Gardena, Calif. – Historic Willow Springs International Raceway hosted round three of the Thruxton Cup series last weekend, April 26-27, pitting entrants against one another, the track and Mother Nature.
Strong winds and cool temperatures gave riders tough racing conditions on their race prepared Triumph Thruxtons. On Saturday, winds were so strong that the riders were being pushed out while trying to hold their lines through turn eight only to be faced with 30 mph headwinds down the front straight.
Through it all, Zack Courts was able to post the fastest lap time en route to victory on his No. 65 British Customs equipped Thruxton. Jack Pfeifer finished a strong second. Other notable BC riders Heath “the Chief” Cofran finished 8th and “Playboy” Max Materne finished 13th after an off track excursion.
Sunday’s race faced the same extreme weather conditions, but once again, Courts and Pfeifer seemed immune to it. This time around, it was Pfeifer who took the win on his No. 44 Thruxton, followed by Courts. Mike Blankenship claimed the third spot on the podium. “Playboy” Max Materne had a DNF and Heath “the Chief” Cofran was blown off the track and ended his day in the dirt.
There was even more action in the pack. Don Lamkin, who finished tenth on Saturday and eighth on Sunday, had a great battle with John Jewett on both days. He said, “On Saturday John Jewett and I were battling throughout the race. I had planned on passing him during the last lap, but the wind caught me and I lost by seven-thousandths of a second. During Sunday’s race I thought to myself, ‘When I get a chance I will pass John,’ but before I knew it he was gone. So I decided to focus on the race: no mistakes and riding smooth. Then all of a sudden John was within striking distance. So I nailed it through turn nine, following close behind John knowing that I was a stronger rider on the west side of the track. Once I passed him I ran for my life.”
Round four of the Thruxton Cup will see some friendly rivalry between moto-journalists when racing gets underway at Sonoma Raceway this weekend, May 1-2. Motorcyclist’s Zack Courts will be defending his Willow Springs win against Motorcycle USA’s Adam Waheed, both of whom will be riding British Customs prepped Thruxtons.
As the official performance part supplier of the Thruxton Cup, British Customs has drawn on its years of experience designing and testing high performance components for Triumph motorcycles to create bolt-on parts and packages that are easy to install, and provide the raw power and sharp handling to give you a competitive edge on the track. All Thruxton Cup competitors are eligible to participate in British Customs Rider Support program, which includes discounts on performance parts, and trackside support at select rounds of the series. Visit the British Customs Blog for our guide to increasing the performance of your Thruxton with upgraded exhaust and intake systems.
For a complete schedule of 2014 Thruxton Cup racing, racing entry requirements, and current series standings, visit the Thruxton Cup Series website.
You can get the latest updates on Thruxton Cup racing and the newest performance parts from British Customs by liking British Customs on Facebook, and following them on Twitter and Instagram.
Upcoming Thruxton Cup Schedule:
May 1st – 2ndSonoma RacewaySonoma, CA
June 7th – 8th Road AmericaElkhart Lake, WI
June 14th – 15thGrattan Park RacewayGrattan, MI
July 11th – 13thNew Jersey Motorsports ParkMillville, NJ
August 29th – 31stMiller Motorsports ParkTooele, UT
October 9th – 12thBarber Motorsports ParkBirmingham, AL
October 17th – 20thDaytona International SpeedwayDaytona Beach, FL
*Please note results are provisional. Please visit www.AHRMA.org for official results and standings.