The Championship Cup Series (CCS) made its third stop to Summit Point this year, bringing warm weather and reasonable humidity. Although no track records were broken, every event featured close racing. Many of the GT events, including the Amateur GT1 and Expert GT3, showcased battles that lasted not just for a few laps, but for the entire 20! Of course, the best story from the weekend is that of the 230 riders entered in 28 races, there were no red flags or hospital trips.
The Amateur Lightweight Sportsman race was another close finish when Lonnie Lawson got tagged for jumping the start. He entered pit lane for his stop-and-go penalty on the heels of first-place Steven Shoul, and re-entered in about 6th place. For the next 5 laps, Lawson worked his way back to second place, closing in on first! Unfortunately, Lawson needed the race to go 10 laps rather than standard 8 to take the lead, and finished the race in a remarkable second place.
Mihn Le crashed hard in Turn 3 on Saturday during the GP Singles event, tangling with his RS125 near the tire wall. His leg was somehow caught in the rear wheel between the swingarm and brace. A call for tools was made and the rear wheel was quickly removed. Although Mihn's boot was mangled by the chain, he got to his feet, hopped on both legs, and declared himself fine!
The Expert GT3 saw tight action in the Carousel, with Rich Sturges battling for second place with Jerry Shelton and Lance Yeager. Although Brian Kcraget built an early lead, Sturges closed in to within several bike lengths at the finish.
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Rich Sturges (411) makes a textbook pass on Lance Yeager (94) in Summit Point's Turn 6. Both racers traded positions several times during the race. Sturges went on to take second place in the Expert GT1 event, and he earned it with this daring pass. (Enlarged image is a 3 photo sequence!) |
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Laurence Borst (159) and John Van Buren (106) chase down Joe Wooton (13) in the battle for second place during the Expert GT2 event on Saturday. Wootton eventually proved that smaller 250GP bikes can beat the larger 600s. Local TZ250 rider Darrell Myers added an exclamation point to the statement by taking first place by a wide margin, turning several laps in the 1:19 range. |
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They're lining up to thank the MARRC cornerworkers! Ken Snyder (26) and Joe Wootton (13) coast throught the Carousel to thank cornerworkers for a job well done after the Expert Middleweight GP. No doubt cornerworkers were doing the same to congratulate both riders for a good race. |
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Brian Kcraget on his FZR400 on his way to a victory in the Expert GT3 event on Saturday. As a matter of fact, Kcraget went on to win every race he entered over the weekend. When it comes to 400s, Kcraget is the expert. |
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In the Senior Sportbike event, J. Taylor Young III (777) leads Devin Battley (85) for the overall lead. Battley, owner of Rockville Harley-Davidson, is riding his Ducati 995 against Young's 750. Each rider went on to win the amateur and expert class respectively. Battley also entertained fans by riding his Yamaha YZF-R1 in other events during the weekend. |
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Thane Stielow (654) rides roughshod over the rest of the lightweight field on his Hawk, here ahead of Chris Wilcox (996), and winning the Amateur GT3 in by a wide margin. Its no wonder that Stielow leads the region in the GT3 championship points. |
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Donnie Unger (88) leads the Expert Lightweight Sportsman event on his Ducati 750. Unger also went on to win the Heavyweight Sportsman event the next day. |
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The Amateur Heavyweight Superbike event was a proverbial barnburner. J. Taylor Young, III (777), followed by Robert Wilensky (717), Gary Lhommedieu (726) and David Hill (413) fly through Turn 6 on Sunday. Wilensky eventually took the victory, although it may be no coincidence that the other three came in 2-3-4 and are all sponsored by Fast Lane Cycles. |