LRRS Warms Up Cold Weekend at NHMS
2015 motorcycle season gets underway in Loudon
The Loudon Road Race Series began its 2015 race season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on April 25 and 26. The race weekend featured cold temperatures and bitter winds out of the north, which challenged the riders to keep their motorcycles upright on colder tires.
Scott Greenwood started off his title defense in the premier class with a win in the Middleweight Grand Prix. Greenwood won six of seven races in the class in 2014 and again proved to be riding the motorcycle to beat by turning in a best lap of 1:31.140 – over one second faster than runner-up Eric Wood’s best lap.
“It’s 40-some-odd degrees, a little windy, and it’s chilly,” Greenwood said of track temperature. “We talked about it earlier and said we’d all see who goes out first and gauge off of that person. I was able to put in good, clean laps, and put in some quick ones, and inch away. In the end, it was enough to take the win.”
Wood won the 2013 MWGP class championship and is expected to be the biggest competitor to Greenwood in his title defense. He also shared in the sentiments toward the colder weather making the track unpredictable.
“There’s a lot less traction when it’s this cold,” Wood explained after his second-place finish. “The track temperature is really cold and the tires never get the grip we’re used to having them have. When it’s really windy like this, because there aren’t a lot of right-hand corners on this track, the right side of the tire cools off more and more as the race goes on, and you have to be really cautious.”
Shane Narbonne rounded out the podium. The three-time Loudon Classic race winner is a full-time rider in the American Motorcyclist Association, which limits his participation in LRRS weekends. He worked his way up from the back of the field for a third-place finish.
LRRS will next race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on May 16-17 in a final preparation for the 92nd Loudon Classic on June 19-21.
Race Winners
125 Grand Prix
Expert: Jake Vader
Amateur: Roland Arsenault
Formula 300
Expert: Riley Rodgers
Amateur: Clarence Beaudette Jr.
Formula 40
Expert: Dennis Levesque
Amateur: Gino Falconieri
Formula 40 Lights
Expert: Rick Doucette
Amateur: Roland Arsenault
Formula 50 Lights
Expert: John Grush
GTL
Amateur: Kyle Reese
GTO
Expert: Shane Narbonne
Amateur: Dylan Moore
GTU
Expert: Scott Greenwood
Amateur: Michael Bettencourt
HW Superbike
Expert: Eric Wood
Amateur: Glenn Snyder
HW Supersport
Expert: Shane Narbonne
Amateur: Gino Falconieri
LW Grand Prix
Expert: Rick Doucette
Amateur: Christopher Mackin
LW Sportsman
Expert: Jake Laforge
Amateur: Kevin Allen
LW Superbike
Expert: Charles Sandoz
Amateur: JC Bernier
LW Supersport
Expert: Rick Doucette
Amateur: Douglas Cooke
Motard
Expert: Jake Laforge
Amateur: Jonathan Carvalho
MW Grand Prix
Expert: Scott Greenwood
Amateur: Clarence Beaudette Jr.
MW Superbike
Expert: Scott Greenwood
Amateur: Lincoln Gottier
MW Supersport
Expert: Shane Narbonne
Amateur: Cole Hall
P-89 Lights
Expert: John Linn
Super Singles
Expert: Jake Laforge
Amateur: Jonathan Carvalho
Supersport 500
Expert: Branch Worsham
Amateur: Gunnar Ouellette
Super Twins
Expert: Rick Doucette
Amateur: Daniel Rosato
Thunderbike
Expert: Rick Doucette
Amateur: Douglas Cooke
Ultralight Superbike
Expert: John Linn
Amateur: Kevin Allen
Unlimited Grand Prix
Expert: Shane Narbonne
Amateur: Clarence Beaudette Jr.
Unlimited Superbike
Expert: Shane Narbonne
Amateur: Declan Fitzpatrick
Unlimited Supersport
Expert: Shane Narbonne
Amateur: Clarence Beaudette Jr.