May 18-19, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Event #2 of the 2024 NEMRR season featured a full range of weather conditions, a wide variety of race winners and even a touch of drama in the premier race of the weekend. With MotoAmerica hosting an event at Barber Motorsports Park on the same weekend, some of NEMRR’s top riders were missing from the action. This left the door open for all the NEMRR regulars, many of whom are preparing for the 101st Loudon Classic June 7-9, to have an even better chance to challenge for the win in their respective classes. In spite of the MotoAmerica conflict, NEMRR did have a top professional visitor as multi-time national champion Alex Dumas was in attendance for the second weekend in a row in preparation for the Classic.
Saturday started with a handful of dry races before rain settled in for the afternoon. Leading the charge in those races were the two most prolific racers of the weekend, Brett Guyer and Renee Franco. Brett led off his weekend by winning the GTL race on his Seacoast Sport Cycle Aprilia RS660, a wire-to-wire race win that was the first of his 5 wins over the course of the weekend. The NH native is one of the most experienced riders in the paddock and has been winning races for decades at NHMS. Guyer is focusing on the Pro Thunderbike class at the Classic in 2024. The veteran won the race at the 100th Classic and will be facing a group of top young riders in 2024, it should be great to watch!
The other big winner of the weekend was Renee Franco riding her RFR/Bauce Racing Kawasaki Ninja 400. She kicked off the weekend by winning the GT500 class in wire-to-wire fashion, and then added three more victories over the course of the weekend in both wet and dry conditions. Her four total race wins were second only to the veteran Guyer, and Franco has her eyes set on the 500 Superbike race at the Loudon Classic next round.
The feature race of the weekend was wet and wild! NHMS added some new (higher grip) FIM-approved paint to the white lines on the NASCAR oval exiting Turns 2 and 12, which was met with universal approval from the riders. However, as is often the case with any wet race, a couple riders did let their enthusiasm exceed the available grip during the course of the race. The first rider to make a mistake was Tyler Sweeney on lap one, who low sided unhurt, but was unable to make the restart.
This led to an 8 lap shootout that saw a number of NEMRR’s talented rain riders showcase their talent. Leading the way for the first half of the race was always fast-starting Geoffrey “Frenchie” Bonnard. As the race progressed, both Kyle Thompson and Michael Lee worked their way past Bonnard – setting of a battle for the victory that would have been the first career Seacoast Sport Cycle Dash for Cash win of any of their careers. Lee, who has always shown speed in the wet, looked poised for the win but as he took the white flag his bike began to sputter. As a post race interview would reveal, Lee did not have enough fuel in his tank and was running out of gas. Lee limped around the track as Kyle Thompson had a large gap on Bonnard and looked set for his first win in the premier class, but it was not to be. About 300 feet from the finish Thompson let his excitement get the best of him with a very late high side crash. While unhurt, Thompson and his bike glanced off the wall and his motorcycle continued down the straight without him! The officials called for the red flag right away as the rest of the field showed amazing skill as they managed to avoid Thompson’s bike, which did several weaves and eventually a 360 on the front straight, just yards in front of the finish line.
The finish was uncertain as Danny Weems, who had passed several riders on the last lap and crossed the finish line first as the red flag came out, believed that he had won the race. Lee, who led the last complete lap, was still on track making slow progress back to the last corner of the track. Thompson was up and unhurt and his motorcycle has miraculously not been struck by any of the other competitors. In the end, race control had called for the red flag seconds before Weems crossed the line, which reverted scoring back to the previous lap. Since Lee was still making forward progress at that time, he was awarded his maiden victory in the premier NEMRR Dash for Cash, followed by Bonnard and Weems.
Round three of the NEMRR series will take place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 7th and 9th, with the Loudon Classic Pro Races being held on Saturday June 8th (with a rain date on the 9th for the Classic). June 8th will feature the Classic Main event, ASRA Outlaw Baggers, Pro Thunderbike and Pro 500 Superbike Classes – with the riders all vying for their share of the record-breaking $310,000 purse. More than a dozen MotoAmerica race winners are pre-entered for the races, making it a can’t-miss spectating event for motorcycle fans. Come kick off Laconia Bike week and cheer for your favorite rider / brand. From Harley-Davidson to Indian and Ducati to Yamaha, the classic will have them all! Tickets for the 101st running of the Loudon Classic are available at the Eventbrite link here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nemrr-101st-loudon-classic-tickets-862612004727?aff=oddtdtcreator
