Charlotte Last Week/ Springfield Tomorrow

Last weekend, the 2015 GNC series rolled up to Charlotte Half-Mile, North Carolina for the Don Tilley Memorial. I won't give the result here, for those that might have missed it, because you can see it at your leisure at FansChoice.tv (and it's worth watching). 

Cory Texter (Shayna's brother) debuted a new framer with a Kawasaki Vulcan S (the parallel twin cruiser), supported by Cycle World magazine.

The Basic twins ran at Charlotte, this is the GNC2 class on twins. This has been the most half-baked of recent AMA innovations. The idea was to prepare the GNC2 'Juniors' by having them ride twins at mile rounds, and also not thrash their 450s to death on the big tracks. But the idea fizzled out and the GNC2 riders raced 450s at some miles in 2014. Now they're totally forgotten from 2016 onwards in the new rules...
Anyway, this is Rob McLendon III's Triumph, the only Triumph to make the main in the GNC2 class.

 Henry Wiles and Stevie Bonsey

Having broken his leg after hitting something on track at the Black Hill,s South Dakota round, Brad Baker turned up to sign posters. #5 Jake Johnson has been standing in for him on the factory Harley.

GNC1 rookie Jarod Vanderkooi and Brandon Robinson. Vanderkooi has been great this season and Robinson's making the Triumph work much better than Shayna Texter did last year.

Johnson and Sammy Halbert. Sammy is running 69, instead of his normal 7, in memory of his recently deceased brother, Jethro.

Flyin' Bryan Smith.

Photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.

Daytona Short Track: Day 2

Kenny Coolbeth Jr wins day 2 at the Daytona GNC season opener. He had led the previous night before a red flag, but didn't restart as well. At one stage in night two he had a 2.5s lead.

Dash for Cash (for the six quickest Expert qualifiers). #5 Johnson; #80 Bonsey; #44 Robinson; #69 J Halbert; #7 S Halbert; #13 Constantine. 

It finished Johnson; Constantine; S Halbert.

Pro Singles class action. 67M Davis Fisher.

Veteran rider (born in 1964!) Dan Ingram made the main, coming 13th. Love everything about this photo: body language; leathers and full face lid. They have so much more character than generic MX pyjamas.

Stevie Bonsey had another good night. He's won on twins and this 3rd on a single shows he has the all-round ability to challenge for the title.

 2011 champ Jake Johnson came in second.

 Sammy Halbert and Kenny Coolbeth.

 Ingram and JR Schnabel.

1. Coolbeth. 2. Johnson. 3. Bonsey
Sammy Halbert came in 4th giving him a clear points lead going to the next round, the Springfield Mile in May AND SIDEBURN IS GOING TO BE THERE!

All photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.

Daytona Short Track Day 1

Briar Bauman won his first national, from Sammy Halbert and Brandon Robinson. He won by a clear 1.9s, a mile in short track terms. 

Reigning champ, Brad Baker battling with Stevie Bonsey. Baker was blackflagged from the main for swapping a bike after a bike after the main was red-flagged. Swapping to a back-up is allowed, but his bike wasn't in the back-up bike area (or some such minor indiscretion). He lost his points from the first round last year and still won the title. National winner, Bonsey is doing his first ever complete season in the Zanotti team (alongside Coolbeth, who was 17th in the main).

Brandon Robinson, came in third. If he stay fit this year he'll be even more of a challenger. 

Sammy Halbert was second in the main and won the Dash for Cash, so he is equal on points with Bauman. 

The second round goes of on Friday evening. 

Photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.

Peoria TT Report

Henry Wiles, #17, came through the semis, to win his ninth back to back Peoria, but Brad Baker #12, sews up the GNC Singles title, beating Wiles by just 2pts. 

 Jake Johnson.

 Thunk.

 JD Beach, #95, came third overall.

TTs aren't Sammy Halbert's strongest area, but wiping out in the heats meant he didn't even make the main.

Jake Johnson, scrubbing and styling. The man who has taken his Zanotti ride, Stevie Bonsey, #80, came in 8th, four places ahead of Jake in 12th. Shaun Russell, #28, was an impressive 4th in the main.

 Baker won the Dash for Cash, too

 Briar Bauman remained everyone he's a class act by coming 5th.

 JD Beach, #95, scored another great finish with a third.

 Robert Pearson, #27, Jake Johnson #5, Jeffrey Carver Jr, #23.

1. Wiles, 2. Baker. 3. Beach.
Baker extended his lead over reigning champ, Jared Mees in the combined championship too. Mees came in 8th.
In the combined standings Baker has a comfortbale lead of 19pts over Wiles, and 42 over Bryan Smith in 3rd, going into this weekend's Indy Mile.

All photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.

Carver wins Castle Rock TT

In a season of debut GNC winners, Jeffrey Carver Jr. followed Brad Baker and Brandon Robinson to pick up his first Expert class win at last Saturday's Castle Rock TT in Washington.

No disrespect to Carver Jr, but the most crucial result in terms of the 2013 title was, I reckon, Jared Mees comeback from a broken arm to come second at a tough TT. Because of a spate of rain-offs, he missed one (I think) GNC round, raced at the Sac Mile and was on the podium at Castle Rock.

 First corner argy-bargy. There are too many front mudguards in this photo. Number 2, Coolbeth would come 9th in the main. We interviewed him about TT racing for Sideburn 8

Peoria TT specialist Henry Wiles, 17, came in fourth. Jake Johnson, 5, had his first race after quitting the Zanotti team after a mid-season split. He came in 17th in the main, a lap down. The excellently name Scooter Vernon, #74, came in 13th.

Briar Bauman, #14, was running second behind Carver, 23, till he slid out and came in dead last.

 Scott Baker - style for miles. 7th in the main.

1. Carver 2. Mees 3. Bonsey

All photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing

Bonsey Dominates Vegas Indoor

More from Randy K in at the Gene Romero WCFTS Indoor meet at Vegas.

Stevie Bonsey was dominant last night as he led every lap raced and had a convincing victory in the Open class. Stevie won the 2005 AMA Horizon Award given to the fastest amateur racer in the U.S. He went on to compete in the MotoGP circuit in 125 and 250, with the backing of Kenny Roberts. He's now back home racing flat track. 

Note 1: Check out the carpet shoe. Click the green carpet shoe link below carpet shoes through history. Note 2: Look at the carnage in the background of the photo above.
Note 3: Both yesterday's post, Vintage class winner, John Kocinski, and Bonsey have links with Roberts.
Note 4: Bonsey rides with 80, the number a young Kenny Roberts raced with.
Note 5: Keep front mudguards out of flat track.

Tuscon Half-Mile Report

Steve (or is it Stevie now?) Bonsey doesn't compete every race of the championship, so to turn up at the tail end of a hard season and win is classy. He won his first National at Calistoga in 2010. Bonsey did a season or two of 125 GP, on a KTM, where he was mentored and kept an eye on by Kenny Roberts Sr. Before he got his national number, Bonsey ran the same 80Y regional plate the young KR ran.

 

Retaining the number 1 plate is, I think, mathematically still possible for Jake Johnson, but unlikely. Sammy clawed back a few points on Jared Mees. It's going down to the last round at Pomona next weekend. Get there, if you can. It'll be memorable.

Brad 'Bullet' Baker, fifth in the main and looking very stylish.

Pro Singles rider Jason Issenock styling.

Wearing sail-like leathers didn't stop Duke Erickson making the main.

Kevin Anderson made the main too.

Shayna is becoming a half-mile specialist, after winning a pair of Knoxvilles.

When it comes to motorcycle plus rider power-to-weight ratios, Texter has them beat. Look at the size of second and third placed Rodney Spencer Jr and Wyatt Maguire in comparision.

Matt Weidman in Evel leathers, complete with peace sign medallion and collars, on the Scott Powersports Kawasaki we featured in Sideburn 9.

The long trip from Florida to Arizona was worth it for the Bonneville Performance team. Their rider, Mikey Martin, made another main on the only Triumph out there and came 13th.

Dash for Cash for the six quickest heat qualifiers. Weidman, Mees, Baker, Johnson, Halbert, Bonsey.

Bonsey won the Dash for Cash too.

Robert Pearson (27), Mikey Martin (91), Henry Wiles (17), Doug Lawrence (73)

Bonsey won by 1.2s from Smith. Sammy was three-hundreths back from Smith. Series leader, Jared Mees, was fourth.

Remember to get to Pomona this weekend if you can.

All photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.