The AFM returned to Buttonwillow Raceway Park for the final round of the CT Racing Pirelli/GPR/GoPro AFM series on October 24 &25th. The racers and spectators alike enjoyed the moderate conditions in a location know for high summertime heat.

Noticeably absent from the paddock was Cory Call, who won round six’s Dunlop Race Tire Service Formula Pacific Race. Call was collected in crash at a track day the previous weekend and was recovering in the hospital in Chico, California, while the action picked up for round 7 of the AFM series. Almost on cue, other riders who were absent for the majority of the season qualified for the premier class race, including Tyler O’Hara and Wyatt Farris as well as the Bakersfield duo of Bryce Prince and Jason Aguilar.

During the practice on Saturday, Bryce Price had an incident in the esses that caused both he and his bike to cartwheel through the dirt. His team quickly got his B bike ready and Prince was able to qualify for the race on Sunday.

On pole for the Dunlop Race Tire Service Formula Pacific Race was Tyler O’Hara on his Yamaha YZF-R1. When the flag dropped, O’Hara got the holeshot, with Chris Siglin on his BMW S1000RR. As they charged into Turn One, Joey Pascarella ran his Yamaha YZF-R6 deep into the corner, securing second place from Siglin. Wyatt Farris and Bryce Prince, both on Yamaha YZF-R6s, rounded out the top five and formed a pack that would break away from the rest of the field.

At the end of the first lap, Tyler O’Hara pulled a 1:48 from a standing start while trying to distance himself. Behind him, Siglin passed Pascarella on the front straight, only to be overtaken on the brakes. As the pack settled in for the next lap, the pace dropped to the 1:44s. O’Hara concentrated on stringing together fast laps and fighting off Pascarella, while Prince worked his way past Farris on lap thre. After Prince got past Farris, Prince and Siglin would swap places several times during the next few laps.

On lap six, the five-bike breakaway took the excitement to the next level as Pascarella got around O’Hara after Turn Three. Seeing the opportunity to bring home a win on his home track, Prince passed O’Hara at the exit of Riverside and set his sights on Pascarella. The front straight did not play to the strengths of Prince’s R6 as both O’Hara and Siglin drove past him, knocking him back to fourth place. Prince mounted a counter-attack in Turn Two, but was unable to hold off Siglin in Turn Three. Siglin stuck to the rear wheel of O’Hara as the pack entered Turn Nine on the second to last lap.

With all the activity behind him, Pascarella put his head down and built a small gap. Pascarella entered Turn Nine and his race came to an end in the dirt. As O’Hara, Siglin and Farris pulled onto the front straight to start the final lap, Prince pulled into the pits, leaving three bikes to duke it out for the top podium spot. The three riders continued to push each other and on the exit of Riverside, Farris applied a lesson he learned from Prince two laps earlier and rode past Siglin into Turn Eight, causing Siglin to lose some drive into Phil Hill.

The riders streamed onto the front straightaway and O’Hara took the checkered flag. Just behind him, Siglin caught up to Farris and pulled out of the slipstream. The final push made for a spectacular finish, with Farris ultimately crossing the line less than a half a bike length in front of Siglin.

With the final Dunlop Race Tire Service Formula Pacific Race in the books and O’Hara on top of the box, the question was did Pascarella have enough points for the #1 plate? The officials quickly determined that Pascarella had built up enough of a lead and at the conclusion of the Formula Pacific podium celebration, the AFM presented Pascarella with a ceremonial #1 plate for the 2016 season.

October 24-25, 2015 @ Buttonwillow – Results

Dunlop Race Tire Service Formula Pacific

1. Tyler O’Hara (Yam YZF-R1)

2. Wyatt Farris (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Chris Siglin (BMW S1000RR HP4)

4. Jason Aguilar (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Andy DiBrino (Yam YZF-R6)

6. Sebastiao Ferreira (Yam YZF-R1)

Woolich Racing Open SuperBike

1. Sebastiao Ferreira (Yam YZF-R1)

2. Steve Metz (Duc 1199 Panigale RS)

3. David Raff (Yam YZF-R1)

4. Scott Tillery (Kaw ZX-10R)

5. Brendan Walsh (Duc 1098)

6. Joy Higa (Suz GSX-R1000)

Novice Open SuperBike

1. Szymon Dziadzia (BMW S1000RR)

2. Benjamin Hodges (Suz GSX-R1000)

3. Garrett Pacheco (Suz GSX-R1000)

Pacific Track Time Open Production

1. David Raff (Yam YZF-R1)

2. Melissa Paris (Apr RSV4 Factory)

3. Jordan Edginton (Yam YZF-R1)

4. David Arft (Kaw ZX-10R)

5. Joy Higa (Suz GSX-R1000)

6. Austen Martin (Yam YZF-R1)

Novice Open Production

1. Szymon Dziadzia (BMW S1000RR)

2. Gabriel Rapisardo (Duc 1199R)

3. Christian Diegelman (Suz GSX-R750)

Fastline Cycles Open GP

1. Chris Siglin (BMW S1000RR HP4)

2. Sebastiao Ferreira (Yam YZF-R1)

3. Jason Lauritzen (Kaw ZX-10R)

4. Steve Metz (Duc 1199 Panigale RS)

5. David Arft (Kaw ZX-10R)

6. Joy Higa (Suz GSX-R1000)

Novice Open GP

1. Szymon Dziadzia (BMW S1000RR)

2. Benjamin Hodges (Suz GSX-R1000)

3. Garrett Pacheco (Suz GSX-R1000)

Lagunitas Brewing Formula One

1. Deion Campbell (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Andrew Lee (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Kevin Murphy (Yam YZF-R6)

4. Jai Armstrong (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Patrick Murphy (Yam YZF-R6)

6. Ricardo Villegas (Yam YZF-R6)

Novice Formula One

1. Christian Diegelman (Suz GSX-R750)

2. Robert Brittain (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Greg Sharp (Suz GSX-R600)

Mach 1 Motorsports 600cc SuperBike

1. Wyatt Farris (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Deion Campbell (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Andy DiBrino (Yam YZF-R6)

4. Jeremy Coffey (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Jai Armstrong (Yam YZF-R6)

6. Thomas Montano (Tri Daytona 675R)

Novice 600cc SuperBike

1. Rafael DaSilva (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Carl Hudson (Kaw ZX-6R)

3. Greg Sharp (Suz GSX-R600)

Keigwin’s at the Track 600cc Production

1. Wyatt Farris (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Jason Aguilar (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Andy DiBrino (Yam YZF-R6)

4. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Kevin Murphy (Yam YZF-R6)

6. Jai Armstrong (Yam YZF-R6)

Novice 600cc Production

1. Rafael DaSilva (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Alex Corstorphine (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Robert Brittain (Yam YZF-R6)

Open Twins

1. Steve Metz (Duc 1199 Panigale RS)

2. Jeff Graham (KTM RC8R)

3. Brendan Walsh (Duc 1098)

4. James King (KTM 1190 RC8R)

5. Jason Butler (Duc 1098)

6. Larry Sprock (Duc 1199)

Novice Open Twins

1. Alton Dunnigan (Duc 750SS)

Racer Gloves 750cc SuperBike

1. Deion Campbell (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Jai Armstrong (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Jeremy Coffey (Yam YZF-R6)

4. Brandon Crawford (Kaw 650)

5. Ricardo Villegas (Yam YZF-R6)

6. Oscar Fernandez (Yam YZF-R6)

Novice 750cc SuperBike

1. Christian Diegelman (Suz GSX-R750)

2. Benjamin Gover (Suz GSX-R750)

3. Kate Whitmire (Suz GSX-R750)

Moto Shop SF 750cc Production

1. Deion Campbell (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Andrew Lee (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Kevin Murphy (Yam YZF-R6)

4. Ricardo Villegas (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Patrick Murphy (Yam YZF-R6)

6. Rodrigo Arrazola (Yam YZF-R6)

Novice 750cc Production

1. Christian Diegelman (Suz GSX-R750)

2. Benjamin Gover (Suz GSX-R750)

3. Robert Brittain (Yam YZF-R6)

Spears Racing Formula Four

1. Ralph Staropoli (Hon RS250)

2. Brandon Crawford (Kaw 650)

3. Sam Romick (Suz SV650)

4. Jason Catching (Suz SV650)

5. Kevin Winter (Yam TZ250)

6. Richard Denman (TSR AC28M)

Novice Formula Four

1. Sam DeAugustine (Suz SV650)

2. Chris Reed (Suz GSX-R450/600)

3. Elliot Shiu (Yam YZF-R4.5/6)

Spears Racing 650cc Twins

1. Brandon Crawford (Kaw 650)

2. Sam Romick (Suz SV650)

3. Jose Quintanar (Suz SV650)

4. Jason Catching (Suz SV650)

5. Alan Cunningham (Suz SV650)

6. Justus Hoffman (Duc 649)

Novice 650cc Twins

1. Martin Sullivan (Suz SV650)

2. Sam DeAugustine (Suz SV650)

3. Joshua Davies (Suz SV650)

650cc Production

1. Sam Romick (Suz SV650)

2. Jason Catching (Suz SV650)

3. Valentine Welch (Suz GSX-R450/600)

4. Patryk Buchcik (Yam YZF-R4.5/6)

5. Ian Smith (Suz GSX-R450/600)

6. Miles Alexander (Suz SV650)

Novice 650cc Production

1. Martin Sullivan (Suz SV650)

2. Mark Solis (Suz SV650)

3. Joshua Davies (Suz SV650)

Formula Two

1. Ralph Staropoli (Hon RS250)

2. Roger Baker (Yam TZ250)

3. Kevin Winter (Yam TZ250)

4. Richard Denman (TSR AC28M)

5. Sergio Morales Galvan (Yam TZ250)

Formula Three

1. Marc Rittner (Yam YZ450F)

2. Austin Guinn (Kaw 300)

3. Ruben Casarez (KTM RC390)

4. Jason Tracy (Kaw 250)

5. John Knowles (KTM RC390)

6. Norbert Katona (KTM 690)

Novice Formula Three

1. Greg Sharp (Kaw 250)

2. Micah Pearlman (KTM RC390)

3. Andrew Hsu (Kaw 300)

Feel Like a Pro 350cc Production

1. Ruben Casarez (KTM RC390)

2. Austin Guinn (Kaw 300)

3. Paul Johnson (Kaw 250)

4. Duncan Mardling (Kaw 300)

5. Eric Kondo (Yam YZF-R3)

6. John Knowles (KTM RC390)

Novice 350cc Production

1. Brett Voorhees (Yam YZF-R3)

2. Gordon Pull (Kaw 250)

3. Andrew Hsu (Kaw 300)

Erich Steigler Insurance 250cc SuperBike

1. Ruben Casarez (KTM RC390)

2. Paul Johnson (Kaw 250)

3. Jason Tracy (Kaw 250)

4. Austin Guinn (Kaw 300)

5. Dave Moss (Hon CBR250)

6. John Knowles (KTM RC390)

Novice 250cc SuperBike

1. Brett Voorhees (Yam YZF-R3)

2. Cory Ventura (Yam YZF-R3)

3. Gordon Pull (Kaw 250)

Catalyst Reaction 250cc Production

1. Paul Johnson (Kaw 250)

2. Sean Corbin (Kaw 250)

3. Lisa Kinberger (Kaw 250)

4. Rachael Corbin (Kaw 250)

5. Tiffani Burkett (Kaw 250)

Novice 250cc Production

1. Gordon Pull (Kaw 250)

2. Steve Driscoll (Kaw 250)

3. Bill Mein (Kaw 250)

500cc Twins

1. Patrick Aldinger (Kaw 500)

2. Ruben Casarez (KTM RC390)

3. Jason Tracy (Kaw 250)

4. Austin Guinn (Kaw 300)

5. Paul Johnson (Kaw 250)

6. Eric Kondo (Yam YZF-R3)

Novice 500cc Twins

1. Brett Voorhees (Yam YZF-R3)

2. Cory Ventura (Yam YZF-R3)

3. Gordon Pull (Kaw 250)

Motowrx 450cc SuperBike

1. Dave Moss (Yam YZF-R4.5/6)

2. Valentine Welch (Suz GSX-R450/600)

3. Ian Smith (Suz GSX-R450/600)

4. Tom Schofield (Kaw ZX400)

5. Daniel Coats (Yam YZF-R4.5/6)

6. David Kresse (Suz GSX-R450/600)

Novice 450cc Superbike

1. Chris Reed (Suz GSX-R450/600)

2. Elliot Shiu (Yam YZF-R4.5/6)

3. Owen Flatley (Suz GSX-R450/600)

Formula Singles

1. Marc Rittner (Yam YZ450F)

2. Norbert Katona (KTM 690)

3. John Knowles (KTM RC390)

Super Dino

1. Roger Baker (Kaw ZX-7RR)

2. Guy A Hyder (Yam YZF-R1)

3. Jose Quintanar (Suz SV650)

4. Ed Haazer (Kaw Z1-900)

5. Vincent Giovannini (Yam YZF-R6)

Novice Super Dino

1. Hideki Maniwa (Suz SV650)

2. Sam DeAugustine (Suz SV650)

3. Alton Dunnigan (Duc 750SS)

Vintage

1. Mark McKinney (Yam XS400-2E)

MC Tech AFemme

1. Melissa Paris (Apr RSV4 Factory)

2. Joy Higa (Suz GSX-R1000)

3. Valentine Welch (Suz GSX-R450/600)

Novice Afemme

1. Kate Whitmire (Suz GSX-R750)

2. Paige McKinnon (Yam YZF-R6)

3. AJ Jacobsen (Tri 675)

JPH Suspension Formula 40 Heavyweight

1. Adam Robarts (Yam YZF-R1)

2. Eric Gulbransen (KTM 1290 Super Duke R)

3. James King (KTM RC8R)

4. Volga Mermut (Hon CBR1000RR)

5. Jason Butler (Duc 1098)

6. Jason Miller (BMW S1000RR)

Novice Formula 40 Heavyweight

1. Szymon Dziadzia (BMW S1000RR)

JPH Suspension Formula 40 Middleweight

1. Thomas Montano (Tri Daytona 675R)

2. Tom Wilbert (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Robert Lazzarini (Yam YZF-R6)

4. Tim Chin (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Jahan Raissi (Tri Daytona 675)

6. David Terry (Suz GSX-R750)

Novice Formula 40 Middleweight

1. Carl Hudson (Kaw ZX-6R)

2. Maarten Bon (Kaw ZX-6R)

3. Michael Christian (Yam YZF-R6)

JPH Suspension Formula 40 Lightweight

1. Ralph Staropoli (Hon RS250)

2. Jose Quintanar (Suz SV650)

3. Kevin Winter (Yam TZ250)

4. Jason Catching (Suz SV650)

5. Alan Cunningham (Suz SV650)

6. Jay Kinberger (Suz SV650)

Novice Formula 40 Lightweight

1. Owen Flatley (Suz GSX-R450/600)

2. Constance Droogas (Suz GSX-R450/600)

3. Max Klein (Hon CBR450RR)

Formula 50

1. Jeff Graham (KTM RC8R)

2. Tom Wilbert (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Alan Cunningham (Suz SV650)

4. Mike D’Ambrogia (Yam YZF-R1)

5. Thomas Dorsey (Kaw ZX400R)

6. John Gerard Henry (Suz GSX-R1000)

Novice Formula 50

1. Tom Hendrix (Suz GSX-R750)

2. James Bell (Apr RSV4)

3. Constance Droogas (Suz GSX-R450/600)

Legacy Heavy

1. Jose Flores (Suz GSX-R750)

2. Guy A Hyder (Yam YZF-R1)

Novice Legacy Heavy

1. Tom Hendrix (Suz GSX-R750)

Legacy Middle

1. Rory Kamper (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Tom Kuchno (Suz GSX-R750)

3. Jose Flores (Suz GSX-R750)

4. Guy A Hyder (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Vincent Giovannini (Yam YZF-R6)

Novice Legacy Middle

1. Steve Habura (Suz GSX-R750)

2. Benjamin Gover (Suz GSX-R750)

3. Greg Sharp (Suz GSX-R600)

Legacy Lightweight

1. Patryk Buchcik (Yam YZF-R4.5/6)

2. Guy A Hyder (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Justus Hoffman (Duc 649)

4. Daniel Coats (Yam YZF-R4.5/6)

Novice Legacy Lightweight

1. Chris Reed (Suz GSX-R450/600)

2. Hideki Maniwa (Suz SV650)

Legacy 250

1. Norbert Katona (KTM 690)

Novice Legacy 250

1. Timothy Leviste (Apr RS250)

Clubman Heavyweight

1. Benjamin Hodges (Suz GSX-R1000)

2. Garrett Pacheco (Suz GSX-R1000)

3. Gabriel Rapisardo (Duc 1199R)

Clubman Middleweight

1. Rafael DaSilva (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Steve Habura (Suz GSX-R750)

3. Christian Diegelman (Suz GSX-R750)

Clubman Lightweight

1. Martin Sullivan (Suz SV650)

2. Sam DeAugustine (Suz SV650)

3. Hideki Maniwa (Suz SV650)

More, from a press release issued by Tuned Racing:

Tuned Racing at AFM Buttonwillow

October 25, 2015

Buttonwillow Raceway Park

Things did not go according to plan for Tuned Racing at AFM’s final round at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. Bryce Prince, fresh from winning at the final MotoAmerica round, and dominating at Willow Springs, was hoping to have a go at the track record. Mike Pond had excellent sessions at the track day on Friday, and was looking forward to the race weekend. Mike was looking forward to a return to competition after dealing with the responsibilities of being Team Owner for the entire MotoAmerica season had kept him out of competition. Jason Aguilar arrived Saturday morning feeling good after posting competitive times on an old tire that had 2 days of hard riding on it at a recent track day at Buttonwillow. The team was also ready for redemption after a disappointing opening AFM race at Buttonwillow that saw Jason crash in the final turn of the opening race while leading by several seconds, followed by Bryce also crashing in his first race on the final lap.

Unfortunately, things do not always go as planned. In the first session, Bryce tucked the front in the opening practice session at high speed, and while he walked away with only some deep road rash on his arm and a lot of bruising, the bike had a broken frame. Mike donated his bike so Bryce could continue, ending Mike’s race weekend early. Meanwhile, Jason was struggling with setup and could not get to the times he recorded during the track day when track temperatures were much higher. Bryce was able to rebound, and set the fastest 600 lap time of the day, but he was in a great deal of pain from his earlier crash.

On Race Day, the 600 Production Race was going to be difficult as Bryce was gridded 12th and Jason 16th, while the series regular were gridded up front due to points. Both Jason and Bryce got great starts, but a red flag on the first lap wiped out their advantage. On the restart both riders got good starts, but not as good as their earlier start. Just the same, at the end of the first lap, Bryce had moved into 3rd followed by Jason in 4th. Bryce then put down the fastest lap of the race to close on the leaders. Just when it looked like Bryce was going for the win he started to slow down. The pain from his earlier crash was not allowing him to maintain his pace. That allowed Jason to get by Bryce and he moved into second, where he finished, with Bryce holding on for 4th place.

Bryce decided to try again in the Formula Pacific race after taking some pain killers. Bryce got a good start, and started a string of fast laps that moved him into 3rd place with 2 laps to go, and he moved into 2nd place through the Riverside turn. But when he came around for the final turn, he pulled into the pits with an electrical problem. Jason had his work cut out for him starting from the 3rd row, and methodically worked his way up to 4th place on the final lap where he finished.

Jason Aguilar – “AFM racing at Buttonwillow has always been fun for me, so I was happy to return to racing there. We worked on bike setup throughout the weekend, but I was never able to get comfortable on the bike. I raced on through some issues and had a great last lap battle in my first race. I was off the pace in the Formula Pacific race and was focused on working towards my last race. Off the start of my last race, I got crammed into turn 1 causing me to hit another rider and completely tuck the front, but I somehow saved it. Then the second I tipped the bike into Cotton Corners, the front end washed away causing me to have a very minor lowside. I ran to the bike, picked it up and saw nothing was wrong with it. I jumped on the bike and started it, and then proceeded to get back into the race before I was instructed by the corner marshals that they would not let me back out there. I had to sit on the bike off the track for the whole race until it was over. Not the weekend I was looking for, but still had some fun. Thanks to the team and all my sponsors for all their support.”

Bryce Prince – “I was very excited to be participating in another race at Buttonwillow. I really enjoy racing there, and was looking forward to trying to break the track record from earlier this year. I went out to practice Saturday morning, and got up to speed quickly when on the 3rd lap of the first session, I tucked the front in the fast corner exiting the esses. I am very lucky to have not broken any bones and walk back to the pits. The bike was destroyed, and thankfully I was able to ride mikes bike later that day. I was able to set the fastest 600 time Saturday afternoon but still did not feel comfortable due to my crash.

Sunday morning was miserable, being in extreme pain, I had to get help to get out of bed. I went out in the morning and took it easy to try and stretch my legs out. The first race was 600 Production, and I got into a good pace. Catching the leaders, I set the fastest lap of the race, but the pain was too much for me to continue, so I let the others by and settled for 4th place.

At this point I was determined that I didn’t need to race, but after relaxing and eating some lunch, I figured I might as well go for it at least. I got a poor start in Formula Pacific, but was able to battle my way into 2nd place. I turned my fastest lap times ever at Buttonwillow, and on the last lap I suffered from a charging issue, not being able to finish the race. I was happy with my performance, even though I was not able to finish. I’m thankful that I was able to bring myself home, now that I have some time to recover I’m looking forward to racing again next month!”

Mike Pond – “What a weekend! It’s always nice to see all of our friends with AFM. We know there is good racing with them. The team came into this round really excited for some close competition. Friday practice went well for me as I was running a good pace on worn tires, and was sure I could set a fast lap on some new Dunlop Tires. Saturday morning practice changed those plans. With Bryce’s get off and yard sale in the first practice, I thought it would be better for the team if Bryce raced my bike. He did great setting some quick times on it. The racing was fun to watch with some great passes but we had a charging system failure, forcing Bryce to pull out of the race. Lucky for us, Jason brought it home with a 2nd Place in 600 Production and 4th place in Formula Pacific. The weekend was tough, and not what we had in mind, but we had a blast seeing all of our track family from AFM.”

Tuned Racing thanks all of its sponsors:

Tuned Industries, Dunlop Motorcycle Road Racing Tires USA, EFSigns.com, PSR-USA, SBKPaint.com, Galfer Brakes, Arai, Dynojet, Big Gun Exhaust, Thousand Oaks Powersports, SuperLite Sprockets, EK 3D Chains, SpeedAngle, FT ECU, Shorai Batteries, Torco Advanced Lubricants, Optimal Racing Bodywork, Fly Street, Scott’s Plumbing, Lets Ride Trackdays, Motoyard.com, ACT Racing, and Solarmax Technology.

Jason Aguilar thanks his personal sponsors:

RS Taichi, Moto-Liberty, Sidi, and Impact Safe-T Armor.