IMPRESSIVE RESULTS FOR GO BIG RACING AT ROUND TWO OF R.A.C.E. REGIONALS Shannonville, ON. Go BIG Racing’s Paul Glenn and team-mate Ross Millson put together some impressive results in round two of the RACE Regional Superseries at Shannonville Motorsport Park’s Pro Track. Rookie Pro racer, Millson qualified a very respectable sixth in Sunday’s Pro Superbike final. Millson got off to a great start however the race was red flagged on the second lap requiring a complete restart for the remaining 10 laps. Another excellent start allowed Millson to work his way up to 5th and held the spot while hanging with the lead group of the various Factory riders in attendance. “It was the first time I’ve raced the Superbike.” explained Millson. “¦with the limited set-up time and practise, I am happy with the result.” In the Pro 600 Sport Bike class, Go BIG Racing’s Millson qualified his No. 39 Suzuki GSX-R 600 in 8th, and held the position to the end of the fast paced 12 lap race. Starting from the outside of the front row in the Amateur 600 Sport Bike class, Paul Glenn of Keene, ON, earned second on his No. 79 Go Big Racing Suzuki GSX-R600. After a good start, Glenn held the third spot until Martin Ricard crashed in the hairpin triggering a red flag. The race was deemed complete and it was determined that the second place rider jumped the start, bumping Glenn to second spot on the podium. Glenn did equally as well in the 10 lap Amateur Superbike final. From the inside of the front row, Glenn bolted off the line in third place eventually working his way by Marie Josee Boucher to move up to second. Glenn tried a couple of times to pass leader Scott Rupert in corner three but was denied with each attempt. “I could catch him on the brakes down the straight away and through the tighter stuff but it wasn’t enough.” said Glenn. “I tried to pass on the last lap in three and again on the front stretch for the checker but I ended up just behind Scott. I felt a lot more comfortable on the bike.” he added. “Overall this was a great weekend!” said Millson. “The injuries to Paul’s ankle at VIR really hindered him in Round One of the RACE Regional’s “¦it’s great to see him back in contention for race wins.” Next up for the Go BIG Racing team is Round One of the 2007 Parts Canada Superbike Championship, May 30 – June 4, 2007. More, from a press release issued by Brent Bennett: Brent Bennett wins three Yamaha Paying Supersport Races at the May 20th Grattan Raceway Wera North Central Round on the new Pirelli Race Dot Tires. His arsenal for success includes the Yamaha R6, Yamaha R1 and secret weapon, The Pirelli Super Corsa. More, from a press release issued by Safety First Racing: Safety First Suzuki Gets Top Ten At Infineon in FX, Currently 5th overall. Sixteen year-old Safety First Suzuki racer Bobby Fong scored his first top ten finish during his fourth AMA race weekend, coming across the line in 9th place during Saturday’s Formula Xtreme event. Team Owner Kevin Hanson was pleased regarding the way his riders rode and finished this weekend. “Bobby was able to reel-in, pass and then drop, full on spec Formula Xtreme bikes on a Suzuki GSXR 600 Supersport spec bike with Michelin DOT tires. The Michelins worked great and had the same level of grip the entire race.” “Both Bobby and Scott (Ryan) were in good battles during the FX race and it was great to see them put their heads down and battle it out. What I am really pleased about is that both riders get faster during every session with their fastest laps being during the Supersport race. They take their learning process seriously and it shows in how they continually progress in regards to their level of commitment to racing. With only a very few exceptions, all the AMA tracks we are visiting are new to both riders. Bobby Fong: Results: 9th- FX, 16th- Supersport “I found out that racing at my home track during an AMA Pro event is not the big advantage I thought it would be, as at this level, everyone is fast and the newer pro racers need and have the ability to learn tracks quickly. I was real happy with my Michelin tires and got to field test my Komodo leathers, boots and gloves along with my Suomy helmet during a low side in the carousel in practice. Thanks again to Donny at Suomy and Lee at Komodo for ensuring my health! The team is really tight and that kind of support is exactly what I need to keep improving”. Fong has now moved up into 5th place overall in Formula Xtreme, making him the highest placed rider for both Suzuki and Michelin. Scott Ryan: Results: 17th – FX, 25th- Supersport “It feels like we had a really good weekend. During Saturdays FX race, I was heavily involved in a four way battle with Dave Sadowski Jr, Darren Luck, and Dirk Sanchez. We were swapping places around 3-4 times per lap, even getting a little “argy-bargy” as the British say. The battle went until the last corner. I really also want to thank our rider coach, Owen Weichel, as he is my “eyes from the outside” He really helped me figure this place out and I saw positive results from his input. We did try a new sports drink on the Sunday Supersport race, which in retrospect we saw was a mistake. I developed such bad arm pump half way through the race that I almost high sided as I couldn’t brake or accelerate with any feeling. I learned my lesson on trying new things on race day instead of testing. But next race will really be the first time I am at a track I know and I really am looking forward to Road America.” Ryan is 21st in Formula Xtreme. The team would also like to send a huge, heartfelt thank you to Aaron Yates, Ron and other members of the Jordan team, Jim Pegram and the helpful spectators that assisted in bringing the canopy down in the gale force winds that were present on Sunday. Hanson related that the team will be carrying a lot of momentum into their home race at Road America and is looking forward to the event in two weeks time. Safety First Racing was formed in 2004 by police officer/racer, Kevin Hanson, based out of Chicago, IL. For 2007, Safety First Suzuki will be competing in the AMA Superbike series in the Supersport and Formula Xtreme classes. More, from a press release issued by Millennium KWS Suzuki: Millennium/KWS Suzuki Endure a Difficult Weekend at Infineon Raceway Charleston, SC Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Ron Ayers Motorsports endured a difficult weekend at Infineon Raceway. John Haner is still healing from injuries to his right foot, ankle and back suffered in a violent high side at California Speedway three weeks ago and David Weber was injured in a practice crash on Thursday. Haner, however, came to Infineon Raceway to support the team and help teammate David Weber get up to speed for his first visit to the famed Northern California track. Although Weber could barley walk and needed help holding up the motorcycle, he felt comfortable enough on the bike to continue riding. The pain in Weber’s ankle gradually subsided as the race weekend went on, but his endurance over long runs was a concern. In Superstock qualifying Weber turned a time of 1:40.671 for fourteenth position and in the Superbike class Weber turned a 140.872 lap time to qualify in the twenty-third position on his Dunlop shod Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superstock bike. In Saturday’s Superbike Race One, Weber rode an excellent race conserving his injured ankle to finish in the sixteenth position finishing just behind Factory Yamaha’s Eric Bostrom. The schedule for Sunday included both a sixteen lap Superstock race as well as a twenty-eight lap Superbike race. In the Superstock race Weber continued his string of strong results by finishing in the thirteenth position and moving up to eleventh in points. Despite running the Superstock race only an hour earlier, Weber was feeling good going into Superbike Race Two. Weber got an excellent start and just like at California Speedway two weeks before, turned his fastest laps of the event in the last race of the weekend. Unfortunately, with two laps to go Weber crashed out of fourteenth position. Fortunately, even with the crash, Weber is tied with Doug Chandler for thirteenth in Superbike points and only two points out of twelfth place. David Weber “It was a tough weekend but we really made a lot of progress with the bike. The Penske suspension is really good and I know we are so close to getting the results we are capable of. I really want to thank the team for all their help and support, especially Rick Matheny and Matt Hill. I also want to thank Komodo leathers for keeping me safe.” John Haner “My ankle, foot and back are getting better but we decided that it was in the best interest of the team for me to sit this event out and concentrate on coming back 100% for Road America. I want to thank everybody for supporting me through out all of this, especially my crew chief, Michael Godin. I can’t thank him enough for everything he does.” Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) “David proved his dedication this weekend, riding though an injury on a track he has never been to before and I am happy with the results. Both riders should be 100% healthy in two weeks for Road America. It is Millennium Technologies home track and we have some new Superbike motors that will definitely help John and David on those long straights. We are very close we just need to keep working at it. I want to thank the whole team and all the sponsors, especially LeoVince for all the hospitality this weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Cory West: AMA ROADRACING REPORT CORY WEST Privateer roadracer Cory West gives you the inside scoop from Round 4 of the AMA Supersport and Formula Xtreme Championships at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. By Cory West I can’t say this about most of the places I race at”¦but I love Sears Point! I’m also going to call it Sears Point instead of Infineon because that is what I’ve always known it as. If you don’t know about this track or haven’t heard any stories about it, this place is really special. I talked to quite a few riders this past weekend to see how they felt about it and mostly everyone agreed that this track is a blast to ride. There is a ton of elevation change, a few hard breaking areas, and plenty of features to keep a rider on their toes for the entire lap. The track pretty much has a little bit of everything, except for a long straight to catch your breath on, which really makes it a fun but demanding race track. My team and I showed up on Wednesday and started getting ready for the weekend. The bikes needed a few new things put on them and then everything was set for Thursday’s promoter practice. By Thursday morning I was dying to get on the track and I felt like my team had a very positive attitude for the weekend. The practice sessions went well and I was happy to get reacquainted with one of my favorite tracks on the schedule. Friday morning started the official timed practices and everything felt good but my times were a little slow. I ended up 21st after the first Supersport practice, but I didn’t get discouraged because we made a few changes to the bike and I knew we were heading in the right direction with our setup. We made the same changes to the FX bike that we had made to the Supersport bike and in our first Formula Xtreme practice we ended up in 9th position. In Supersport I was turning low 1:41’s and in the FX session I got down to some high 1:39’s, so we definitely found the light and were making quick progress! Qualifying for Saturday’s FX race was on Friday afternoon and I was pretty excited about having a chance at putting our bike on the first two rows. During the session I was never lower than 11th position on race tires and when I went out on the qualifying tire I dropped another chunk of time and put myself into 8th place, the last spot on the second row! I’ve never gotten to start that close to the front before and the whole team got pretty excited after the session was over. It also felt good to out-qualify some of the more expensive motorcycles on our spare Supersport bike on DOT tires. Saturday was a busy day, with a practice session for both classes in the morning, Supersport qualifying after lunch, and the Formula Xtreme race at the end of the day. The practices went well and I was really looking forward to backing up what I had done in FX qualifying for Supersport. Supersport has been the really tough class this year and even though the bikes are more equal, there are a lot more riders out there that are on the pace. We did the same routine in the Supersport qualifying session like we had done the day before in FX and it only landed us in 13th place. I even turned the same lap time but we had to settle for the first spot on the 4th row. The FX race was one of the most exciting races I’ve been in this year. I got a really good start and got up to 6th place on the opening lap but missed a shift and lost touch with the lead group. I lost one spot to Chaz Davies when I made my mistake but I just put my head down and tried to settle into a good pace. Marty Craggill started showing me a wheel pretty consistently coming off of the back straight and I knew I would have a hard time holding him off with his ultra-fast Ducati. He passed me a couple times in the braking area on the back straight but every time I managed to sneak right back underneath him on the exit. We did this throughout the entire race and he finally managed to make a pass stick with two laps to go. I rode my butt off to try to get back around him but his Ducati just came off of the corners a little stronger than my Yamaha. Chaz Davies fell in the last corner with two laps to go and Marty and I jumped up a position each, so I ended up finishing 7th. It was a very tough race but I was satisfied with my best finish ever in an AMA National. All that was left to do on Sunday was turn in another good result in the Supersport final. The morning practice session went well and I finished it off in 10th, so I knew if I could just get a good start I would have a chance at finishing well. Even though I was two rows back on the grid, I still got a really good start and managed to work through the row in front of me in the first turn. I was settled into 10th place and rode as hard as I could to hang with the guys in front of me. The group was pretty tight for the first half of the race and the gap never really changed between me and the group ahead of me but I just couldn’t catch them. Tommy Hayden was right behind me from the start and I held him off for most of the race. He passed me on lap 12 and I rode with him in hopes of him helping me catch the group in front of us. When we came through turn 2 after he passed me, I was a little too aggressive with the throttle and spun the rear tire up on the exit of the corner. I had done this a few times during the race but this time the bike caught and threw me up onto the gas tank like it was trying to highside me. When I landed back on the seat I thought I accidentally kicked the bike into neutral because I couldn’t get back going. I shifted the bike a couple of times but nothing happened, then I realized that the chain was thrown off of the sprocket. I coasted the bike to a stop and had to settle with my first DNF of the season in Supersport. I was pretty bummed out because going into the race I was sitting 7th in points and I would have easily moved up another spot if I could’ve finished where I was running. But this is racing and things like that happen, and I was doing very well up until that point. I really feel like I’m riding to the potential of the motorcycle and the tire that we have. I just need to have a little bit of luck on my side at one of these races. For now, I’m sitting a close 12th in points in Supersport and 14th in FX and there are still plenty of races left on the calendar. I’m really excited about the next track that we are going to in Wisconsin and I feel like I have some unfinished business to take care of. Until then, I will be itching to get back on the bike!! More, from a press release issued by Nadina Lajoie: Other podiums for Nadine Lajoie Shannonville, May 20th , 2007. Further to the race at Loudon where she finished in the 2nd place in the men’s category in the ”Unlimited Superbike and Supersport” class last April, Nadine Lajoie starts the new season of the ”Women’s Cup Challenge” with a 3 rd place. Following a great start, she holds the 2nd position for a few curves but was passed in the long straight. She also beat a few times during that race her own track record with 1.10372 which is encouraging for her. ”I am very pleased with my performance on my Honda 2005 equipped with a 2003 engine, compared to the other racers that are competing with 2007 motorcycle equipped with ”slipper clutch”. My motorcycle doesn’t have enough power but is holding itself better since the adjustments on the Elka suspension and the front forks were made. It is much better than last year!”, was saying Nadine Lajoie. On the other hand, she was not please with her qualification with the men, even less on Sunday after her accident and a mild concussion in the class ”Amateur 600”. She was not allowed to participate in the race ”Superbike” which was the next race. Keeping her smile, at the end of the day she only had a few aching muscles and no memory lost. Next race is in Quebec at Mont-Tremblant on June 2nd and 3rd with qualifications and races along the men’s and women’s category. Please come for a visit and encouragement in the pit; she will be very pleased to chat with you and answer any questions you may have. More, from a press release issued by Rockwall Honda: ROCKWALL HONDA FIGHTS THROUGH ADVERSITY AT INFINEON RACEWAY Rockwall Honda’s Ryan Elleby and Ryan Andrews competed at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California this weekend. Andrews finished 10th in Formula Xtreme and 18th in Supersport while Elleby earned 15th in Supersport. The young racers faced difficulties at the tight, twisty California track but rebounded to score points and make progress as the 2007 racing season heats up. Saturday’s Formula Xtreme final saw Andrews battle for ninth place before coming home one spot lower in the standings. “The race turned out okay, nothing special but just okay” said Andrews, who finished fifth at Barber earlier this season. “We had really been struggling with the setup on the Formula Xtreme bike, more so than on the Supersport bike which is the opposite of how it usually is for us. This track is hard to find a setup and I never really felt comfortable all weekend. I think the race could have gone a lot better but given the situation, we’ll take a top ten finish.” For Elleby, the 17-lap Formula Xtreme race was over before it began. After he qualified 10th, Ryan’s bike developed a minor technical issue on the warm-up lap and the Georgian parked it on the last turn of the course, but was not able to start the race on his other CBR600RR. “The Elleby Formula Xtreme thing was unfortunate,” said team owner Michael Worrell. “I wish the AMA would have allowed the motorcycle to cross the track. We had a backup bike available but it wasn’t utilized. We changed the clutch before the race just like we’ve done before every race the team has entered but this time it had a minimal leak.” Sunday’s Supersport race saw Elleby take 15th and Andrews 18th in windy conditions. “I got a bad start and I had to work my way up a few positions,” said Elleby, from Powder Springs, Georgia. “I got a little pumped up at the end so I fought to maintain what we had. I thought we had pretty good speed on the weekend. We didn’t capitalize on it to get a higher finish, but the race went okay for us. We’re making progress on the Supersport bike and going in the right direction.” “Supersport was kinda the same deal as Formula Xtreme for me,” said Andrews, from Robinson, Texas. “We worked on the setup all weekend and there were a combination of issues we dealt with. Eventually, we ran out of time and had to go race. It’s one of those things. The team worked hard all weekend, so thanks to them. We put a lot of hard work in. The results were okay but not as good as we would have liked.” “I’m really looking forward to doing better in Formula Xtreme,” said Worrell. “I think Elleby would have been up there battling with Larry Pegram and Chaz Davies in the race. Andrews is struggling a little bit. He got going better in the races and earned some points and finishes and that’s important.” Worrell says the squad has a good idea of the areas where improvement is needed. “In Supersport, we’re planning on going testing. We’ll put the bikes back at a stock setup and build off that. We’ll reinvent where we’re coming from and spend a lot of time getting those bikes up to speed. In Formula Xtreme, I think we’re in pretty good shape. We’ll work with getting Andrews’ forks as they should be. Both riders need to step up and find an extra half second because the competition is very tough.” “We could have had a better weekend, but we look forward to the next race at Road America,” continued Worrell. “It’s Andrews’ favorite track and we have some fast bikes for all the straights.” The Road America race will be held June 1-3. More, from a press release issued by USGPRU: Solis, Jr. and Ferris win back-to-back-to-back in Vegas ODENTON, MD May 23, 2007 The USGPRU Western Regional Round 3 was held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Classic Course this past weekend. In Rising Sun Cycles, 125GP qualifying, young Benny Solis continues his top form by setting a pole winning time of 1:25.047 with Jon Schendel and Tyler Odom setting times of 1:25.631 and 1:25.761 respectively. Austin DeHaven was 4th fastest in qualifying but was disqualified after failing tech inspection. This elevated Mike McDonough and Jeff Lim to 4th and 5th with only 2 tenths separating the two. In the 250GP qualifying, Ryan Ferris also continued his fast form by setting a fast lap of 1:22.461 over a time of 1:23.961 set by Vince Rolleri. Tyler Odom is feeling more comfortable on his machine and was able to round out the front row. The 125GP race turned into a head to head battle between Solis and Odom. Solis got the hole shot but Odom was right on his rear tire with Jon Schendel getting a front row seat for this fight. Odom relentlessly applied pressure to Solis, but unfortunately, the young points leader was unflappable and never relinquished the lead. Odom had a few last lap moves going into turn four and setting up a drive out of the last turn, but admittedly said he waited one lap too long. Solis held off Odom for the win by a half bike length. Schendel, who struggled with the heat in the Las Vegas sun, finished third. A seesaw battle for fourth saw Lim a bike length in front of Kevin Murray and Mike McDonough. The start of the 250GP race saw Ferris leading the pack with Rolleri right in tow. Ferris started to check out early on as Rolleri chose the wrong tire compound and could not keep pace. Odom was settling into third but was unknowingly being stalked by the other Ferris, Kyle. This was Kyles first weekend on a 250cc machine, and clearly he was enjoying the extra power. After experiencing mechanical troubles in the 125GP race, Kyle opted to start the 250GP race on a bike he only had two prior sessions aboard. He eventually finished 4th over Solis. Race winner Ryan Ferris quickly fled the track after tech inspection to catch a flight back home to attend his prom. Rising Sun Cycles 125GP Results 1. Benny Solis 2. Tyler Odom 3. Jon Schendel 4. Jeffrey Lim 5. Kevin Murray 6. Mike McDonough 7. Austin DeHaven 8. Phillip Krenn 9. Zachry Lee 10. Shellie Matthews 250GP Results 1. Ryan Ferris 2. Vincent Rolleri 3. Tyler Odom 4. Kyle Ferris 5. Benny Solis 6. Jon Schendel 7. Jeffrey Lim 8. Austin DeHaven 9. Mike Wright 10. David Matthews 11. Shellie Matthews About USGPRU The USGPRU is the officially recognized Motorcycle 125 Grand Prix National Championship ® and 250 Grand Prix National Championship TM series. The USGPRU emulates true World MotoGP racing experience and serves to attract young riders to gain experience in a professional environment and provide a path to world-class motorcycle racing. The USGPRU structures events with extended length grand prix racing exclusive to the GP machines, timed qualifying and strong contingency and sponsor support. For additional details, visit www.USGPRU.net More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Monster Energy Kawasaki Riders Go Two-Three in AMA Supersport SONOMA, Calif. Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jamie Hacking took the runner-up position in the AMA Supersport race at Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., with teammate Roger Hayden finishing a spot behind to round out the podium in third. After setting a new track record and capturing the pole position on Saturday on his Kawasaki Ninja® ZX™-6R, Hacking was in great position to pull off the win on day two in Sonoma. He was running out front for nearly four complete laps after passing teammate Hayden, but was then passed by Joshua Hayes who held the first position till lap 16. On lap that lap, Hacking retaliated and made his move back into the lead. Unfortunately, shortly after advancing into the lead a red flag went out and the race was brought to a stop. A decision was made by AMA Racing officials to take the racing order on the track back to the last full lap prior to the red flag, which dropped Hacking back to second. “It was really disappointing after making my pass into the lead that they red flagged the race,” said Hacking. “But even more disappointing was that I was pushed back a position and forced to accept it. I really feel like I earned that win.” Attack Kawasaki riders Steve Rapp and Ben Attard also finished in the top ten of the AMA Supersport, earning the sixth and ninth positions, respectively. In the AMA Superbike race, Hacking who had put in an eighth-place finish on day one, kept it consistent and put in a solid tenth-place finish aboard his Kawasaki Ninja® ZX™-10R. Teammate Hayden, who also had a strong run on day one placing sixth, was in fourth and closing on third before a mechanical issue sent him back to the truck, ending his day. “It was a really unfortunate that we were not able to finish the race because I really felt good out there and it was looking promising,” said Hayden. “I really wanted to put my Kawasaki up on the podium since Kawasaki was the title sponsor of the race and also for my team that has worked so hard.” The Monster Energy Kawasaki and Attack Kawasaki race teams will return to action at Road America Raceway in Elkhart Lake, Wis. June 1-3. RESULTS AMA Superbike Championship Infineon Raceway Sonoma, Calif. May 20, 2007 AMA Supersport Results 1. Joshua Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda 2. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, NC., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 3. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 4. Chaz Davies, Nyack, NY., Yamaha 5. Josh Herrin, Dubin, Ga., Yamaha 6. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI 7. Geoff May, Gainesville, Ga., Suzuki 8. Aaron Gobert, Murrieta, Cailf., Honda 9. BEN ATTARD, MURRIETA, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI 10. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki AMA Supersport Standings 1. Joshua Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda, 133 2. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 121 3. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 105 4. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, NC., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 103 5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki, 100 6. Josh Herrin, Dubin, Ga., Yamaha, 78 7. Blake Young, Madison, Wis., Ducati, 87 8. Chaz Davies, Nyack, NY., Yamaha, 73 9. Michael Barnes, Boca Raton, Fla., Suzuki, 72 10. BEN ATTARD, MURRIETA, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 71 AMA Superbike Day 2 Results 1. Mathew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki 2. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki 3. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda 4. Miguel Duhamel, Las Vegas, Nev., Honda 5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki 6. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha 7. Eric Bostrom, Las Vegas, Nev., Yamaha 8. James Ellison, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., Honda 9. Jake Holden, Eatonville, Wash., Suzuki 10. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI AMA Superbike Standings 1. Mathew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki, 238 2. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki, 238 3. Miguel Duhamel, Las Vegas, Nev., Honda, 197 4. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 181 5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki, 180 6. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha, 166 7. Eric Bostrom, Las Vegas, Nev., Yamaha, 156 8. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki, 156 9. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 134 10. James Ellison, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., 127 More, from a press release issued by Bernedette Bagshaw of the CNMRA: Pitster Pro Canadian National Mini RoadRacing Series: CMA National Event Round #1 Stratotech Park, Fort Saskatchewan Hosted by the AMRA May 18-20, 2007 It has been said that someone above loves Mini RoadRacers. This statement has been used mostly in reference to the good weather that seems to accompany mini roadracing events. This year a ‘trial’ was presented to the racers, those who persevered and overcame the near freezing temperatures during qualifying were rewarded on Race Day with near perfect spring weather. Race Director Robert Vose started the Saturday qualifying sessions under unfriendly racing conditions: Ambient temperatures of 5*C with cold Alberta winds meant an even colder race track. 157 class entries formed the grids for the premier event of the Pitster Pro Canadian National Mini RoadRacing Series. At each round of the National Series the host club strives to maintain its individuality with distinct ways of determining pole position for the main event. The AMRA is fortunate to be the recipient of a grant from the Parks Foundation Calgary in 2006 which allowed for the purchase of a transponder timing system. With this equipment firmly in place riders were given 10 laps in which the fastest time was used to determine position for the main event on Sunday. A first experience for many riders, most quickly adopted different strategies for the hot lap system: a few competitors went out for one or two hot laps while others did the whole time, another approach was to hold back from the pack and then run one hot try to catch up lap. Whatever the game plan the system worked well for all: fastest qualifying lap was set by AMRA President Jay Fox with a 1:07.9 on his Honda RS85 the next fastest lap was 1:10.2 set by CIMRA President Steve Graham on his CR85 Motard. 2007 is a year of change for the machine classes in the CNMRA series. New class names like Spec Super sport, created questions for the riders. A little direction was all that was needed and apprehension turned to thrills when riders realized that they could now race in most cases twice as often throughout the day as compared to the 2006 season. Machine Classes: Spec Supersport was dominated by young Peter Lenz on his MetraKit 50 (1:11.2 – Vancouver, WA, USA). The youngsters’ skills allowed him to run laps while the race was fought between the Saskatchewan Mini RoadRacing Association (SMRA) members: Bodhi Edie (1:15.2), Geoffrey Gerbrandt (1:14.9) and John Lenz no relation to the younger, (SMRA President 1:16.1). Spectators thrilled as the racers fought corner after corner for all 10 laps on their Honda NSR 50’s. The tight technical corners of the home track have skilled the Saskatchewan competitors well, the roomier apex’s of the Stratotech Park arena flowing perfectly under their machines. Bodhi age 11 proved that the youth are more than contenders once again for the 2007 season as he earned a 2nd followed closely by 16 year old Gerbrandt with a 3rd place. Ladies Class had some of the best racing of the day between two young ladies: Wynona Dobbs (15 years old) and Kayseas Redsky (17 years old) both on Honda’s NSR 50’s. These competitors diced it up like a couple of old pros while entertaining the cheering crowd. Young local superstar racer 15 year old Meagan Rotor had the best seat at the track while following the two to fill out the podium. The old school Thunder Class was dominated by pre race injured AMRA President Jay Fox on a ’02 XR100 followed by Greg Graham from the CIMRA on an equally old XR100. 17 year old Matt Bagshaw on a DRZ125 filled up the 3rd spot on the podium. Spec Classes remain crowd and rider favorites as the unmodified machines focus on the talents of the rider. The Pitster Pro Formula Thunder Class was dominated by young Lenz (1:10.3), but the excitement was brought by the SMRA club youth rivals Bodhi Eddie (1:09.5) and Geoffrey Gerbrandt (1:11.7). Pitster Pro’s own Jared Ali chose Geoffrey Gerbrandt as recipient of the “Best in Class” award for his fortitude in the weight struggle he had to overcome racing against the young Bodie throughout the event. It has been noted by many that Geoffrey despite being only 16 years of age can commiserate with the adults when it comes to racing with the smaller in stature youth group. The Pocketbike Class was again a great draw for the fans and had some intense action with the recognizable names from the 2006 season. Glen Peterson, Brendon Schmidt and Ryan Ottenhof proved once again the smaller machines are true giants on the track. Formula GP is a dual heat class with both Motards and Formula bikes competing head to head. Sunday’s first GP event allowed the man & machine team of Jay Fox and his RS to rule the track with 1.07.5 times. Jamie Dingwall on a MetraKit 80 came from the back but could not make the charge on Fox, but kept him in sight for second with 1:07.9 lap times. Roadracer poetry was created by several competitors as they vied for the remaining top position including Matthew Bagshaw on his Yellow TZ (1:08.6) and Jason Boxtart (CIMRA 1:09) with a Silver RS played back and forth for several laps side by side, it was obvious to observers that each had strengths at different points in the track. Bagshaw was strong throughout the esses, but Boxtart had the speed on the magic corner before the start finish line. Ian McWhirter (AMRA 1:08.8) got in the mix on his Motard and increasingly challenged the Formula duo with his incredible cornering ability and follow through. Results at the end of the first race saw Fox with 1st, Dingwall 2nd, and Bagshaw 3rd. The second Formula GP race saw Fox (RS85 1:07.4) again pull the holeshot and maintain the lead for the duration. Jamie Dingwall (AMRA Metrakit 80 1.07.9) earned a second place and young Peter Lenz a well deserved third (KTM65 1:09.7). Overall Formula points saw Fox in 1st, Dingwall 2nd, and Boxtart 3rd. The Motard class was dominated for both heats by Ian McWhirter. McWhirter played with the Formula GP machines and let the competitors dual it out for the remaining podium positions. This left the work to be done by Peter Lenz and Bodie Edie as they threw their spec Motard machines into corner after corner. After two heats the overall Motard results saw McWhirter in 1st, Peter Lenz 2nd and Bodie Edie in 3rd. Demographic Classes: 7-10 class: for 2007 the mini roadracing series was able to lower the minimum age to 7 years. An excited Teagan Edie (SMRA) placed 1st followed closely by Cory Matthews (AMRA) and Allyssa Fox (AMRA) placed in third. New 21 and Under Spec Class: This class allows youth racers to compete head to head on spec bikes against other racers aged 11-21. American Superstar Peter Lenz from Vancouver, WA, USA commanded a brilliant performance on his Metrakit and earned a first place position with a respectable 1:12.5 lap time. Geoffrey Gerbrant (SMRA) had his work cut out for him as SMRA teammate Bodhi Edie diced back and forth to ultimately see Geoff place in 2nd with 1:16.3 time and Bodhi in 3rd with a 1:16.5 fastest time. Young Conner Mathews ran a outstanding race on his MetraKit 50 finishing forth. New: 21 and Under Formula: This class allows the youth racers to compete head to head on the intense Formula bikes without the interference of the older competitors. 17 year old Matt Bagshaw (AMRA) led the pack on his TZ85 as he turned consistent lap after lap with a respectable 1:08.7 fastest lap time. Peter Lenz followed on a KTM 65 Motard (1:10.8) and Charles Nalder (AMRA) took a hard earned third on an YZ85 Motard (1:10.1) to fill the rest of the podium. New: 21 and Over Spec class had more passes in the final laps then most classes had all day with John Lenz on his NSR50 battling with Jay Fox on a XR100 . The two switched positions every corner until the last lap when Lenz put his head down for the win, this again reinforced to Fox whom the ‘cornering king’ in Western Canada really is. This was all followed up Devin Edie on his NSR50 who enjoyed the action from a comfortable third place. New: 21 and Over Formula: The front of the pack was lead by AMRA President Fox and his newest toy, the RS85. Jamie Dingwall, AMRA Vice President and former pocketbike guru impressed the crowd as he chased down Fox with his MetraKit. SMRA President John Lenz surprised all when despite starting at the back of the grid as a last minute entry moved cleanly through the field to reel in Dingwall, ultimately earning a second place podium. Much to the chagrin of Fox, Lenz broke cleanly into the 1.06’s on a borrowed TZ from Fox’s son and usurped Fox’s fastest weekend lap time. A Special Thanks to Pitster Pro, Stratotech Park, ASPRW, AME, CNMRA and all the Volunteers. As always without your contributions the event would not have been the success it was. It has been said that someone above has blessed Mini RoadRacers. This encompasses not only the weather, but the people who make the whole experience great for everyone. On behalf of the Canadian National Mini RoadRacing Associations any and all are invited to partake in the glory of mini roadracing. More information can be found at http://www.AMRA.ca.
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