WERA and WERA Vintage came back to Summit Point, this time leaving the rainy weather back at home. Almost 250 riders entered the weekend races, but only one of them, Bryan Bemisderfer, was destined to break the track record. During the Heavyweight Solo20 Expert event, he dipped into the 1:17s several times on his Yamaha R1, his best being 1:17.15. Bemisderfer even stopped for confirmation from his crew that he broke the record, then re-entered the race seconds later to re-take the lead and win the event.
The track conditions were spectacular both days with the hot sun warming the track. Racing action was close and exciting. Chris Pyles was the rider to watch during the Formula 2 event, taking his RS125 from the back of the grid to the race win.
Unfortunately, the high speed also led to tragedy. During the Heavyweight Twins event, two bikes collided coming out of Turn 4, tossing their riders, and careening off-track. The cornerworkers manning the flag station at the entrance to the Carousel had to dive to safety as one bike crashed into the tire wall. The second machine tumbled at high speed towards the berm in Turn 5. Although the cornerworkers there spotted the endo-ing bike and ran for cover, one worker was hit hard below the knee, breaking his leg. He was medi-vac'd to a nearby hospital. He arrived in good spirits and is doing well. Fortunately, no other cornerworkers were injured in what could have been far worse. Everyone in the MARRC family expresses their concern and wishes him a speedy recovery.
Action photography courtesy of Thanks for the great shots!
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Bryan Bemisderfer (198) celebrates his record-setting race with a post-race victory lap with a checkered flag. |
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Talk about celebrations!! Bemisderfer thrills the spectators with burn-outs in the Carousel. (Please note that he did this on a COLD track with no other competitors on the course. Please do not try this at home.) |
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Richard Bair (43), is chased by eventual race winner Chris Pyles (97) in Turn 6 during the WERA Lightweight Solo 20 Expert event on Saturday. |
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William Lindsay on his Suzuki GSXR750. Lindsay later crashed hard during braking in Turn 1 on Sunday. |
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Sotaro Fujita (456), aboard his Yamaha TZ125, is chased by Chris Wilcox (666) during the WERA Lightweight Solo 20 Novice event on Saturday. |
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The Mediumweight Expert Solo20 was a non-stop battle for the lead, with riders swapping positions every lap. Charles Otis, IV (124) crashes his Suzuki GSX-R600, and takes himself out contention with this lowside in Turn 5. |
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The aftermath of Charles Otis crashing out in Turn 6 didn't slow down the pace. These riders only fought harder as the race progressed. Brian Lantz (24) eventually led Kenneth Snyder (261) to the finish. |