Mesa and Waters Set Lap Records
Florida, Southeast & Atlantic Championship Cup Series Featuring AMA Sanctioned ASRA Team Challenge Presented by Michelin Tire
Carolina Motorsports Park, Kershaw, South Carolina
April 10-11, 2021
By Lisa Theobald
The Championship Cup Series’ Florida/Southeast/Atlantic regions delivered a record setting event at Carolina Motorsports Park during a Twin Sprints weekend of racing with the AMA Sanctioned ASRA Team Challenge Presented by Michelin Tire. On Saturday, the bar was set by Jason Waters during the first running of the Unlimited Grand Prix race. Waters ran the fastest lap of the day on his BMW S1000RR, setting the record at 1:30.776 during the second lap of the race, as he pursued first place Vasiliy Zhulin’s Yamaha YZF-R1.
Stefano Mesa had decided to enter the second running of the Unlimited Grand Prix race on Sunday with his brand new Mesa 37 Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R, chasing down early leader, Waters, and breaking the prior day’s record with a new fastest lap time of 1:30.585. Mesa set this new record during lap four of the five-lap sprint race while chasing down the leader and cinched a second place finish on the only middleweight bike in a field of 1000’s.
Not to be content with his Unlimited Grand Prix results, Mesa was back on board the Pirelli shod ZX-6R during the Unlimited Superbike race, chasing Waters down again, catching, and passing him to take the victory in this class. Mesa not only won the race on the only 600 in the field of 1000’s, but outdid himself with an even faster lap time of 1:30.564, setting the record for the second time in one day.
Mesa kicked off the weekend with a victory in the first race of the two-day event, and wrapped it up another win in the final race of the weekend. He won a total of five of his six classes, finishing first in the GTU and Middleweight Superbike races on Saturday, and first in the Middleweight Supersport, Unlimited Superbike, and Middleweight Superbike races on Sunday. Mesa’s corral of Kawasakis can be seen contesting the Stock 1000 and Supersport classes of MotoAmerica this season, along with CCS/ASRA and WERA events all throughout the year. The Mesa 37 Racing effort is supported by Pirelli Tire, Thermosman, KWS Motorsports, K-Tech, and Mom and Dad (Karen and Mauricio Mesa).
Waters won three of his classes over the weekend, finishing first in the GTO, Unlimited Supersport, and Unlimited Grand Prix races on Sunday. Zhulin also claimed three victories in the Unlimited Superbike and Unlimited Grand Prix races on Satuday, and in the Unlimited Supersport race on Sunday.
The third round of The ASRA Team Challenge series got off to a good start with early overall race leader Team Grease Monkey Racing setting the pace for the two-hour endurance race. A red flag incident late in the race sent all competitors back into the pits for track clean up and the only restart of the race. The clock ran out with Grease Monkey Racing still in the lead and the first of three teams to complete 59 laps and take the Overall Combined and GTO class victories. Team Slopoke Rodriguez finished second overall and second in the GTO class. Team Birch Racing had run a strong second place overall for much of the race, getting edged out by Team Slopoke at the end to take third Overall and first in the GTU class. Team Kamamanawannwiny’all took home first place in the GTL class with 54 completed laps.
The Championship Cup Series Atlantic region is scheduled to compete next at New Jersey Motorsports Park April 24-25 along with the Mid-Atlantic Region in a combined event with the AMA Sanctioned ASRA Sprints Presented by Pirelli Tire.
The CCS Southeast Region will meet again with the Mid-Atlantic Region at Summit Point Motorsports Park June 12-13 for a Twin Sprints weekend. And, the Florida Region will compete next at Roebling Road Raceway along with the Southeast Region, August 21-22 for a Twin Sprints weekend combined with the AMA Sanctioned ASRA Sprints Presented by Pirelli Tire.
Race results, lap times, points standings, and information for the entire 2021 season are available online at: www.ccsracing.us.
Editorial Note: Use the scroll and zoom tools in the bottom left corner of the PDF viewer to better see all of the race results.
More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:
Pirelli Riders Crush Carolina Motorsports Park Track Record
Stefano Mesa’s NINJA ZX-6R relies on the performance of Pirelli’s New 190/60-17 DIABLO™ Superbike Rear Tire
ROME, Ga. (April 13, 2021) – It was a weekend meant for crushing absolute motorcycle track records in Kershaw, South Carolina as Stefano Mesa and Jason Waters traded turns setting the pace at Carolina Motorsports Park (CMP). The duo relied on the performance of their Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike slicks to set the pace in the Championship Cup Series. In the end, it was Mesa who ended the weekend at the time of the lap time sheet and gave Pirelli Tire North America the brand’s third absolute motorcycle track record of the 2021 season.
“Jason [Waters] and I were pushing the pace hard all weekend,” said Mesa. “It was pretty cool to see us on two different sized motorcycles and going back and forth with one another on lap times. This one is special for me in being able to set a new track record while riding my 600. The new 190/60 tires that Pirelli recently introduced worked phenomenal all weekend long for me. I’d like to give a special shout out to Oscar [Solis] at Pirelli for the technical help and working with me to find the comfort needed to get the job done.”
The record, which was set three times throughout the weekend, was first set by road racing newcomer Waters who recorded a 1:30.776 on his BMW S1000RR on Saturday. Mesa, competing aboard a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, upped the pace in the Unlimited GP class on Sunday with a 1:30.585 and later that day he would return to go faster once again with a 1:30.564 in the Unlimited Superbike class. Mesa’s Kawasaki was equipped with a 120/70-17 DIABLO™ Superbike SC1 front tire and a DIABLO™ Superbike SC0 in the recently introduced 190/60-17 sizing on the rear.
“The riders managed to set an incredible pace this weekend,” said Mike Faillace, Metric Devil Moto, Pirelli Trackside Vendor. “The new 190/60 DIABLO™ Superbike was the star of the weekend. The new size was just released and it’s already helping riders go faster than they have before, which includes Stefano [Mesa]. Congratulations and a job well done to him!”
Mesa became the third different rider to earn an absolute motorcycle track record while competing on Pirelli tires in 2021. Pirelli remains dedicated to the grassroots part of the smart and continues to offer reward prizes to riders who set a new motorcycle track record while using Pirelli race compound tires.
For more information about the complete line of Pirelli motorcycle tires, please visit Pirelli.com
