Bradshaw Takes KOM O Race, but Childree takes the KOM O Championship
September 30-October 1, 2017 at the east track configuration of the Utah Motorsports Campus
This past weekend saw the conclusion of the Utah Sport Bike Association’s (UtahSBA) Masters of the Mountains race series. There were several championships still undecided, and it made for some intense racing in more than a few classes. Generous donations by the two premier class sponsors enabled the UtahSBA to offer cash purses for both King of the Mountain GTO (KOM O), sponsored by the Moto Station, and King of the Mountain GTU (KOM U), sponsored by Rickdiculous Racing. In both cases, the race winner didn’t take home the championship, but a first place cash prize is at least a small consolation….or not.
Everyone was looking forward to the last round, and not just because it was the final round of the year. Utah had just suffered a week of nasty pre-winter weather, and the forecast a week out from the race weekend was promising sunny weather in the mid-60’s….perfect weather for racing, and a definite improvement to what local residents had been suffering for 6 days. Mother Nature is a fickle beast in Utah though, and is unpredictable at best. The entire weekend would be threatened by rain, windy conditions, and temperatures that would never get much over 55. Nevertheless, the turnout was respectable, and everyone was determined to do their best to secure the highest place possible in their classes.
The first battle of the day occurred during the Production 500 race. Brad Moore and Chad Carson had been battling all year, and only 24 points separated them, with Moore leading the championship coming into Round 6. Production 500 is a double header, with one race Saturday, and one race Sunday, so the racer still has to be a little cautious–taking too big a chance could cause you to be in a situation where you would score zero points on Sunday. The two still battled back and forth for seven laps though, with Carson edging Moore out by a scant half second. The win put Carson just 4 points behind Moore for the championship going into Sunday. He took full advantage the next day, taking the race win and stealing the top step on the championship podium from Moore. The next exciting race was Moto 2. This championship was still undecided, and to make things even more interesting, Gauge Rees was making an appearance after his rookie season on the MotoAmerica circuit. All the ingredients were there to make for a bombshell of a race. Rees, not having raced with the UtahSBA all year was forced to grid from the back with at least 15 bikes in front of him, but managed to weave his way to the front of the pack by the end of the first lap. No one was able to offer him serious challenge, and it was clear that the fight would be happening behind him as Sean Thomas and Ryan Richardson duked it out for second place. Thomas had been giving Richardson fits all year, and it was a coin toss every round who would win when they took to the track together. This race didn’t disappoint, and Thomas kept the pressure on for the entire race, making several pass attempts, none successful enough to stick for long. Richardson held Thomas off, taking second by just a tenth of a second. A third place finish was all Thomas needed to secure his first UtahSBA championship on a 600 though, so he couldn’t have been too disappointed with a third place race result. The race day was brought to an abrupt halt two hours early when a rider was unfortunate enough to spring an oil leak in a spot not easily seen and put enough oil on the racing surface to make it dangerous to race on. Once the extent of the track contamination was determined, the UtahSBA Board of Directors made the call to shut the track down so it could be thoroughly cleaned. The Director of Competition started working on a Sunday schedule that would allow the missed races from Saturday to be fit in on Sunday.
Racers who woke on Sunday hoping for better weather were to be disappointed. It had rained off and on all night, the wind was still blowing, and the temperature was somewhat south of comfortable. After the Director of Competition and the UMC track operations manager completed a thorough early morning inspection of the track to ensure all the oil had been sufficiently cleaned, it was time to get racing. Friends, family, and spectators weren’t disappointed when the riders for KOM U lined up. As mentioned in the opening paragraph, class sponsor Rickdiculous Racing provided a generous donation which enabled the UtahSBA to offer a cash prize for the top three riders of the day. Michael Bradshaw, a series regular, added a significant amount to the prize purse out of his own pocket. The grid was slightly larger than normal, and everyone was wondering who would take home the top prize. The red light went out, and Rees took the hole shot with Bradshaw and Richardson hot on his heels. Rees and Bradshaw started running away from the field, while Matt Guiver, Richardson, Ducan Biles, and Thomas all fought for position behind them. It was a tough race on the spectators because there was a heated battle for first going on, but several corners back there was a better battle for third. Bradshaw finally snuck by Rees on the fourth lap, and then started to pull away. Barring any issues, it looked like Bradshaw would take the win and Rees would take second. Bradshaw did take the checkered in first position, followed several seconds later by Rees. Guiver, having gotten by Richardson, started to pull away from the battle for fourth, eventually taking third place 5 seconds of Richardson. It was nearly a photo finish for fourth, as Richardson crossed the line ahead of Biles and Thomas with less than half a second separating the three riders. The KOM O race was the next premier race to held. The KOM O class sponsor, Moto Station, also put up a generous donation to be used as a purse for the top three race finishers. This race promised to be an interesting one due to the fact that the class points leader Jerry Hicks wouldn’t be racing as he was still recovering from a crash round 5. Depending on finish position, Bradshaw and fellow competitor Brian Childree would be racing to determine who stood where on the championship podium. Hicks would unfortunately be a bystander in this race, his championship fate resting on the performance of those racing. There were a multitude of ways this championship could end up, but only one thing was certain…it was going to be an exhilarating contest. When the red light went out, it was obvious that Bradshaw was determined to win. He jumped out to an early lead, with rider Marcel Irnie doing his utmost to keep Bradshaw from building too much of a lead. Meanwhile, Brian Childree and David Purcell were fighting out behind them. Childree knew that if he had a solid finish, he had an excellent shot at winning the championship title. Bradshaw and Irnie were riding like men possessed, and opened a huge gap between themselves and the two fighting for third. Bradshaw had the track’s number during this last round though, and managed to take the checkered flag 8 seconds ahead of Irnie. The race win also gave Bradshaw the distinct honor of winning both the KOM O and KOM U race on the same day. Childree and Purcell crossed the line almost 40 seconds after Bradshaw, but only half a second apart with Childree taking the third spot on the podium. With the third place finish came enough points to call himself the 2017 KOM O champion.
The weekend was not without incident however. Eric Drolet, a competitor who came all the way to Utah from Canada suffered a serious mishap on Sunday. The Utah Sport Bike Association, and all its members, offer their heartfelt condolences and best wishes to the speediest possible recovery.
The Utah Sport Bike Association would like to congratulate all the class champions on a well run race season. They would also like to thank all the key volunteers that make the race weekends successful ones: Beverly and Chad Richins, Roger Bennett, Brent Burton, Chad Mortensen, and all the other amazing people that make the weekends possible.
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 www.utahsba.com
The Moto Station KOM GTO
1. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
2. Marcel Irnie (BMW S1000 RR)
3. Brian Childree (SUZ GSX-R1000)
4. David Purcell (KAW ZX-10R)
5. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R1)
Rickdiculous Racing KOM GTU
1. Michael Bradshaw (TRI 675R)
2. Gauge Rees (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Matt Guiver (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R6)
The Edge Motorsports Deseret Dash (Expert)
1. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
2. Marcel Irnie (BMW S1000 RR)
3. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R1)
4. David Purcell (KAW ZX-10R)
5. Ryan Boddy (YAM YZF-R1)
The Edge Motorsports Deseret Dash (Novice)
1. Zac Miller (BMW S1000RR)
2. Randy Schuler (KAW ZX-6R)
3. Lee McNutt (SUZ GSX-R1000)
4. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)
5. Jeff Dinger (HON RC51)
The Moto Station Open Superbike
1. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
2. Marcel Irnie (BMW S1000RR)
3. Brian Childree (SUZ GSX-R1000)
4. Justin Delong (BMW S1000 RR)
5. Sherwick Min (APR RSV4)
South Valley Motorsports Open Superstock
1. Marcel Irnie (BMW S1000RR)
2. David Purcell (KAW ZX-10R)
3. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R1)
4. Ryan Boddy (YAM YZF-R1)
5. Justin Delong (BMW S1000RR)
Lamonica’s Restaurant Supply Heavyweight Superbike
1. Matt Guiver (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Erik Grim (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Dennis Stowers (TRI 675R)
5. Jeff VanDerVoort (YAM YZF-R6)
The Moto Station Middleweight Superbike
1. Michael Bradshaw (TRI 675R)
2. Gauge Rees (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Matt Guiver (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Sean Thomas (YAM YZF-R6)
Trackstar Racing Middleweight Superstock
1. Gauge Rees (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Matt Guiver (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Erik Grim (YAM YZF-R6)
Utah Sport Bike Association Moto 1
1. Michael Bradshaw (KAW ZX-10R)
2. Joshua Bronfman (YAM YZF-R1)
3. Marcel Irnie (BMW S1000RR)
4. David Purcell (KAW ZX-10R)
5. Ryan Boddy (YAM YZF-R1)
Fastline Race Tire Moto 2
1. Gauge Rees (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Ryan Richardson (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Sean Thomas (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Duncan Biles (YAM YZF-R6)
Lamonica’s Restaurant Supply Novice GTO
1. Joshua Bronfman (YAM YZF-R1)
2. Braden Jones (YAM YZF-R1)
3. Zac Miller (BMW S1000 RR)
4. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Andy Blunt (YAM YZF-R6)
Keystone Solutions Novice GTU
1. Tom Webb (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Andy Blunt (YAM YZF-R6)
4. James Krstich (SUZ GSX-R600)
5. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)
Harrison Eurosports Combined GTO
1. Joshua Bronfman (YAM YZF-R1)
2. Justin Delong (BMW S1000 RR)
3. Zac Miller (BMW S1000 RR)
4. Braden Jones (YAM YZF-R1)
5. Tom Webb (YAM YZF-R6)
Novo Advisors Combined GTU
1. Jerome Samarjian (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Genaro Lopez (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Tom Webb (YAM YZF-R6)
4. Jeff VanDerVoort (YAM YZF-R6)
5. Andy Blunt (YAM YZF-R6)
Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 GTO
1. Eric Jones (YAM YZF-R1)
2. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)
3. Sherwick Min (APR RSV4)
4. Steve Kozicki (YAM YZF-R1)
Harrison Eurosports Formula 40 GTU
1. Michael Cormier (KAW ZX-6R)
2. Michael Hawkins (SUZ GSX-R600)
3. Mike Surrat (KTM 690)
4. James Krstich (SUZ GSX-R600)
5. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)
The Green Pig Pub Open Twins
1. Brad Moore (SUZ SV650)
2. Donald Rothfuss (DUC 848)
3. Justin Litzenberger (KAW 650R)
4. Grayson Davidson (KAW 300)
5. Parissa Azarvand (YAM YZF-R3)
Wright’s M/C Parts and Accessories Production 300 (Race 1)
1. Chad Carson (KAW 300)
2. Daniel Clements (KAW 250)
3. Jason Wheeler (HON CBR300R)
Wright’s M/C Parts and Accessories Production 300 (Race 2)
1. Grayson Davidson (KAW 300)
2. Chad Carson (KAW 300)
3. Daniel Clements (KAW 250)
4. Jason Wheeler (HON CBR 300R)
5. Chad Richins (KAW 250)
The Edge Powersports Production 500 (Race 1)
1. Chad Carson (YAM YZF-R3)
2. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)
3. Grayson Davidson (KAW 300)
4. Jeff Masters (YAM YZF-R3)
5. Dennis Stowers (HON CBR500R)
The Edge Powersports Production 500 (Race 2)
1. Chad Carson (YAM YZF-R3)
2. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)
3. Grayson Davidson (KAW 300)
4. Cameron Lee (YAM YZF-R3)
5. Dennis Stowers (HON CBR500R)
Southpaw Motorsports Lightweight Twins
1. Brad Moore (SUZ SV650)
2. Mike Surrat (KTM 690)
3. Grayson Davidson (KAW 300)
4. Dennis Stowers (HON CBR300R)
5. Chad Carson (KAW 300)
The Mechanic Modern Vintage GTO
1. Kevin Dolan (SUZ GSX-R1000)
2. Braden Jones (BMW S1000RR)
The Mechanic Modern Vintage GTU
1. Joshua Bronfman (YAM YZF-R6)
2. Dennis Stowers (TRI 675R)
3. Michael Cormier (KAW ZX-6R)
4. Michael Hawkins (SUZ GSX-R600)
5. Brad Moore (SUZ SV650)
The Edge Motorsports Moto 3
1. Ryan Luke (KTM 690)
2. Mike Surrat (KTM 690)
3. Brad Moore (YAM YZF-R3)
4. Grayson Davidson (KAW 300)
5. Robert Nolan (YAM FZR400)
Stansbury Concert Series Sportsman
1. James Krstich (SUZ GSX-R600)
2. Zachary Vasquez (YAM YZF-R6)
3. Tiffany Webb (YAM YZF-R6)
More, from a press release issued by Rickdiculous Racing:
Rickdiculous Racing takes eight podiums and three Championships at UMC
Grantsville, Utah – The final round of the Utah Sport Bike Associations (UtahSBA) Master of the Mountains series was held September 30-October 1 at Utah Motorsports Campus under cold conditions and threatening skies. Rickdiculous Racing’s owner and UtahSBA racer Josh Bronfman was ready to end his rookie racing season in dominating fashion. In addition, Rickdiculous Racing’s rookie MotoAmerica racer Gauge Rees had come back to his home track to race the final round.
Saturday’s Combined GTO race saw Bronfman get off to an excellent start and carry that through all seven laps, amassing a 13-second lead by the end. This win secured his first Championship of the season and his career. Race Two resulted in Bronfman taking second place in the Moto 1 race and final Championship standings.
Rees started the Moto 2 race from 19th on the grid, took the lead on lap four, and pulled way to win by a nine-second margin.
Sunday’s Novice GTO race saw Bronfman take an early lead that he would hold to the end and win the race with a 12-second advantage and win the Championship in the class. Vintage GTU race was no different as Bronfman brought home his third Championship of the year.
Rees lined up in the 19th grid spot for the Middleweight Superstock race and won the race with a 19-second margin of victory.
Josh Bronfman: “I couldn’t have asked for a better rookie season! We learned a lot and had a ton of fun participating in some great battles each weekend. I couldn’t have done this without my team, specifically my crew chief Shane Turpin and mechanic Mark Daniels for their extremely hard work throughout the season. I want to give a big thanks to my parents and my wife for their continued love and support, and to the entire Rickdiculous Racing family for their commitment and dedication to the pursuit of greatness! Thank you to the Utah Sport Bike Association for putting on a great series, and I can’t wait to see everyone next year!”