PROTESTS RESOLVED – STANDINGS MADE FINAL AND PRIZES AWARDED TO THE 2017 YAMAHA bLU cRU R3 CHAMPIONS!
The 2017 Yamaha bLU cRU R3 Challenge results from the 45th WERA Grand National Finals are final! Yamaha Technician Ashley Knight stated “I was able to compare the camshafts from the YZF-R3 in question yesterday. Compared directly to an off-the-shelf stock camshaft and compared to the factory’s drawings they match perfectly.” The protest lodged had no evidence to support the complaint.
The 2017 Yamaha bLU cRU R3 Challenge Champion is #24 Xavier Zayat out of New York winning the 2017 YZF-R6; second place went to #128 Chris Parrish out of Tennessee winning the EF3000si Generator and third place went to #102 Joshua Jovi out of South Carolina winning the EF2000isV2 Generator.
The Novice Results for the 2017 Yamaha bLU cRU Challenge are: First Place #390 Erica Muse out of Texas winning the Yamaha Racing/Yamalube/bLU cRU Canopy; second place #543 Damon Luchette out of Ohio winning a $500 Genuine Yamaha/Yamalube Parts and Accessories credit and third place #52 Nicole Karamichael out of Alabama winning a $250 Genuine Yamaha/Yamalube Parts and Accessories credit.
This was one of the tightest battles of the weekend which proves that the Yamaha R3 is the machine for close racing for both new competitors and veterans.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was founded in 1973 and remains the foremost place to develop talent in the sport of motorcycle roadracing. The legacy of Pro riders on a National and World level is legendary. All events are run by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing with a co-sanction by the AMA and they go coast to coast offering entry level racing with the WERA Sportsman Series as well as a Pro-Am Series with the WERA National Challenge Series. WERA Motorcycle Roadracing also offer Vintage Racing and limited Endurance Racing with Track Day Partners N2 and Sportbike Track Time.
For more information on WERA Motorcycle Roadracing please check out our Website at wera.com!
More, from a press release issued by RBoM Racing:
18 year old young gun Xavier Zayat rode his RBoM Racing #24 Yamaha R3 to a hard fought victory in what was undeniably the most exciting race of the weekend at the 45th Annual WERA Grand National Finals at Barber Motorsports Park.
With Yamaha offering big prizes up for grabs, including a brand new 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6 to the winner, a quality field of racers put on an exciting show as the top 5 finishers were only separated by 0.7 seconds at the checkered flag.
As post-race accusations flew and protests were filed, a top-end teardown of the RBoM Racing winning entry was ordered. Only minimal WERA Superstock legal modifications had been performed on the Zayat entry, so the RBoM Racing crew was not concerned. A thin head gasket, a high quality M4 racing exhaust pipe, and a decent tune on VP MR12 fuel was the only engine work necessary to take the top prize. Stock cams, stock pistons, stock everything else.
A special thanks goes out to Josh “Selztoad” Barnett for providing the bike, Thermosman Suspension’s Mike Fitzgerald for working on the suspension set-up, James Bock’s Podium Motorsports for the sticky Pirelli SC1 tires, and the rest was all Xavier Zayat.
RBoM128 endurance rider Chris Parrish piloted his Ghetto Customs #128 entry to 2nd place, crossing the finish line a scant 0.068 seconds behind Zayat.
The lack of a podium celebration was a bit disappointing, but understandable with the protest under scrutiny. Unfortunate for Yamaha, WERA, and the top 3 finishers, A bittersweet end to a fantastic race.
RBoM Racing looks forward to more front-running challenges in the 2018 season.