Turpin and Spargo split wins at the 18^th Annual Barber Vintage Festival

(October 11, 2023, Knoxville, TN) – Shane Turpin and Christopher Spargo split wins on Saturday and Sunday during the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) road race season finale held at Barber Motorsports Park during the 18^th Annual Barber Vintage Festival.

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.

Rounds nineteen and twenty of the Vintage Cup were held Oct. 7 and 8 in conjunction with the Bridgestone Tires AHRMA National Roadracing series at Barber Motorsports Park

Fall weather had arrived bringing cool temps each morning.  Entering the Barber Vintage Festival rounds, Joyce, who raced a NYC Norton 1968 Seeley NRE 750, had provisionally secured the Vintage Cup Championship during the previous rounds at Talladega Gran Prix in September  (championships are announced after the final race of the season is complete as per AHRMA policy). Nonetheless, the entire Formula 750 class wanted to put on a great show for the thousands of fans lining the Barber Motorsports Park circuit.

On Saturday, Joyce got the hole shot into turn one. Shane Turpin, on a 1972 Ducati Imola, sponsored by Larrabure Framing and VeeTwo, and Joyce brushed leathers through turns two and three, with Turpin getting the edge through turn four and leading to the finish. Joyce trailed by just seconds as Chris Spargo on a 1976 Yamaha RD400, nipping at Joyce’s heels until the end.

Spargo’s motor began to disintegrate on the last lap and was barely able to finish the cooldown lap demonstrating the extreme levels these riders pushed their machines to as shown by lap times in the mid 1:38s – extremely fast for mid-1970s motorcycles.

Jeff Hargis, riding a 1972 Yamaha XS650, finished fourth in front of returning competitor Mark Morrow who was on his 1976 Yamaha RD 400.  Hargis is one of the handful of longtime Sportsman 750 competitors who moved to the Formula 750 class, proving again that the Vintage Cup concept works in enhancing grids.  The remaining competitors and their results are listed below.

Having worked all night with his crew to completely rebuild his RD400 engine, Spargo arrived at the grid on Sunday ready to go.  Joyce chose to sit the race out putting all eyes on Spargo and Turpin.

Both had great launches at the start, with Turpin cresting the hill at turn four into Charlotte’s Web in the lead.  Spargo, with his neon green helmet was easy to spot, and he was never far from Turpin’s tail.  Both riders were consistently lapping in the 1:38 range. Towards the end of the race, while on the front straight, Turpin suddenly put his hand up and looked down at his bike.  With an obvious mechanical problem, he nursed the machine off into the turn one safety zone ending his race.

Spargo was able to relax slightly and scored the final victory in the hotly contested 2023 Vintage Cup Championship Series.

Second and third place were taken by Morrow and Hall, which created a podium filled with Yamaha RD400 machines.  Stephen Pettinger on a 1977 Honda CB750 finished fifth, and Hargis took sixth.

“Tim’s victory is made more impressive by the level of competition this season.   A handful of guys put in performances that would be championship worthy in a normal year.  This will go down as one of the finest battles in AHRMA history,” said Carl Anderson, AHRMA’s 2023 Chairman of the Board.

“As a sponsor but also the team owner I am very pleased to be able to officially announce that Tim Joyce, riding the Magyar-owned Seeley NRE, sponsored by NYC Norton and Rev’It Leathers, secured the championship. I would also like to thank all of the racers who participated in the 2023 Vintage Cup series featuring Formula 750,” said Kenny Cummings of NYC Norton.  “The Formula 750 Vintage Cup seemed to be one of the most consistently robust fields across all events in 2023.  With multiple winners through the season, no one rider got up and walked away with the championship. ”

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 Vintage Cup 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.

The 2024 Vintage Cup will feature the 350GP first featured Vintage Cup class.

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

Saturday, October 7, 2023

1. Shane Turpin, 1972 Ducati Imola, Scottsdale, AZ
2. Tim Joyce, 1968 Seeley NRE 750, Springfield, VT
3. Christopher Spargo, 1976 Yamaha RD400, Hopkins, MN
4. Jeff Hargis, 1972 Yamaha XS650, Battle Creek, MI
5. Mark Morrow, 1976 Yamaha RD 400, Raleigh, NC
6. Tony Read, 1973 Triumph Bonneville, Charlotte, TN
7. Brad Phillips, 1972 BMW R75, Roebuck, SC
8. Daniel May, 1972 BMW R75/5, Wilmette, IL
9. Michael Dixon, 1970 Yamaha XS, Wataga, IL
10. Martin Morrison, 1976 Honda CB550, Newark, OH
11. David Roper, 1962 Matchless G-50, Hicksville, NY
12. Joseph Wright, 1970 Honda CR750, Bellevue, WA
13. Michael Wilson, 1977 Yamaha RD400, Maylene, AL
14. Stan Keyes, 1972 Norton Commando 750, Jacksonville, FL
15. Ben Schmitt, 1970 Norton Commando, Kearney, MO
16. Justin Hebbel, 1972 BMW R75/5, Baltimore, MD
17. Brian Larrabure, 1972 Ducati 750, Calabasas, CA
18. Brady Ingelse, 1975 Honda CB750, Belgium, WI
19. Rob Hall, 1972 Yamaha RD400, Charlotte, NC
20. Walt Fulton, 1972 Harley-Davidson XR750, Montrose, CO

Sunday, October 8, 2023

1. Christopher Spargo, 1976 Yamaha RD400, Hopkins, MN
2. Mark Morrow, 1976 Yamaha RD 400, Raleigh, NC
3. Rob Hall, 1972 Yamaha RD400, Charlotte, NC
4. Stephen Pettinger, 1977 Honda CB750, Chicago, IL
5. Jeff Hargis, 1972 Yamaha XS650, Battle Creek, MI
6. Martin Morrison, 1976 Honda CB550, Newark, OH
7. Brad Phillips, 1972 BMW R75, Roebuck, SC
8. Joseph Wright, 1970 Honda CR750, Bellevue, WA
9. Michael Wilson, 1977 Yamaha RD400, Maylene, AL
10. Stan Keyes, 1972 Norton Commando 750, Jacksonville, FL
11. Justin Hebbel, 1972 BMW R75/5, Baltimore, MD
12. Ben Schmitt, 1970 Norton Commando, Kearney, MO
13. Alan Feinman, 1976 Triumph T140, York, PA
14. Shane Turpin, 1972 Ducati Imola, Scottsdale, AZ
15. Colton Roberts, 1976 Yamaha RD400, Pawnee, IL
16. Walt Fulton, 1972 Harley-Davidson XR750, Montrose, CO
17. David Roper, 1962 Matchless G-50, Hicksville, NY

2023 Vintage Cup Competitors

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.