In the U.S. there has always been a very large gap between youth off road, dirt track, or motocross racing and road racing on full size asphalt circuits. Regardless of talent, experience and background, a young racer must be 16 years of age, on full size machinery to compete on the “big” Road Racing tracks. Well, that was then and this is now! The Washington Road Racing Association (WMRRA) has designed a new race class that targets experienced, young, up-and-coming off road racers that wish to make the transition from pocket bikes, motocross, off road or dirt racing to Road Racing. This new class shall allow them the opportunity to get road racing experience and make the transition from dirt to asphalt much earlier. WMRRA has created the “Young Guns” program, where riders, 10 years or older, can get the opportunity to become road racers and compete on a full size road racing circuit. The Young Guns Racer program will allow these racers to compete aboard existing, readily available and diverse machinery from virtually every major manufacturer. WMRRA decided to allow the use of Motocross as well as GP based chassis in this class. By allowing riders to use existing Motocross framed bikes, the cost of the venture is minimized considerably. Riders will only have to make minimal modifications to run their current off-road bikes compared to having to race very specialized GP style machinery. “We considered this for quite some time because we wanted to make this was as affordable as possible for parents and kids starting out in the sport”, said Young Guns Rider Rep Mario Alvarez, Sr. “As a parent of a Young Guns racer, I know parts availability and cost have a huge impact when it comes to racing.” Bikes allowed to race in this class must be either 85cc two-strokes or 150cc four-strokes. Bikes may use MX style chassis or GP based chassis. Bike must use 17″ rims and road racing tires. Riders must be a minimum of 10 years of age and must hold a current race license with an approved club. More information can be found on the club’s website by visiting www.wmrra.com. The Young Guns class will race in conjunction with four WMRRA race weekends where the kids will race on Saturday and Sunday, making a total of four double header weekends and a full 8 race season. “We are very excited about this class. WMRRA looks forward to seeing these kids compete on the race track and believe that this is the first step to making this class a full fledged contingency based series for the 2008 season. Who knows? We may have the next Nicky Hayden racing out there!” said WMRRA President Allister MacKinnon. The Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association (WMRRA) was established in 1974 to sanction and promote area road racing. WMRRA is a non-profit, volunteer run organization with over 500 members. WMRRA’s racing events are held at two venues: Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA and Spokane Raceway Park in Spokane, WA. Close racing action can be seen on a variety of bikes. From the wiley little 125 GP machines – to the insanely fast 180+ hp Formula Ultra superbikes. Singles, Twins, Triples, Harleys, Vintage bikes and the occasional sidecar are pushed to the limit on any given WMRRA weekend. The paddock area is a great place to check out bikes. Motorcycles of every make and model appear on race days. The enthusiast and the curious alike converge on this motorcycle Mecca from all over the Northwest. For more information on the Young Guns class, please visit the WMRRA website at www.wmrra.com