To WERA racers the annual Grand National Finals (GNF), held each October at Road Atlanta, is a very big deal. For some it will be the crowning achievement to a first season of motorcycle road racing. For others it will be the end of another enjoyable year pursuing their passion. And for a talented few it could be a springboard to a professional racing career. But to attend the GNF a racer must first be invited to the party. “Basically, you have to qualify to run this event,” Evelyne Clarke, President of WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc. “We invite the top 15 in points in every class, in every region to come here, and whoever wins their race is the National Champion in that Sportsman class.” In addition to 31 Pirelli Sportsman Series title winners, WERA also crowns Champions in its Michelin National Challenge, Bridgestone National Endurance and National Vintage series. Those Championships are awarded based on points earned over the course of the season with the GNF the final round. Some racers will leave the GNF with bruised egos, sore muscles and crashed motorcycles, while others will receive trophies and celebrate in winner’s circle. And riders from both categories will come back in 2009 and attempt to take the next step up the ladder in racing. “Even winning in the Sportsman series, you get noticed,” said Clarke. “Usually, if you do well in the Sportsman 600cc, 750cc or 1000cc classes then next year you go and pursue the WERA National Challenge series. Then when you do really well in that series people start noticing you and you get picked up by some of these bigger teams in professional racing.” And that ladder of progression has been proven time after time throughout WERA’s history. Some notable riders who have risen from WERA’s Sportsman series to its National series and moved onto successful professional racing careers include: Freddie Spencer, Kevin Schwantz, Thomas Stevens, Scott Russell, Jamie Hacking, Josh Hayes, Jason DiSalvo, Ben Spies, Josh Herrin and most recently Tommy Aquino. And that road to success goes through the GNF. “Even if you get an invitation to come to the GNF you know you’ve done well,” said Clarke.