Dawn of Superbike Racing kicks off AHRMA’s 2022 Vintage Cup
(January 11, 2022, Roseville, CA) The roots of superbike racing were on display during the opening round of the 2022 American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) National Historic Cup Road Race Series at the AHRMA Classic MotoFest™ at Daytona International Raceway on January 8 and 9.
“The sound of those big, air-cooled, multis on the high banks of this temple of speed was incredible, and multiple Honda CBXs? Yeah, that’s mind blowing,” said Brian Larrabure, 2022 Chair of the AHRMA Board of Trustees. “I really hope fans of Superbike racing check out our Vintage Cup this year because it really will be a history lesson in how Superbikes got started and it’s just going to be great racing, too.”
The Vintage Superbike Heavyweight class was featured on both days of the Daytona event. Curtis Adams from Whittier, CA riding a 1981 Honda CB750F dominated on both days with back-to-back commanding Vintage Cup wins.
“We had a great time racing at Daytona, the Vintage Cup brings out all the good racers for this class—we took fourth on Saturday and second on Sunday. Great time seeing all the CBXs out there,” said Vintage Superbike Heavyweight class sponsor Tim’s CBX owner Bill Brint
There were 14 entries in the Vintage Superbike Heavyweight class during both days of the event with some racers crossing the country to compete. Their motorcycles included Honda CB750F, Honda CB900F, Kawasaki Z1 B, Suzuki Katana 1000s, and Honda CBX1000 machines.
Vintage Superbike Heavyweight recreates and preserves the look and feel of this important era of road racing and showcases these unique machines. Superbikes of that era were based on street-legal models available for sale at any motorcycle dealership. Most lacked the streamlined bodywork, low, clip-on style handlebars and rear-set foot pegs of purpose-built Grand Prix motorcycles. Instead, riders sat almost upright on the machines. Wider handlebars gave the racer the leverage needed to wrestle the large bikes around a racing circuit.
The AHRMA Vintage Superbike Heavyweight class is for motorcycles produced through 1982 with unlimited displacement for twin-cylinder motors and three-cylinder motors with “pushrod” valves. Four-cylinder machines are limited to either 931 or 1,025 cc’s depending on the model.
A typical starting grid for the class may include a BMW R90, BSA Rocket 3, Kawasaki Z1 and GPZ 1000, Honda CB 750 and 900, Yamaha XS650 and Seca, Suzuki GS 750, 1000 and Katana. The same bikes that storied racers such as Wes Cooley, Reg Pridmore, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey rode to victory during the early years of Superbike competition in the United States.
The annual Vintage Cup spotlights one of AHRMA’s road racing classes with extra to competitors in the selected class during each race event. Enhanced awards for the Vintage Cup competitors are presented separately from other class trophies during the awards ceremony at high visibility AHRMA National Historic Cup Roadrace Series event. Highlights from each Vintage Superbike Heavyweight race will be reported in Roadracing World’s online edition (RoadRacingWorld.com). At the conclusion of the 2022 season, the perpetual Vintage Cup trophy will be engraved with the national champion winner’s name and presented to the winner to keep for one year.
Saturday’s race started with 14 bikes on the grid. With a clean start, Curtis Adams moved out front early and led all the bikes to the finish. Jon Litsey settled in at second while Robert Ringnalda held third place. William Brint worked hard using Ringnalda’s draft staying close in the battle for third. Adams finished with a strong first place and Litsey prevailed in second. Ringnalda held off Brint for third, leaving Brint with fourth at the finish.
On Sunday 14 bikes again would join the grid. At the start flag Adams moved out front and then checked out early on the field. Adams pushed out to a 31 second lead for the win. The battle for second found Litsey contending again, but this race Brint jumped in and Litsey and Brint traded places several times until the last lap when Brint pulled out the pass for the second-place finish followed by Litsey in the third spot.
The 2022 Vintage Cup Trophy will be awarded to the Vintage Superbike Heavyweight class winner at select events including AHRMA Classic MotoFest™ at Daytona, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL, AHRMA Classic MotoFest™ in the Heartland, Heartland Motorsports Park, Topeka KS, AHRMA Classic MotoFest™ of Monterey, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Salinas, CA and Barber Vintage Festival, Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds, AL. Race dates and event registration links are available at: ahrma.org/schedules-results.
AHRMA National Historic Cup Roadrace Series Vintage Superbike Heavyweight Results – Saturday, January 8, 2022
- Curtis Adams, 1981 Honda CB750F, Whittier, CA.
- Jon Litsey, 1979 Honda CB750F, Redding, CA
- Robert Ringnalda, 1979 Honda CBX1000, Columbus, OH
- William Brint, 1979 Honda CBX1000, Mount Airy, GA
- Jeremy Maddrill, 1979 Kawasaki KZ650, Steger, IL
- Rian Mondriaan, 1982 Honda CB900F, Bradenton, FL
- Alan Perry, 1982 Suzuki Katana 1000
- Matt Esterline, 1977 Honda CB750F, Portage, MI
- Warren Wilson, 1982 Kawasaki GPz750, Indianapolis, IN
- Edward Barna, 1982 Honda CB750F, Randolph Center, VT
AHRMA National Historic Cup Roadrace Series Vintage Superbike Heavyweight Results – Sunday, January 9, 2022
- Curtis Adams, 1981 Honda CB750F, Whittier, CA
- William Brint, 1979 Honda CBX1000, Mount Airy, GA
- Jon Litsey, 1979 Honda CB750F, Redding, CA
- Jeremy Maddrill, 1979 Kawasaki KZ650, Steger, IL
- Rian Mondriaan, 1982 Honda CB900F, Bradenton, FL
- Alan Perry, 1982 Suzuki Katana 1000
- Matt Esterline, 1977 Honda CB750F, Portage, MI
- Warren Wilson, 1982 Kawasaki GPz750, Indianapolis, IN
- Edward Barna, 1982 Honda CB750F, Randolph Center, VT
- Robert Ringnalda, 1979 Honda CBX1000, Columbus, OH
