MRA track records fall as Ryan Burke & Sean Thomas claim Race of the Rockies Wins at High Plains Raceway
Byers, CO, August 15, 2018 – High Plains Raceway featured perfect weather for round 5 of the Motorcycle Roadracing Association championship series. This weekend the MRA used the 1.86 mile north course configuration for the first time since the track was repaved in the fall of 2017. As a result, many new track records were set and some exciting and surprising racing ensued.
The shortened course made for some really tight racing and fewer opportunities to pass compared to the full configuration. During Race of the Rockies qualifying, Ryan Burke set the pace with a 1:13.118 followed closely by Brad Morris with a 1:13.835. Notably missing this weekend was Doug Frenchak, who recently accepted a job in Texas and will be moving back there soon. We’ll miss having Doug at the MRA races and wish him well.
Sean Thomas proved that a GTU bike could run with the big bores by putting his Yamaha YZF-R6 on the RoR front row ahead of all but 2 of the open class bikes. His scorching 1:14.567 GTU qualifying time was one of track records set this weekend with Brian Dobrowolski’s 1:14.761 and Shannon Moham’s 1:15.320 also under the existing GTU record.
From the start, it was clear that Ryan Burke and Brad Morris were going to have a go at it. They swapped the lead a couple of times before the course officials brought out the meatball flag for Morris. Turns out Morris got a little too good of a start and had to serve a stop-n-go penalty, relegating him to 6th when reentering the track.
Burke took the opportunity to stretch out a big lead which he maintained through the finish. Morris wasn’t done, though, and mounted a charge back toward the front getting by Dan Turner, Mike Applehans, and Louis Ortiz Jr. on his way to hunt down Burke. Unfortunately, Morris ran out of laps to put much of a dent in Burke’s lead and finished 2nd with Dan Turner claiming the final podium spot.
In Race of the Rockies GTU, Shannon Moham took an early lead from Sean Thomas, but Moham used just a little too much right wrist starting down the infamous prairie corkscrew and bucked himself out of the seat. Moham later reflected, “I was popped so far over the front of the bike that I could see the intake tracts.” Moham made a miraculous save but lost a lot of time to Thomas and settled into a 2nd position.
Meanwhile Thomas was, for a second weekend in a row, having his hands full of open class bikes while trying to not let Moham or Dobrowolski sneak up behind him. During RoR interviews, Thomas mentioned that, although frustrating, he avoided getting tangled up with the big bikes and settled in to take home the GTU win.
The numerous class records included the previous mentioned RoR GTU qualifying record by Sean Thomas with a 1:14.567. Also broken were records for 400 Production Cup by Brian Jackson (1:24.023), Amateur GTO by John McKown (1:15.429), Amateur GTU by Jared Dear (1:16.173), Heavyweight SuperSport and Middleweight SuperSport by Ryan Burke (1:14.128 and 1:14.472 respectively), Modern Vintage GTO by Chris Brown (1:17.202), SuperMoto by Bruce Browning (1:23.277), Thunderbike by Shannon Moham (1:16.135), Middleweight Endurance by Brian Dobrowolski (1:15.999), and 400 Production Cup qualifying by Brian Jackson (1:24.952).
Ryan Burke is supported by Imperial Sportbikes, Mark Schellinger from YCRS, Ben Fox of Fox Performance Engines, Dunlop Tires, and all of his family.
Sean Thomas is sponsored by QuikCycles, M&P Contracting, Boulder Motorsports, Motorex, Scorpion helmets, Hotbodies, Stansbury Concert Series, MotoNation, Racer Gloves, Tri City Cycle, Imperial Motorsports, DnS Trucking, and GP Suspension.
Round 6 of the MRA season will be back at High Plains Raceway for the first race ever on the west course configuration over the weekend of September 8-9. Included with the weekend will be the MRA Superstreet program. More details are available at http://www.mra-racing.org/superstreet/superstreet-information/
The Motorcycle Roadracing Association is dedicated to promoting safe and competitive motorcycle road racing events for enthusiasts in Colorado and the surrounding area. For more information go to http://www.mra-racing.org/.
Fay Myers Motorcycle World’s Race of the Rockies GTO
1. Ryan Burke (Yam YZF-R1)
2. Brad Morris (Yam YZF-R1)
3. Dan Turner (BMW S1000RR)
4. Louis Ortiz Jr (Suz GSX-R1000)
5. Mike Applehans (Suz GSX-R1000)
6. Mike Keating (Yam YZF-R1M)
Quikcycles/SOL Performance’s Race of the Rockies GTU
1. Sean Thomas (Yam YZF-R6)
2. Shannon Moham (Yam YZF-R6)
3. Brian Dobrowolski (Kaw ZX-6R)
4. Dennis Stowers (Tri Daytona)
5. Louden David (Kaw ZX-6R)
6. Scott Morrison (Yam YZF-R6)
Race of the Rockies Championship Overall
1. Ryan Burke (Yam YZF-R1)
2. Brad Morris (Yam YZF-R1)
3. Dan Turner (BMW S1000RR)
4. Louis Ortiz Jr (Suz GSX-R1000)
5. Mike Applehans (Suz GSX-R1000)
6. Sean Thomas (Yam YZF-R6)
High Plains Raceway’s Ladies of the Rockies
1. Cindy Wulf (Suz GSX-R750)
2. Kimberly Prichard (Tri Daytona)
3. Kerry Attridge (Suz GSX-R600)
4. Parissa Azarvand (Yam YZF-R3)
5. Siobhan Bennett (Hon CBR600RR)
6. Cuiting Zhu (Kaw 300)
Imperial Sportbikes’ Amateur GTO
1. John McKown (Yam YZF-R1)
2. Jared Dear (Suz GSX-R600)
3. Dylan Welch (Duc 1299R)
4. Chris Brown (Suz GSX-R1000)
5. Mark Hellvig (Duc 848)
6. Randy Throckmorton (Suz GSX-R1000)
XL3 Rigging’s Amateur GTU
1. Jared Dear (Suz GSX-R600)
2. James Hinton (Suz GSX-R600)
3. Nick Kaplan (Yam YZF-R6)
4. Joseph O’Donnell (Suz GSX-R600)
5. Dan Spurlock (Suz GSX-R600)
6. Tyler Weaver (Hon CBR600RR)
Un!nk Printworks’ Modern Vintage GTO
1. Chris Brown (Suz GSX-R1000)
2. Justin Lamkin (Kaw ZX-10R)
3. Phillip Takahashi (Hon CBR600RR)
4. Tyler Weaver (Hon CBR600RR)
5. Chris Coonshead (Yam YZF-R6)
6. Randy Throckmorton (Suz GSX-R1000)
Nite Owl Sports Bar & Grill’s Modern Vintage GTU
1. Dennis Stowers (Kaw ZX-6R)
2. Tyler Weaver (Hon CBR600RR)
3. Phillip Takahashi (Hon CBR600RR)
4. Chris Coonshead (Yam YZF-R6)
5. Nik Scott (Yam YZF-R6)
6. Dan Parker (Yam YZF-R6)
Northern Colorado Powersports’ Open Superbike
1. Brad Morris (Yam YZF-R1)
2. Dan Turner (BMW S1000RR)
3. Louis Ortiz Jr (Suz GSX-R1000)
4. Ryan Burke (Yam YZF-R1)
5. Michael Henao (BMW S1000RR)
6. Mike Keating (Yam YZF-R1M)
Pho 95’s Open Supersport
1. Brad Morris (Yam YZF-R1)
2. Sean Thomas (Yam YZF-R1)
3. Michael Henao (BMW S1000RR)
4. Mike Keating (Yam YZF-R1M)
5. Mark Hellvig (Duc 848)
6. Michael Surratt (BMW S1000RR)
Modworks’ Solo Endurance Open
1. Mike Applehans (Suz GSX-R1000)
2. Michael Henao (BMW S1000RR)
3. Brad Morris (Yam YZF-R1)
4. Mike Keating (Yam YZF-R1M)
5. Randy Throckmorton (Suz GSX-R1000)
6. Chris Higgins (Hon CBR1000RR)
Performance Cycle of Colorado’s Heavyweight Superbike
1. Brian Dobrowolski (Kaw ZX-6R)
2. Dennis Stowers (Tri Daytona)
3. Jared Dear (Suz GSX-R600)
4. Shannon Moham (Yam YZF-R6)
5. Jeremiah Walker (MV Augusta F3)
6. Louden David (Kaw ZX-6R)
Apex Motorsports’ Heavyweight Supersport
1. Ryan Burke (Yam YZF-R6)
2. Brian Dobrowolski (Kaw ZX-6R)
3. Shannon Moham (Yam YZF-R6)
4. Jared Dear (Suz GSX-R600)
5. Scott Morrison (Yam YZF-R6)
6. James Hinton (Suz GSX-R600)
Supreme Lending/Lisa Gaimara’s Solo Endurance Heavyweight
1. Shannon Moham (Duc Evo)
2. Dennis Stowers (Tri Daytona)
3. Jared Dear (Suz GSX-R600)
4. Louden David (Kaw ZX-6R)
5. Brett Leveque (Tri Daytona)
6. Eric Anderson (Yam YZF-R6)
The Boardroom’s Middleweight Superbike
1. Sean Thomas (Yam YZF-R6)
2. Brian Dobrowolski (Kaw ZX-6R)
3. Shannon Moham (Yam YZF-R6)
4. Dennis Stowers (Tri Daytona)
5. James Hinton (Suz GSX-R600)
6. Nick Kaplan (Yam YZF-R6)
IES Technologies’ Middleweight Supersport
1. Sean Thomas (Yam YZF-R6)
2. Ryan Burke (Yam YZF-R6)
3. Shannon Moham (Yam YZF-R6)
4. Brian Dobrowolski (Kaw ZX-6R)
5. Jason Martinez (Yam YZF-R6)
6. Jared Dear (Suz GSX-R600)
Wyeth Homes’ Solo Endurance Middleweight
1. Shannon Moham (Yam YZF-R6)
2. Brian Dobrowolski (Kaw ZX-6R)
3. Andrew Schrems (Kaw ZX-6R)
4. Nick Kaplan (Yam YZF-R6)
5. Louden David (Kaw ZX-6R)
6. Christopher Jaech (Tri Daytona R)
Spencer Russell Youth Racing’s Lightweight Grand Prix
1. Ricky Orlando (Kaw 650)
2. Bruce Browning (Hus FS450)
3. Grayson Davidson (Kaw 400)
4. Brian Jackson (Kaw 400)
5. David Purcell (Kaw 400)
6. Cameron Lee (Yam YZF-R3)
Brighton Radiator & Muffler’s Solo Endurance Lightweight
1. Ricky Orlando (Kaw 650)
2. Grayson Davidson (Kaw 400)
3. Cindy Wulf (Suz SV650)
4. Stephen Husbands (KTM 690)
5. Colton Wulf (Hon CBR500)
6. Bob Halbert (Kaw 500)
Kimco Services’ Solo Endurance Ultralightweight
1. Aaron Hersh (Yam YZF-R3)
2. Tyler Valentine (Yam YZF-R3)
3. Cameron Lee (Yam YZF-R3)
4. Cuiting Zhu (Kaw 300)
5. Parissa Azarvand (Yam YZF-R3)
6. Zach Himsel (Kaw 250)
Damage Control’s SuperTwins GTO
1. Shannon Moham (Duc Evo)
2. Jay Hollman (Apr RSV-1000R)
3. Mark Hellvig (Duc 848)
4. Dylan Welch (Duc 1299R)
5. Ben Bridgewater (Duc 1199)
6. Jim Brewer (Duc 1199R)
Alliance Motorsports’ SuperTwins GTU
1. Ricky Orlando (Kaw 650)
2. Bruce Browning (Hus FS450)
3. Grayson Davidson (Kaw 400)
4. Cindy Wulf (Suz SV650)
5. Stephen Husbands (KTM 690)
6. Colton Wulf (Hon CBR500)
Absolute Michelin & Automotive’s Thunderbike
1. Dennis Stowers (Tri Daytona)
2. Brett Leveque (Tri Daytona)
3. Robb Weins (Duc 848)
4. Ricky Orlando (Kaw 650)
5. Donald Rothfuss (Duc 848)
6. Mark Hellvig (Duc 848)
Moto Garage’s Formula 40 GTO
1. Mike Applehans (Suz GSX-R1000)
2. John McKown (Yam YZF-R1)
3. Mike Keating (Yam YZF-R1M)
4. Justin Lamkin (Kaw ZX-10R)
5. Mark Hellvig (Duc 848)
6. Michael Surratt (BMW S1000RR)
Moto Garage’s Formula 40 GTU
1. Shannon Moham (Duc Evo)
2. Andrew Schrems (Kaw ZX-6R)
3. James Hinton (Suz GSX-R600)
4. Dan Spurlock (Suz GSX-R600)
5. Christopher Jaech (Tri Daytona R)
6. Arthur Chen (Suz GSX-R600)
Defy Graphics’ 500 Production Cup Sat Race
1. Justen Behmer (Kaw 300)
2. Susan Hickok (Kaw 500)
3. Bob Halbert (Kaw 500)
4. Colton Wulf (Hon CBR500)
Defy Graphics’ 500 Production Cup Sun Race
1. Justen Behmer (Kaw 300)
2. Colton Wulf (Hon CBR500)
3. Bob Halbert (Kaw 500)
Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s 400 Production Cup Sat Race
1. Grayson Davidson (Kaw 400)
2. Brian Jackson (Kaw 400)
3. Tyler Valentine (Yam YZF-R3)
4. Aaron Hersh (Yam YZF-R3)
5. Liam Grant (Yam YZF-R3)
6. Joshua Baker (Yam YZF-R3)
Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s 400 Production Cup Sun Race
1. Grayson Davidson (Kaw 250)
2. Tyler Valentine (Yam YZF-R3)
3. Brian Jackson (Kaw 400)
4. Liam Grant (Yam YZF-R3)
5. Aaron Hersh (Yam YZF-R3)
6. David Purcell (Kaw 400)
Vickery Motorsports’ 250 Production Cup Sat Race
1. Mike Kionka (Kaw 250)
2. Bryan Cole (Kaw 250)
3. Erik Sipila (Kaw 250)
4. Sophia Quadri (Kaw 250)
Vickery Motorsports’ 250 Production Cup Sun Race
1. Mike Kionka (Kaw 250)
2. Bryan Cole (Kaw 250)
3. Sophia Quadri (Kaw 250)
4. Erik Sipila (Kaw 250)
Woody’s Wheel Works’ Formula Colorado
1. Bruce Browning (Hus FS450)
2. Grayson Davidson (Kaw 400)
3. Chris Coonshead (Yam YZF-R6)
4. Liam Grant (Yam YZF-R3)
5. Jason Madsen (Kaw 400)
6. Cameron Lee (Yam YZF-R3)
RG3 Suspension Denver’s Supermoto
1. Bruce Browning (Hus FS450)
2. Chris Coonshead
3. Joseph LoGalbo (Apr SXV450)
4. Mike Morrison (Suz RMZ450)
Interstate Honda’s Novice GTO
1. Chris Brown (Suz GSX-R1000)
2. Dylan Welch (Duc 1299R)
3. Justin Robinson (Yam YZF-R1)
4. Joseph O’Donnell (Suz GSX-R600)
5. Ben Bridgewater (Duc 1199)
6. Randy Hopper (Yam YZF-R6)
Law Tigers’ Novice GTU
1. Jon Renk (Yam YZF-R6)
2. Dan Spurlock (Suz GSX-R600)
3. Zach Himsel (Yam YZF-R6)
4. Tyler Weaver (Hon CBR600RR)
5. Randy Hopper (Yam YZF-R6)
6. Joseph O’Donnell (Suz GSX-R600)