We are collecting nominations for the 20th Annual Roadracing World Young Guns feature, highlighting up-and-coming young road racers from the United States and Canada.
To be considered for the Young Guns feature, a racer must be between the ages of 12 and 18 at the start of 2016; have finished in the top three in a sanctioned Expert-level road race or Championship on a 125cc two-stroke/250cc four-stroke or larger motorcycle with full-size (17-inch) wheels; and reside within the United States or Canada. Amateurs/Novices with extraordinary road racing accomplishments will also be considered. Teenagers with paid professional rides may or may not be excluded to make room for up-and-coming riders.
Rides can nominate themselves. Race sanctioning bodies, sponsors and race teams are encouraged to nominate young riders, but riders or their parents must themselves request and submit completed applications and provide photos suitable for publication by our deadline to be considered.
Riders who have previously been selected as a Young Gun should call David Swarts at 951-245-6411 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) Monday through Friday to quickly update their profile information and arrange submission of up-to-date photos.
To be considered for the next Young Guns feature, obtain, fill out and return a 2016 Young Guns questionnaire to Roadracing World by December 31, 2015. Requests for questionnaires should be sent via e-mail to [email protected]. Questionnaires must be filled out completely and legibly. Completed questionnaires should be returned to the same e-mail address, but we will also accept completed questionnaires submitted via U.S. mail or submitted via overnight delivery service (see addresses listed below).
In addition to their completed questionnaires, candidates must also submit an action photo and a head shot (a photo clearly showing the rider’s face without sunglasses) suitable for magazine reproduction. Each submitted photo must include written permission (an e-mail is acceptable) from the photographer (even if the photographer is a parent) giving Roadracing World Publishing the specific right to publish that photo(s) free of charge in the Young Guns feature. Scans and photocopies of photos are not usable. Digital images must be high-resolution, or 3000 pixels wide or tall at 4 inches. All photos must be accompanied by the name of the rider and the name of the photographer along with when and where the photo was taken, including the racetrack. Photographers will receive a photo credit. Photos should not have any watermarks or graphics added. Digital photos are preferred, but hard copies of photos will be scanned and returned if a self-addressed, stamped envelope is included.
The mailing address is: Roadracing World, Attn: Young Guns, P.O. Box 1428, Lake Elsinore, CA 92531-1428
The FedEx or other overnight delivery address is: Roadracing World, Attn: Young Guns, 581-C Birch St., Lake Elsinore, CA 92530.
Late and incomplete submissions may not be considered. Young Guns features to date appeared in the November 1997, March 1999, February 2000, March 2001, February 2002, April 2003, April 2004, May 2005, June 2006, April 2007, April 2008, April 2009, April 2010, April 2011, April 2012, March 2013, April 2014 and April 2015 issues of Roadracing World.
If you have any questions, call 951-245-6411 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) and ask to speak to David Swarts or e-mail [email protected].
The Roadracing World Young Guns series started as an answer to critics who said America lacked up-and-coming young riders. Current or former Roadracing World Young Guns have: raced in all classes of the MotoGP World Championship (including the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup series) and FIM Superbike and Supersport World Championships, winning races and capturing World Championships; competed in European Championship and well as British, Canadian, Czech Republic, German, Italian and Spanish National series; raced in the Moto America AMA/FIM North America Championships (winning many races and Championships in all classes, including multiple Superbike titles); finished on the podium at the Suzuki GSX-R World Cup and the KTM RC390 Cup World Finals; won Superbike Shootout races in the Superbike and Pro Sportbike classes and won the 2014 Dynojet Pro Sportbike Championship; won Suzuki Cup Championships in the U.S.; earned WERA National Challenge, National Endurance and Sportsman National Championships; won ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships; collected USGPRU titles; and won many local and regional Championships.
Some of the riders who have graduated from Young Guns and gone on to racing success in National or International series include: 2013 AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion Corey Alexander; AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race winner Tommy Aquino (R.I.P); 2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, 2010 AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion, and 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Supersport Champion J.D. Beach; 2013 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion and 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier; AMA Pro SuperSport podium finisher Conner Blevins; three-time Canadian Sport Bike Champion and 2014 Canadian Superbike Champion Jodi Christie; former AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Superstock 1000 race winner Josh Day; 2011 Daytona 200 winner Jason DiSalvo; 2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Championship runner-up Dustin Dominguez; Pikes Peak International Hill Climb motorcycle track record holder Carlin Dunne; Canadian Superbike race winner Bodhi Edie; two-time AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, two-time AMA Pro XR1200/Harley-Davidson Champion and two-time Daytona 200 winner Danny Eslick; AMA Pro SuperSport podium finisher Wyatt Farris; AMA Pro Daytona SportBike and Superbike Shootout Dynojet Pro Sportbike race winner Bobby Fong; 2010 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion and 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Superstock 1000 Champion Jake Gagne; 2014 Superbike Shootout Dynojet Pro Sportbike Champion and MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Supersport race winner Garrett Gerloff; 2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Champion Hayden Gillim; 2002 AMA Superbike Champion and 2006 FIM MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden; 2007 AMA Pro 600cc Supersport Champion and 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up Roger Hayden; eight-time AMA Pro Superbike race winner and two-time AMA Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden; 2013 AMA Pro Superbike Champion Josh Herrin; AMA Pro Superstock race winner Jake Holden; 2011 British Superbike Championship runner-up and former MotoGP and World Superbike regular John Hopkins; 2015 Supersport World Championship race winner and title runner-up Patrick “P.J.” Jacobsen; MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Superstock 1000 race winner Taylor Knapp; Canadian Superbike race winner Kevin Lacombe; 2014 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Championship runner-up Jake Lewis; AMA Pro SuperSport race winner Stefano Mesa; Elena Myers, the first woman to win an AMA Pro Supersport race; AMA Pro XR1200 race winner Shane Narbonne; AMA Pro SuperSport race winner Huntley Nash; 2012 Canadian Superbike Championship runner-up Andrew Nelson; AMA Pro SuperSport race winner Tyler Odom; former AMA Pro SuperSport regular Travis Ohge; 2012 Daytona 200 winner and 2010 AMA Pro SuperSport West Champion Joey Pascarella; MotoAmerica AMA/FI North America Superstock 600 race winner Bryce Prince; AMA Pro and Canadian National race winner Chris Peris; two-time AMA Pro SuperSport National Champion and British Supersport podium finisher James Rispoli; former Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Champion and 2011 AMA Pro SuperSport West Championship runner-up Benny Solis, Jr.; three-time AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2009 Superbike World Champion and MotoGP race winner Ben Spies; AMA Pro SuperSport podium finisher Miles Thornton; WERA Sportsman National Champion Kris Turner; multi-time AMA Pro race winner Chris Ulrich; Canadian Superbike race winner Alex Welsh; former AMA Pro Superbike Rookie of the Year and Chinese Superbike Championship race winner Cory West; and two-time AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up Blake Young.