Spargo and Joyce Swap AHRMA Wins in the Heartland of America

(May 31, Knoxville, TN)  A two-stroke versus four-stroke duel that started in the 70’s continues forty years later in the 2023 American Historic Motorcycle Racing Associations (AHRMA) Vintage Cup.

Sponsored by Hagerty Insurance, Roadracingworld.com, and NYC Norton (nycnorton.com), AHRMA’s 2023 Vintage Cup features the Formula 750 (F750) class which includes 750cc two and four-stroke powered machines built up to 1972.

The fifth and sixth rounds of the 2023 Bridgestone Tires National Road racing series landed squarely in the middle of America at the Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, KS.

The F750 podium both days featured one of the largest and one of the smallest motorcycle manufacturers with Christopher Spargo on a Yamaha RD400, Tim Joyce on NYC Norton’s Seely NRE (Nourish Racing Engineering), and Brian Filo riding a Yamaha XS 650 punched out to 750cc in a custom road racing chassis.

In previous years, lap times for the front-runners in the class were just below the 2 minute mark.  On Saturday, Joyce and Spargo turned laps in in the 1:55 range – an impressive feat when racing motorcycles with pre-1972 specifications.  Joyce and Spargo traded the lead several times.  Spargo had better acceleration out of the corners and used it to his advantage through the last series of turns to take the lead and prevent Joyce from drafting for the win.

“This year’s Vintage Cup races at Kansas provided all the action we had hoped for, as I believe the top four riders cut laps faster than last year’s F750 winning time.  No doubt the riders are digging deep and making their best efforts, ” said Carl Anderson, AHRMA’s 2023 Chairman of the Board.

While there was excitement happening up front, there was a three-bike dual for third place between Filo, Colton Roberts on a Yamaha RD400 and Jeff Hargis riding a Yamaha XS 750.  Filo was able to secure the third place position and held on to it for the checkered flag taking the third step on the podium.

The rest of the field consisted of a spectrum of motorcycles unlike any other class, with Brian Larrabure on a beautiful Ducati 750SS Imola replica, Walt Fulton on a vintage Harley XR750 and Patrick Hanson on a BSA Lightning.

The balance of the grid included, in order of finishing, Larrabure, Mike Dixon riding a 1970 Yamaha XS, Dan Sokolich on his Yamaha RD400, Fulton and Hanson.

For the race on Sunday, Joyce got the hole shot and led flag to flag putting in a series of laps in the low 1:53 range.  Spargo responded with a 1:52.8 time for the last lap, but it was too little too late, with Joyce taking the checkered for the win and Spargo close behind in second place.

The fight for third was similar to Saturday with Filo, Roberts and Hargis duking it out with Filo taking the checkered for third followed by Roberts in fourth and Hargis in fifth.  The rest of the field finished in the following order:  Larrabure, David Crussell, racing a 1972 Kawasaki H2R, Dixon, Sokolich, Fulton and Hanson.

“As the class sponsor, I try to be as objective as possible, but I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said I didn’t want NYC Norton’s rider, Tim Joyce, to go out and put on a good show,” said Kenny Cummings of NYC Norton.  “I want to acknowledge Chris Spargo for turning this into a legitimate dog fight and living up to the NYC Norton slogan showing that you can’t fake a fast lap and no one is going to be able to phone this championship in.”

The annual Vintage Cup spotlights one of AHRMA’s road racing classes with extra attention on 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 Saturday awards ceremony at each AHRMA National Road Race event.

Highlights from each Formula 750 race will be reported in RoadracingWorld.com’s online edition. At the conclusion of each season, the perpetual Vintage Cup trophy will be engraved with the national champion winner’s name and presented to the winner at the National Awards Banquet to keep for one year.

2023 Bridgestone Tires AHRMA Roadracing Series, Formula 750 – Vintage Cup Results

Saturday, May 27, 2023

1 –       Christopher Spargo, 1976 Yamaha RD400,

2 –       Tim Joyce, 1968 Seeley NRE 750, Springfield, VT

3 –       Brian Filo, 1972 Yamaha XS650, Livermore, CA

4 –       Colton Roberts, 1976 Yamaha RD400, Pawnee, IL

5 –       Jeff Hargis, 1972 Yamaha XS 650, Battle Creek, MI

6 –       Brian Larrabure, 1972 Ducati Imola 750SS, Calabasas, CA

7 –       Michael Dixon, 1970 Yamaha XS, Wataga, IL

8 –       Dan Sokolich, 1976 Yamaha RD400, Washington, MO

9 –       Walt Fulton, 1970 Harley Davidson XR, Montrose, CO

10 –    Patrick Hanson, 1970 BSA Lightning, West Bend, WI,

Sunday, March 28, 2023

1 –   Tim Joyce, 1968 Seeley NRE 750, Springfield, VT

2 –   Christopher Spargo, 1976 Yamaha RD400,

3 –   Brian Filo, 1972 Yamaha XS650, Livermore, CA

4 –   Colton Roberts, 1976 Yamaha RD400, Pawnee, IL

5 –   Jeff Hargis, 1972 Yamaha XS 650, Battle Creek, MI

6 –   Brian Larrabure, 1972 Ducati Imola 750SS, Calabasas, CA

7 –   David Crussell, 1972 Kawasaki H2R, Pleasanton, CA,

8 –   Michael Dixon, 1970 Yamaha XS, Wataga, IL

9 –   Dan Sokolich, 1976 Yamaha RD400, Washington, MO

10 – Walt Fulton, 1970 Harley Davidson XR, Montrose, CO

About AHRMA:

The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to competing on fantastic classic and true vintage machines along with a wide range of modern motorcycles.  With over 3,000 members, AHRMA is the largest vintage racing group in North America and one of the biggest in the world. The association has grown steadily over the years, reflecting the increasing interest in classic bikes.