DEKEYREL TAKES CENTRAL ROADRACING ASSOCIATION POINTS LEAD IN SEASON OPENER

The Central Roadracing Association kicked off its 2013 season on the Brainerd International Raceway (BIR) Competition Course over May 10-12. This was the first motorcycle event on the new track configuration, as BIR owner Jed Copham oversaw the most extensive renovation in the tracks history over the off-season. The update placed fresh pavement from the legendary turn 1 to turn 8, and improved run off areas throughout the track. Club volunteers worked late into Thursday night, putting the final touches on the course, deploying 10 new sections of air fence supplied by BIR ownership and the Roadracing World Action Fund, and 800 hay bales supplied by club racer John Anderson’s World Wide Machining.

While learning the new track configuration, racers also dealt with cold temperatures, with ambient race temperatures ranging from 40-58 F. As 2012 CRA champion Shane Fletcher retired from the club in the off-season, 2012 runner-up Kaleb DeKeyrel entered the weekend as the man to beat, and was eager to attack the new pavement.

“I didn’t know what to expect for grip at first because there had been very few people to have even been on the new surface,” said DeKeyrel. “So I started off slow and started to work my way up in speed. I kept getting faster and faster and there was still tons of grip. The track was way wider so I was able to run more of a GP line, driving from the outside edge of the track to the apex and then right back to the outside of the track.”

It was apparent DeKeyrel was confident on the new pavement, as he left the weekend with nothing but podium finishes (six wins, four second places).

The Ninja 250 Cup featured aggressive battles, with club veterans Christian Schmidt, Mark Dargis, and Sam Miller taking wins. In an impressive first visit to BIR, Justin Conolty led much of the first Ninja 250 sprint, but ran out of fuel in the closing laps, allowing Schmidt to take the win after working through the field and making a last lap pass. The Ultralight races featured consistently great dicing between experts Anthony Myhre (Yamaha YZ450F) and Brad Zajic (Kawasaki EX300), and novice Mason DeKeyrel (Moriwaki MD250H). Riding significantly different bikes, the three impressed fans all weekend with late-braking passes, going two-wide through corners, and taking different lines almost every lap. After low siding out of the lead in the first race, Myhre took wins in the other two sprints.

Jon Champ was the man to beat in the Lightweight ranks, having just upgraded to a second generation Suzuki SV650. While veterans Christian Schmidt (Yamaha YZ450F), Kyle Knutson and Brent Bixby (both on Suzuki SV650s) challenged him all weekend, Champ took wins in the Lightweight Supersport and Superbike sprints, as well as Supertwins and GP2 trophy dash. Knutson and Bixby took advantage of a lapped rider in the closing laps of the Grand Prix sprint, ending Champ’s charge for a weekend sweep.

After taking an early lead in the Middleweight Supersport race, Scott Stall had to pull off with a mechanical issue that grounded his Suzuki GSX-R600 for the rest of the weekend. Chase Sellers capitalized on Stall’s misfortune, gapped the field, and took the win, relegating Kaleb DeKeyrel to second place. DeKeyrel went on to win the Superbike and Grand Prix middleweight sprints, GP3 trophy dash, and sweep the Heavyweight sprints on his Yamaha YZF-R6. Thanks to his consistent podium finishes, DeKeyrel left the track with 193 points and a championship lead, ahead of Drew See with 129 points, who had an impressive five podium finishes on the weekend.

Riding his Yamaha YZF-R6, DeKeyrel had to settle for second place in the Unlimited class sprints, as veteran Shane Keaveny (Honda CBR1000RR) swept the premier class sprints, GP4 trophy dash, and the Formula 40 sprint. Battling DeKeyrel for the final podium spots, Zach Hughes and Scott Stall split third place finishes on their liter bikes.

In the novice categories, Kyle Ohnsorg took the early hold of the novice championship with five wins and a second place in the middleweight and heavyweight categories. Fellow middleweight riders Michael Crotty, Tim Ruzek, and Jake Schmotter were hot on Ohnsorg’s heels, as all four riders are within a 24 point spread.

The second round of the CRA season will be June 14-16, when the club will run a dual sprint format on the competition course. Racers eagerly await revisiting the new pavement, as points leader Kaleb DeKeyrel points out: “It was cold all weekend and we are already running the same times as last year on the old surface. When this track gets some rubber laid down and gets warm it will be amazing! This new track has tons of grip and is going to produce lots of great racing for many years to come.”

RESULTS:

Unlimited SS Expert 1 Shane Keaveny (Hon CBR1000RR) 2 Kaleb DeKeyrel (Yam YZF-R6) 3 Zach Hughes (Yam YZF-R1) 4 Scott Stall (Suz GSX-R600) 5 Jesse Nelson (Suz GSX-R1000) 6 Aaron Anderson (Suz GSX-R1000)

Heavyweight SS Expert 1 Kaleb DeKeyrel (Yam YZF-R6) 2 Brian Hebeisen (Yam YZF-R6) 3 Drew See (Yam YZF-R6) 4 Justin Ebnet (Hon CBR600RR) 5 Erik Devaan (Yam YZF-R6) 6 Ryan Fors (Kaw ZX-6R)

Heavyweight SS Novice 1 Kyle Ohnsorg (Suz GSX-R600) 2 Michael Crotty (Yam YZF-R6) 3 Tim Ruzek (Yam YZF-R6) 4 Bradley Kreller (Yam YZF-R6) 5 Greg Bambach (Kaw ZX-6R) 6 Benjamin Foreman (Yam YZF-R6)

Middleweight SS Expert 1 Chase Sellers (Yam YZF-R6) 2 Kaleb DeKeyrel (Yam YZF-R6) 3 Mike Schley (Kaw ZX-6R) 4 Brian Hebeisen (Yam YZF-R6) 5 Drew See (Yam YZF-R6) 6 William Vossberg (Kaw ZX-6R)

Middleweight SS Novice 1 Harry Jensen (Duc 848) 2 Michael Crotty (Yam YZF-R6) 3 Tim Ruzek (Yam YZF-R6) 4 Dan Krambeck (Tri 675) 5 Greg Bambach (Kaw ZX-6R) 6 Bradley Kreller (Yam YZF-R6)

Lightweight SS Expert 1 Jonathan Champ (Suz SV650) 2 Aaron Collins (Duc 800) 3 Kyle Knutson (Suz SV650) 4 J.T. Noehre (Suz SV650) 5 Mike Atlas (Suz SV650) 6 Stephen Johnson (Suz SV650)

Lightweight SS Novice 1 Justin Gustofson (Kaw EX650) 2 Chris Henkel (Suz SV650) 3 Drew Sivertsen (Suz SV650) 4 Christopher Kramer (Suz SV650)

Ultralight SS Expert 1 Brad Zajic (Kaw 300R) 2 Anthony Myhre (Yam YZF450)

Ultralight SS Novice 1 Mason DeKeyrel (Mor MD250H) 2 Jake Schmotter (Hon CRF450) 3 John Roswick (Kaw EX500) 4 Matt Cina (Duc 620) 5 Tim Ring (Duc 620)

Ninja 250 Expert – Race 1 1 Sam Miller (Kaw 250R) 2 Christian Schmidt (Kaw 250R) 3 Justin Conolty (Kaw 250R) 4 Mark Dargis (Kaw 250R) 5 Jon Smrecek (Kaw 250R) 6 John Buren (Kaw 250R)

Ninja 250 Novice – Race 1 1 Bryan Lachmiller (Kaw 250R) 2 Drew Sivertsen (Kaw 250R) 3 Lucas Scanlan (Kaw 250R) 4 Tanner Hunter (Kaw 250R) 5 Ashley Stansberry (Kaw 250R)

Unlimited SB Expert 1 Shane Keaveny (Hon CBR1000RR) 2 Kaleb DeKeyrel (Yam YZF-R6) 3 Zach Hughes (Yam YZF-R1) 4 Tony Mahto (Hon CBR1000RR) 5 Jesse Nelson (Suz GSX-R1000) 6 Scott Stall (Suz GSX-R600)

Heavyweight SB Expert 1 Kaleb DeKeyrel (Yam YZF-R6) 2 Drew See (Yam YZF-R6) 3 Justin Ebnet (Hon CBR600RR) 4 Brian Hebeisen (Yam YZF-R6) 5 William Vossberg (Kaw ZX-6R) 6 Erik Devaan (Yam YZF-R6)

Heavyweight SB Novice 1 Jake Schmotter (Kaw ZX-6r) 2 Kyle Ohnsorg (Suz GSX-R600) 3 Michael Crotty (Yam YZF-R6) 4 Tim Ruzek (Yam YZF-R6) 5 Benjamin Foreman (Yam YZF-R6) 6 Luke Schmidt (Suz GSX-R600)

Middleweight SB Expert 1 Kaleb DeKeyrel (Yam YZF-R6) 2 Mike Schley (Kaw ZX-6R) 3 Drew See (Yam YZF-R6) 4 Justin Ebnet (Hon CBR600RR) 5 Brian Hebeisen (Yam YZF-R6) 6 Erik Devaan (Yam YZF-R6)

Middleweight SB Novice 1 Kyle Ohnsorg (Suz GSX-R600) 2 Harry Jensen (Duc 848) 3 Michael Crotty (Yam YZF-R6) 4 Jake Schmotter (Kaw ZX-6R) 5 Tim Ruzek (Yam YZF-R6) 6 Aaron Duchon (Yam YZF-R6)

Lightweight SB Expert 1 Jonathan Champ (Suz SV650) 2 Christian Schmidt (Yam YZF450) 3 Brent Bixby (Suz SV650) 4 Kyle Knutson (Suz SV650) 5 J.T. Noehre (Suz SV650) 6 Jaron Gustofson (Suz SV650)

Lightweight SB Novice 1 Justin Gustofson (Suz SV650) 2 Chris Henkel (Suz SV650) 3 Christopher Kramer (Suz SV650) 4 Eric Koenig (Bue XB9R)

Ultralight SB Expert 1 Anthony Myhre (Yam YZF450) 2 Brad Zajic (Kaw 300R) 3 Gus Aramayo (Yam YZF450)

Ultralight SB Novice – Race 1 Mason DeKeyrel (Mor MD250H) 2 Jake Schmotter (Hon CRF450) 3 Tim Ring (Duc 620) 4 Matt Cina (Duc 620) 5 John Roswick (Kaw EX500)

Ninja 250 Expert – Race 2 1 Christian Schmidt (Kaw 250R) 2 Jon Smrecek (Kaw 250R) 3 Justin Conolty (Kaw 250R) 4 John Buren (Kaw 250R) 5 James Roberts (Kaw 250R)

Ninja 250 Novice – Race 2 1 Bryan Lachmiller (Kaw 250R) 2 Lucas Scanlan (Kaw 250R) 3 Drew Sivertsen (Kaw 250R) 4 Tanner Hunter (Kaw 250R) 5 Ashley Stansberry (Kaw 250R)

Supertwins Expert 1 Jonathan Champ (Suz SV650) 2 Brent Bixby (Suz SV650) 3 Kyle Knutson (Suz SV650) 4 J.T. Noehre (Suz SV650) 5 Jaron Gustofson (Suz SV650) 6 Mike Atlas (Suz SV650)

Supertwins Novice 1 Chris Henkel (Suz SV650) 2 Christopher Kramer (Suz SV650)

Sportsman Lightweight Novice 1 Adam Harrison (Hon CBR600F2) 2 John Roswick (Kaw EX500)

Unlimited GP Expert 1 Shane Keaveny (Hon CBR1000RR) 2 Kaleb DeKeyrel (Yam YZF-R6) 3 Scott Stall (Suz GSX-R600) 4 Zach Hughes (Yam YZF-R1) 5 Jesse Nelson (Suz GSX-R1000) 6 Aaron Anderson (Suz GSX-R1000)

Heavyweight GP Expert 1 Kaleb DeKeyrel (Yam YZF-R6) 2 Brian Hebeisen (Yam YZF-R6) 3 Drew See (Yam YZF-R6) 4 Erik Devaan (Kaw YZF-R6)

Heavyweight GP Novice 1 Kyle Ohnsorg (Suz GSX-R600) 2 Michael Crotty (Yam YZF-R6) 3 Tim Ruzek (Yam YZF-R6) 4 Jes Schwartz (Yam YZF-R6)

Middleweight GP Expert 1 Kaleb DeKeyrel (Yam YZF-R6) 2 Mike Schley (Kaw ZX-6R) 3 Drew See (Yam YZF-R6) 4 Justin Ebnet (Hon CBR600RR) 5 Brian Hebeisen (Yam YZF-R6) 6 Erik Devaan (Yam YZF-R6)

Middleweight GP Novice 1 Kyle Ohnsorg (Suz GSX-R600) 2 Tim Ruzek (Yam YZF-R6) 3 Michael Crotty (Yam YZF-R6) 4 Aaron Duchon (Yam YZF-R6) 5 Benjamin Foreman (Yam YZF-R6) 6 Dan Krambeck (Tri 675)

Lightweight GP Expert 1 Kyle Knutson (Suz SV650) 2 Brent Bixby (Suz SV650) 3 Jonathan Champ (Suz SV650) 4 Christian Schmidt (Yam YZF450) 5 Stephen Johnson (Suz SV650) 6 Jaron Gustofson (Suz SV650)

Lightweight GP Novice 1 Bryan Lachmiller (Suz SV650) 2 Justin Gustofson (Kaw EX650) 3 Christopher Kramer (Suz SV650) 4 Chris Henkel (Suz SV650) 5 Adam Harrison (Hon CBR600F2) 6 Eric Koenig (Bue XB9R)

Ultralight GP Expert 1 Anthony Myhre (Yam YZF450) 2 Brad Zajic (Kaw 300R) 3 Gus Aramayo (Yam YZF450)

Ultralight GP Novice 1 Mason DeKeyrel (Mor MD250H) 2 Jake Schmotter (CRF450) 3 Tim Ring (Duc 620) 4 Matt Cina (Duc 620)

Ninja 250 Expert Race 3 1 Mark Dargis (Kaw 250R) 2 Sam Miller (Kaw 250R) 3 Christian Schmidt (Kaw 250R) 4 Jon Smrecek (Kaw 250R) 5 John Buren (Kaw 250R) 6 Robin Schmidt (Kaw 250R)

Ninja 250 Novice – Race 3 1 Bryan Lachmiller (Kaw 250R) 2 Drew Sivertsen (Kaw 250R) 3 Lucas Scanlan (Kaw 250R) 4 Tanner Hunter (Kaw 250R) 5 Ashley Stansberry (Kaw 250R)

Formula 40 – F2 1 Shane Keaveny (Hon CBR1000RR) 2 Harry Jensen (Duc 848) 3 Tim Ruzek (Yam YZF-R6) 4 Robert Barton (Suz SV650) 5 Dave Ostwald (Yam YZF-R6) 6 Scott Luckiesh (Kaw ZX-6R)

Formula 40 – F1 1 Kyle Knutson (Suz SV650) 2 Brent Bixby (Suz SV650) 3 J.T. Noehre (Suz SV650) 4 Mike Atlas (Suz SV650) 5 Chris Knauf (Kaw EX650) 6 Matt Cina (Duc 620)

Trophy Dash GP1 Novice 1 Jake Schmotter (Hon CRF450)

Trophy Dash GP2 Expert 1 Jonathan Champ (Suz SV650) 2 Stephen Johnson (Suz SV650) 3 Dennis Goman (Suz SV650)

Trophy Dash GP2 Novice 1 Chris Henkel (Suz SV650)

Trophy Dash GP3 Expert 1 Kaleb DeKeyrel (Yam YZF-R6) 2 Christian Schmidt (Yam YZF-R6) 3 William Vossberg (Kaw ZX-6R) 4 Drew See (Yam YZF-R6) 5 Justin Ebnet (Hon CBR600RR) 6 Scott Luckiesh (Kaw ZX-6R)

Trophy Dash GP3 Novice 1 Kyle Ohnsorg (Suz GSX-R600) 2 Tim Ruzek (Yam YZF-R6) 3 Michael Crotty (Yam YZF-R6) 4 Bradley Kreller (Tri 675) 5 Benjamin Foreman (Yam YZF-R6) 6 Aaron Duchon (Yam YZF-R6)

Trophy Dash GP4 Expert 1 Shane Keaveny (Hon CBR1000RR) 2 Zach Hughes (Yam YZF-R1) 3 Jesse Nelson (Suz GSX-R1000) 4 Aaron Anderson (Suz GSX-R750) 5 Pat Stewart (Kaw ZX-10R)