The Sunshine and Rain of the MRA Round 4 at Pikes Peak International Raceway The Motorcycle Roadracing Association held its fourth round at Pikes Peaks International Raceway (PPIR), in Fountain, Colorado, July 20th and 21st. The sunshine was sweet and the rain was, well wet, making for some memorable moments in yet another great round of Colorado racing.

Let’s start with the sunshine. Rob Christman took home the top spot in Race of the Rockies GTO and his first overall Race of the Rockies Championship win over 2012 #1 plate holder Dan Turner and Sun Kawasaki rider Tracy Schram. Early in the race, Schram, aboard a Moto-Garage-prepped Kawasaki ZX-10R, and Christman, on his ex-Team Hammer Suzuki GSX-R1000, battled at the front with Turner, Doug Kahl, and Mike Applegate all in close pursuit. It was anyone’s race as Schram continually led Rob going in to turn one while Christman would respond by late breaking Schram, to regain the lead, entering into turn three. Christman finally pulled a bit of a gap, and he never let up, extending his lead for the remainder of the race. It was exciting to watch as Christman took first, Schram took second and third place went to Turner. Rounding out the top five were Ricky Orlando, who had an increasingly better race as he picked off a few riders to claim fourth, beating out Peter Tabor late in the race, who took fifth.

After the race, a choked up Christman thanked his sponsors: G-Force Powersports, Roadrace Factory, Dunlop, Rex Coulthard, STM Suspension (Dave Rose), Tri City Cycle, Bell Helmets, and King GMC, with a special shout out to Danny “Ninja Tech” Anderson for all of his help with the bike. Interesting to note, the ex-Team Hammer Suzuki Christman was riding was formerly ridden by Chris Ulrich of Roadracingworld.com. Christman also credited his win to all of his support and to a new Dunlop tire he was trying out this weekend.

Other notable races included the Race of the Rockies GTU where there was lots of action including several epic battles around the track. Shannon Moham finished at the top of the podium, taking his first Race of the Rockies GTU win this season. Following Moham was Nik Lenski, who took second place after missing the podium at the previous round. Rounding out the top three was Carl Sorenson with his first podium this year in the premier class. The points race is as close as Race of the Rockies GTO making this season one of the closest championship races in recent history. Kelcey Walker has two wins, Shannon Moham has three podiums and Nik Lenski, Carl Sorenson and Jon Glaefke all have a shot at overall championships.

That was the sunshine, now for the rain…and was there rain. The unpredictable Colorado weather and the on and off, clouds, wind and lightning made for an uncertain weekend. The MRA staff waged a constant battle with excessive water drainage by laying out cones, instilling no passing zones, and changing track configurations. This made the track hard to keep consistent and lead to some comical and not so comical events. On the funnier side, there were flying cones. One cone landed on the lap of Novice rider Brooks Bryant, flung up by the leader of the Novice GTO race, Ryan Smith. The sadder side of events included seeing a beautiful Pierobon and Ducati Panigale coming together at the exit of four and cartwheeling into a wall to the gasps of the on looking crowd. Needless to say, this 40th Anniversary year of the MRA has been exciting, rare, memorable, and sure to be often reminisced about for years to come.

If you’d like to be a part of this unforgettable season as a racer, superstreet participant, corner worker, or fan, contact the MRA for more details! Our next round, the fifth in the series, is being held in three weeks on August 10th and 11th at High Plains Raceway, in Byers, Colorado. You won’t be disappointed!

The MRA is dedicated to promoting safe and competitive motorcycle road racing events for enthusiasts in Colorado and the surrounding area. For more information, go to www.mra-racing.org or check us out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MotorcycleRoadracingAssociation

Race finishes for Round 4:

Law Tigers Novice GTU 1. Ryan Smith (Suz GSX-R600) 2. Brad Morris (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Brooks Bryant (Hon CBR600RR) 4. Richard Liedtke (Hon CBR600RR) 5. Steve Mills (Yam YZF-R6) Money$mart 250 Production Cup 1. David Kibler (Kaw 250R) 2. Tony Baker (Kaw 250R) 3. David Absolon (Kaw 250R) 4. Lars Lofgren (Kaw 250R) 5. Mike Kionka (Kaw 250R) Money$mart 400 Production Cup 1. Rachel Gillie (Kaw 250R) 2. Jay Russell (Kaw 300R) 3. Holly Hendrickson (Kaw 250R) 4. Michael Davis (Kaw 300R) Money$mart 500 Production Cup 1. Jason Madama (Hon CBR500R) 2. Jeremy Widmann (Hon CBR500R) 3. Jesse Morehouse (Hon CBR500R) 4. Brandon Johnson (Hon CBR500R) Sol Performance/ Moto-Garage Formula 40 1. Ricky Orlando (Kaw ZX-10R) 2. Patrick Lansu (Duc 749R) 3. Geoffrey Snyder (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Travis Graham (Suz GSX-R600) 5. Jim Wilson (Suz GSX-R600) Brighton Radiator and Muffler Middleweight Supersport 1. Peter Tabor (Kaw ZX-6R) 2. Nik Lenski (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Kelcey Walker (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Nyles Gourlie (Yam YZF-R6) 5. Joseph Washburn (Suz GSX-R600) Spencer Russell Youth Racing Lightweight Grandprix 1. Shannon Moham (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Ray Ray Gaimara (Suz SV650) 3. Christopher Weed (Yam TZ) 4. Jason Madama (Hon CBR500R) 5. Jeff Winter (Hon RSF 450X) Apex Sports Heavyweight Supersport 1. Kelcey Walker (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Nik Lenski (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Peter Tabor (Kaw ZX-6R) 4. Nyles Gourlie (Yam YZF-R6) 5. Jon Glaekfe (Pierobon X60R) Rocky Mountain Kawasaki Novice GTO 1. Ryan Smith (Suz GSX-R600) 2. Brooks Bryant (Hon CBR600RR) 3. Richard Liedtke (Hon CBR600RR) 4. Todd Larson (Suz GSX-R) 5. Brad Morris (Yam YZF-R6) Northern Colorado Euro Open Supersport 1. Peter Tabor (Kaw ZX-10R) 2. Ricky Orlando (Kaw ZX-10R) 3. Kelcey Walker (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Aaron Hersh (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Travis Graham (Suz GSX-R) WyethHomes.com Solo Endurance Middleweight 1. Nyles Gourlie (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Joseph Washburn (Suz GSX-R600) 3. Bryant Smith (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Dara Lor (Suz GSX-R600) 5. Rick Grosse (Kaw ZX-6R) Performance Cycle of Colorado Solo Endurance Lightweight 1. Shannon Moham (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Ray Ray Gaimara (Suz SV650) 3. Jeremy Widmann (Hon CBR500R) 4. Steve Madison (Hon CRF450R) Abate of Colorado Solo Endurance Open 1. Doug Kahl (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Ray Thornton (Hon CBR1000RR) 3. Aaron Hersh (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Geoffrey Snyder (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Tracy Schram (Kaw ZX-10R) Kahl & Partners Solo Endurance Heavyweight 1. Shannon Moham (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Matt Diehl (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Frank DiRanna (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Ken Yee (Kaw ZX-6R) 5. Dylan Hale (Kaw ZX-6R) Vickery Motorsports Amateur GTU 1. Joseph Washburn (Suz GSX-R600) 2. Brad Morris (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Matt Diehl (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Richard Liedtke (Hon CBR600RR) 5. Steve Mills (Yam YZF-R6) Mile Hi Harley Davidson Supertwins GTO 1. Jim Brewer (Duc 1098R) 2. Casey Smith (Apr RSVR) 3. Aaron Fisk (Duc 848EVO) 4. Jay Hollman (Apr 1000) 5. Jeff Healy (Duc 848) Grand Prix Motorsports Middleweight Superbike 1. Nik Lenski (Yam YZR-R6) 2. Peter Tabor (Kaw ZX-6R) 3. Shannon Moham (Yam YZR-R6) 4. Kelcey Walker (Yam YZR-R6) 5. Nyles Gourlie (Yam YZR-R6) The Walnut Room Modern Vintage GTU 1. Shannon Moham (Yam YZR-R6) 2. Rick Grosse (Kaw ZX-6R) 3. Frank DiRanna (Yam YZR-R6) 4. Evan Cordonier (Hon CBR600RR) 5. Chris Weed (Yam TZ) High Plains Raceway Ladies of the Rockies 1. Wyeth Jackson (Kaw ZX-6R) 2. Donna Turner (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Samantha Coleman (Kaw ZX-6R) 4. Siobhan Bennett (Hon CBR600RR) 5. Rachel Gillie (Kaw 250R) Colorado Powersports Open Superbike 1. Tracy Schram (Kaw ZX-10R) 2. Rob Christman (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Dan Turner (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Mike Applegate (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Ricky Orlando (Kaw ZX-10R) Boulder Motorsports Thunderbike 1. Carl Sorensen (Tri Daytona 675) 2. Casey Smith (Apr RSVR) 3. Jeff Healy (Duc 848) 4. Brett Leveque (Tri Daytona 675) 5. Jay Hollman Money$mart 250 Production Cup 1. David Kibler (Kaw 250R) 2. Tony Baker (Kaw 250R) 3. David Absolon (Kaw 250R) 4. Lars Lofgren (Kaw 250R) 5. Mike Kionka (Kaw 250R) Vickery Motorsports Race of the Rockies GTU 1. Shannon Moham (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Nik Lenski (Yam YZR-R6) 3. Carl Sorensen (Tri Daytona 675) 4. Louden David (Kaw ZX-6R) 5. Nyles Gourlie (Yam YZR-R6) Fay Myers Motorcycle World Race of the Rockies GTO 1. Rob Christman (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Tracy Schram (Kaw ZX-10R) 3. Dan Turner (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Ricky Orlando (Kaw ZX-10R) 5. Peter Tabor (Kaw ZX-10R) Imperial Sportbikes Amateur GTO 1. Joseph Washburn (Suz GSX-R600) 2. Matt Diehl (Yam YZR-R6) 3. Ryan Smith (Suz GSX-R) 4. Bryant Smith (Yam YZR-R6) 5. Todd Larson (Suz GSX-R) Factory Trained Auto Repair Supertwins GTU 1. Shannon Moham (Yam YZR-R6) 2. Ray Ray Gaimara (Suz SV650) 3. Chris Weed (Yam TZ) 4. Matt Davis (Suz SV650) 5. Jeff Winter (Hon RSF 450X) Un!nk Printworks Modern Vintage GTO 1. Erik Peat (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Jay Hollman 3. Frank DiRanna (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Evan Cordonier (Hon CBR600RR) 5. Louden David (Kaw ZX-6R) MadMoto Heavyweight Superbike 1. Kelcey Walker (Yam YZR-R6) 2. Shannon Moham (Yam YZR-R6) 3. Nik Lenski (Yam YZR-R6) 4. Rick Grosse (Kaw ZX-6R) 5. Casey Smith (Aprilia RSVR) Woody’s Wheel Works Colorado Class 1. Chris Weed (Yam TZ) 2. Jason Madama (Hon CBR500R) 3. Jeff Winter (Hon RSF 450X) 4. Jeremy Widmann (Hon CBR500R) 5. David Absolon (Kaw 250R)