Hot weather was the theme of Round 4 in the Vortex Masters of the Mountains series held July 23rd and 24th on the East Course at Utah Motorsports Campus. Traction on the track was fantastic and the support from Scott Larsen, at Fastline Race Tire, had all of the competitors set for battle throughout the weekend.

The King of the Mountain GTO race was dominated by Shane Turpin continuing his streak in the series and remaining undefeated. Turpin arrived at the track with a Ducati 1098R that he brought out of retirement for the event since his usual ZX-10R was out of commission for motor work. After a few laps on Saturday he realized that the 1098 also needed some maintenance due to sitting for a while and instead of risking further damage decided to park it. This left him in a dilemma, since he didn’t have another bike prepared for racing. Michael Bradshaw, who sits second in the championship, offered his “B” bike to Turpin for the weekend. 

“We have a great racing community and family here who is always helping each other out with one thing or another,” said Bradshaw. “In the end we are all here because we love racing and want the best competition possible. I was happy to help Shane get to the grid because he makes of us all better by pushing the level of competition. One day I will beat him fair and square, but this weekend he was fastest and I’m glad to have him to race against.” 

“In all of my years of racing I’ve never had my closest competitor do anything like this,” said Turpin. “It would have been really easy for Mike to say that he couldn’t help. Instead, he rolled out his bike for me to use.” 

Turpin rode Bradshaw’s bike to victory in Moto 1 on Saturday giving him the evening to get the Rickdiculous Racing BMW prepared for his Sunday races. Turpin collected wins in Moto 1, Open Superbike and Formula 40 GTO in addition to his win in KOM-O. Shane is sponsored by Rickdiculous Racing, Pirelli and CT Racing. Bradshaw, sponsored by Butler Maps and MotoStation, finished second in KOM-O, and Jerry Hicks, sponsored by Skratch Labs, made his return to racing following a knee injury early in the season by bringing home third.

Kory Cowan continued his winning streak in King of the Mountain GTU on his MotoStation-sponsored Yamaha YZF-R6, but came under tremendous pressure from Trackstar Racing’s Gauge Rees. At about half-distance in the race Rees went on the attack and passed Cowan into Turn One, a pass that stuck for a couple of laps before Cowan returned the favor. On the last lap Rees made a strong effort into Clubhouse Corner, but instead of passing Rees ended up saving a big front end slide and had to settle for second. Matt Guiver rounded out the podium.

Some of the best racing of the weekend took place in the production races. Anthony Morgan has been a perennial favorite in these classes, but he has been met by a variety of challengers who are not regulars in these classes. Chris Blockston, who is usually found as the starter for USBA races, borrowed an Kawasaki Ninja 250 to race at Round 4 and put up impressive results for not having raced in a number of years. 

“I won my first legitimate race since 1995 and it felt great!” said Blockston. 

While some of the best competition is happening in these classes, graduates from them are making the top of the podium their domain throughout the club. Rees and Ryan Richardson continue to do well in the Expert classes while Brady Randall and Tyson Rapier, who were the top of the production classes in 2015, are consistent podium finishers in the Novice 600 classes in 2016.

The USBA moves back to the West Course for round 5 on September 3rd and 4th, 2016.

The Utah Sport Bike Association is a Utah Non-Profit dedicated to promoting education, safe-riding and competition in the Intermountain West. You can find more information about the USBA, upcoming events and schools at www.utahsba.com or find us on Facebook at www.utahsba.com

Vortex Racing King of the Mountain GTO

1. Shane Turpin (Kaw ZX-10R)

2. Michael Bradshaw (BMW S1000RR)

3. Jerry Hicks (Suz GSXR-1000)

4. Dave Purcell (Kaw ZX-10R)

5. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)

6. Tyler Smith (BMW S1000RR)

Vortex Racing King of the Mountain GTU

1. Kory Cowan (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Gauge Rees (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Matt Guiver (Yam YZF-R6)

4. Joshua Smith (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Duncan Biles (Yam YZF-R6)

6. Donavon Mortensen (Yam YZF-R6)

Black Rhino Tools Combined GTO

1. John Crump (Suz GSX-R1000)

2. Steven Marco (Hon CBR1000RR)

3. Scott Rybarik (Duc 899)

4. Eugene Alston (Yam YZF-R1)

5. Jerome Samarjian (Yam YZF-R6)

6. Spencer Kruger (Suz GSX-R750)

Xcel Trackdays Combined GTU

1. Christopher Robinson (Kaw ZX-6R)

2. Phil O’Bryan (Kaw ZX-6R)

3. Braden Randall (Kaw ZX-6R)

4. Mike Smith (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Thomas Dark (Suz GSX-R600)

6. Lisa Ballehr (Yam YZF-R6)

Wrights Motorcycle Parts Production 500 Race 1

1. Joey Clark (Yam YZF-R3)

2. Tony Morgan (Kaw 250)

3. Chris Blockston (Kaw 250)

4. Russell Biles (Kaw 250)

5. Parrisa Azarvand (Kaw 250)

6. Chad Richins (Kaw 250)

Wrights Motorcycle Parts Production 500 Race 2

1. Joey Clark (Yam YZF-R3)

2. Robert Nolan (Yam FZR400)

3. Braden Randall (Kaw 250)

4. Tony Morgan (Kaw 250)

5. Russell Biles (Kaw 250)

6. Parissa Azarvand (Kaw 250)

Black Rhino Tools Moto 2

1. Gauge Rees (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Ryan Richardson (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Joshua Smith (Yam YZF-R6)

4. Matt Guiver (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Donavon Mortensen (Yam YZF-R6)

6. Duncan Biles (Yam YZF-R6)

Harrison Eurosports Open Superstock

1. Michael Bradshaw (BMW S1000RR)

2. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)

3. David Purcell (Kaw ZX-10R)

4. John Crump (Suz GSX-R1000)

5. Dominic Poulin

6. Erik Grim (KTM RC8)

Les Olson Company Novice GTU

1. Braden Randall (Kaw ZX-6R)

2. Jerome Samarjian (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Christopher Robinson (Kaw ZX-6R)

4. Tyson Rapier (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Antonio Andrade (Hon CBR600RR)

6. Mike Smith (Yam YZF-R6)

Discount Tire Novice GTO

1. Eugene Alston (Yam YZF-R1)

2. Jerome Samarjian (Yam YZF-R6)

3. James Smith (Yam YZF-R1M)

4. Braden Jones (Hon CBR1000RR)

5. Spencer Kruger (Suz GSX-R750)

6. Braden Randall (Kaw ZX-6R)

Recycle Solutions Sportsman Race 1

1. Braden Jones (Hon CBR1000RR)

2. Darren Knepper (Hon CBR1000RR)

3. Mike Smith (Yam YZF-R6)

4. Phil O’Bryan (Kaw ZX-6R)

5. Randy Schuler

6. Thomas Dark (Suz GSX-R600)

Recycle Solutions Sportsman Race 2

1. Taylor Clark

2. Thomas Dark (Suz GSX-R600)

3. Johanne Bernier (Suz GSX-R600)

South Valley Motorsports Moto 1

1. Shane Turpin (BMW S1000RR)

2. Michael Bradshaw (BMW S1000RR)

3. Erik Grim (KTM RC8)

4. Jerry Hicks (SUZ GSX-R1000)

5. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)

6. Kevin Dolan (Suz GSX-R1000)

Edge Motorsports Deseret Dash Race 1

1. Shane White (Suz GSX-R1000)

2. Matthew Lewis (Suz GSX-R1000)

3. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)

4. Tyler Smith (BMW S1000RR)

5. David Purcell (Kaw ZX-10R)

6. Eugene Alston (Yam YZF-R1)

Edge Motorsports Deseret Dash Race 2

1. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)

2. Shane White (Suz GSX-R1000)

3. David Purcell (Kaw ZX-10R)

4. Scott Rybarik (Duc 899)

5. Steven Marco (Hon CBR1000RR)

6. Eugene Alston (Yam YZF-R1)

The Green Pig Pub Open Twins

1. Erik Grim (KTM RC8)

2. Scott Rybarik (Duc 899)

3. Matt Ramage (Suz SV650)

4. Matt Phoumyxay (Suz SV650)

LaMonica’s Restaurant Supply Production 250 Race 1

1. Chris Blockston (Kaw 250)

2. Tony Morgan (Kaw 250)

3. Parissa Azarvand (Kaw 250)

4. Russell Biles (Kaw 250)

5. Chad Richins (Kaw 250)

LaMonica’s Restaurant Supply Production 250 Race 2

1. Chris Blockston (Kaw 250)

2. Russell Biles (Kaw 250)

3. Parissa Azarvand (Kaw 250)

4. Stephen Webster (Kaw 250)

Trackstar Racing Middleweight Superstock

1. Gauge Rees (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Ryan Richardson (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Joshua Smith (Yam YZF-R6)

4. Matt Guiver (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Donavon Mortensen (Yam YZF-R6)

6. Duncan Biles (Yam YZF-R6)

The Mechanic Modern Vintage GTO

1. Shane White (Suz GSXR-1000)

2. Eugene Alston (Yam YZF-R1)

3. Kevin Dolan (Suz GSXR-1000)

4. Marshall Miller (Yam YZF-R1)

5. Spencer Kruger

6. Braden Jones (Hon CBR1000RR)

The Mechanic Modern Vintage GTU

1. Scott Rybarik (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Tom MacMiece (Kaw ZX-6R)

3. Ryan Luke (Yam YZF-R6)

4. Jason Koth (Kaw ZX-6R)

5. Michael Hawkins (Suz GSX-R600)

6. Mike Smith (Yam YZF-R6)

Southpaw Motorsports Lightweight Twins Race 1

1. Matt Ramage (Suz SV650)

2. Robert Nolan (Yam FZR400)

3. Matt Phoumyxay (Suz SV650)

4. Russell Biles (Kaw 250)

5. Chad Richins (Kaw 250)

Southpaw Motorsports Lightweight Twins Race 2

1. Matt Ramage (Suz SV650)

2. Joey Clark (Yam YZF-R3)

3. Matt Phoumyxay (Suz SV650)

4. Russell Biles (Kaw 250)

The MotoStation Middleweight Superbike

1. Ryan Richardson (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Matt Guiver (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Duncan Biles (Yam YZF-R6)

4. Joshua Smith (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Shane Frazier (Yam YZF-R6)

6. Cody Tait

The MotoStation Open Superbike

1. Shane Turpin (Kaw ZX-10R)

2. Michael Bradshaw (BMW S1000RR)

3. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)

4. Tyler Smith (BMW S1000RR)

5. David Purcell (Kaw ZX-10R)

6. John Crump (Suz GSX-R1000)

LaMonica’s Restaurant Supply Heavyweight Superbike

1. Matt Guiver (Yam YZF-R6)

2. Joshua Smith (Yam YZF-R6)

3. Scott Rybarik (Duc 899)

4. Donavon Mortensen (Yam YZF-R6)

5. Jason Koth (Kaw ZX-6R)

6. Michael Hawkins (Suz GSX-R600)

Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 GTO

1. Shane Turpin (Kaw ZX-10R)

2. Michael Bradshaw (BMW S1000RR)

3. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)

4. Tyler Smith (BMW S1000RR)

5. Kevin Dolan (Suz GSX-R1000)

6. Steve Kozicki (Yam YZF-R1)

Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 GTU

1. Michael Hawkins (Suz GSX-R600)

2. Phil O’Bryan (Kaw ZX-6R)

3. Dominic Poulin

4. Lisa Ballehr (Yam YZF-R6)

The Edge Motorsports Moto 3

1. Joey Clark (Yam YZF-R3)

2. Tony Morgan (Kaw 250)

3. Russell Biles (Kaw 250)

More, from a press release issued by Trackstar Racing:

Utah Motorsports Campus Tooele Utah

Round 4 of the Utah Sportbike Associations Masters of the Mountains Series kicked off to scorching heat under the Utah sun. After boiling MR12 in the fuel tanks all day during Fridays Apex Trackday, Trackstar Racings Gauge Rees decided to run regular pump gas for Saturdays races. It was a gamble that paid off with 2 race wins and breaking his personal best laptimes several times throughout the day. “I got the wins in Moto 2 and Middleweight superstock by a good margin and those are the classes our bike is built for. Ken Hill helped us a bunch with the bike setup in the week leading up to the race. I knew the setup was so much better than before that I wouldn’t need the extra power from race fuel to get out in front. I’m leading both of those Championships right now so I’m happy with the day.” Said Rees.

Sundays KOMU race started with Gauge getting the holeshot and swapping the lead several times with fellow racer Kory Cowan. Both led several laps with the podium lineup coming down to the last lap. Rees was in second place and went for a big move backing it into Clubhouse corner. He couldn’t make it stick and settled into Second position. “It was a great race, that’s the first time I have ever led that class for that many laps. It’s a superbike class and my bike is built to Superstock rules so I had to ride it really hard to stay up there. I beat my personal best laptimes by a full second that race, it was awesome! The coaching I have been getting at the Rickdiculous Racing schools is paying off every weekend.” said Rees.

The second race of the day was Middleweight Superbike and Rees had a shot at taking the Championship lead but a clutch failure on the warmup lap ended those chances. He came on to pit road to see if it could be an adjustment issue but it couldn’t be fixed. He took the start from hot pit and was still able to work his way up to 7th place running the entire track in 6th gear but had to retire before the checkers. Team owner Kelly Rees “I feel horrible that we had a mechanical that took him out of that race. We have had very few of those over the last 10 years and have never had a DNF due to one. I’ve got to get the bike torn down and see what I can do better to keep that from happening. On the upside Ken Hill was able to help me with the setup issues I have been chasing. The bike is unbelievably good right now, I cant thank him enough for that.”

Gauge would like to thank his Sponsors: Rickdiculous Racing, Trackstar Racing, Dunlop Race Tires, Ohlins Suspension, Heatshrink.com, Venhill, Fly Street, Champion Spark Plugs, Pop Shadow Decals and Apex Trackdays