Jackson Blackmon had a fantastic weekend of racing this past weekend at WERA’s 44th annual GNF at Barber Motorsports Park. The Finishline Machine sponsored rider earned a first place in the R3 Cup Final race on Sunday. Along with winning the race he also won a new bLU cRU Graves Yamaha R3. Blackmon also rode a RBOM prepared SV650 in LWTSB (3rd), and Formula 2 (2nd).
Blackmon says, “The weekend couldn’t of gone better. My Finishline Machine-prepared Yamaha R3 ran great and I was able to win the R3 Cup Final 1.6 seconds over second place. The RBOM SV650 rode great as well, and I was able to get down to a 1:34.8 lap time. ”
Blackmon would like to thank his sponsors: “Big thank you to Finishline Machine, Dainese, Bell, Ballistic Components, SBS Brakes, RBOM, Lee’s Performance, Privateer Connection, Racer Fx, Trading Paint, Fast Bike Industries, Fast Frank, XT Racing , The Bird House, Paulie Allison, Brandon Paasch, MotoD, M4, RoadRacingWorld, Yamaha, Papa Charlie Blackmon, Laura Ellis and Cam Morehead.”
More, from a press release issued by Newton Racing:
As his 2016 racing season comes to a close, Jay Newton of Newton Racing LLC, wanted to finish on a high note. Only being able to participate in three of the nine MotoAmerica rounds, the young Texan felt as if he still had more to accomplish. This past weekend, October 20th and 21st in Birmingham, Alabama, at the 44th WERA Grand National Finals, he had stellar results.
Only doing one round of WERA races at NOLA Motorsports Park to get him qualified for the GNF, Jay knew he would have his work cut out for him with grid positions for the big show. He would only enter four classes, but would make full use of his time in Alabama and focus on the task at hand.
Practice was scheduled for Thursday, and Newton would quickly go to P2 for the day in the 600cc expert sessions. He struggled getting comfortable with the bike though, and knew he should be quicker. He had decided to run Pirelli tires for the weekend, looking for extra grip with the expected cooler temps, however the tire flex prohibited him from experiencing the stability he was use to from the MotoAmerica-spec Dunlops. At the end of the day, Newton felt as though he still had the pace to run with the lead pack despite the rear movement he was unaccustomed to.
Friday would bring two brief warm-up sessions before the B Superstock and B Superbike races, and Newton was again P2. He would start from P8 on row three in the B Superstock, but would find himself on the podium after the checkers in P2. B Superbike would be a bit tougher however, as Jay was on row five in P11 as the green flag waved. He would not podium in this race, but still managed a very respectable P4 in the 750cc class aboard his Monkey Pumps/Robert Talbott backed Yamaha R6.
Saturday began with another set of brief practice sessions before the scheduled C Superstock and C Superbike races. Newton checked his grid positions, and noticed that he was in the second wave for both races. A hurdle that would be extremely difficult to overcome. In C Superstock with a three row gap to the first wave and starting P20, the young gun would put his head down and make his way to the podium again, crossing the line P3. The C Superbike class would see Newton coming from the second wave again, however, there was a five row split and longer hold this time, and starting from P16 would make it impossible for him to grasp another podium. Again though, he made a valiant effort and dazzled the spectators with a great show by running up to take P4.
With two podiums and two top fives, Newton’s 2016 WERA GNF was in the books. Though he missed out on a National Championship, he experienced a successful weekend of racing and gained knowledge that will help him in the future. With his plans for 2017 undecided, Newton and his team will do everything possible to regroup and be back on the grid next season.
More, from a press release issued by SBS Friction:
Reading, PA – October 25, 2016 – SBS is proud to announce our involvement in the race to first and second place in the Yamaha bLU cRU R3 Cup at the WERA GNF at Barber Motorsports Park. Jackson Blackmon won and Ashton Yates came in second. Both ran the SBS 931RS brake pads and dominated the race by pulling a gap of over 6-seconds down to third place. In addition, Geoff May won both the Open Superstock Expert and WERA Superbike classes being the only rider to dip into the 1:26 lap times. Returning racer Gary Virgin seemingly won everything he entered this season and wrapped up 16 championships at the GNF.
Chris Jensen, SBS North American Market Manager states: “The inaugural grass-roots racing cup is a winner take all thrill event and we couldn’t be happier for our riders and the results. Congratulations to Jackson and Ashton! SBS also dominated with six out of the top ten racers in Open Superstock Expert and WERA Superbike on our pads. Any racer looking to order SBS pads now or in the future can find their closest authorized SBS Racing Dealer at: www.racingbrakesusa.com”
About SBS Friction A/S
SBS is a world leader within the development, production and sales of disc brake pads and friction solutions for motorcycles, scooters, motorsport and special applications. Based on our vast friction experience, we supply both the OEM and aftermarket and offer a full range of compounds for all riding styles. Made in Denmark, SBS Friction is part of the SBS Group.
SBS – The Power to Stop You!