ROUND #1 – PIRELLI/WERA NATIONAL CHALLENGE!
March 18/19/20 saw the racers of WERA Motorcycle Roadracing at Roebling Road Raceway outside of
Sunday kicked off the 2016 Pirelli/WERA National Challenge Series and the action was fierce from the first race. Open Superstock saw a battle between 722 Frank Babuska on his Yamaha 1000, 72 Billy Ethridge on his Suzuki 1000, 13 Cory West on his BMW 1000, 137 Stefano
Expert 600cc Superstock was a battle with 710 Ryan Christian on his Yamaha 600 taking the win by 0.205 over 195 Nick Shahin on his Suzuki 600 followed by 191 Robert Woodworth on his Yamaha 600. Heavyweight Twins Superbike win went to 94 Gene Burcham on his Duc 1299 followed by 911 Aaron Borello on his KTM 1190 and 145 Stephen Tsotsoros on his Buell 1125. The Novice win went to 22 James Blasius on his Tri 675. 750 Superstock saw 377 Matt Burdett take the win on his Suzuki 750 for the Experts and 567 Sam Graves on his Yamaha 600 took the Novice win. 600 Superbike Novice winner was 43 Shane Perry on his Yamaha 600 followed by 188 Stacey Phelan on her Yamaha 600 and 486 Alexander Acenan on his Suzuki 600. Lightweight Twins Superstock Expert went to 38 Kris Lee Turner on his SV650 and the Novice winner was 425 Anthony R. Paul on his SV650. 750 Superbike again saw Burdett take the Expert win and 43 Shane Perry taking the Novice win. Formula 2 Turner took first, 626 Brian Tuna Mullins took second and 150 Jeri Blackwood took third all on Suzuki SV650s. The Novice win went to 425 Paul with 212 Paxton Jones and 59 Michael Ketterer rounding out the podium.
The feature races of the day were good close races with lots of talent in the deep fields. The 600cc Pro Superbike saw 710 Ryan Christian best 5 Jeff Holgren, Jr. both on Yamaha 600s and rounding out the top three was 124 Joseph Blasius on his Tri 675. The riders collected $350.00; $250.00 and $150.00 for their effort and put on a great show with the win coming with only 0.230 gap. The 2016 Michelin/WERA Superbike was the last race of the day and saw 99 Geoff May set a track record with his 1:10.288 lap giving him the win on his Kawasaki 1000 over 723 Frank Babuska on his Yamaha 1000 by 2.516 – rounding out the podium was 13 Cory West on his BMW 1000.
Not a drop of rain and some of the best racing in years so make sure to come see Round #2 April 24th at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway!! Thanks to all our great sponsors Marietta Motorsports, Pirelli and Michelin this weekend! Also we want to say thanks to all the Contingency Sponsors who reward our riders for their loyalty! Complete results for the weekend can be found on the WERA Web Site!
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was founded in 1973 and remains the foremost place to develop talent in the sport of motorcycle Roadracing. The legacy of Pro riders on a National and World level is legendary. All events are run by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing and they go coast to coast offering entry level racing with the WERA Sportsman Series as well as a Pro-Am Series with the WERA National Challenge Series.
For further information contact WERA Motorcycle Roadracing or check the web site at www.wera.com.
More, from a press release issued by Team Ryno Moto:
Team Ryno Moto and rider Ryan Christian had a stellar weekend at Roebling Road Raceway during the WERA National Challenge Series on March 20, 2016. Christian captured wins in both C Superstock and the money race, C Superbike. Christian said, “I’m very pleased with winning both 600 races this weekend at Roebling Road Raceway. It was an uphill battle with this being our first time visiting Roebling. My team improved the bike every session and the Michelin EVO tires performed flawlessly! I’m happy with our results and impressed with how well the team worked toogether. I’m hoping to carry this momentum on to our MotoAmerica debut next month at Road Atlanta.”
“I would like to thank Michelin, Pro Line Race Prep, Play Again Now Recovery, Alpha 1 Graphics, 35 Motorsports, and Vortex. Also, huge thanks to my hard working crew and everyone who supports me and makes this all possible.”
Ryan Christian will be competing on a Yamaha R6 for Ryno Moto in the 600 Superstock division. Christian is one to keep an eye on after having won 2 National WERA titles and 7 Regional WERA Championships in 2015. For more team updates follow www.facebook.com/rynomoto or www.facebook.com/rynomoto
More, from a press release issued by Brant Collins on behalf of Cory West:
West takes 3rd in debut on new BMW
The WERA National Challenge event from Roebling Road Raceway marked a return to superbike racing for Arkansas native Cory West. After purchasing a new BMW S1000RR only a few days after BMW released their latest contingency program, West had very limited time to build a program for the upcoming season. A plan involving race prep by Gemini Racing in East Troy, Wi quickly came together and things got serious in a hurry. Three frantic weeks of phone calls, parts ordering, and motorcycle prep and the bike was ready to roll for Friday practice!
Cory West – “I really can’t believe that we put all this together in such short notice. I’ve got some really good friends in Wisconsin that helped get the wheels turning to make this happen. My good buddy Mike O’Malley and friends at Gemini racing helped me get this BMW in race trim almost overnight. With the limited time for true race prep, we decided to ride the bike in almost stock trim. After 4 practice sessions to get acclimated to the new bike, I’m happy that we were able to come out of the first race weekend with valuable data and a podium for our efforts. The bike was an absolute rocket and with more fine tuning she’ll be a true weapon. I can’t wait to burn some more laps on my new BMW!”
West has no plans to race in MotoAmerica at the moment, but intends to use this year to play “bounty hunter” and chase club money.
“BMW North America has really stepped up and offered a lot of money for the true privateers,” said West. “I was on the fence at first if I wanted to commit to purchasing the motorcycle and then I had a conversation with Pirelli tires that sealed the deal. Pirelli is going to support me in a big way and that took a lot of stress off of the already shoestring budget. I just want to get back to my roots and start riding again and with this program I think I’ll be able to support myself and have some fun riding motorcycles!”
Cory would like to give a special thanks to the following:
Follow West’s travels this year through updates on MotoArkansas.com and on social media
Facebook: facebook.com/motoark
Twitter: @motoarkansas
For sponsorship inquiries please contact Brant Collins at [email protected]