Ryan Burke takes first in KOM O, Jerry Hicks retains championship lead.

Round 4 of the Utah Sport Bike Association’s Masters of the Mountains race series took place this weekend, July 22nd and 23rd at the Utah Motorsports Campus located in Grantsville, Utah. The round was held on a rarely seen perimeter configuration, offering a track fully 3.048-miles-long, with a front straight that’s nearly 3/4 of a mile long, and Ryan Burke, hailing from Colorado put on a dominating performance to take the top spot in KOM O.

The first of two races in a championship, called the Intermountain Challenge, was held during this round as well.The USBA and MRA (Motorcycle Roadracing Association, based in Colorado) partnered to create this first ever inter-club championship. There has always been a decent amount of cross-pollination between the two organizations, so this year, the two clubs decided to sponsor a two event “championship”. Racers still collect their normal championship points for their home series, but a separate tally will be run for the Intermountain Challenge. When round 2 of the series is held at High Plains Raceway in Colorado August 5th and 6th, the racers with the most points in their class wins the championship. Based on the turnout for the USBA’s event, the idea is a good one, and it will foster deeper friendships and more varied competition as racers from both organizations make the trip participate in both events in order to stack themselves against racers from a neighboring state.

Saturday morning saw 109 racers registered for the weekend, so the grids promised to be significantly deeper than usual. One of the most exciting races on Saturday was Moto2. The race began with 30 competitors gridded up to take the start. It was a mad rush to turn one, and it took several turns for the running order to work itself out. Burke gained the lead, and managed to open enough of a gap that he wasn’t really challenged for the lead at any point. However, the gap was still small enough that any mistake on his part could see him lose his position to second place finisher Brian Dobrowolski. Burke put a race together that was consistent enough to see him take the checkered flag in front of the rest of the field. Dobrowolski crossed the line just shy of three seconds behind him. The real battle happened behind the top two finishers. Kory Cowan, Ryan Richardson, and Michael Bradshaw were all fighting for third place, and the competition was fierce. All three crossed the line within half a second of each other, with Cowan taking third, followed by Richardson and Bradshaw.

Saturday’s Novice GTU also had some close battles within the top ten. Tom Webb took the win, but Genaro Lopez seriously challenged him for most of the race, eventually crossing the line .2 seconds behind Webb. Eddie Santana and Donald Rothfuss fought the entire race for 5th and 6th, with Rothfuss edging Santana to the line by a scant half second. The battle to finish top ten took place between Bill Dark and Travis Edelman. At the end of 5 laps, Dark managed to make it to line only one hundredth of a second in front of Edelman.

Sunday’s action started with a 15 minute KOM O qualifying session, which takes place as soon as the mornings practice sessions are. Burke took pole position, followed by Jerry Hicks, Bradshaw, and Brian Childree. Modern Vintage came on the heels of KOM O qualifying, and it was a race to remember. 21 bikes lined up for the race, but when the red light was extinguished and the bikes were through turn 1, it was obvious that the race to watch would be the top three riders. Kevin Dolan jumped out to an early lead, letting the two following riders battle for second. Shane White, who semi-retired from racing last year, brought his bike out for the first time this season, and put on a show that demonstrated both skill and patience. He made several passes on Braden Jones, only to lose the position several corners later. Towards the last lap, both of them managed to squeak by Dolan, but Dolan wasn’t going to let them get away. He managed to show them a wheel in several corners, but couldn’t quite make a pass stick. Jones crossed the line first, with White and Dolan crossing close behind. It was the last race before the lunch break, and everyone knew race was going to be hard to beat in the excitement category.

KOM U was the first premier race of the day. It is a 600cc open race, and the grid was twice the size it normally is. Richardson, who’d struggled at time to find that extra speed the day before looked like he had his bike dialed in and was hyper focused. He took the hole shot, and while he didn’t open an insurmountable gap on the field, he did maintain his lead for the entire 8 lap race. Dobrowolski was hanging on in second place, just waiting to take advantage of any mistake that Richardson might make, but he would be disappointed. He crossed the line just behind Richardson, followed closely by Bradshaw.

KOM O took place in the middle of the afternoon, and was scheduled to be a ten lap race. The length of the course and the heat of the day meant that endurance and physical fitness could play a major role in the outcome. 16 riders lined up for the start. Burke took the hole shot through turn one, and never looked back. He opened a sizeable gap within the first two laps, and never relinquished a second of his lead. Hicks, the current championship leader, crossed the finish line several seconds behind him, never able to find that extra speed needed to offer a challenge. Bradshaw maintained third position, the early challenges to Hicks and from 4th place finisher Brian Childree not materializing into position changes. The first four riders demonstrated skill, ability, and consistency worthy of championship contention. The O championship is still up for grabs, and the final two rounds promise to be action filled and the top contenders make every effort to score all the points possible in their race.

Round 4 was one of the most successful rounds in recent memory. The Intermountain Challenge, coupled with the fact that the USBA was running their race on the infrequently used Perimeter course saw over 100 racers show up to the Utah Motorsports Campus to test themselves and their fellow racers despite the July desert heat. Saturday saw several crashes, but no one was seriously injured. Sunday had fewer crashes, but the action was no less intense. The USBA’s 5th round will be held September 2 and 3 on the west course configuration of the Utah Motorsports Campus. in the meantime, the second round of the Intermountain Challenge will be held August 5 and 6 in conjunction with the MRA’s 5th round, scheduled to be held at High Plains Raceway, located in Colorado.

The Utah Sport Bike Association is a Utah Non-Profit dedicated to promoting education, safe riding and competition in the Intermountain West. You can find more information about the USBA, upcoming events, and schools at www.utahsba.com or find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/utahsba/

KOM GTO

1. Ryan Burke (YAM YZF-R1)

2. Jerry Hicks (SUZ GSX-R1000)

3. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)

4. Brian Childree (SUZ GSX-R1000)

5. Brad Henry (BMW S1000RR)

KOM GTU

1. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Brian Dobrowolksi (KAW ZX-6R)

3. Michael Bradshaw (TRI 675)

4. Kory Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Ryan Burke (YAM YZF-R6)

Deseret Dash 1 (Expert)

1. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)

2. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R1)

3. Justin Knapik (KAW ZX-10R)

4. David Purcell (KAW ZX-10R)

5. Brad Hendry (BMW S1000RR)

Deseret Dash 2. (Expert)

1. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)

2. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R1)

3. David Purcell (KAW ZX-10R)

4. Brad Hendry (BMW S1000RR)

5. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)

Deseret Dash 1 (Novice)

1. Zac Miller (BMW S1000RR)

2. Matt DeVico (DUC 899)

3. Chris Padilla (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Andy Blunt (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Eddie Santana (DUC 848)

Deseret Dash 2 (Novice)

1. Steven Marco (YAM YZF-R1)

2. Matt DeVico (DUC 899)

3. Randy Throckmorton (SUZ GSX-R1000)

4. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)

5. Eddie Santana (DUC 848)

Production 500 (Race 1)

1. Jason Madama (YAM YZF-R3)

2. Brian Jackson (KAW EX500)

3. Ryan Smith (HON CBR500R)

4. Mike Spero (SUZ SV650)

5. Chad Carson (YAM YZF-R3)

Production 500 (Race 2)

1. Jason Madama (YAM YZF-R3)

2. Ryan Smith (HON CBR 500R)

3. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)

4. Chad Carson (YAM YZF-R3)

5. Robert Nolan (YAM FZR 400)

Combined GTO

1. Brian Worsdall (BMW S1000RR)

2. Braden Jones (HON CBR1000RR)

3. Steven Marco (YAM YZF-R1)

4. Justin Lamkin (KAW ZX-10R)

5. Tom Webb (YAM YZF-R6)

Moto 2

1. Ryan Burke (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Brian Dobrowolski (KAW ZX-6R)

3. Kory Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Michael Bradshaw (TRI 675)

Moto 1

1. Jerry Hicks (SUZ GSX-R1000)

2. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)

3. David Purcell (KAW ZX-10R)

4. John Borst (YAM YZF-R1)

5. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)

Novice GTU

1. Tom Webb (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)

3. Chris Padilla (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Andy Blunt (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)

Open Twins

1. Neil Carlson (DUC 1199)

2. Matt DeVico (DUC 899)

3. Scott Rybarik (DUC 899)

4. Brad Moore (SUZ SV650)

5. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)

Middleweight Superstock

1. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Ryan Burke (YAM YZF-R6)

3. Brian Dobrowolski (KAW ZX-6R)

4. Joseph Resta (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Sean Thomas (YAM YZF-R6)

Open Superstock

1. John Borst (YAM YZF-R1)

2. David Purcell (KAW ZX-10R)

3. Justin Knapik (KAW ZX-10R)

4. Justin DeLong (BMW S1000RR)

5. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)

Sportsman (Race 1)

1. Zac Miller (BMW S1000RR)

2. Brett Leveque (TRI 675R)

3. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Chris Padilla (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Andy Blunt (YAM YZF-R6)

Sportsman (Race 2)

1. Alex Zinaich (TRI 675)

2. Kane Lasky (KAW 650)

3. Brad Moore (SUZ SV650)

4. Lance Case (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Dominic Poulin (APR RSV4)

Production 300

1. Chad Carson (KAW 300)

2. Mark Barton (KAW 250)

3. Chad Richins (KAW 250)

Modern Vintage

1. Braden Jones (HON CBR1000RR)

2. Shane White (SUZ GSX-R1000)

3. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)

4. Jon Bullee (HON CBR600RR)

5. Dennis Stowers (TRI 675)

Moto 3

1. Mike Surrat (KTM 690)

2. Brandon Fosbinder (APR 550)

3. Brian Jackson (KAW EX500)

4. Ryan Smith (HON CBR500R)

5. Robert Nolan (YAM FZR400)

Combined GTU

1. Jerome Samarjian (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Brett Leveque (TRI 675R)

3. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Tom Webb (YAM YZF-R6)

5. Darryl McGavigan (SUZ GSX-R600)

Middleweight Superbike

1. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)

2. Kory Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)

3. Michael Bradshaw (TRI 675)

4. Brian Dobrowolski (KAW ZX-6R)

5. Matt Guiver (YAM YZF-R6)

Open Superbike

1. Jerry Hicks (SUZ GSX-R1000)

2. Brad Hendry (BMW S1000RR)

3. Brian Childree (SUZ GSX-R1000)

4. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)

5. Justin Knapik (KAW ZX-10R)

Heavyweight Superbike

1. Brian Dobrowolski (KAW ZX-6R)

2. Matt Guiver (YAM YZF-R6)

3. Erik Grim (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Justin Lewis

5. Dennis Stowers (TRI 675)

Formula 40 GTO

1. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R1)

2. Sherwick Min (APR RSV4)

3. Steve Kozicki (YAM YZF-R1)

4. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)

5. Mike Keating (YAM YZF-R1)

Formula 40 GTU

1. Alex Zinaich (TRI 675)

2. Michael Hawkins (SUZ GSX-R600)

3. Lance Case (YAM YZF-R6)

4. Phil O’Bryan (KAW ZX-6R)

5. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)

Lightweight Twins

1. Kane Lasky (KAW 650)

2. Brad Moore (SUZ SV650)

3. Mike Surrat (KTM 690)

4. Robert Nolan (YAM FZR400)

5. Chad Carson (YAM YZF-R3)