DiBrino Wins Formula Ultra in OMRRA Season Opener at Portland International Raceway
The long anticipated opening to the Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association’s (OMRRA) 2017 season kicked off last weekend under party sunny skies and moderate track temperatures at Portland International Raceway. To start off the weekend, OMRRA’s New Racer School (NRS) graduated 22 new licensed racers to the sport. From the drop of the first green flag, the action was fast and contentious with battles raging from vintage machines to modern 220-plus horsepower superbikes seeking the early advantage in the season.
In the APEX Formula Ultra Championship, Andy DiBrino, returned to the series aboard the new Yamaha R1. DiBrino would be challenged by Christopher Ancien, who led a number of laps in Saturday’s contest and briefly during the Sunday race. Ultimately, DiBrino would come away with the double and had this to say on the victories, “It felt great to be back racing a liter bike at PIR after an almost two year hiatus. My EDR Performance / Oregon Motorcycle Attorney backed Yamaha R1 has been easy to adapt to! Though we had dry track conditions, the track surface was a little green and temperatures were cold making it difficult to find grip. My off-season flat track racing on Harley Davidson’s made me feel at home with the lack of grip.”
The opening round of the APEX Formula Championship showed the strength of the 2017 class. Over the two day format, the racing was contentious lap after lap. A six racer freight train emerged with DiBrino and Ancien leading the way. 2015 OMRRA #1 Ryan Sutton joined the group and was back on pace, after off-season surgery, astride a new marque of a BMW S1000RR. Dan Wilson, also piloting a BMW, wrestled his Bavarian Brute contending for critical points. Picking up the last step on the podium in both races, young gun Jeremy Coffey showed he was in the hunt for the front. Not to be left out of the fray, after taking on the monumental responsibility of instructing and mentoring new racers, “The Professor” Kevin Pinkstaff displayed good pace but with series regular and 2016 champion, Sam Verderico and Devon McDonough, respectively, returning to contend for points, the series promises to heat up in 2017!
APEX Formula Ultra Championship Standings – Round 1 of 6:
1: Andy DiBrino – 46 pts
2: Christopher Ancien – 36 pts
3: Jeremy Coffey – 28 pts
4: Kevin Pinkstaff – 19 pts
4: Ryan Sutton – 19 pts
5: Dan Wilson – 18 pts
In the Clubman Championship, which sees competitors from a variety of classes in a points race based on the best of two classes, Nobi Iso, carried that spirit by winning two classes on two different types of machines and accumulating maximum points. Nobi won Ultralightweight Supersport aboard a Yamaha YZF-R3 and 450 Superbike on a Honda RS125 GP bike. Kelly Johnson shares the top spot with Nobi Iso by picking up victories in Lightweight Supersport and Ultralightweight Superbike. Kinzer Naylor returned to OMRRA and straight out of the box showed tremendous pace, taking home four victories in 600 Supersport, 600 Superbike, 750 Supersport and 750 Superbike. Oliver Jervis kept himself in contention for the Clubman Championship by scoring wins in Formula 4 and Middleweight Superbike. Matt O’Rourke secured vital points in Middlweight Classic Superbike and Middleweight GP to stay within range of the current leaders. 2016 Clubman Champion, Adam Faussett, picked up 32 points over the weekend and will have to regroup to get back to the top.
Other notable performances: Alison Smith picked up her first win in the Formula Female class. Race veterans, Drat Diestler and Dan Wilson, put on a great show with a battle that represented the best of what the Clubman Championship has to offer. Wilson rode a large-bore supermoto with Diestler piloting a KTM single-powered, Honda NSR hybrid. It was a seesaw battle at nearly every corner of every lap that came down to the last drive off the last corner and a sprint to the line. Diestler eked out the win but the real winners were the spectators.
Clubman Championship Standings – Round 1 of 6:
1: Nobi Iso – 50 pts
1: Kelly Johnson – 50 pts
3: Kinzer Naylor – 48 pts
4: Oliver Jervis – 47 pts
5: Matt O’Rourke – 42 pts
In the opening round of the Langlitz Leathers Vintage Championship, Dean Willoughby jumped out to the early lead. Willoughby, looking to redeem a late season crash which derailed his championship hopes, came back with aplomb to take the early lead. Olympic scored events, which weigh the second race in a two-race format class with greater emphasis, gave Willoughby the advantage with a win in the afternoon race of Vintage Lightweight. At a mere half points behind, two-time Vintage Champion, Mica Grohn, is keeping the pressure on Willoughby. Joining the vintage ranks, Dallas Cheshire, a second generation racer, completed his first races in class. His father and mentor, Daric Cheshire of Cheshire Motorsports, took home the double win in the Vintage Middleweight class during Saturday’s races. 2016 champion and “Sunday spoiler”, Ryan Shanahan picked up a victory in Vintage Lightweight but was unable to finish the second race and as a result, picked up half the points of the two series leaders, Willoughby and Grohn. Can the returning champion, Ryan Shanahan, overcome the early points gap and get back to the top? Or will Grohn and Willoughby be able to mind the gap? The Langlitz Leathers Championship is off to an intriguing start!
Langlitz Leathers Vintage Championship Standings – Round 1 of 6:
1: Dean Willoughby – 21 pts
2: Mica Grohn – 20.5 pts
3: Daric Cheshire – 16.5 pts
4: Ryan Shanahan – 10 pts
5: Dallas Cheshire – 8.5 pts
The Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association (OMRRA) developed the two-race per weekend Formula Ultra Championship, the ‘your best two classes’ Clubman Championship and the two-race per day, Olympic-scored Vintage Championship, promoting safe, competitive road racing in all categories. OMRRA, incorporated in 1972 as a non-profit, volunteer run organization, has members ranging in age from 12 to over 70, racing motorcycles of many brands, sizes and ages. OMRRA operates at Portland International Raceway, a city park and world class track. For more information, visit www.omrra.com and join us at www.omrra.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel and watch live racing!
April 29-30, 2017 @ Portland International Raceway – Results
Open Sportsman
1. Mike Asman (Hon CBR1000RR)
2. Josh McKay (Suz GSX-R600)
3. Kevin Purdy (Yam YZF-R6)
4. Dereck Turner (Yam YZF-R1)
5. Adan Mendoza (Suz GSX-R1000)
6. Ronnie Saner (Duc 1000)
Vintage Middleweight
1. Daric Cheshire (Hon CB160RR)
2. Mica Grohn (Hon CL175)
3. Dean Willoughby (Hon CB160)
250 Ninja Cup
1. Jason Iverson (Kaw 250)
2. Yasar Ahmed (Kaw 250)
3. Clifford Griffin (Kaw 250)
4. Bobby Thurman (Kaw 250)
5. Max Maduro (Kaw 250)
6. Brody Salhus (Kaw 250)
Formula Ultra
1. Andy DiBrino (Yam YZF-R1)
2. Christopher Ancien (Yam YZF-R1)
3. Jeremy Coffey (Kaw ZX-10R)
4. Kevin Pinkstaff (Kaw ZX-10R)
5. Dan Wilson (BMW S1000RR)
6. Ryan Sutton (BMW S1000RR)
600 Supersport
1. Kinzer Naylor (Kaw ZX-6R)
2. Cullen King (Yam YZF-R6)
3. Alex Lou (Yam YZF-R6)
4. Cameron Templeton (Yam YZF-R6)
5. Steve Suitor (Yam YZF-R6)
6. Dustin Walbon (Kaw ZX-6R)
Formula 4
1. Oliver Jervis (Suz SV650)
2. Matt ORourke (Duc 992)
3. Jason Gasparinatos (Suz SV650)
4. James Walsh III (Suz SV650)
5. Dan Wilson (Hus 701SM)
6. Adan Mendoza (Suz GSX-R450)
Ultra Lightweight Supersport
1. Nobi Iso (Yam YZF-R3)
2. Matt ORourke (Yam YZF-R3)
3. Alex Taylor (Yam YZF-R3)
4. Kelly Johnson (KTM 390)
5. Austin McCabe (KTM 390)
6. Christopher Woods (Yam YZF-R3)
Open Supersport
1. Jeremy Coffey (Kaw ZX-10R)
2. Ryan Sutton (BMW S1000RR)
3. Kevin Pinkstaff (Kaw ZX-10R)
4. Andy DiBrino (Yam YZF-R1)
5. Kevin Boisvert (Suz GSX-R1000)
6. Mike Asman (Hon CBR1000RR)
750 Supersport
1. Kinzer Naylor (Kaw ZX-6R)
2. Sean Cresap (Suz GSX-R750)
3. Alex Lou (Yam YZF-R6)
4. Dustin Walbon (Kaw ZX6R)
5. Steve Suitor (Yam YZF-R6)
6. Cullen King (Yam YZF-R6)
Novice 600
1. Kris Porntharavongse (Kaw ZX-6R)
2. Lucas Bigeh (Hon CBR600)
3. Brian Bieger (Suz GSX-R600)
4. Carlos Saldana (Yam YZF-R6)
5. Pearce Lutz (Kaw ZX-6R)
6. Ankit Sinha (Duc 848)
Novice 1000
1. Dereck Turner (Yam YZF-R1)
2. Justin Boyd (Yam YZF-R1)
3. John Peaslee (Yam YZF-R1)
4. Joe Pearson (Suz GSX-R 1000)
5. Kris Le (Suz GSX-R750)
6. Brandon Miller (Duc 1299S)
Formula Female
1. Alison Smith (Tri 675R)
2. Cynthia CJ Strauss (Suz GSX-R600)
3. Star Herrmann (Suz SV650)
Vintage Middleweight
1. Daric Cheshire (Hon CB160RR)
2. Mica Grohn (Hon CL175)
3. Dean Willoughby (Hon CB160)
250 Ninja Cup
1. Yasar Ahmed (Kaw 250)
2. Jason Iverson (Kaw 250)
3. Clifford Griffin (Kaw 250)
4. Derick Clary (Kaw 250)
5. Bobby Thurman (Kaw 250)
6. Brody Salhus (Kaw 250)
Middleweight Supersport
1. Jason Gasparinatos (Suz SV650)
2. Joe Pethoud (Suz SV650)
3. Brian Moe (Suz SV650)
4. Danny Houghton (Suz SV650)
5. Travis Johnson (Suz SV650)
6. Jon Campbell (Suz SV650)
Middleweight GP
1. Matt ORourke (Duc 992)
2. Ronnie Saner (Duc 1000)
3. Alex Taylor (Yam YZF-R4.5)
4. Doug Harvey (Yam YZF-R4.5)
5. Jon Campbell (Suz SV650)
6. Danny Houghton (Suz SV650)
Novice 1000
1. Dereck Turner (Yam R1)
2. Justin Boyd (Yam YZF-R1)
3. John Peaslee (Yam YZF-R1)
4. Joe Pearson (Suz GSX-R1000)
5. Kris Le (Suz GSX-R750)
6. Andrew Edwards (BMW S1000RR)
Novice 600
1. Kris Porntharavongse (Kaw ZX-6R)
2. Pearce Lutz (Kaw ZX-6R)
3. Lucas Bigeh (Hon CBR600RR)
4. Ankit Sinha (Duc 848)
5. AJ Peaslee (Yam YZF-R6)
6. Andrew Pfiffer (Kaw ZX-6R)
750 Superbike
1. Kinzer Naylor (Kaw ZX-6R)
2. Sean Cresap (Suz GSX-R750)
3. Eirik Nielsen (Yam YZF-R6)
4. Cullen King (Yam YZF-R6)
5. Alex Lou (Yam YZF-R6)
6. Cameron Templeton (Yam YZF-R6)
450 Superbike
1. Nobi Iso (Hon RS125)
2. Jason Gasparinatos (Suz SV650)
3. Josh McKay (Suz GSX-R450)
4. Brian Moe (Suz SV650)
5. Adan Mendoza (Suz GSX-R450)
6. Travis Johnson (Suz SV650)
Vintage Lightweight
1. Ryan Shanahan (Hon CB 175)
2. Dean Willoughby (Hon CB160)
3. Mica Grohn (Hon CL175)
4. Dallas Cheshire (Hon CB175)
Formula 40
1. Kevin Boisvert (Suz GSX-R1000)
2. Sean Cresap (Suz GSX-R750)
3. Mark R Wilson (Kaw ZX-10R)
4. Tullio Celano (Kaw ZX-10R)
5. Alison Smith (Tri 675R)
6. Fox Schaffer (KTM RC8R)
Middleweight Superbike
1. Oliver Jervis (Suz SV650)
2. Matt ORourke (Duc 992)
3. Ronnie Saner (Duc 1000)
4. Alex Taylor (Yam YZF-R4.5)
5. Jason Gasparinatos (Suz SV650)
6. Travis Johnson (Suz SV650)
600 Classic Superbike
1. Josh McKay (Suz GSX-R600)
2. Kevin Purdy (Yam YZF-R6)
3. Thomas Ridder (Yam YZF-R6)
4. Anthony Patten (Hon CBR600RR)
Formula Ultra
1. Andy DiBrino (Yam YZF-R1)
2. Christopher Ancien (Yam YZF-R1)
3. Jeremy Coffey (Kaw ZX-10R)
4. Ryan Sutton (BMW S1000RR)
5. Dan Wilson (BMW S1000RR)
6. Kevin Pinkstaff (Kaw ZX-10R)
Middleweight Sportsman
1. James Walsh III (Suz SV650)
2. Adan Mendoza (Suz GSX-R450)
3. Travis Johnson (Suz SV650)
4. Jon Campbell (Suz SV650)
5. Rick Benson (Suz SV650)
6. Hannah Johnson (Yam YZF-R4.5)
Lightweight Supersport
1. Kelly Johnson (KTM 390)
2. Austin McCabe (KTM 390)
3. Adam Faussett (Kaw 300)
4. Nobi Iso (Yam YZF-R3)
5. Alex Taylor (Yam YZF-R3)
6. Christopher Woods (Yam YZF-R3)
600 Superbike
1. Kinzer Naylor (Kaw ZX-6R)
2. Alex Lou (Yam YZF-R6)
3. Eirik Nielsen (Yam YZF-R6)
4. Dustin Walbon (Kaw ZX-6R)
5. Cullen King (Yam YZF-R6)
6. Steve Suitor (Yam YZF-R6)
Lightweight Superbike
1. Drat Diestler (Hon KTM Hybrid)
2. Dan Wilson (Hus 701SM)
3. Tullio Celano (Yam YZ450F-RR)
4. Austin McCabe (KTM 390)
5. Ryan Cresap (Yam YZF-R3)
6. Andrew Pignataro (KTM 390)
Middleweight Classic Superbike
1. Matt ORourke (Duc 992)
2. Jason Gasparinatos (Suz SV650)
3. Brian Moe (Suz SV650)
4. Joe Pethoud (Suz SV650)
5. James Walsh III (Suz SV650)
6. Jon Campbell (Suz SV650)
Open Superbike
1. Andy DiBrino (Yam YZF-R1)
2. Jeremy Coffey (Kaw ZX-10R)
3. Ryan Sutton (BMW S1000RR)
4. Christopher Ancien (Yam YZF-R1)
5. Kevin Pinkstaff (Kaw ZX-10R)
Vintage Lightweight
1. Dean Willoughby (Hon CB160)
2. Mica Grohn (Hon CL175)
3. Dallas Cheshire (Hon CB175)
Ultra Lightweight Superbike
1. Kelly Johnson (KTM 390)
2. Austin McCabe (KTM 390)
3. Adam Faussett (Kaw 300)
4. Nobi Iso (Yam YZF-R3)
5. Christopher Woods (Yam YZF-R3)
6. Alex Taylor (Yam YZF-R3)
Open Sportsman
1. Alex Marley (Suz GSX-R750)
2. Kevin Purdy (Yam YZF-R6)
3. Adan Mendoza (Suz GSX-R1000)
4. Tim Griffin (Yam YZF-R6)
5. Ryan Cresap (Yam YZF-R6)
6. Justin Boyd (Yam YZF-R1)