OHVALE TAKES TOP TWO SPOTS AT THE FINAL ROUND Motul MINISBK 3HR ENDURANCE presented by PIRELLI
Ohvale takes the top two spots on the podium in the premier Moto1 class at the final round of the Motul MiniSBK Endurance 3HR presented by Pirelli Tires event at Lombardy Raceway, Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada.
First place went to Team Sweet Caralyne aboard an Ohvale GP-2 190 with riders Ben Hardwick from Sudbury, who represented Canada in the 2023 FIM MiniGP World series and currently competing in the FIM MiniGP Austria series, and his teammate Christopher Kemmer, from Austria currently competing in the FIM World Endurance series on team 3ART Yamaha.
Second place was earned by Team Jäger Bomb aboard an Ohvale GP-O 160 EVO with riders Jäger Stockill, vice Champion of the 2024 FIM MiniGP Canada series from Stittsville who will be heading to the FIM MiniGP World finals at Valencia in November, alongside his teammate CSBK Pro Superbike competitor Yamaha racer Tomas Casas.
Third place went to Team LeanAngle, aboard a Honda CRF150 with riders Doug Newman CEO of LeanAngle – track day host and custom vinyl designer alongside his teammate Pro Superseries Champion Drew Weber.
Honourable mention goes to the coaches from Team Super Sonic School in 4th place aboard an Ohvale GP-O 160 with riders Jake LeClair, CSBK Pro rider and former Champion, alongside his teammate Alan Burns of the dynasty Burns Racing.
All of the bikes worked flawlessly clocking speeds up to 70kph on the 900 metres of the flowy Lombardy Raceway course. Team Sweet Caralyne clocked 221 recorded laps while Team Jäger Bomb recorded 205, loosing 5 laps to a pit stop infraction, making it a close finish for 3rd place Team LeanAngle with 203 laps.
Pirelli tires, although not a spec tire for the event, were the choice of all the top four teams requiring no tire changes during the 3HR event. Interestingly, LeanAngle decided to run Pirelli rain slicks on the dry circuit for the entire 3HR event, including the practice and qualifying sessions, citing no need for tire warmers and predictable grip in the cool October track conditions. Doug commented after the race, “Our Pirelli rain tires held up really well and are probably still good for another event!”
The Moto2 2HR event was launched in the morning aimed at beginners and newcomers graduating from the Super Sonic School to get a feel for racing and a lot of laps in. First place went to the father and son of Team RVR Gromlings, riders Richard and Luke Van Der Pryt aboard their Honda Grom with 101 laps.
Second place in the Moto2 class went to brothers James and Josh Millson (for those wondering, yes they are distant relatives of the CSBK owner Ross Millson) on Team Fly Boys with a total of 96 laps, flying in and out of the event aboard their own private airplane! Third place went to Team Full Throttle riders Eric Sergi, young grandson of well-known track day rider Bob Shaw, along with his teammate new rider Isaac Seaward on a Super Sonic School Ohvale GP-O 110 and Kawasaki KLX110LE respectively, clocking 92 laps.
Organizer Toni Sharpless of the MiniSBK Championship series and owner operator of the Super Sonic Road Race School said, “The MiniSBK Endurance series is an important part of the development opportunities we want to provide for our riders in the spirit of fun. Although our focus is on the development of young riders, we are happy to see all the adults enjoying the event and very grateful for their support.”
Lombardy Track Manager, Che Smith commented, “It was another great event put on by Toni and her team. I want to encourage more grassroots events under the MiniSBK banner in the future.”
At the end of the day it was a tip-of-the-wing from the Fly Boys as they flew overhead going home confirming they will be back next year. 2025 MiniSBK Endurance events are to be confirmed. The opening round will be in the Spring at Brechin Motorsports Park near Beaverton, ON. Interested parties are encouraged to keep an eye on the website, MiniSBK.ca for the 2025 schedule.
