Michelin crowned nine Grand Champions and handed out $87,500 in purse, bonuses and trophies to racers Sunday, the rain-affected second day of the Michelin U.S. Motorcycle Championship at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Butler Machinery’s Robert Jensen had a less-than-perfect afternoon, but a win in the Supersport Pro race and a second place (after crashing and being saved by a red flag) in the Superstock Pro race gave the North Dakota resident the Grand Championship in each class and a total of $14,000 in purse and bonuses.
Duponte & Lipton/XXX Racing Fuels’ Brian Stokes finished second to Jensen in Saturday’s Superstock Pro race and beat him handily in Sunday’s wet second leg, but because Michelin chose to use Saturday’s race results as tie-breakers for the twin-sprint format Jensen got the title Grand Champion and the first-place purse and bonus instead of Stokes.
Jensen won the Supersport Pro race each day (beating Ricky Parker Saturday and topping Matt Lynn Sunday) and took the top honors and prizes in that class, as well.
Design Integrity’s Joel Spalding was knocked out of Saturday’s Thunderbike Expert contest by a mechanical problem with his Buell XB12R, but he bounced back to win Sunday’s race by 0.331 second over D&G Racing/Hal’s Performance Advantage Buell’s Danny Bilansky, who won Saturday’s race and took home the Grand Champion title and $4500 in purse and contingency.
Open Road BMW’s Steve Walker won both of the weekend’s Thunderbike Amateur races, the title Grand Champion and $3000 in winnings.
The top Amateur rider at the event was undoubtedly Ryan Jones, who won Saturday’s Supersport Amateur and Superstock Amateur races on his Capitalmeats.com-sponsored Kawasaki ZX-6R and came back to take victories in both classes again on Sunday. In addition to winning the title of Grand Champion in each class, Jones collected $6000 in purse and bonuses.
Zyvax’s J.B. Layman came from behind in the pouring rain to take his second Supersport Expert victory of the weekend, sealing his Grand Championship and earning him $4500.
One Racing’s Byron Barbour fended off a strong challenge from Probst Brothers Racing’s Ben Probst and Team Velocity Racing’s James Vanderhaar to win Sunday’s wet Superstock Expert race. That result combined with Barbour’s victory Saturday brought him a check for $4500 and a Grand Champion’s trophy.
NESBA’s Melissa Appel backed up her win in Saturday’s Women Supersport sprint with an even more dominant performance in Sunday’s rainy race. The Iowa rider won the 12-lap race by more than 28 seconds over Bliss Machine’s Meghan Stiles, who passed Faster Motorsports’ Wyeth Jackson on the final lap to secure second place. Appel took home $4000 for her wins in Women Supersport, along with the title Grand Champion.
Michelin U.S. Motorcycle Championship Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama October 4, 2009 Race Results (all on Michelin tires):
Thunderbike Expert (dry conditions): 1. Joel Spalding (Buell XB12R), 12 laps 2. Danny Bilansky (Buell XB12R), -0.331 second 3. Philip Fortune (Suz SV650), -8.307 seconds 4. Arnold Hastings (Suz SV650), -31.858 5. Steve Brunton (Suz SV650), -34.288 6. Stephen Laffoon (Suz SV650), -45.261 7. Russell Masecar (Suz SV650), -45.934 8. Luke Echols (Suz SV650), -58.992 9. Melissa Berkoff (Suz SV650), -92.376 10. Charlie Coyner (Suz SV650), -2 laps 11. Ryan Warren (Apr 550), DNS 12. Ray Hofman (Suz SV650), DNS 13. Chris Slay (Suz SV650), DNS
Thunderbike Amateur (dry conditions): 1. Steve Walker (BMW R 1200 S), 12 laps 2. Jay Smith (Buell XB12R), -16.002 seconds 3. Dan Thompson (Buell XB12R), -27.567 4. Benjamin Stockdale (Suz SV650), -34.772 5. Scott Laudon (Hon RC51), -1 lap 6. Chris Steele (Hon Hawk 650GT), -1 lap
Supersport Amateur (dry conditions): 1. Ryan Jones (Kaw ZX-6R), 12 laps 2. Blake Cochran (Suz GSX-R600), -0.909 second 3. Mark Miller, Jr. (Suz GSX-R600), -14.186 seconds 4. James Brown (Hon CBR600RR), -22.173 5. Scott Tucker (Yam YZF-R6), -23.513 6. Nick McCoy (Suz GSX-R600), -24.347 7. Aaron Kennedy (Hon CBR600RR), -24.396 8. John Russell (Suz GSX-R600), -38.289 9. Melissa Appel (Hon CBR600RR), -50.064 10. Chris Gray (Tri Daytona 675), -64.621 11. Nick Montomaro (Yam YZF-R6), -69.587 12. Tyler Kennedy (Hon CBR600RR), -72.075 13. Erik DeVaan (Yam YZF-R6), -84.865 14. Jourdan Siem (Suz GSX-R600), -103.128 15. Michael Smith (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 16. Aaron Fisk (Kaw ZX-6R), -1 lap 17. Ryan Haddock (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 18. Mitch McGinnis (Hon CBR600RR), -1 lap 19. Kimberly Prichard (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 20. Wyeth Jackson (Kaw ZX-6R), DNS 21. Sheila Paul (Yam YZF-R6), DNS 22. Eric Smith (Kaw ZX-6R), DNS
Supersport Expert (dry conditions): 1. J.B. Layman (Yam YZF-R6), 12 laps 2. Gerry Signorelli (Kaw ZX-6R), -1.298 seconds 3. Robert Pretts (Kaw ZX-6R), -2.015 4. James Dellinger (Yam YZF-R6), -3.199 5. J.D. Mosley (Tri Daytona 675), -29.060 6. Garet Tomlinson (Yam YZF-R6), -28.777 7. Rob Sobotta (Yam YZF-R6), -39.950 8. Alexander Smith (Hon CBR600RR), -44.889 9. Zach Kinzler (Yam YZF-R6), -53.923 10. Keith Hertell (Kaw ZX-6R), -1 lap 11. Ryan Warren (Tri Daytona 675), -1 lap 12. Meghan Stiles (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 13. Ray Hofman (Hon CBR600RR), -5 laps 14. Brett Cole (Yam YZF-R6), DNS 15. Steve Brunton (Suz GSX-R600), DNS
Supersport Pro (dry conditions): 1. Robert Jensen (Suz GSX-R600), 12 laps 2. Matt Lynn (Kaw ZX-6R), -2.912 seconds 3. Brian Stokes (Kaw ZX-6R), 17.904 4. Ricky Parker (Yam YZF-R6), -18.831 5. Scotty Ryan (Yam YZF-R6), -33.133
Superstock Amateur (wet conditions): 1. Ryan Jones (Kaw ZX-6R), 12 laps 2. Melissa Appel (Hon CBR600RR), -96.461 seconds 3. James Gillespie (Suz GSX-R1000), -96.893 4. Blake Cochran (Suz GSX-R600), -132.653 5. Michael Smith (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 6. James Brown (Hon CBR600RR), -1 lap 7. Travis Walker (Hon CBR929RR), -1 lap 8. Tyler Kennedy (Hon CBR600RR), -1 lap 9. Chris Gray (Tri Daytona 675), -1 lap 10. Aaron Kennedy (Hon CBR600RR), -1 lap 11. Jourdan Siem (Suz GSX-R600), -2 laps 12. Mitch McGinnis (Hon CBR1000RR), -3 laps 13. Scott Laudon (Hon CBR1000RR), -11 laps, DNF 14. Erik DeVaan (Yam YZF-R6), -12 laps, DNF 15. Chris Steele (Hon CBR1000RR), DNS 16. Tom Shaw (Hon CBR1000RR), DNS 17. G. Robin Davis (Suz GSX-R750), DNS 18. Eric Smith (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS 19. Luie Zendejas (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS 20. Aaron Fisk (Kaw ZX-6R), DNS 21. Charles Justice (Kaw ZX-6R), DNS
Superstock Expert (wet conditions): 1. Byron Barbour (Suz GSX-R1000), 12 laps 2. Ben Probst (Yam YZF-R1), -3.485 seconds 3. James Vanderhaar (Yam YZF-R1), -4.639 4. Darnell Dorsey (Suz GSX-R1000), -10.017 5. Robert Pretts (Kaw ZX-6R), -29.398 6. Ben Walters (Yam YZF-R1), -50.371 7. Sam Fleming (Yam YZF-R1), -54.984 8. Jim Proulx (Yam YZF-R1), -94.508 9. Scott Carpenter (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 10. Crash Lowe (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 11. Wayne Watts (Suz GSX-R1000), -11 laps 12. Michael Lee (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS 13. Joel Spalding (Buell 1125R), DNS 14. Harry Tomlinson (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS
Superstock Pro (wet conditions): 1. Brian Stokes (Suz GSX-R1000), 12 laps 2. Robert Jensen (Suz GSX-R750), -37.285 seconds 3. Arnold Hastings (Suz GSX-R750), -50.765 4. Matt Lynn (Kaw ZX-6R), -61.589 5. Scotty Ryan (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 6. Ricky Parker (Yam YZF-R6), -2 laps
Women Supersport (wet conditions): 1. Melissa Appel (Hon CBR600RR), 12 laps 2. Meghan Stiles (Yam YZF-R6), -28.062 seconds 3. Wyeth Jackson (Kaw ZX-6R), – 28.713 4. Melissa Berkoff (Suz SV650), -30.894 5. Sasha Taranto (Yam YZF-R6), -86.510 6. Karen Coleman (Suz GSX-R600), -1 lap, crash 7. Sheila Paul (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 8. Suzy Moody (Kaw ZX-6R), -1 lap, docked one lap for jump start 9. Kimberly Prichard (Yam YZF-R6), -2 laps 10. Rhonda Gray (Kaw ZX-6R), -2 laps 11. Teri Gorrell (Kaw ZX-6R), DNS 12. Anita Thomas (Hon CBR600RR), DNS
Event Point Standings, Purse And Bonus Payouts (all on Michelin tires):
Thunderbike Amateur: 1. Steve Walker, 110 points, $1000 purse + $2000 bonus 2. Jay Smith, 100 points, $900 3. Dan Thompson, 98 points, $800 4. Scott Laudon, 95 points, $700 5. Benjamin Stockdale, 95 points, $600 6. Chris Steele, 46 points, $400
Thunderbike Expert: 1. Danny Bilansky, 105 points, $1500 purse + $3000 bonus 2. Arnold Hastings, 98 points, $1200 3. Philip Fortune, 98 points, $1000 4. Joel Spalding, 96 points, $800 5. Steve Brunton, 95 points, $700 6. Stephen Laffoon, 92 points, $500 7. Melissa Berkoff, 90 points, $400 8. Russell Masecar, 90 points, $300 9. Luke Echols, 88 points, $200 10. Charlie Coyner, 85 points, $100 11. Ryan Warren, 42 points 12. Chris Slay, 40 points 13. Ray Hoffman, no points
Supersport Amateur: 1. Ryan Jones, 110 points, $1000 purse + $2000 bonus 2. Blake Cochman, 100 points, $900 3. James Brown, 97 points, $800 4. Nick McCoy, 94 points, $700 5. John Russell, 91 points, $600 6. Scott Tucker, 91 points, $400 7. Aaron Kennedy, 90 points, $300 8. Melissa Appel, 89 points, $200 9. Mark Miller, Jr., 86 points, $100 10. Nick Montomaro, 83 points, $100 11. Chris Gray, 82 points 12. Tyler Kennedy, 81 points 13. Michael Smith, 76 points 14. Aaron Fisk, 74 points 15. Jourdan Siem, 74 points 16. Mitch McGinnis, 69 points 17. Ryan Haddock, 69 points 18. Kimberly Prichard, 66 points 19. Wyeth Jackson, 43 points 20. Erik DeVaan, 39 points 21. Sheila Paul, 32 points 22. Eric Smith, no points
Supersport Expert: 1. J.B. Layman, 110 points, $1500 purse + $3000 bonus 2. Robert Pretts, 99 points, $1200 3. Gerry Signorelli, 98 points, $1000 4. James Dellinger, 97 points, $800 5. J.D. Mosley, 94 points, $700 6. Garet Tomlinson, 92 points, $500 7. Rob Sobotta, 90 points, $400 8. Alexander Smith, 88 points, $300 9. Zach Kinzler, 86 points, $200 10. Keith Hertell, 84 points, $100 11. Ray Hoffman, 80 points 12. Meghan Stiles, 80 points 13. Ryan Warren, 80 points 14. Brett Cole, no points 15. Steve Brunton, no points
Supersport Pro: 1. Robert Jensen, 110 points, $2000 purse + $5000 bonus 2. Ricky Parker, 98 points, $1500 3. Matt Lynn, 98 points, $1000 4. Scotty Ryan, 96 points, $800 5. Brian Stokes, 96 points, $700
Superstock Amateur: 1. Ryan Jones, 110 points, $1000 purse + $2000 bonus 2. Blake Cochran, 97 points, $900 3. James Brown, 94 points, $800 4. James Gillespie, 93 points, $700 5. Travis Walker, 92 points, $600 6. Tyler Kennedy, 89 points, $400 7. Aaron Kennedy, 88 points, $300 8. Michael Smith, 87 points, $200 9. Chris Gray, 86 points, $100 10. Melissa Appel, 83 points, $100 11. Scott Laudon, 81 points 12. Mitch McGinnis, 81 points 13. Jourdan Siem, 80 points 14. Erik DeHaven, 76 points 15. Chris Steele, 50 points 16. Luie Zendejas, 37 points 17. Charles Justice, 36 points 18. Tom Shaw, 35 points 19. G. Robin Davis, 34 points 20. Eric Smith, no points 21. Aaron Fisk, no points
Superstock Expert: 1. Byron Barbour, 110 points, $1500 purse + $3000 bonus 2. James Vanderhaar, 99 points, $1200 3. Ben Probst, 96 points, $1000 4. Ben Walters, 95 points, $800 5. Jim Proulx, 92 points, $700 6. Robert Pretts, 92 points, $500 7. Scott Carpenter, 90 points, $400 8. Sam Fleming, 87 points, $300 9. Darnell Dorsey, 87 points, $200 10. Wayne Watts, 84 points, $100 11. Crash Lowe, 82 points 12. Michael Lee, 44 points 13. Joel Spalding, 41 points 14. Harry Tomlinson, 38 points
Superstock Pro: 1. Robert Jensen, 105 points, $2000 purse + $5000 bonus 2. Brian Stokes, 105 points, $1500 3. Matt Lynn, 97 points, $1000 4. Arnold Hastings, 95 points, $800 5. Ricky Parker, 94 points, $700 6. Scotty Ryan, 94 points, $500
Women Superstock: 1. Melissa Appel, 110 points, $1000 purse + $3000 bonus 2. Wyeth Jackson, 99 points, $900 3. Melissa Berkoff, 97 points, $800 4. Meghan Stiles, 97 points, $700 5. Suzy Moody, 92 points, $600 6. Karen Coleman, 92 points, $500 7. Sasha Taranto, 92 points, $400 8. Rhonda Gray, 86 points, $300 9. Kimberly Prichard, 86 points, $200 10. Sheila Paul, 85 points, $100 11. Anita Thomas, 42 points 12. Teri Gorrell, 41 points