NESBC Round 2 at Canaan Motor Club
Round 2 of the NESBC Series at Canaan Motor Club, presented by the Brattleboro Auto Mall, was run July 21 under perfect conditions and featured tight racing action throughout all six classes. The Penguin School out of Winchendon, MA runs these events at the end of the day during Saturday schools events at Canaan Motor Club. These events provide both an opportunity for street riders to experience “racing” in a fun, low pressure environment and to provide a pathway for other riders of all ages to gain experience before starting competition in the Loudon Road Race Series.
The day started off with a bang in the Kawasaki Formula Ultralight class with the lead trio of Teagg Hobbs, Dan Rosato and Rick Doucette separating themselves from the pack. The lead trio was never separated by more than a few bike lengths throughout the event. The Ninja 400’s of Hobbs and Rosato were side by side early and often, with Hobbs just holding off the charging Rosato. The Yamaha R3 of Doucette was down a little on power, but the veteran rider found time in the braking zones and even managed to stick it past Rosato on a couple occasions. In a last lap barn burner, Rosato made a daring outside pass in turn one that gave him the lead. Hobbs latched on hard and made a brave attempt to get around the outside in the last turn, almost running out of racetrack on the exit and finshing 2nd by half a wheel. Doucette finished a strong 3rd and the top 5 purse paying spots were rounded out by Phil O’Donnell and Chris Woodman.
The Arai Intermediate A and Bazzaz Intermediate B classes saw new faces at the front for this event. NESBC regular Kevin Calder showed remarkable speed from start to finish, using his smooth riding style to take his Triumph 675 and cruise to a comfortable victory. After an off track excursion by Fletcher Rood, the trio fighting for the remaining podium spots got spread out with Kawasaki ZX-6 mounted Paul Sullivan and the GSX-R600 of Stephen Kollar rounding out the top spots. In Bazzaz Intermediate B, newcomer Eli Block showed marked progress in his riding as the youngster came from a second place start on his KTM 250 to run off a number of Expert-level lap times to steadily distance himself from the field. Behind Block was the always-fast Husqvarna 450 of Miles Allen, who was able to avoid a 5 second penalty for his rolling start by doing a series of “punishment push-ups” in front of the crowd at the awards ceremony (we like to have fun!), and then the rapidly improving Chris Girard who put in a great ride on his Kawasaki 450.
The Hindle Street Bike 1 and Dunlop Street Bike 2 classes featured the largest grids of the day. As is often the case, the Street Bike 1 showcased the talent of a new face and this weeks star was 18-year-old Tyler Raymond on his Kawasaki ZX-6 as he holeshot the race from the second row and pulled away from the field. In second place was the Kawasaki ZX-10R of Robert Lewis Jr, who showed fantastic progress throughout the day. Rounding out the podium was Gary Totman, who started deep in the field on his rather upright Yamaha FZ6 and blazed through a field of young talent on sport bikes to claim the final podium spot. The Dunlop Street Bike 2 class was dominated by veteran track day rider Mike Pydel and his Yamaha YZF450, who not only demonstrated lots of speed but also showed off with a perfectly vertical wheelie down the length of the final straight (we think he’s graduating to the next class for August). In second place was our Breakthrough Rider of the Event, 14-year-old Asher Rubright, who demonstrated impressive progress and speed on his Kawasaki Ninja 300 and took home a new set of Skullcandy Earbuds in addition to his second place trophy. Rounding out the podium was Kawasaki Ninja 650 of John Bain, whose hard work in the Penguin Advanced Class paid off with a strong finish!
The final event of the weekend was the First Trax Motard event, which saw Lee Schmidt grab the holeshot and lead the opening laps. Schmidt was dogged by two of his regular rivals, Adam Clark and Bill Morey, who have both really stepped up their game in 2018. By the midway point it was Morey at the front as Schmidt and Clark battled hard for the second spot. Morey laid down a number of 1:03 lap times, which allowed him to stretch on his competitors enough to give him a comfortable margin at the end of the race. Clark and his Honda 450 finally wore down the Husqvarna of Schmidt to secure second place, and the final purse paying spots were earned by Sergio DiMoffetta and newcomer Jamison Brandin.
The August 25-26 round of NEBC competition will not only wrap up the season championship in our regular classes but will also crown the winning team in the AutoMall of Brattleboro $1000 challenge, which is a virtual tie heading into the last round between Team Rosato and Team MT Wallett racing. Sunday will also feature the 2nd annual “Fastest Dealer in the East” team challenge where dealerships will form teams to compete for the title and to bring home the big trophy to display in their showroom for all of 2018!
Race Results:
Formula Ultralight by Kawasaki:
1. Dan Rosato (Kaw Ninja 400)
2. Teagg Hobbs (Kaw Ninja 400)
3. Rick Doucette (Yam YZF-R3)
4. Phil O’Donnell (Yam YZF-R3)
5. Chris Woodman (KTM RC 390)
6. Asher Rubright (Kaw Ninja 300)
Arai Intermediate A:
1. Kevin Calder (Tri 675)
2. Paul Sullivan (Kaw ZX-6/636)
3. Stephen Koller (Suz GSX-R600)
4. Fletcher Rood (Tri 675)
Bazzaz Intermediate B:
1. Eli Block (KTM 250)
2. Miles Allen (Husq 450)
3. Chris Girard (Kaw 450)
4. Ed Forer (Kaw 400)
5. Kevin Wimble (Hon 450)
6. Tsuyoshi Honjo (Kaw 300)
Hindle Street Bike 1:
1. Raymond Tyler (Kaw ZX-6R)
2. Robert Lewis Jr. (Kaw ZX-10R)
3. Gary Totman (Yam FZ6R)
4. Mark Holley (Duc 848)
5. Christian Trudeau (Yam YZF-R6)
6. Raymond Thomas (Yam FZ1)
Dunlop Street Bike 2:
1. Mike Pydyel (Yam 450)
2. Aher Rubright (Kaw 300)
3. John Bain (Kaw 650)
4. Roger Buzzell (Yam 450)
5. Clayton Davenport (KTM 450)
6. Tad Olsen (Yam 600)
First Trax Motard:
1. Bill Morey (KTM 450)
2. Adam Clark (Hon 450)
3. Lee Schmidt (Kaw 450)
4. Sergio DiMoffetta (Hon 450)
5. Brandin Jamison (Husq 450)
6. Elijah Block (KTM 250)