Ferrer Wins Shootout, Mesa Wins Most
CCS Florida – Jupiter, Florida
October 4, 2015
Armando Ferrer won the Unlimited Grand Prix race on his RacersPrice.com Kawasaki ZX-10R, after taking over the lead in the second lap and never looking back. Barrett Long had nabbed the holeshot and led the first lap of the race on his Longevity Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, but a combination of wet conditions and slippery tires forced him to ride at a safer, slower pace and he dropped back to third place. Fernando Silva was edged out of the battle for the lead and into second place by Ferrer. Silva’s last-minute decision to compete on his ART Performance Yamaha YZF-R6 did not slow him down on the wet surface. He was able to close any gaps Ferrer gained on the straightaways with faster corner speeds. Ferrer was able to keep Silva behind him for the remaining five laps of the race to take the victory. Silva finished second with Long third, and Felipe MacLean and Ryan Cabrera rounding off the top five.
After the race, Long commented on the conditions stating, “I felt good at the start. Got the holeshot and started sliding around a little bit. I started looking at those walls and decided that was my pace for this race. These guys just kind of pulled away slowly and that was it.”
Silva said, “First, I want to thank God for the opportunity. I actually chose the bike at the last moment. I feel really comfortable with it. And, in the rain sometimes, too much power can hurt. And, I think that was the case. I was really losing in the back straightaway and every small straightaway, but I could really make it up in the turns. The bike worked amazing.” He went on to thank his team, ART Performance, “All the mechanics, Ruben, Orlando, Andres, my mom and my dad for all their support and for all they’ve done for me. I’m really thankful,” he stated. “Thanks, Eric Gray from GMD Computrack for the awesome job. The bike was handling amazing. Thanks Pirelli Tires, those rain tires are awesome. I felt really comfortable on it and it was a great race. I want to thank everybody who helped me and everybody for their support. Thanks to my girlfriend, Bruna. And everybody who made this possible. Thank you very much.”
Ferrer exclaimed, “I’m very, very happy! I push, I push, I win! Thank you very much my sponsors, Racers Price, Moto Fairings, Dunlop Tire, Thermosman. I’m very, very happy!” Ferrer also won the first race of the day, the GTO, after nabbing the holeshot and opening a gap on second place, Stefano Mesa. By lap three the race was a three-rider battle for the lead with Felipe MacLean in second and Mesa looking for a way around. A few laps later, Mesa was back in second place and looking for a way around the leader. By the halfway mark, the race was a four-rider freight train and all-out fight for the lead. Mesa took over the lead and behind him, Bruno Silva had maneuvered his machine into third place. Mesa maintained the advantage to the checkered flag, when he pulled a wheelie before the finish line and allowed Ferrer to take the checkered flag. Mesa finished second, with Silva, MacLean, and Long rounding off the top five.
Mesa was the winningest racer of the weekend with five victories. He was able to work his way from the back of the field and into the lead in the GTU race to take his first victory of the day. He also won the Unlimited Supersport, Middleweight Supersport, Heavyweight Supersport, and Unlimited Superbike classes.
The winningest amateur dominated the lightweight classes. Alex Ferreira took home four first place finishes on his Suzuki SV650, winning the Amateur GT Lights, Ultralight Superbike, Lightweight Grand Prix, and Lightweight Superbike races. He finished second to Jonathan Pellnitz in the Lightweight Supersport race.
The 32nd annual Championship Cup Series Race of Champions is scheduled for October 15th-18th, at Daytona International Speedway, and will include AHRMA racing events as well as the final events for the AMA Sanctioned ASRA Sprint Series presented by Pirelli Tire,and theASRA Team Challenge presented by Michelin Tire. After that, CCS Florida will meet for their final round at Homestead-Miami Speedway December 5-6th, 2015.
For full results, lap times, points standings, and additional information, please go to: www.ccsracing.us.
EXPERT UNLIMITED GRAND PRIX RESULTS: 1. Armando Ferrer (Kaw ZX-10R); 2. Fernando Silva (Yam YZF-R6); 3. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R1); 4. Felipe MacLean (Kaw ZX-10R); 5. Ryan Cabrera (Hon CBR1000RR); 6. Jeremy Krasny (BMW S1000R); 7. Jon Foy (Kaw ZX-10R); 8. Bruno Silva (Kaw ZX-10R).