be a challenge at times.

“We’d say, ‘I know you want to win, but at a certain point you’re going to have to allow this particular bike to pass you,’” Blatz says.

The atmosphere and the images from a club racing paddock are spot-on. Everyone works under a pop-up canopy — there is no row of tractor-trailers. The main character — Wes Neal, played by KJ Apa — starts his racing career on a Suzuki SV650. Having Neal, an overconfident former street racer, crash in his first practice session brings a smile. It was so refreshing to see club racers on the screen who actually had club racer money, or lack thereof. There are very few club racers who couldn’t relate to Apa’s bodged-together SV650 that he rides on the street after retiring it from track duty. A Frankenbike, indeed!

Perfect? No. Hollywood racing scenes seem always to feature impossible closing and passing speeds, and that happens here. Suddenly, a rider seems to find another gear and go whistling past a competitor; why wasn’t the first rider going as fast as they could in the first place? Some of the action seems slow, likely due to the lack of lean angle at the corner apexes.

Other things aren’t exactly inaccurate, but they are rare in the world of racing. While bikes do burst into flames and riders do deliberately bump each other off the track or engage in fistfights, the time between such incidents is usually years or decades, not hours or weekends. Same with the progression to faster, more competitive bikes–moving up from being a Novice on a Suzuki SV650 to Expert on a Yamaha YZF-R6 is usually the stuff of months or years, not a weekend or two. A lot of time seems to be spent on burnouts, and even more time involves chain-smoking cigarettes. Some of the safety stuff could be more realistic, as in, riders actually fastening their helmet straps, and putting on their helmet before they put on their gloves. And not even a fictional character should ever ride counter-course! There’s a need to tell a story, of course, but some of this stuff is just a matter of paying attention to the details. There is no downside to being reasonably accurate.

Still, compared to such migrane-inducing clunkers like “Silver Dream Racer,” where a one-man basement-built special wins the 500cc British Grand Prix, the racing and racing environment in “One Fast Move” is candid, somewhat genuine, and doesn’t distract from the rest of the film.

“I love the world of club racing. It’s mostly about passion. These racers are paying to race. I love that aspect,” Blatz says. “Hopefully, we captured something as authentic as possible.”

Best to think of the racing in this movie as a vehicle for exploring the other themes that caught Blatz’s imagination. A review of the sports car movie “Le Mans” with Steve McQueen included a line that has stuck with me for years. “This is a movie about flawed humans doing remarkable things,” the reviewer said, or words to that effect, and that applies here.

Each of the characters, including Neal; his drunken, womanizing father, played by Eric Dane; and the father’s mentor, played by Edward James Olmos; is deeply damaged by their relationships, or lack thereof, with their fathers. Watching the characters coming to terms with their issues, changing their behavior, refusing to accept their flaws or doing an imperfect job of trying to right their past wrongs are the memories that resurfaced for me days after watching the movie. Setting those deep, emotional conflicts against the world of racing, where feelings don’t matter but lap times do, lends a depth to the movie that so many other racing films just completely lack. For example, by the end of “Driven” with Sylvester Stallone, the only checkered flag I cared about was the one that signaled the merciful end of the movie.

“I had these questions about what it means to be a man in the modern world,” Blatz says. “I had these questions about fathers and sons and absentee fathers. And I felt like the two worlds really lent themselves to each other.”

No one winds up with a MotoGP contract at the end of “One Fast Move.” The main character still lives at home at the end of the movie, and it’s not a palace. It’s club racing, and Blatz wanted to give the viewer a taste of a sport that he clearly cares for. “One Fast Move” hits more often than it misses.

“I wanted to introduce people to the world of motorcycle road racing,” Blatz says. “I wanted them to get a sense of what it feels like.”

Video: John Kocinski Interviewed On Gypsy Tales Podcast

David Swarts

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August 10, 2024

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Video: John Kocinski Interviewed On Gypsy Tales Podcast

John Kocinski, the 1990 250cc Grand Prix World Champion and 1997 Superbike World Champion, was recently interviewed on the Gypsy Tales Podcast. Watch the video from that interview here.

Mike Velasco Celebration Of Life Is August 11 in Washington (Second Update)

David Swarts

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August 10, 2024

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Mike Velasco Celebration Of Life Is August 11 in Washington (Second Update)

A celebration of life for famed Superbike mechanic Mike Velasco has been scheduled August 11 at Brothers Powersports, 5205 1st Street, Bremerton, Washington, 98312.

The event is open to the public, but the family asks for those who plan to attend to please RSVP by July 20.

The family is also asking friends of Velasco to share their photos of him via email at [email protected].

For more information about the event and to connect with others planning to attend, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/838356514861620.

Below is our original report on the passing of Mike Velasco.

Pioneering Superbike mechanic and former racer Mike Velasco died just before midnight Friday, January 5th at a hospital in Washington State. He was 74 years old.

He is survived by his wife Alana, daughter Mishell, son Grant, and grand-daughter Tyra.

Velasco was a key player in the formative years of AMA Superbike, first with Yoshimura R&D and then with the American Honda team and worked with riders such as Wes Cooley (R.I.P.), Gary Fisher (R.I.P.), David Emde (R.I.P.), Freddie Spencer, Steve Wise, Fred Merkel, Steve McLaughlin, Roberto Pietri, Ron Pierce, Bubba Shobert, Larry Pegram, and others.

We will post additional information as it becomes available.

May he Rest In Peace.

Mike Velasco in 1982. Photo by John Owens/Superbike Book. Copyright 2023.

Mike Velasco with Freddie Spencer at Daytona 1982. Photo by John Owens/Superbike Book. Copyright 2023.

Mike Velasco with Fred Merkel’s Superbike at Loudon, 1986. Photo by John Owens/Superbike Book. Copyright 2023.

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