September 29 and 30, 2018 at Utah Motorsports Campus, East Course Configuration, located in Grantsville, Utah
This past weekend, the Utah Motorsports Campus hosted the Utah SBA’s final round of their 2018 Masters of the Mountain race series. From the beginning of the day, the riders knew that it was going to be a challenging day…the area was expecting severe storms over the next few days, and the wind preceding Hurricane Rosa coming in from the Pacific were already making itself known. The track was experiencing sustained winds of 20 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph. Those wind conditions aren’t uncommon for the Grantsville area, but an arid summer has left the surrounding areas extremely dusty, and the wind was blowing up some significant dust storms, which carried the danger of affecting traction and visibility. The racers took to the track for the Saturday morning practice sessions, and times were definitely a little on the slow side. Despite the initial concern about traction issues, riders were reporting that the track was in decent shape, with only a couple areas of reduced grip. The biggest issue, according to competitors, was wind pushing people wide in corners, and making the bikes feel unstable in corners.
The most exciting race of Saturday was Novice GTU. Donald Rothfuss had the pole position, and actually had the championship locked up. That didn’t stop him from having the race of his season however. Kellen Birch and Cole Phillips, both up and comers in the GTU class, decided they really didn’t care if the championship was won or not…they wanted top step of the podium for this race. When the red light went out, Rothfuss took full advantage of the low end torque of his Ducati and got the hole shot to turn 1, with Birch hot on his heels. By the end of lap one, Rothfuss still led, Birch was still pressuring him, and Phillips had worked his way through the field to settle into 5th place. Birch managed to squeeze by Rothfuss in turn one at the start of lap three. While Birch was taking the lead, Phillips had sneaked his way into third place, and then it was a three way battle for the lead. For the remainder of the 7 lap race, the three were never separated by more than two bike lengths. The race came down to the final corner. Phillips was in the lead, with Rothfuss right on his tail. Birch was bringing up the rear, but still posed a serious threat. As they came out of turn fifteen, it turned into a drag race to the finish line. It was almost a photo finish: Phillips took the win, Birch somehow managed to power by the Ducati for second, and Rothfuss took third.
Sunday morning was a reiteration of Saturday, except slightly warmer. There wasn’t as much dust either, but the wind was still having a huge effect on the riders as they made their way around the east course circuit. The morning practice sessions went off without any issues, which everyone felt was a good omen for the day. The lunch hour did start a bit late, but only due to the fact that the UtahSBA was able to squeeze in an extra Formula 40 race just prior to lunch; the extra effort was made due to the fact that in Round 1, this race had to be cancelled due to inclement weather, and they wanted the competitors to have the opportunity to have 6 full races under their belts counting towards the championship.
The premier race of the day, Combined KOM, started as scheduled, and their was some anticipation that it could be a different race than usual. Michael Bradshaw was on pole as usual, but Kory Cowan qualified in fifth position. To those that aren’t familiar with the racers in this club, no one would think this was particularly significant as Cowan rides an R6, but he’s been dominant all year in this race, with only Bradshaw able to consistently beat him to the line all year. Was he feeling a little off today? Would the podium have some new faces on it at the end of the race? The red light went out, and the grid made the dash for turn one. Any question about Cowan’s level of competitiveness for the day was quickly dispelled as he ended up at the front of the pack in short order with Bradshaw nipping at his heels. Cowan initially provided some challenge to Bradshaw on the west course configuration, but west course is more flowing with faster corners, and longer parts of the track suited to throttle application, so larger displacement bikes have a giant advantage. East course however, is tighter and more technical, with a very tight turn one off the straight, so the displacement advantage isn’t as apparent, especially with a skilled rider at the controls of a smaller bike. It took Bradshaw several laps to make a pass stick, and even then, it was three more laps before he was able to open up a gap large enough that he wasn’t being threatened by Cowan in every corner. While Bradshaw and Cowan were duking it out for first, they opened up a sizable gap on the battle for third. Eric Jones, Zac Miller, and Duncan Biles were involved in a knife fight for third place. There wasn’t a ton of passing going on with Miller leading the group, but Jones and Biles were perfectly positioned to take advantage of any mistake in order to move up in the standings. The group was fairly static throughout the race until disaster struck for Miller on the final lap. He lost the front end coming into T13, suffering a hard low side crash, which allowed Jones and Biles to shoot by and earn 2nd and 3rd in the KOM O standings, and 3rd and 4th in the Combined standings.
Kory Cowan took the KOM U win by a large margin, with Ryan Richardson and Joseph Resta taking 2nd and 3rd respectively. Richardson and Resta were dicing back and forth for a large majority of the 14 lap race, with neither able to gain a significant advantage until Richardson passed Resta about lap ten and started to open up a slight gap. He crossed the line just 5 seconds ahead of the extremely competitive Resta, who was visiting from Colorado.
Overall the race weekend went very smoothly. There were fewer crashes than at any other previous round, and despite the wind and dust, the weather was mild without any of the cold that Utah can sometimes experience at this time of the year. All the racers were competitive, and while some didn’t see the results they were looking for, everyone had a great summer. The UtahSBA would like to thank each and every racer that participated this year…rider education and racing is what we exist for, and to see the same faces month after month, year after year, means a lot. A special thank you needs to go out to all the competitors that come out for our race rounds. We have racers that come every round from Idaho, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Massachusetts, and even Canada. A special mention to Grayson Davidson and his family: Davidson has dominated the “small” bike classes this year, and has demonstrated a skill not often seen in someone his age. He raced on Sunday with the MRA in Colorado, and then they drove all night to finish their season with the UtahSBA in Utah. That kind of dedication bodes well for his future in motorsports. Thank you to everyone, including our sponsors, for making the 2018 season a success.
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/
The Law Tigers Combined KOM
1. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
2. Kory Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R1)
4. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R1)
5. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
6. Joseph Resta (YAM YZF-R6)
The MotoStation KOM GTO
1. Michael JR Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
2. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R1)
3. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R1)
4. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
5. Braden Jones (YAM YZF-R1)
6. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)
Rickdiculous Racing KOM GTU
1. Kory Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Joseph Resta (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Ken Yee (KAW ZX-6R)
5. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)
6. Jeff VanDerVoort (YAM YZF-R6)
Wright’s Motorcycle Parts and Accessories Production 300 (Race 1)
1. Chad Carson (KAW EX 250)
2. Mark Barton (KAW EX 250)
3. Holly Hendrickson (KAW EX 300)
Wright’s Motorcycle Parts and Accessories Production 300 (Race 2)
1. Grayson Davidson (KAW EX300)
2. Chad Carson (KAW EX250)
3. Mark Barton (KAW EX250)
4. Holly Hendrickson (KAW EX300)
The Edge Powersports Deseret Dash 1 (Expert)
1. Michael JR Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
2. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R1)
3. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
4. Braden Jones (YAM YZF-R1)
5. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)
6. Scott Rybarik (DUC 899)
The Edge Powersports Deseret Dash 1 (Novice)
1. Cole Phillips (YAM YZF-R1)
2. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)
3. Ryan Podgurney (KAW ZX-6R)
4. Raymond Clark (SUZ GSX-R600)
5. Kellen Birch (YAM YZF-R6)
6. Goran Bojanic (SUZ GSX-R1000)
The Edge Powersports Deseret Dash 2 (Expert)
1. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R1)
2. Braden Jones (YAM YZF-R1)
3. Ken Yee (KAW ZX-6R)
4. David Meyer (BMW S1000RR)
5. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
6. Alex Zinaich (YAM YZF-R6)
The Edge Powersports Deseret Dash 2 (Novice)
1. Kellen Birch (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Cole Phillips (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Ryan Podgurney (KAW ZX-6R)
4. Raymond Clark (SUZ GSX-R600)
5. James Riggs (YAM YZF-R1)
6. Goran Bojanic (SUZ GSX-R1000)
Harrison Eurosports Combined GTO
1. Steven Marco (YAM YZF-R1)
2. Spencer Kruger (YAM YZF-R1)
3. Kellen Birch (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Jeff Dinger (HON RC-51)
5. Jason Johnson (KAW ZX-6R)
6. Nick Sosniuk (BMW S1000RR)
Fastline Race Tire Moto 2
1. Kory Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Joseph Resta (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Ken Yee (KAW ZX-6R)
5. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)
6. Alex Zinaich (YAM YZF-R6)
Utah Sport Bike Association Moto 1
1. Michael JR Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
2. Erik Grim (BMW S1000RR)
3. Zac Miller (BMW S1000RR)
4. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R1)
5. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
6. Steven Marco (YAM YZF-R1)
Utah Sport Bike Association Novice GTU
1. Cole Phillips (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Kellen Birch (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)
4. Ryan Podgurney (KAW ZX-6R)
5. James Powelson (YAM YZF-R6)
6. Raymond Clark (SUZ GSX-R600)
The Green Pig Pub Open Twins
1. Jeff Dinger (HON RC51)
2. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)
3. Zack Cooper (DUC 959)
4. Tom Berry (KAW EX650R)
Carey’s Cycle Production 500 (Race 1)
1. Liam Grant (YAM YZF-R3)
2. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)
3. Chad Carson (YAM YZF-R3)
4. Jason Grant (YAM YZF-R3)
5. Mark Barton (KAW EX250)
6. Brock Jones (KTM RC 390)
Carey’s Cycle Production 500 (Race 2)
1. Grayson Davidson (KAW Ninja 400)
2. Liam Grant (YAM YZF-R3)
3. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)
4. David Purcell (KAW Ninja 400)
5. Mark Barton (KAW EX250)
6. Brock Jones (KTM RC 390)
Trackstar Racing MIddleweight Superstock
1. Kory Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Joseph Resta (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Ken Yee (KAW ZX-6R)
5. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)
6. Jason Johnson (KAW ZX-6R)
South Valley Motorsports Open Superstock
1. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R1)
2. Erik Grim (BMW S1000RR)
3. Zac Miller (BMW S1000RR)
4. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
5. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)
6. Sherwick Min (APR RSV4)
Stansbury Concert Series Sportsman (Race 1)
1. Raymond Clark (SUZ GSX-R600)
2. Bronti Verbeek (SUZ GSX-R1000)
3. Zack Cooper (DUC 959)
4. Adam Kownatka (KAW ZX-6R)
5. Ernie Warner (HON CBR600RR)
6. Liam Grant (YAM YZF-R3)
Stansbury Concert Series Sportsman (Race 2)
1. Adam Kownatka (KAW ZX-6R)
2. Zack Cooper (DUC 959)
3. Rachel Kuns (YAM YZF-R6)
SouthPaw Motorsports LIghtweight Twins
1. Grayson Davidson (KAW Ninja 400)
2. Liam Grant (YAM YZF-R3)
3. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)
4. Mark Barton (KAW EX250)
5. Tom Berry (KAW EX650R)
6. Brock Jones (KTM RC 390)
The Mechanic Modern Vintage GTO
1. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)
2. Bronti Verbeek (SUZ GSX-R1000)
3. Spencer Kruger (YAM YZF-R1)
4. Goran Bojanic (SUZ GSX-R1000)
5. Jeff Dinger (HON RC51)
6. Edwin Hofeling (SUZ GSX-R750)
The Mechanic Modern Vintage GTU
1. Cody Steggell (SUZ GSX-R600)
2. Kellen Birch (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Steve Kozicki (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Michael Cormier (KAW ZX-6R)
5. Ernie Warner (HON CBR600RR)
6. Tom Berry (KAW EX650R)
Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 GTO (Race 1)
1. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
2. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)
3. Sherwick Min (APR RSV4)
4. David Meyer (BMW S1000RR)
5. Nick Sosniuk (BMW S1000RR)
6. Jeff Dinger (HON RC51)
Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 GTU (Race 1)
1. Alex Zinaich (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Ken Yee (KAW ZX-6R)
3. Andrew Blunt (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Jason Johnson (KAW ZX-6R)
5. James Krstich (SUZ GSX-R600)
6. Jason Grant (YAM YZF-R6)
Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 GTO (Race 2)
1. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
2. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)
3. David Meyer (BMW S1000RR)
4. Steve Kozicki (YAM YZF-R1)
5. Nick Sosniuk (BMW S1000RR)
6. Spencer Kruger (YAM YZF-R1)
Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 GTU (Race 2)
1. Alex Zinaich (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Ken Yee (KAW ZX-6R)
3. Jason Johnson (KAW ZX-6R)
4. Andrew Blunt (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)
6. James Krstich (SUZ GSX-R600)
The Edge Powersports Moto 3
1. Grayson Davidson (KAW Ninja 400)
2. David Purcell (KAW Ninja 400)
3. Liam Grant (YAM YZF-R3)
4. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)
5. Brock Jones (KTM RC390)
6. Chad Carson (YAM YZF-R3)
Kimco Combined GTU
1. Kellen Birch (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Jason Johnson (KAW ZX-6R)
3. Andrew Blunt (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Ryan Podgurney (KAW ZX-6R)
5. Cole Phillips (YAM YZF-R6)
6. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)
Utah Sport Bike Association Novice GTO
1. Kellen Birch (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Goran Bojanic (SUZ GSX-R1000)
3. Ryan Podgurney (KAW ZX-6R)
4. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)
5. Cole Phillips (YAM YZF-R6)
6. James Powelson (YAM YZF-R6)
The MotoStation Middleweight Superbike
1. Kory Cowan (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Joseph Resta (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Ken Yee (KAW ZX-6R)
6. Andrew Blunt (YAM YZF-R6)
The MotoStation Open Superbike
1. Michael JR Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
2. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R1)
3. Erik Grim (BMW S1000RR)
4. Bill Davis (BMW S1000RR)
5. David Meyer (BMW S1000RR)
6. Nick Sosniuk (BMW S1000RR)
Lamonica’s Restaurant Supply Heavyweight Superbike
1. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Ken Yee (KAW ZX-6R)
4. Jason Johnson (KAW ZX-6R)
5. Spencer Kruger (SUZ GSX-R750)