North American Supermoto Shootout
Mother Nature tried to beat us… could not
The first inaugural North American Supermoto Shootout took place in Norman, Oklahoma, just south of Oklahoma City at the Oklahoma Motorsports Complex, OMC.
JBANG: Finally a big shoot out! After loosing Stateline-Anthony Heart Memorial last year we did not think we would see a shoot out. Well we have one now! A very healthy field of SM pilots showed up and put on a show. My first impressions of the track were nothing but positives. I love the tight kart track vibe. Dirt was turning out to be perfection, but weather was on the way.
Butters: There was rain the weekdays leading up but Friday we were able to practice in beautiful conditions and ride with the tackiest dirt. Saturday we barely got started when the rain came. Funny enough, the last time I was at this track was in 2012, and what is very similar is that we had a good practice day and then race day was rainy and gnarly. It is pretty crazy to have it be 11 years apart and experience the same conditions just about. It’s really unfortunate because the weekend before and the week after the weather in Norman was beautiful, so it was really bummer for the organizers and all the NASS staff to have to deal with it.
SIMP: I was looking forward to this event for awhile. After seeing all the work Jay and his crew put into the event I knew it was going to be rad. Friday ended up being the best day, the rain cooperated and we were able to run the dirt section. After a few laps of going through the dirt section the dirt got tacky and we were able to absolutely rip through it! It was such an awesome time being able to turn laps with the boys on an awesome track.
Butters: Aside from the weather, this was the event I was looking forward to the most this year, well, other than SMoN. I really think it is a cool idea to have a big event for Supermoto in America that utilized state, regional, and even Canadian Supermoto clubs around North America to qualify for the shootout. There was an eastern qualifier held in New York in conjunction with a SMEC race, a western qualifier in conjunction with Cascadia Supermoto in Oregon, two central qualifiers first one was in Colorado with Colorado Supermoto and the second was in Wisconsin during the annual Lightning On The Wolf event. As well as a Canadian qualifier through Supermoto Québec. If you were not able to make it to a qualifying race you could even submit for a golden ticket to come race the shootout.
I really look forward to this event growing in the coming years. I love that it supports the state and regional clubs because they are the lifeblood of supermoto. I hope it entices all racers to participate be that Pro’s, current or retired, amateurs, beginners, Vets, and kids all have a place at this badass Event.
1st: Nathan Baeyens 2nd: Donny Torweihe 3rd: Yan Boursier
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
NASS Amatuer
71 Nathan Baeyens 1-1
404 Donny Torweihe 3-2
22 Yan Boursier 2-3
87 David Guertin 4-4
252 Christopher Anderson 5-5
217 Jordan Jones 6-6
217x Liz Penney 7-7
JBANG: Rain Dampened my program dramatically, I hit the floor a few too many times and decided to stay off the bike. Showing up on used rains is never the move! I decided to help the NASS Broadcast team and got to see the magic behind the live stream.
Butters: Donny is one of our boys from Colorado and he made the trip to OMC had never raced in the rain and he killed it. Our guys Jbang had some crashes and lingering injuries that saw him go from racer to livestream producer. Can’t say I was surprised to see Baeyans take the win as he has really good speed on the asphalt. Major standouts missing from the results are the father son duo of Matt and Hayden Burge. Matt used his veteran savvy and choose the sidelines while Hayden proved fast in the tricky conditions but a fall in Asphalt class ended the fast youngster weekend.
1st: Andrew Millier 2nd: Anthony Franco 3rd: Nathan Baeyens
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
NASS ASSphalt
144 Andrew Millier 1-3
312 Anthony Franco 2-2
71 Nathan Baeyens 6-1
24 Michael Michaud 3-4
9 Dimitri Godard 5-5
227 Nelson Jr. Morean 4-7
22 Yan Boursier 9-6
88 Jacob Randall 8-8
403 Kevin Kotliaroff 10-9
122 Ken Armstrong 7-dns
12 Renee Franco dnf-dns
69 Hayden Burge dnf-dns
Butters: this was a wild class to watch. Millier had a huge get off in Open Pro heat 2 that we all thought ended his weekend. Typical pro got up kept racing and even took the victory in the asphalt class over the northeastern OG of Franco. Another noteable mention was Franco’s Daughter Renee, another casualty of the cold wet conditions. she was quite fast on friday we all rode the open practice.
1st: Anthony Franco 2nd: Michael Michaud 3rd: JC Bernier
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
NASS Vet (30+)
312 Anthony Franco 1-1
24 Michael Michaud 2-2
151 JC Bernier 4-3
9 Dimitri Godard 3-4
227 Nelson Jr. Morean 5-6
22 Yan Boursier 7-5
88 Jacob Randall 8-7
775 Andy Gautschi 10-8
66 Sam Lakas 9-10
403 Kevin Kotliaroff 11-9
122 Ken Armstrong 6-dns
298 Sergio Di Molfetta dnf-dns
Butters: Franco and Michaud really ran away in the vet class
Eli Engstrom overcame a motor failure and had to ride a different motorcycle in these tricky conditions. While Israel Cavazos managed the track on dot tires. Impressive
NASS futures
28 Eli Engstrom
633 Israel "IJ" Cavazos
1st: Charlie Buffum 2nd: Jake Randall 3rd: Sergio Di Molfetta
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
NASS Pro Lites
929 Charlie Buffum 1-1
764 Jacob Randall 2-3
298 Sergio Di Molfetta 3-4
324 Ryan Samp 6-2
66 Sam Lakas 4-5
266 Brandon Kinsey 7-6
728 Steve Ingram 5-dns
Butters: Earlier this year Simpy had earned his first AMA Supermoto victory in the rain, so I think we all had high hopes for our simpster. Maybe he could give the unstoppable Buffdaddy a run.
Simpy: With rain forecasted for the Saturday and Sunday Motos I was hoping I would be able to
Butters: Unfortunately for him moto 1 with an old rain front on saw you hit the ground twice on lap one and only make it back to sixth.
Simpy: After having a horrific first lap I just settled into safe pace and tried to finish out the moto without hitting the asphalt again. I ended up getting lapped by Charlie which wasn’t the best feeling in the world.
Butters: For Sunday’s frigid second moto you got a fresh front and drop your lap time from a 1:04.4 to a 59.6. Ridiculous.
Simpy: I didn’t really have a choice after moto 1 so I ended up getting a fresh front on for moto 2 (Thanks butter) This made a giant difference! I was able to keep Charlie in sight for the whole second moto. I wasn’t able to get close enough to try and make a pass but it was a significant improvement over moto 1. unfortunately I lost out on getting an overall podium because of how poor moto 1 was. I’m definitely bummed I wasn’t able to get a podium at the first NASS event but I’m always glad to see Charlie do good, he’s a ripper and deserved the #1 this year. I left a lot of room for improvement for next year and I’m already looking forward to the opportunity to get a overall win at the North American Supermoto Shootout.
Butters: Jake Randall seemed to be in every class possible and rode SM granny’s sweet 250f to second on the podium, Sergio with third, and Buffdaddy took home the first ever NASS pro lites victory
1st: Jake LaForge 2nd: Shane Narbonne 3rd: Sean Butterman
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
NASS Pro Open
17 Jake Laforge 1-2
64 Shane Narbonne 3-1
109 Sean Butterman 2-3
838 Tim Velasquez 5-4
144 Andrew Millier 4-5
33 Dawson Schieffer 7-6
151 JC Bernier 8-7
324 Ryan Samp 10-8
88 Jacob Randall 9-10
227 Nelson Jr. Morean 11-9
103 Kevin Kotliaroff 12-9
80 Brady Tausan 6-dnf
55 Koy Baker dnf-12
424 Josh Jackson dns-dns
Butters: Man, where do I start? So, I saw there was a heavy chance of rain, yet I did nothing to prepare. I just thought, hell yeah, a rain race would be so fun. It was; I just should have brought some waterproof jackets/ponchos, some extra gloves, and maybe some warmer clothes (luckily, my buddies from South Dakota helped me out with extra gear. Thank you, Bret and Pat).
On Friday, we got to ride the dirt section toward the end of the day once it dried enough. It was cool to see the efforts the NASS/SMEC group put into this race. For instance, they got ol' Monte Frank out to build us a sweet dirt section with an alternate layout for the pro classes that included a big triple jump. Add in the Livestream with commentary from some of Oklahoma's finest SM racers, Kenny Troxell and Travin Wiley. Then, the aesthetics of the banners, flags, finish line structure, and podium structure all made it feel so cool. I really like the premise of this race to be a shootout that pulls riders from all over North America to compete.
My first stop on Saturday was to the ever-busy Toxic Moto trackside support for some fresh rain tires. I was in heat 1 for open pro after qualifying 3rd in time practice. My heat had one of my favorite supermoto homies in it, the number 17 of Jake Laforge. We spent a couple of years as teammates under the mighty RSR rig, and it had been 2 years since I had got to ride with Jake since his injury at Tucson in 2021. He holeshot the heat and set a mean pace. Midway through the heat race, the skies opened up, and it dumped down rain. At this point, we still were running the very short abbreviated dirt section. I was trying to keep pace but was falling back slightly, so I pushed. The thing about the rain was you couldn't push, so I lowsided, fell back to 4th, and almost caught back up to my guy Dawson Schieffer by the end. I was soaked and a bit mad at myself for falling.
With the weather forecast showing even lower temps and more rain Sunday, the organizers powered through the schedule to fit the first motos in on Saturday. Moto 1 started with a bang when Shane Narbonne stalled on the launch (luckily no one collided with him). Millier almost tucked the front going into turn 1 right next to me. Going into turn 2, Laforge almost tosses it (to be fair, for the racers that were in heat 1, it was the first time we entered turn two without hitting a dirt section before it), and I'm like, "What is going on?" I did my best to keep Jake honest, but he slowly got a 2-second gap over me, and Shane came from the back of the pack to 3rd, setting the fastest lap of the race. The freshly crowned SMEC champion Miller rebounded from the brutal crash in his heat race to finish 4th in front of Colorado’s winningest racer, Timmy V, in 5th.
Sunday was cold. During the riders' meeting, it seemed like the rain was turning into snow. It was kind of windy, and it was 40 degrees out and only getting colder. We got our bikes on the warmers, and I skipped practice to just go out for the final moto. Moto 2, I was able to beat Shane to turn one, but Jake was 3 for 3 on holeshots. I tried the first couple of laps to get a wheel on Jake, but the more I pushed, the slower I went. Before long, I had Shane breathing down my back. He made a nice pass on me, and he set after Jake. I failed to gather myself back into a calm pace and finished about 7 seconds back at the checkered. Shane got the moto win, but Jake really only had to beat me for the overall. It was awesome to share the podium with those two. Shane and I have been friends and on and off teammates for almost a decade now. Jake is such a humble and talented racer; I was happy to see him win, especially since it's been a couple of years off of racing.
JBANG: Jake Laforge is A BAD MUTHA! after being off the bike injured to come back with that speed is insane. Fastest man on the track has to go to Shane, with a poor launch on moto 1 set him up for a tough weekend. But it was sure fun to watch him cut through the pack. I think with a few tweaks the live stream might be the move for NASS and SMEC. But I’m Bias to the moto cast. Vid Below.
Hope to see you all at next years North American Supermoto Shootout! huge thank you to Chris at Chain Reaction photograthy for braving these conditions with his equipment and providing us with photos from the Event. below are some of our favorite photos he captured.
follow him on Facebook and instagram to see more
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChainReactionPhotographer
instagram: Chain Reaction Photography (@chainreactionphotographer) | Instagram profile
Unique and gorgeous trophies for the Pro Class Victors
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
Laforge reminding everyone that he is still the tip of the spear in american supermoto
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
Josh Jackson 424 used a golden ticket to come down from Alaska race his first supermoto event in 6 years.
Sadly, the dirt section, being clay, quickly became a no go, we ran half of Saturday with a short cut through the dirt before more rain made that too dangerous to continue to use. Andrew Millier demonstrates.
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
227 Nelson Jr. Morean leads the vet class into turn 1
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
Sergio “ugly” Di Molfetta wasn’t the only rider to crash, in fact I’d be surprised if there was a rider that didn’t fall at least once on the weekend.
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
SMR’s Simping Samp looking dirty
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
66 Sam Lakas being like a kid and splashing around
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
Nobody has a more professional program than Shane Narbonne, a true professional.
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
it was awesome to see the canadian represent at the innaugual NASS event. rider: 9 Dimitri Godard
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
Butterman and Timmy V= Best friends forever
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
22 Yan Boursier. such a cool shot, look at how the spokes pop
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
929 Charlie Buffum Bro lites champion of everything
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
87 David Guertin. did you canadians bring this wheather with you?
photo: Chain Reaction Photography
AMA Supermoto Round 4 / Sturgis
Buffum Strikes like Lightning, Pearce Takes Career first
Were we blacked out or was it a media black out? Maybe what happens in Sturgis stay in Sturgis… nah in all seriousness we didn’t have my beautiful wife with us during this long trip to take photos and it was a night race so cameras capturing racing shots don’t do well in low light either. Luckily for us and you our friend and amazing photographer Chris Bruce came out and snaped some awesome shot before the sun set on Sturgis.
Bang: Sturgis never disappoints! We’re all thinking it, it’s not the “streets of Sturgis” But I will say this race event is one of the most memorable events I have ever attended. The track was a Oval & TT, Jump out of the oval and onto the MX track. The dirt is prepped to get packed, wet, and bluegroove, Riding it on Rains gives more traction than I expected. Made for some gnarly racing.
Russ Plane back on the podium
Bang: Riding with a broken thumb was brutal, it was my first time qualifying onpole so that was cool. Moto 1 I went down and rode around with a flopping handguard for half a lap until i decided to pull off to remove it. Zach Was moving.
photo: Chris Bruce
National Am
69 Zach Klassen 1-1
292 Johnny Bang 4-2
471 Russ Plane 3-3
141 Thomas Michelke 2-4
487 Graham Watson 5-5
938 Darren Kochanowski 6-6
Butters: Jbang rode awesome with a busted up thumb to get himself on the podium. After such a long week it was awesome to see Johnny get on the podium. Zach and Russ have been really impressive this year
who runs out of gas and still gets second place? Simpy does
Bang:fag!
photo: Chris Bruce
Pro Lites
929 Charlie Buffum 1-1
324 Ryan Samp 2-2
686 Jeff Panelley 3-3
266 Brandon Kinsey 4-4
Simpy: Sturgis hits different. I had such an awesome time going back and racing there again.. I feel like I missed out on the pinnacle of Sturgis supermoto racing since they don’t wind through the city streets anymore but something about riding an MX track on a supermoto kinda makes up for it. With gnarly ruts forming and the motos getting pushed back due to lightning delays it made for an unbelievable racing experience. Without the sun beating down on you during a race it makes it so much more enjoyable to just go out and turn laps. It was really cool how they incorporated the flat track/TT track into the course, it added a few technical spots that we didn’t have last year and made it way more unique than just running on the mx track. Even through all the delays we still managed to get through all the motos and have an awesome night racing with the homies.
Moto 1: Check your gas, folks. Moto 1 started off great, had a decent start on the “asphalt” but ended up getting pushed wide by Zach Klassen cause there was no traction and we had a decent amount of momentum going into the corner. After everyone managed to get through the first corner and onto the dirt I ended up being behind Zach and Charlie Buffum going into the first couple jumps. Once we made it through the dark shicane I was able to get around Zach on the big tabletop and beat him to the next corner. Once I got around him me and Charlie kind of checked out and lapped everyone except Zach. Charlie was on another level here, I knew I wasn’t gonna stand a chance of keeping up with him on an all dirt course but he exceeded my expectations and killed it the night. So Stoked for him and what he accomplished that night. After grinding through 8 more laps of just trying to keep Buffum in sight (which I didn’t) I was coming through the dark shicane and heard my bike cut out for a second and instantly realized I forgot to add gas after going out for practice. It wasn’t very much further before it shut off completely and stranded me on the side of the track. Trust me, running out of gas with a quarter lap left makes for a long walk back to the pits. After getting back to the pits I realized I should’ve pushed the back around the flat track to finish the last lap. This would’ve made scoring the moto a lot easier. Hindsight is 20/20. It was pretty discouraging watching all the people I had lapped come around and pass me back while I'm exhausted and pushing my bike back in the dark. Just had to get to the pits and get ready to go back out for Open Pro and not make the same mistake again.
Moto 2: Moto 2 started off pretty similar. I made it to the first jumps right behind Zack and Charlie but it took me a little longer to get around Zach since I wasn’t able to take advantage of the passing lines on the mx track. Luckily once we got to the flat track TT section I was able to get around him and push forward. Charlie was already gone though. It was pretty boring once I got into second, Just put my head down and found a flow. Ended up second in that moto which helped a lot for points. Going dnf/2 overall makes it a little complicated for scoring but luckily since I lapped everyone else in moto 1 it counted as a 2nd which led to a 2nd overall for the race. I’m stoked that’s how it turned out cause having a 4th place overall would’ve tanked any shot I had at the title. Even though Charlie is ripping this year I’m still within striking distance for season points. Just have to wait and see how the next two rounds unfold.
Bronson Pearce has picked up speed over in europe and brought it home, Career first victory for him
photo: Chris Bruce
Open Pro
32 Bronson Pearce 2-1
929 Charlie Buffum 1-3
41 Nicky Reimer 3-2
109 Sean Butterman 4-4
839 Brandon Hatle 5-5
324 Ryan Samp 6-6
175 Austin Pecoraro 8-7
266 Brandon Kinsey 9-8
33 Dawson Scheiffer 7-DNF :(
Simpy: This was my favorite Open Pro race this season. I was able to find a decent flow and always have fun racing with the homies. I was on the 250 all night cause I was short on rain tires and felt more comfortable on the 250 in the dirt. I was getting close to Brandon in moto 1 but tucked the front going around the flat track section. It was a quick crash but I still didn’t have enough time to try and catch back up. After doing the pro Lites motos and Moto 1 for Open Pro I was pretty gassed so I just found the same spot in finishing order and ran smooth laps to get through the race. Running double duty was pretty tough on that track but it was cool being able to get more seat time on it and racing in front of all the bikers that showed up from the rally. Overall it was another awesome road trip out to Wisconsin and Sturgis and I’m already looking forward to next year.
Butters: I did myself no favors at this race, we had lightning delays resulting in practice and qualifying being combined into a single 20min session. I brought a set of stock airforks off my moto bike to put on to try to give myself more comfort and feeling on the majority motocross style track. It proved to be a bad move as it threw the balance of the bike far of what i know and i left my caliper bolts loose in my hurryied attemp to swap forks resulting in 4 laps of practice/qualifing for myself. the track was super fun to ride with a unique layout of a tt track and moto track the jackpine gypies facility in Sturgis. with the race being during the 83rd annual bike rally. The track and Ama supermoto decided to try to hold the race during the evening under the lights like because thats when they traditional hold the flattrack or tt races. They had to mobile lights for the motocross portion of the track that were not able to be delivered until the day of the race so they were untested and the lighting was very dark in some sections of the track. Overall it was super fun to ride the dirt rutted up and made for a very unique circuit. First moto my guy Charlie Buffum straight up beat us all on his 250f, yep a 250f… wild. Buffdaddy raced both classes as normal so he had so much riding to do and it took a toll on him by the second open moto but still got second overall with 1-3 finishes. Bronson Pearce made his return to the series with his first ever overall win going 2-1! Nicky figured out the track better on moto 2 and going 3-2 for third overall. I felt good but a stall in the second moto and just being a tad off pace left me in 4th.
Bang: Buff Daddy was untouchable moto 1, It was very impressive. Bronsons Flat track abilities showed, I think he has an edge at a track like that.
tossin Dawson tossed himself into the ground first lap of the second moto after catching a rut weird and dislocating his shoulder. heal up homie
photo: Chris Bruce
Nicky found himself off the top step off the podium for the first time this year
photo: Chris Bruce
It was nice to have Brandon Hatle at the races again
photo: Chris Bruce
I found myself off the podium for the first time this year, looked good though
photo: Chris Bruce
“buffdaddy” came out swinging in sturgis winning the first Open Pro race in impressive fashion, on his 250f… he sweeped both prolites moto and was 2nd overall in Open Pro
photo: Chris Bruce
Huge thanks to Chris Bruce for the photos check him out on Instagram
Lightning On The Wolf/Smec rd4
Narbonne leads the pack to victory. Vossberg Superior in super performance over super carl
SMEC RD4
Butters: So we made the road trip out to Shawano Wisconsin for the 11th annual running of the Lightning on the wolf(LOTW) Supermoto race. The race has been a main stay on the SMEC schedule for years now. US Air Motorsports Raceway is probably the best Supermoto track in the USA. It was our best opportunity to get our ragtag crew of Supermoto junkies to a SMEC event this year. So myself, Johnny Bang, Simpy, a Simpy’s brother Zack loaded up for a week on the road and drove thru the night Wednesday 8/2 to get there late Thursday so we could spend all 3 days of the LOTW weekend at the track. It was epic
Simp: Bucket list track pretty much sums it up. Such a rad setting and the elevation change makes it feel like you’re riding a rollercoaster. This year we decided to tent camp at the track which turned out to be pretty sick. It was awesome being able to wake up at the track and not be pressed on time. It was a little hot and humid but I already can’t wait to go back.
Jbang: LOTW is my favorite on the circuit. Totally worth the 24 hour drive. The track is so mint, asphalt is super consistent and the dirt holds water and shapes up excellent. I have to give a huge shout out to SMEC race events, they always put on a very professional event, not to mention how good the finishline/flags/podium and all the little things that make the event look so damn sharp. RACE SMEC has a team of true professionals that come out and kill it.
photo: klings media
Butters: I smashed the ground on Friday practice not as bad as Simpy but broke the visor on my new moto 10 lid so I was bumming because I knew my gorgeous helmet was going to look wack. I was fine though, our tire situation in the SMR pit was not. I was on some roached tires, alas that’s no surprise I’ve always been a cheap bastard when it comes to tires. Shane Narbonne like the true homie he is gave me a nice conditioned rear takeoff, but no front cause he runs a 16in front to my 16.5 wheel. Thats where JC came in Klutch like the true klutch industries teammate he is with the front takeoff. See what i did there…haha Support Klutch. I saved the takeoffs for Sunday to give myself the best rubber for the final. On Saturdays Race 1 I didn’t have anything for Shane or for Ty but I had enough speed to be third, with a fast lap of 1:49.0 . Sunday’s race 2 I dropped 3 second of my lap time to 1:46.1 and did my best to keep Shane honest for the long 15 lap moto. he would pull on the asphalt and I’d reel it back in the dirt, but he slowly got a gap of ultimately 5 second and controlled the race. I think Ty would have been in the battle had he not crashed in the 250 race HARD. he still pulled a 3rd over some very talented riders while hurting. Thanks to the Timmy V and Sketchballs for making the weekend even more enjoyable, Heal up quick Sketchballs. Thanks to the SMEC team for all the do for the community, My wife for making my dreams possible, Joe Agley RSR, Klutch, Toxic moto, Benny at bell, beringer, bret tausan, JBang, Simpy, Zack, Kevin, and all the people im probably forgetting right now. THANK YOU
Simp:I smashed the ground on Friday… Went out for practice and they were running a little behind on watering the track so it got pretty dusty. I Came around to the jump section and rolled up on a few slower riders that checked up for the double which kicked up a bunch of dust making the jump face impossible to see. I was pretty much at commit level so decided to hit the jump anyway…poor decision. Miss-timed the face and got bucked pretty hard over the bars. Ended up trying to land using my face which went about as good as you can expect. Somehow didn’t break anything so I was able to get up and race the rest of the weekend.
Jbang:
SMEC1 Open Pro
1 Shane Narbonne 1-1
109 Sean Butterman 3-2
727 Ty Fietzer 2-3
838 Tim Velasquez 4-4
80 Brady Tausan 5-5
324 Ryan Samp 7-6
144 Andrew Millier 6-7
60 Carl Soltisz 8-8
817 William Wildner 9-9
151 JC Bernier 10-10
296 Mitchell Thomson 11-DNS
479 Michael Eller DNS-11(dnf) Poor sketchy
insane Shane with the dub
photo: klings media
SMEC1 250
929 Charlie Buffum 1-1
728 Steve Ingram 4-2
66 Sam Lakas 5-3
266 Brandon Kinsey 6-4
727 Ty Fietzer 2-dnf :(
479 Michael Eller 3-dnf
Bro lites podium
photo: klings media
Butters: Its cool to see Hayden figuring out how to go fast, and to beat the legend that is his father is cool. I felt bad for jbang between running around and filming we let the generator that johnnys tire warmers plugged into run out of fuel. He proceeded to holeshot on cold tires and end up on the ground.
Simp: Poor J Bang. Gnarly looking crash but took it like a champ and kept on trucking.
Jbang: I was so excited to qualify just off pole. Game plan was to go win or swing for second, I was sure I had it. I returned to staging after filming 250’s to find the generator out of gas and cold tires. I led the group to the back straight where I didn’t have the stopping power I needed(they all went by) I tried to push back entering the dirt I went wide hoping the crowd would bottle up, Still with cold tires I blew off the track ended up in some tire track barriers smashing my hand and breaking my thumb, finished both motos but couldn’t ride at pace. #squidlife
SMEC2 Amatuer
69 Hayden Burge 2-1
740 Jeisen Soto Chacon 1-4
120 Matt Burge 3-3
91 Ty Haas 6-2
220 Justus Donatelli 5-6
97 Cody Keller 4-11
87 David Guertin 8-8
292 Johnny Bang 10-7
16 Tim Anway 7-10
28 Andrew Haas 9-9
101 Seth Dahmer DNS-5
Son beats father, Matt burge is a legend hayden looks to be following in his foot steps
photo: klings media
Simpy: I talked my cousin Kevin into coming out and trying Supermoto for the first time. It was awesome watching him start to figure it out and pick up speed. Stoked he was able to have hist first Sumo race at the best track ever too.
SMEC3 Novice/beginner
305 Andres Betancourt 1-1
115 Jeremy Bjorkman 2-2
151 Matthew Otto 3-3
470 Nathan Peter 4-5
41 Kevin Reynolds 9-4
51 Jake Randolph 6-6
83 John Barnes 5-7
52 Parke Wagner 7-8
167 Zach Otto 8-DNS
I gotta say it #305 should not be in SMEC3 class he is to fast
photo: klings media
SMEC5 / VET
120 Matt Burge 1-1
454 Jeremy Sargent 2-2
496 Joshua Keifer 3-3
I cant wait to race the best class aka the vet class
photo: klings media
MOTARD CUP / expert ASSphalt
31 Hank Vossberg 1-1
71 Nathan Baeyens 3-2
60 Carl Soltisz 2-3
15 Hayden Diedrich 4-4
101 Seth Dahmer 5-5
144 Andrew Millier 6-8
12 Tom Benedict 10-6
97 Cody Keller 11-7
801 Anthony Barco 9-10
86 Shawn Sheely 14-9
92 Vinne Studt 7-dnf
479 Michael Eller 8-
305 Andres Betancourt 0-11
68 Nick Uselmann 12-0
16 Tim Anway 13-
63 Mark Toso 15-
470 Nathan Peter 16-0
expert asphalt super carl, Baeyens and Vossberg
photo: klings media
pHOTos
Save some style for the rest of us Shane… So hot
photo: klings media
what came first the chicken or the egg?
photo: Jessica Sargent
Brady Tausan and Timmy V were in seperable on the track both pro motos
photo: Jessica Sargent
Hank Vossberg is young like 13-15 i think and he rides a 450 with the same amount of (dis)respect as Shane Narbonne…. epic
Sketchballs with the sweet style in the dirt, he doesnt even look sketchy in this shot wtf
photo: Jessica Sargent
Super carl had to wheelie across the finish line even though the battle with Nathan Baeyens was on. Proper
photo: Jessica Sargent
Ty Fietzer gets better everytime I see him, a bad crash in 250 moto 2 hampered his results on the weekend
photo: Jessica Sargent
Andrew Millier Leads the Smec1 open points standings, i had not heard of him til this year but its cool to see new blood in the series
photo: Jessica Sargent
Charlie Buffum manualing the rollers on his way to victory
photo: Jessica Sargent
Timmy V airing out the wall jump probably to flat cause he is scared of landings
photo: Jessica Sargent
Hayden Diedrich with a pretty bike and good style
photo: Jessica Sargent
buddy race explanations/confusions
photo: Jessica Sargent
this is supermoto
photo: Jessica Sargent
Kevin Reynolds made the trek to Shawano to try supermoto for the first time ever. he was on SMR “cross platform program” where we got a set of warp 9 wheels for someone to use so if you now anyone with a yamaha that wants to try supermoto with some hot boi gold wheels get at us
photo: Jessica Sargent
Hank Vossberg is something. Im not normally impressed by people in the asphalt only class but this young kid absolutely handed it to everyone in the asphalt only classes that had current pro road racers in them. beyond impressed with him
photo: Jessica Sargent
“you’re doing a job” -Fred
photo: Jessica Sargent
I hope you all enjoyed taking a look SMEC round 4/LOTW 2023. Click on the links within the photos to discover more. A big thank you goes out to Klings Media and Jessica Sargent for sharing their incredible work with us.
-til next time SMR dorks out
more links
Klings media: k.media | Twitter, Instagram, TikTok | Linktree
Jessica Sargent: smugmug glsm fb page
AMA Supermoto round 2-IMI motorsports complex
“Simpin Samp makes waves in the wet with a career first victory”
Butters: The second and third round of the 2023 AMA Supermoto championship was initially scheduled to have round 2 at Colorado National Speedway on Saturday June 3 followed by Round 3 on Sunday June 4 at IMI motorsports complex, just a couple miles away. This double header weekend was the weekend on the AMA Sm schedule I was most excited for. I have raced both tracks over the years with Colorado Supermoto but the weather had different plans. CNS cancelled the event on Thursday due to heavy rain but luckily for us IMI was able to accommodate us Supermoto people both days. I wasn’t to bummed about losing cns since IMI has 5 possible track layouts for Supermoto with 2 different dirt section, so it gave the opportunity to have two rounds with the option for different track layouts.
On Friday it looked as though the dirt dried out enough to use the dirt, but Saturday the rain just lightly kept raining most of the day and the clay turned unridable quickly, I gooned out trying out the dirtsection and re injured my knee that I had hurt about a month before. I wanted to cry, mainly cause we where gonna have to run asphalt only.
Simp: Overall it was an awesome weekend. Had some ups and downs but I snagged my first win so I can’t complain. Slightly bummed we didn’t do CNS just because I’ve never raced there but I was also stoked to do IMI only because I have a lot of seat time there and wouldn’t have to learn lines.
JBang:I was disappointed when CNS was canceled, primarily because I was hoping for a diverse experience. The weather forecast predicted rain throughout the entire weekend, which made me nervous since I had limited experience dealing with rainy conditions. However, I maintained my excitement about attending IMI, as it offered various alternatives layouts (though we ultimately didn't pursue any of them).
Austin Pecoraro giving the scoop to his pops. I wonder how many Supermoto races Paul P has been to over the years? At least 175 or so I’d say.
photo: Katys Photography
Assphalt open
100 Jorge Duhart 1-1
51 Giorgio Cravotto 2-2
18 Jimmy Westover 3-3
77 Julien Cassels 5-4
429 Will Sequino 4-5
Amateur Assphalt
471 Russ Plane 1-1
487 Graham Watson 2-2
777 Seth Berger 3-3
37 Corey Gushwa 6-4
177 Zachery Griswold 5-5
177 Todd Griswold 4-6
929 Allan Ballard 7-7
292 Jonathan Sanchez 8-8
SMR’s editor and chief executive sender Johnny Bang
photo: Katys Photography
Moto 1 grid of Asphalt open
photo: Katys Photography
The 471 of Russ Plane was ripping fast in the amateur classes.
photo: Katys Photography
Jorge Duhart And Giorgio Cravotto battle for the win in Asphalt
photo: Katys Photography
Asphalt open start
photo: Katys Photography
National Amateur
471 Russ Plane 1-2
69 Zach Klassen 4-1
44 Tony Wenck 3-2
441 Mikael Sedlacek 2-5
487 Graham Watson 6-4
251 Clayton Moyer 5-7
37 Corey Gushwa 7-8
191 Jeff Rydalch 10-6
292 Jonathan Sanchez 9-9
177 Zachery Griswold 8-10
77 Julien Cassels 11-11
124 Shaundell Ross 12-12
97 Nicholas Hansen 13-13
jbang: The AM class continues to exceed expectations, evolving with each passing round. The level of competition is remarkable, as ANY of the top contenders have the potential to emerge victorious, each showcasing unique attributes that set them apart from one another. I went down and rode scared all weekend, I seem to have nothing for these guys this year.
butters: The top six was a battle in this class, you could almost throw a blanket over these dudes. These Immature’s also got to experience the most drastic difference in the weather for track condition than the other classes moto 1 was wet and moto 2 was dry ish. I think most guys had a rear slick on with a rain front, Mike on bikes look to have slicks front and rear. Plane and Klassen stuck out to me as far as progression in speed. Points leader Graham Watson had a huge get off on Friday so I’m a fan of the heart and perseverance he showed.
Simp: Amateur class was ripping this round! It was cool to finally be able to watch the motos and see the battles. The rain definitely split up the class a little but the top couple guys were shredding. I had just passed Graham when he crashed and heard his bike sliding behind me. Pretty gnarly that he went the whole weekend with broken ribs. Respect.
national Amateur was a fun race to spectate the top 6 was a battle the entire race
photo: Katys Photography
I like to know the context behind Tony Wenck with the bag of mcD’s right after the race. I think tony did more races/laps than anyone
photo: Katys Photography
Clayton Moyer has been battle adversity on and off the track but continues to impress
photo: Katys Photography
Russ Plane reigned supreme over the AM classes with pro class speed
photo: Katys Photography
Pro lites
324 Ryan Samp 1-1
929 Charles Buffum 2-2
479 Mike Eller 3-3
121 Daniel Raygor 4-4
357 Kameron Barboa 5-5
Simp: Moto 1
I guess I like rain races. Started off the day by qualifying P1 (a first for me) and getting a good grid spot. I decided to not take advantage of that and instead get a bad start, putting me third into turn 1. I was able to get around Mike Eller (affectionately known as “Sketchballs”) in the first lap but it took me three or four more to get close enough to make a move on Charlie. I Definitely think the reason I won here was because I have more experience at that track and know the lines better. I was able to use that to my advantage going around the horseshoe corner because Charlie was taking a wider line into that corner and I was able to tuck underneath and take the rest of his line away for the second apex. Once I got around charlie I was able to put my head down and get a little bit of a lead and walk away with the W. It was pretty awesome crossing the checkered flag first and having to pass a few people to do it.
Moto2
This moto win was the product of a quick tire change decision and Charlie tucking the front. Moto 1 was pretty much full rain conditions but by the time moto 2 started the sun had come out for a little bit and dried the track out. It was a last minute call to switch the rear tire from a rain to a slick. Luckily the moto was postponed by 15 minutes so I had a little time to get a tire warmer on it before the race started. We definitely made the right call, the track had dried out even more and I had awesome traction the whole time. Unfortunately for Charlie, going into the turn at the top of the hill he tucked the front which caused Mike to slide and highside. Somehow Sketchballs was able to run it out…He might be Spiderman. I was able to avoid the downed bikes by cutting down and going inside. Once I got around them I had open track the rest of the moto and got the overall Win. It was cool to be able to ride on rain tires and slicks in the same day and feel how the traction changed throughout the day. By the end of the motos the left side of my rear rain tire had almost no tread left. It was pretty gnarly how much traction a new set of rain tires give you and how much you can ask of them in a corner.
butters: 250f’s are so fun to ride sm on
Dan Raygor is like myself, a long time SM og. He brought out is old carbuated honda and was one of the few Local colorado racers to brave the weather
I ride ever week with Simpy out in the New Mexico desert, so im not really surprised. His progress on the bike is annoying to say the least. It not going to be long before I have to worry about him beating me.
Charlie threw it away and we lost out on a battle for the overall.
Sketchballs! AMA supermoto’s winingest Amateur got his first pro lites podium
jbang: Ryan Samp Fucks. His progress hasn’t seemed to find a plateu. Charlie went down on the opening lap but it seemed Ryan had a little speed on him on Saturday. Shout out to Kam for taking a break from SX and trying SM.
With the Supercross series over we talked Kameron Barboa into giving Supermoto a try, here he leads Colorado Supermoto president Shaundell Ross
photo: Katys Photography
Buff and Simpy where on another level in the 250 Pro Lites class
photo: Katys Photography
Simply simpy
photo: Katys Photography
Dan Raygor experiencing his local track in that rare wet condition
Pro lites Podium 1st: 324 Ryan Samp 2nd: 929 Charlie Buffum 3rd: 479 Mike Eller
photo: Katys Photography
Open Pro
41 Nicky Reimer 1-1
109 Sean Butterman 2-2
33 Dawson Schieffer 3-3
80 Brady Tausan 4-4
175 Austin Pecoraro 5-5
929 Charles Buffum 6-6
479 Mike Eller 8-7
324 Ryan Samp 7-8
429 Will Sequino 9-9
butters: I got the holeshot moto 1, my wife couldn’t believe it. Starts have always been my achilles heel. Nick flew by and was gone. Dawson kept me honest until the end. Dawson speed looks to have come back from a rough knee injury a year or two ago, he joined Reimer as the only other rider to get under a minute laptime. Damn kids.
Second moto Reimer got me into turn 1 but to our surprise Bad Brady Tausan comes around the outside of us spinning up the rear dragging his peg. Nick and Brady collided into turn two resulting in Nick on the ground. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as I manage to avoid the wreckage. Tausan managed to stay up somehow, the incident only heavily affect Dawson and Nick. I got mesmerized for a couple laps by Brady’s sweet slides, but found my way around when he blew a corner. I’m just cruising my rear tire completely shot, then i hear a bike and im like shit who caught me? no way is it Nicky. It was Nicky. Dawson was catching me too! I picked up my pace and fended him off, it felt great since all Dawson does is beat me on MxBikes.
It was a cool podium to share with Nick and Dawson, I’ve watched them grow up and get annoyingly fast. Huge thanks to Ron Reed for coming out to wrench for me and Jimmy Westover for taping and wrapping my knee, I Appreciate you guys. Also Klutch Industries got me some really cool custom MVD racewear that I was amped on. Hit them up for a custom sm suit or moto gear. I finally got Samples of cartel spice hot sauces that I kept to myself cause they were literally to good, looking forward to getting my hands on the Cobra Chicken hot sauce Sequino’s has been hiding
Simp: Open pro was tough this weekend. I didn’t have a set of rains for the 450 so I had to run the 250 for all the open pro motos. I didn’t do too bad but definitely noticed the lack of power in a couple spots. Had a crash in moto one going onto the back straight. Tires were a little worn and I was trying to give everything the 250 had and spun up coming out of the corner. Luckily it was a low side and I slid good so I was able to get right back up and finish the moto. Second moto was average. Still had issues with lack of power but I was able to keep rubber side down so It wasn’t too bad. Really wish I was able to run the RSR 450 in Open pro to see if I could’ve finished a few places better. Looking forward to getting more seat time on that bike and finding the same flow I have on the 250.
jbang: Nicky’s Euro Training is showing. Seems like Sean has nothing for him. Injured or not Sean just doesn’t seem to want to beat Nicky. Maybe its age. Maybe he’s washed up.
Brady looked hungry and started good both motos.
I Miss RSR.
Dawson shows natural skill as always. I think he’s got even more in him.
Samps times shows he could’ve been hanging with AP but I don’t think he knows how to ride his 450 yet. I’ve asked him to come practice some SM but he only trains on Groms and one wheels.
Our hero Tossin Dawson Schieffer
photo: Katys Photography
Brady was trying to find the fast line into turn one, but that not it man.
Simpy: “Thought I saw a penny” -brady probably
photo: Katys Photography
Open Bro starting grid
photo: Katys Photography
Reimer and Tausan collide into turn 2 resulting in Reimer on the ground. I had a first row seat it was wild, what was wilder was Reimer came back to pass us all….
photo: Katys Photography
Brady Tausan throwing sparks at as he lead the first couple laps of Open Pro moto 2. Bad Brad is fun to watch ride
photo: Katys Photography
Open Pro Podium 1st: 41 Nicky Reimer 2nd: 109 Sean Butterman 3rd: Dawson Schieffer
photo: Katys Photography
Overall it was a very long day but Alex Mock and crew did the best they could with the circumstances. Jeff Rydalch of toxic moto, and his slave Ryno, had a crazy day of tire changes for wet and then back to dry by the last two races. They sold every last set of rain tires Jeff had. So there we were ready to do again the next day for round 3.
thanks to Katy for the photos!
thanks for reading and being apart of the supermoto community
-SMR dorks
SMEC Round 1- Virginia International Raceway
Results and photos from the round 1 of the 2023 SMEC championship
What up SMR fam,
I got a quasi photo blog of the opening round of the 2023 SMEC championship for y’all. It took place at VIR, Virgina International Raceway, and it looks like a blast to ride. I unfortunately wasn’t there in person, but Jessica Sargent was kind enough to share a massive amount of awesome photos from the race that was. I want to share some of my favorite shots of Jessica’s and I guess those result things we get for partaking in these events. By the way SMEC events are awesome so definitely go to this website racesmec find a event that you can get to. SMEC is one of the few national series but no one puts on Supermoto events at the level they do. For Pro to beginner, young to old, with both Supermoto and Motard classes.
results
SMEC1 Open Pro
144 Andrew Millier 1-1
211 Mateo Maduro 2-2
151 JC Bernier 4-3
817 Will Wildner 3-5
421 Nick Prise 5-4
SMEC1 250 PRO
17 Eugene Fiorotto 2-1
728 Steve Ingram 1-2
66 Sam Lakas 3-3
266 Brandon Kinsey 4-4
298 Sergio(ugly) Di Molfetta 5-5
SMEC2 Amateur
16 Tim Anway 2-1
220 Justus Donatelli 1-2
87 David Guertin 3-3
97 Cody Keller 4-4
SMEC3 Novice
22 Jhovany Velasquez 1-1
12 Jordan Coughlin 3-2
129 Lucas Marsh 2-3
52 Parke Wagoner 5-4
272 Eric Morris 4-dns
SMEC5 Vet
421 Nick Prise 1-1
220 Justus Donatelli 2-2
22 Jhovany Velasquez 3-3
310 Rodney Vest 4-dns
Motard Cup(asphalt only)
71 Nathan Baeyens 1-1
51 Giorgio Cravotto 2-2
144 Andrew Millier 3-3
97 Cody Keller 5-5
305 Andres Betancourt 4-10
Mini Motard cup(150r’s and such)
817 Will Wildner 1-1
421 Nick Prise 2-2
Jeremy Sargent 3-3
46 Michael Stennett 4-4
105 Karl Zometa 5-5
49 John Trammell 6-6
Ya know how the asphalt only is just called Motard… it’s cause the SUPER in SUPERmotard stands for SUPER awesome dirt sections. and asphalt only aint got those;)
Dennis Throckmorton with a close call in the dirt
photo: Jessica Sargent
Start of motard cup race 1
photo: Jessica Sargent
Ronnie Mac need to hit up Dustin Russell to learn how to cut those fenders that clean
photo: Jessica Sargent
mmm 2 stroke Karl Zometa bringing the sweet premix to the mini motard cup class
photo: Jessica Sargent
Giorgio Cravatto the fast italian has made appearances at both of the pro USA championships
photo: Jessica Sargent
Jhovany Velasquez won the SMEC3 novice class and got 3rd in the SMEC5 vet class
photo: Jessica Sargent
Jordan Coughlin with the steez
photo: Jessica Sargent
is it just me or is Jeremy Sargent making dragging knee look cool? on a mini…
photo: Jessica Sargent
my guy JC Bernier got on the podium in the SMEC1 Open pro class. Congrats bruh
photo: Jessica Sargent
Nathan Baeyens with a beautiful poetic type slide
photo: Jessica Sargent
I feel like I can just hear Steve Ingram and Eugene Fiorotto’s 250f’s screaming. I miss riding 250 sm
photo: Jessica Sargent
I feel like David Guertin might be the new Canadian SM ambassador in the US since my RSR teammate Tommy Lemieux hasn’t been able to make it back down for a race since Covid
photo: Jessica Sargent
my dude Will Wildner getting cocky with no rear brake coverage on this wheelie. probably getting influenced by Super Carl and just sent it.
photo: Jessica Sargent
For the past couple seasons my name for Sergio Di Molfetta is Ugly, because he calls me beautiful and its wierd… but in this pic he is beautiful. Wait is that weird?
photo: Jessica Sargent
Shootout to the homie Sam Lakas on the podium in the SMEC1 250 pro class
photo: Jessica Sargent
starting grid for the SMEC1 250 and SMEC5 vet class
VIR looks like a fun track, damn I wish I was there
photo: Jessica Sargent
Nick Prise giving us good technic and a beautiful motorcycle to look at
photo: Jessica Sargent
Andrew Millier Showed that he not only had speed on the asphalt but also can get in done in dirt with a 3rd in the stacked Motard cup and winning the SMEC1 open pro class
photo: Jessica Sargent
Will Wildner 817, Nick Prise 421, and Jeremy Sargent 454 battle it out for mini tard dominence
photo: Jessica Sargent
Huge thanks to Jessica Sargent for providing us with a cool look at round one of SMEC. Find her and her husband Jeremy on Facebook and Instagram to find links to more pictures and join the Great Lakes supermoto riders Facebook page if you haven’t. Support them by going to a trackday they put on with Great Lakes Supermoto
thanks for reading,
-Butters
2023 AMA Supermoto Round 1 - Horse Thief Mile
“Magnum Motorsports sets the tone with 1-3 finishes in Open Pro”
Written By Butters109, Simpy, & Panelley
The 2023 season of AMA Supermoto kicked off at Willow Springs International Raceway's Horse Thief Mile in Rosamond, California. We will unpack the first round of the AMA Supermoto season recap with input from our team, each in one of the riding classes. Butters109 in Open Pro, Simpy in Pro Lites and Panelley riding the National Amateur.
The event was definitely an interesting one, it was a joint event with the 2WTD (2wheelstrackdays) mini racing championship, and the AMA Supermoto Championship. Race day had a packed schedule with multiple asphalt classes alongside the usual AMA Supermoto classes.
Rick Pearce #32
Photo: Johnny Solano @babuelly
Rider’s Initial track take away:
Butters109: The track's elevation changes, and speed added to the challenge for the riders, making it a dope experience for all involved. 2WTD had a lot of racers and is doing the Lord’s work by giving kids great opportunities to go racing, but we will focus on the AMA Supermoto classes in this recap because I’ll be honest, I think asphalt only racing is boring. Sorry dudes add in some dirt shredding, and I’ll pay attention.
Panelley: Beautiful scenery with the hills behind us, and literally racing on the side of a mountain! Props to all that helped bring the old, weeded over, dirt section back to life! ‘It’s not Supermoto without a dirt section’
Most of the racers went with full leathers with their Moto boots and helmet, or a leather pant hybrid setup due to the high speeds on the asphalt.
Simpy: Initially I didn’t have high expectations for the track, the videos I saw online didn’t do the elevation change or high speeds justice. It was pretty cool maxing out my 250f on the downhill section and going through the banked 180 degree turn while dragging my foot peg. The flat corners on top of the hills kept giving me issues throughout the race but somehow I avoided tucking the front, there were definitely a few close calls though. The dirt section was simple but ended up being a good time. It was best during practice Friday because the berms were formed so good you were able to carry more momentum through the corner. During the motos the dirt had less moisture which made the berms a little more inconsistent and slick. Overall the track was a lot of fun and I hope we have rounds there again next year.
Some road racers doing road race things.
Photo: Brad Petruchik @evergrvxn
National Amateur/VET
•Graham Watson kicked everyone’s dick in.
•Big Grid (20+ Riders)
•Clayton Moyer looks to have figured out how to ride asphalt. The rest of the class should be scared.
Panelley: Went into the weekend feeling pretty off. Rode practice on Friday and was WAY off pace. The dirt was loose and the asphalt fast (sounds like a country song)
So, I packed up my gear, grabbed my lawn chair, sunglasses, lawn flamingos and got comfy! (No, I didn’t actually have any flamingos unfortunately)
Then Saturday comes… The race day energy builds… I saw an old friends that talked me into it… Okay Okay I’m Racing!
Graham was on fire all day, after taking a chance by completely tearing his forks apart and making some major changes in his pit.
MOB (#MikeonBikes) is more of a road racer, so the track played in his favor.
Clayton is a Moto kid, with an older 350XCF cross-country bike, so he had some work ahead of him on those long straight aways! Wonder if he is using his 6th gear?
Rydalch was doing double duty, He provided tire service for the paddock under his Toxic Moto Racing canopy AND raced both Motos, all while running a brand new set of custom SM ‘Butters Triple Clamps’ for his Honda.
Moto #1 I started back in 10th and worked my way up to 4th. Moto #2 I was nipping at MOB for 2nd place, but just about tossed myself coming out of the dirt section on the asphalt.. Miraculously didn’t lose a position! But like in the ‘Final Destination’ movies, you can only run from your fate for so long… The very next lap the dirt section caught up to me. I lost the front and the rear coming off the step down drop. Sliding sideways and getting bucked around I somehow didn't go down ..but stalled the bike in the end. I lost 4 positions when my bike wouldn’t start right back up.
In the end I caught back to 5th place with Zach Klassen right behind me for a 4th Overall for the day!
Though I didn’t see my fate beforehand like in the movies, It went pretty well for feeling off and not going to ride at all.
Butters109: I saw one of the Og’s of the sport Rick Pearce #32 out there having a good time! (Finishing 1st in vet and 7th Overall in this combined grid), I actually got to follow him in practice and got some good dirt lines.
Simpy: I wasn’t able to watch most of the amateur because I ran Pro Lites right before and Open Pro right after. I was only able to watch a little bit of practice and qualifying but mainly just saw the homies go around the part of the track that was close to the pits. I’m hoping I’ll be able to catch more of their motos at the next round.
National Amateur/VET Photo Drop:
Graham Watson #487
Amateur Moto 2 Start
Photo: Brad Petruchik @evergrvxn
National Amateur Moto 1 Race Start
Photo: Johnny Solano @babuelly
Jake Randall #88
Photo: Brad Petruchik @evergrvxn
Graham Watson #487 / Clayton Moyer #251 / Rick Pearce
Photo: Karen E Ott @karen_e_ott_photography
Clayton Moyer #251
Photo: Karen E Ott @karen_e_ott_photography
James Older #00 (usually #100)
Photo: Johnny Solano @babuelly
Zach Klassen #69 / Johnny Bang #292
Amateur Dirt Sends!
Photo: Onewheel Brendita
Jeff Panelley #686
Photo: Karen E Ott @karen_e_ott_photography
Clayton Moyer #251
Photo: Karen E Ott @karen_e_ott_photography
Rick Pearce #32
Photo: Johnny Solano @babuelly
National Amateur Rd 1 Results
1st: Graham Watson #487
2nd: Clayton Moyer #251
3rd: Mike Sedlacek #441
(4th: Jeff Panelley #686) So Close
Pro Lites
•Buffdaddy with the win!
•Samp Cross jumps 2x Pro Lites champ Christian Payne for 2nd place his first 250 Pro podium ever! Congrats Samp Champ.
•Cpayne is full dad mode but still ripping.
•Small Grid (people don’t want the smoke I guess)
Simpy: Moto one was a blast, I didn’t get the greatest start but stuck with Charlie and Christian going up the hill. Going through the first chicane decided the running order for the rest of the moto, Charlie first, Christian second, and me third. I was able to keep the pace on the asphalt but lost a lot of time exiting the dirt section. I kept taking a bad line in the dirt which led to me not getting a good drive once I got onto the asphalt. Luckily I was able to make that time back and then some going into the dirt. However, I wasn’t able to make a move on Christian in moto one cause I wasn’t taking different lines and couldn’t get close enough to capitalize in the dirt.
Moto two started off the same way but with a slightly worse start and a few mistakes in the first two laps. I was able to put in a few heaters and catch back up, mainly using the dirt section to close the gap. I started taking the inside line going into the dirt but it was slower because the end of the berm was blown out which made it hard to keep traction going up the face of the jump. By the second to last lap I was close enough to try and get around him, I took the inside line and got to the face of the jump first but I drifted over more than I wanted to and crossed jumped Christian pretty bad. Luckily, he saw it coming and was able to make adjustments to keep from running into me (sorry Christian). Once I was in front of him I was able to keep the gap all the way to the finish line. Goin 3-2 in the motos for 2nd overall. This race was the first time I was able to get a podium finish and I’m stoked that it was a 2nd place. Still have to find some speed before I can give Buffum a run for his money but the next round is at IMI so hopefully I’ll be able to take advantage of having more seat time at that track.
Butters109: Watching from the sidelines my favorite part was cpayne’s stand-up slides into turn 1 were the definition of ‘hot’.
Panelley: I noticed that all 3 of the top finishers ran double duty this weekend. So not only are they racing the 250 Pro class, they're also racing the 450 Pro class, with practically no break in-between! I’m super impressed with the race stamina, sheer speed, and the skill to jump back and forth between different bikes (Even different brands of bikes for Simpy and Cpayne). Credit is due where credit is deserved. Kudos guys.
Pro Lites Photo Drop:
Charlie Buffum #929
Photo: Onewheel Brendita
Christian Payne #123 / Ryan Samp #324
Photo: Johnny Solano @babuelly
Christian Payne #123 (or 523 on the jersey smh) / Ryan Samp #324
Photo: Onewheel Brendita
Buffum #929 / Payne #123 / Samp #324
Lot of rev limiters out of these 3
Photo: Onewheel Brendita
Pro Lites Rd 1 Results
1st: Charlie Buffum #929 (Buffdaddy)
2nd: Ryan Samp #324 (Simpy)
3rd: Christian Payne #123 (Cpayne)
Open Pro
•Reimer gets his first Open Pro victory leading every lap of both Motos.
•Butters starts are trash.
•Pecoraro with the first Open Pro podium of his career, he has made huge strides in his riding the past year.
•Magnum Motorsports is a new team with well-known faces. Team riders Reimer and Pecoraro both land on the podium in Open Pro.
•Where is RSR? What is Cobra Chicken Buffalo Sauce?
• A handful of road racers manned up and raced the real deal with dirt, so props for that.
Butters109: (Sorry guys shameless plug) RSR is still a thing. Joe carried the sport for the better part of a decade and is just enjoying his life and still supporting me. Cobra Chicken Buffalo Sauce is going to take over the world soon …probably. Hopefully next race I can execute the starts and give Nick a run
Simpy: Open Pro was a mess for me. In hindsight it probably would’ve been a good idea to get at least one practice session on the 450 before Moto 1. It was insane going from riding my 250 all weekend to racing on the 450. Moto one started off dicey. Charlie got pushed wide on the sweeping first corner which pushed me even wider and into the dirt. I kept it on two wheels and got back onto the track but quickly found myself in last place. I was able to pick off one of the road racers by going around the outside on the downhill 180. It took me two or three laps to get around the next road racer in the dirt which is where I ended up staying the rest of the moto.
Moto two was a better start but I got pushed wide again in the same section. Luckily, I recovered better and stayed ahead of one of the road racers and Christian. I had to push harder this moto with Christian being right behind me the entire time. Somehow managed to survive the speed of the RSR 450 and finish the moto in 7th.
Panelley: I found a spot in the middle of the dirt section to film, pulled up my lawn chair and kicked back to watch the show! The road race guys had some serious speed on the massive flowing asphalt section, but with the dirt breaking down at the end of the day.. it kept biting them in the butt and a handful of them ended up on the ground. A SM Dirt Section: ‘The Great Equalizer’
As Butters came into the dirt near the end of the race, a loud clunk snapped me out of my daydreaming of going fast like them one day.. Butters had landed from the long take off double at the beginning of the dirt section, and was then trying to figure out if parts were still attached to his bike or not! His front forks were not working quite like they were supposed to.. and so with a pogo stick for a front end, he nursed the bike the last 2 laps and barely held Pecoraro off for a 2nd place finish!
Open Pro Photo Drop:
Open Pro Moto 2 Race Start
Photo: Onewheel Brendita
Nicky Reimer #41
Photo: Onewheel Brendita
Sean Butterman #109
Photo: Karen E Ott @karen_e_ott_photography
Nicky Reimer #41
Photo: Karen E Ott @karen_e_ott_photography
Austin Pecoraro #175
Photo: Onewheel Brendita
Nicky Reimer #41
Photo: Karen E Ott @karen_e_ott_photography
Sean Butterman #109
Photo: Johnny Solano @babuelly
Christian Payne #123
Photo: Onewheel Brendita
Jason Rodriguez #882 / Ryan Samp #324 / Christian Payne #123
Photo: Johnny Solano @babuelly
Sean Butterman #109
That’s hawt -Simpy
Photo: Karen E Ott @karen_e_ott_photography
Top 4 - Open Pro Moto 2 After Race
Photo: Onewheel Brendita
Open Pro Rd 1 Results
1st: Nicky Reimer #41
2nd: Sean Butterman #109
3rd: Austin Pecoraro #175
Huge thanks to all the photographers that are so rad and willing to share these shots! Please click the links to their instagrams and support them.