The USGPRU racers were treated to a new venue as they headed out to join the MRA at the brand new High Plains raceway this past weekend. High winds, storms, and dust added to the already technically challenging new circuit, and it all resulted in an action-packed weekend for the racers and corner workers alike.

The Honda powered Moriwaki MD250H class kicked off the qualifying with a bit of excitement and panic. During the 15-minute session, it was discovered that young Ryan Matter did not have a transponder mounted on his bike. Ryan came into the pits, secured a transponder and had just enough to fire off one hot lap. And wow what a lap it was! He set the fastest time of the session to claim pole position. Joining Matter on the front was Jake Lewis and Garrett Gerloff.

As is typical with Moriwaki racing action, the racers were nose-to-tail with Lewis leading the field into turn one. The winds began to howl, and drafting proved to be even more valuable going down the back straight. Matter and Lewis swapped the lead every lap while slowly breaking away from an intense four-way battle for third. Hayden Gillim, Stephano Mesa, Lex Hartl and Garrett Gerloff showed how close spec motorcycles can race as they changed positions numerous times per lap. Several times seventh place would move into third. This intense battle raged on until lap 7 when Mesa crashed in turn eight. That turn would claim another victim as Gillim crashed in the same place, two laps later. Garrett Gerloff, who had been able to hold down third for the past few times across the start/finish line, also crashed on lap nine. His crash would move Hartl into third. The two out front, Matter and Lewis continued to swap the lead position until Matter spectacularly high-sided in turn fourteen with just two laps to go. Lewis stayed upright and rode uncontested for the rest of the 12-lap event. Hartl inherited second while Grayson Gerloff took his first podium with a third place finish. The race was truly a battle of attrition.

The Pilot USA 125GP qualifying showed that Jake Lewis was on his game. He snagged the top spot by more than four tenths of a second over crafty veteran racer Nobi Iso. Ryan Matter, Lex Hartl and Garrett Gerloff completed the top five.

Iso, piloting his Aprilia RSW125, took to the lead at the start. He clearly wanted to make an early getaway. But Lewis sat right on his rear wheel with Gerloff, Matter and Hartl tucked in behind. As the laps went on, Iso slowly pulled out a lead, and was seemingly on his way to a dominant victory. The field spread out with Lewis in second and Gerloff aboard his Moriwaki in third. The fourth place scrap intensified between Matter and Hartl as they rode nose-to-tail. Working lap eight, Hartl and Matter made contact with each other and both crashed in the treacherous turn eight. That incident catapulted Cameron Gish and Stephano Mesa into fourth and fifth respectively. John Hjelm, who missed the warm up lap and started from pit road, was on a mission and worked his way into sixth by lap eight. Two laps later, High Plains struck again, this time the victim was the race leader Iso. He tucked the front end of his Aprilia and crashed in turn ten. Lewis, again staying out of trouble, cruised to his second victory of the day. Moving up in the order was Gerloff, Gish, Mesa and Hjelm coming home in fifth.

The east versus west showdown that was anticipated all weekend would not materialize in 250GP qualifying, as reigning 250GP National Champion, Adam Roberts, missed the session due to repairs still being made from a crash earlier in the day. West coast star, Vince Rolleri, easily took pole with Miles Thornton, Mike Aboyoun, Sean Jordan and Kory Gill rounding out the top five.

For the Moto Liberty/RS-Taichi 250GP race, Roberts had made his repairs and the battle of the coasts was on. Even with Roberts starting last on the grid, Rolleri knew he needed a clean race to take home the win. With an amazing start, Roberts was up into second place by the end of lap 1. But Rolleri set the pace early and kept a two second gap over Roberts. Aboyoun, Seann Jordan and Angus Borland had a close race for third. Jordan would later drop out of the race and that would elevate Gill into fifth as Borland and Aboyoun would continue swapping places for third. With three laps to go, Roberts charged and caught Rolleri and was now looking to get by for the win. Rolleri left an opening for Roberts in turn eight. But Roberts had seen all of the earlier crashes in that turn, and could not capitalize on the opportunity. Rolleri seemed to have the advantage on the first half of the circuit, but Roberts dominated the later half and consistently closed the gap to mere inches at the finish line. Both riders set their fastest laps on the last lap with Roberts turning the fastest lap of the race. Ultimately, Rolleri held on to win by .080 seconds.

The USGPRU would like to thank Glenn, Tony, Ray-Ray, and the rest of the MRA staff and volunteers, the corner workers and EMT crew. Also thanks to Al, John and Kory Hjelm for helping on the sidelines. This weekend wouldn't have been possible without the support of the 2009 USGPRU National Series sponsors: Moto Liberty, RS Taichi, Pilot, RoadracingWorld.com, Rising Sun Cycles, Motion Pro, REV'IT, Bridgestone Tires, Dunlop Tires, EBC Brakes, GP Tech, Powerstands, Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers, Hjelm Motorsports, Pirelli Tires, Michelin Tires, and Starlane by Yoyodyne.

The racing action was incredible this past weekend up at Road America as the USGPRU joined the CCS/ASRA series for our second round of the east coast championship. The rain held off all weekend and the sun even popped out Sunday to create nearly perfect racing conditions.

The kids were up first on their Moriwaki MD250H race bikes. The spec CRF250X Honda motors kept the racing very tight on the huge Road America circuit. There were battles throughout the pack, but the best race was up front as Garrett Gerloff, Jake Lewis, and west coaster Ryan Matter all jockeyed for position. They swapped the lead numerous times per lap and sometimes several times just on the front straight! The battle came down to the last lap and the last turn, but Garrett Gerloff narrowly nipped Lewis and Matter at the line to claim the $2000 prize for the win.

The Pilot 125GP race was up next and the combination of Garrett Gerloff on a Moriwaki was the story of the race again. Due to a crash on Saturday, he was not able to qualify and had to start on the back row of the grid. But the superior torque of the four-stroke Honda motor allowed him to jump up into 3rd position into turn one behind Nobi Iso and Jake Lewis. Pole position winner, Jake Lewis, seized his motor going into turn 8 on the first lap, and had to watch the rest of the race from the side. And what a great race it turned out to be! Defending Champion, Nobi Iso had his hands full with young Gerloff. Iso’s normally dominating Aprilia was jetted too rich and he had trouble pulling full RPM in his top 2 gears. This was just enough to allow the Moriwaki of Gerloff to hang with Iso on the straights. Gerloff was clearly hungry for a win as he constantly dove under Iso on the brakes. Iso found himself watching the tailpipe of the thundering Moriwaki more than once, but finally pulled out a few old tricks and snuck by for the win.

Third place went to Ryan Matter, who rode an aggressive, but lonely race just a few seconds back from the leaders. A 5-rider battle for fourth was won by another rising star, Mikey Lainhart. Unfortunately he failed to meet the minimum weight at post race tech inspection and was disqualified.

The final USGPRU race of the weekend was the Moto Liberty / RS-Taichi 250GP event. Melissa Paris qualified first at almost 1.5 seconds faster than her closest competitor, Adam Roberts. Off the line, she shot into the lead, but Adam sat on her rear wheel and refused to let go. Melissa opened a small gap on him, but Adam learned quickly where those extra seconds were being made up. From there, the battle was on. Melissa was hungry for a win and you could see it in her riding style. She was extremely aggressive on the brakes and would pass Adam at any opportunity. Adam’s RAT racing Yamaha TZ250 seemed to have a little more horsepower, but not so much that he could get lazy. Adam seemed to lose ground on the penultimate lap and Melissa looked to be checking out. But Adam turned up the aggression level on the final lap, reeled in Melissa, and passed her into Canada corner, a mere 3 turns from the finish. Melissa made one last dive under Adam into the final corner, momentarily capturing the lead again, only to spin up her rear wheel and ruining her drive. Adam squared up the corner, and drove past Melissa going up the final hill and crossed the line a mere half-bike ahead of her. Third place goes to Al Campbell as he rode his Yamaha TZ250 despite having crashed in practice the day before.

The USGPRU landed in Arizona last weekend to race with Road Race Southwest at Firebird East. Temperatures reached 94 degrees on race day, but the USGPRU racers kept their cool to put on a great show.

The Moriwaki MD250H Powered by HONDA got off to a great start as usual with Ryan Matter leading current champion Jake Lewis for the first lap with Lex Hartl, Rocky Morales, and Andre Ochs all in close formation. Pole winner Lewis was able to regain the lead on lap two. He began pushing harder and opened a one-second gap on second place, Ryan Matter. With the lead two riders pushing each other so hard, it was easy to overlook a terrific three-way battle for third place. Hartl led Morales and Ochs until Morales made his move on lap four. Hartl applied pressure till the end showing a wheel here and there but it was Morales who held on for a spot on the podium. Back up front, the final few laps saw Matter closing in on Lewis. With only two turns remaining, he passed Lewis only to have Lewis get a better drive out of the last turn and snuck by him at the line for the win.

The Pilot 125GP was a barnburner event. Pole-sitter Jake Lewis was joined on the front row with Ryan Matter, Michael Martin and Peter Lenz. Lenz got the hole-shot with Lewis and Joe Roberts charging hard. The end of lap one would see those three starting to gap the rest of the field as they were nose to tail. With three laps in, Lewis had a huge scare for himself and the fans as he nearly lost it in turn 10. That bobble forced Roberts to check up a little as Lewis rejoined in third. That gave Lenz a gap that would never be closed as he went on to claim the checkered flag. Lewis, after his bobble, was able to close on Roberts as they battled to the end, but Robert’s strong performance was enough for second place. Cameron Gish and Matter rode a terrific race as they swapped positions several times for fourth with Matter crossing the line just in front of Gish.

In the Moto-Liberty/RS-Taichi 250GP race, pole-winner Melissa Paris grabbed the hole-shot with her Pirelli shod 250 over Vince Rolleri, Peter Lenz, Joe Roberts and Kevin Winter. Paris made a small but critical mistake on the backside of the track that allowed Rolleri to take the lead. Paris' mistake was early in the race and she was able to make up the distance to Rolleri just past the halfway mark. Rolleri soon found himself in a struggle to stay in front of Paris. Her strong point was braking and turn entry, but his TZ250 had a more potent motor and he was able to hold the lead to the checkered flag. Lenz cruised to a third place finish with Roberts placing fourth and Lex Hartl making a last lap pass to round out the top five.

The USGPRU would like to thank Jack, John, Randy, Heidi, Karen, and the rest of the CCS / Road Race Southwest team for another great weekend. Also thanks to Al, John and Kory Hjelm for helping on the sidelines. This weekend wouldn't have been possible without the support of the 2009 USGPRU National Series sponsors: MotoLiberty, RS Taichi, Pilot, RoadracingWorld.com, Rising Sun Cycles, Motion Pro, REV'IT, Bridgestone Tires, Dunlop Tires, EBC Brakes, GP Tech, Powerstands, Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers, Hjelm Motorsports, Pirelli Tires, Michelin Tires, and Starlane by Yoyodyne.

The USGPRU is excited to introduce a new class for the 2009 season. With the help of the new Formula 450 concept creator, Gavin Trippe, we’ve been able to add the F-450 class to select rounds this year. The primary goal will be to further test the durability of the prototype motorcycles and gauge the level of interest in permanently adding the class starting in 2010. The F-450 class is based off current 450cc motocross bikes using standard engine, frame, sub frame and swing arm, with modified suspension, brakes, and bodywork to make them race worthy at an affordable level.

For more details on the motorcycles that run in this class, visit the www.450moto.com website and be sure to check the upcoming June issue of MotorCylist Magazine.

This class will complement the other USGPRU classes as it provides another stepping-stone for riders as they advance in their racing careers.

The class will be run at the Firebird, Miller, High Plains, the AMA Nationals at Mid-Ohio, and the national final at Barber Motorsports Park.

The class does not currently have a title sponsor. If interested, please contact the USGPRU president Stewart Aitken-Cade at: Stewart@usgpru.net

Other details like the full schedule and class rules will be available on the USGPRU website, www.usgpru.net.

The USGPRU racers headed south this weekend to kick off the 2009 season for the eastern region of the series. Despite the threat of rain on Sunday, the weather cooperated and treated us all to three days of nearly perfect 80 degree Florida sunshine.

Sunday’s racing started off early with the Pilot 125GP event. Defending Champion, Nobi Iso started on pole position with Jake Lewis, Garrett Gerloff, and Hayden Gillim joining him on the front row. Gerloff used the superior torque of his Moriwaki MD250H to power off the line and led the field into turn one. Iso was able to knife by Red Bull Rookies Cup rider, Hayden Gillim, and set his sights on the leaders. Gerloff and Lewis were locked in a battle that saw Lewis motor down the straights while Gerloff powered off of the turns. The two teens swapped the lead several more times (each lap). On lap 7, Iso made his move to out-brake Lewis into turn 1 and then motored by Gerloff around turn 3. Unfortunately, the red flag was thrown soon after as Johnny Klaris crashed in turn 8. The results went back one lap and Gerloff was credited with the win, followed by Lewis, then Iso.

The Moto-Libery/RS-Taichi 250GP race was led at the start by last year’s winner, Adam Roberts. His RAT Racing-built Yamaha TZ250 showed that it had some serious legs as it stretched out to a comfortable lead. He settled into a comfortable pace and was able to maintain a solid 8-second lead all the way to the finish line. Local favorite, Steve Wenner, got held up early in the race, but once he broke through the pack, he was able to nearly match Roberts’s times, but the margin was too large already. The big battle was for third place as Melissa Paris held off the advances of Mike Aboyoun and Al Campbell. On the final lap, Campbell charged hard, but to no avail as he pushed too deep and ran off in turn 2. Paris was struggling with her Honda RS250, but was able to defend her lines and claimed the final podium position, just ahead of Aboyoun.

Last, but certainly not least, the Moriwaki MD250H Powered by HONDA race was up. Eight bikes took to the grid with Garrett Gerloff starting on pole, followed by Jake Lewis, newcomer Stefano Mesa, and Hayden Gillim. Lewis led into turn one, followed by Mesa and Gerloff. Hayden Gillim and Miles Thornton snapped into line and the five riders started to dice for the lead. On lap 2, Gerloff drafted by Lewis and Mesa only to be passed right back by Mesa in the final turn. As this battle wore on, Lewis, Thornton and Gillim started to fade back, leaving only Gerloff and Mesa to duke it out to the end. Mesa seemed to have track knowledge as he dominated the twisty sections. But on the final lap, Gerloff got a great drive coming out of the last turn and passed Mesa at the line.

The USGPRU would like to thank the CCS Florida crew for allowing us to join them this past weekend. We all really enjoyed the weekend.

The USGPRU heads south this weekend to Jennings GP race track for the first round of the East Coast region. CCS Florida will be hosting the weekend at this very unique, motorcycle-only race track that favors handling over brute-force horsepower. The track features great viewing for spectators as they can see most of the track from two main viewing areas.

We are expecting full grids this weekend as racers from across the country are joined by a strong Canadian contingent. The Canadian RAT racing team is planning on a repeat of last year’s winning performance that saw newcomer Adam Roberts crush the competition in a very wet Moto Liberty/RS-Taichi 250GP race. Additionally, many talented young riders will be coming out to try their hands at the Pilot 125GP and exciting new Moriwaki youth races. With a whopping $10,000 purse up for grabs in the Moriwaki race this weekend, you can be sure that the kids will be pulling out all the stops in hopes of claiming their share.

Practice and qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, with the Pilot 125GP race due to start around 1030 Sunday morning, followed by a full day of USGPRU and CCS Florida races.

Jennings GP is located just off of I-75 in Jennings, FL. This small town is a mere 20mi south of Valdosta, GA and 40 miles north of Lake City, FL. For more information on the track, visit the Jennings GP website at: www.jenningsgp.com

The USGPRU is pleased to announce the addition of RS-Taichi to the existing Moto Liberty 250GP class sponsorship. RS-Taichi and Moto Liberty have joined forces to provide the strongest support package that the middle-weight class has seen in many years. A combination of purse payouts for the race winners, free RS-Taichi leathers and gloves, as well as RS-Taichi helmet removal devices for the entire USGPRU membership makes for a top-notch support program for 2009.

In order to kick off this program right, Moto Liberty and RS-Taichi wanted to know what racers would do for $1000+ of free product. The first place response came from Don Roberts, a USGPRU regular and the UtahSBA director of competition. Don will receive a brand new set of RS-Taichi GP-WRX R300 race leathers. A close second place prize goes to Dan Qualtire, who will be awarded a new set of RS-Taichi GP-WRX race gloves.

Don’s enthusiastic and unorthodox response propelled him to the front of the pack. After he dances a jig or two, he promised that he, “would post on all of the boards that I frequent detailing the outstanding support the sponsor is providing the USGPRU and the racing community.” The rest of his response was not suitable for mixed company.

Audrey’s Menarik of Moto Liberty also liked Don’s response the best as it demonstrated his willingness to go beyond the normal stickers on the bike and trailer. Racers need to, “find some other way to promote their sponsors. These days, an easy way for a racer to get PR for sponsors is via message boards and other Internet related methods of PR.”

So congratulations to Don and Dan, we hope you enjoy your new gear. And welcome to RS-Taichi, we thank you for your support of the USGPRU!

Buttonwillow, CA. - March 22, 2009 - The 2009 USGPRU season got off to a windy start at Buttonwillow Raceway last weekend, hosted by American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM). There was a wide range of talent out on the track as racing veterans mixed it up with some of the fastest kids on 2 wheels.

On Saturday, the Pilot 125GP Qualifying Round was held during moderate temperatures and high winds. Benny Solis Jr., on a break from his stint in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, snagged pole position with 1:55.879, followed by Bennie Taylor and Jake Lewis. The under-16 set clinched the top 10 spots, with racing veterans Phill Krenn and Deb Barton qualifying 11th and 12th, respectively.

Rain and heavy winds plagued Buttonwillow Saturday night. Racers woke up to wet pavement and questionable riding conditions Sunday morning. The weather gods cooperated with the racers though, and although the wind kept up all day, the rain subsided before rubber hit the track for practice.

The Moto Liberty/RS-Taichi 250GP qualifying session on Sunday morning resulted in Peter Lenz’s 1:58.650 being good enough for pole position, followed by Bennie Taylor (1:59.266), Joe Roberts (2:00.467), Phill Krenn (2:06.139) and Barrett Meeker (2:14.149) to round out the top five.

The Moriwaki MD250H qualifying was held during blustery cold winds, but the kids worked it out. Benny Solis Jr. grabbed another pole position with a 2:01.241 lap, followed closely by Jake Lewis (2:01.568). Luis “Rocky” Morales, Lex Hartl, and Conor Matthews rounded out the top five.

Jake Lewis grabbed the hole shot at the start of the Pilot 125GP race. But a small bobble quickly had him in third as Lenz and Solis completed the first lap. Lenz looked strong in his USGPRU debut, and was able to hold off Solis. But Lenz also made a mistake going wide in the last turn dropping him down to fourth behind Matter. The four way battle lasted until two laps remaining when Solis checked out and never looked back. Lewis, who had regrouped, held on to second with Matter and Lenz charging behind and Matter earning his first podium at the line. Taylor rode home to a solid fifth-place finish in his first national race.

The Moto Liberty/ RS-Taichi 250 GP race saw Marcello del Giudice launch into the lead into turn one. However, he slowly went backwards as the younger racers got up to speed. Lenz held a draft to the “Lost Hills” turn to out-brake del Giudice. Taylor, also close in tow, made his pass into second on the following lap with Roberts moving into fourth. Taylor took the lead from Lenz and started to open a little breathing room on his way to victory. Roberts made his way into third on the last lap with Krenn crossing the line in fifth. After post race inspection, Krenn and Meeker were elevated to fourth and fifth respectively as del Giudice failed to show for tech inspection.

The Moriwaki MD250H Powered by HONDA race was another fantastic event for the fans and racers alike. Solis, Lewis and Matter were nose to tail, dicing it up lap after lap. Lewis and Solis swapped the lead multiple times with Matter content to take advantage of anyone’s mistakes. Hartl and Morales had a great scrap for fourth and fifth. With one lap remaining, Lewis made a pass on Solis. Solis returned the favor once again only to get held up in lap traffic. That allowed Lewis and Matter to go by Solis. Matter had a great run on Lewis coming out of the last turn but the defending champion Lewis snagged the victory.

A few egos may have been bruised this weekend, but all of the USGPRU riders wrapped up the weekend injury-free. Thank you to Shawn, Barbara, Paddy and the rest of the AFM Staff, the corner workers and safety crews for making this weekend a successful one.

The next USGPRU weekend is at Jennings GP, April 4th – 5th.

The USGPRU is proud to welcome Pilot USA as the official class sponsor for the 125GP class.

Over the years, Pilot has sponsored some of the biggest names in the AMA paddock. Championship winning riders such as Scott Russell, Doug Chandler, Doug Polen, Ben Spies and many other top racers have worn Pilot leathers.

In addition to top-quality racing leathers, Pilot is leading the cutting edge in the manufacture of corporate, fan, and team apparel.

The USGPRU always enjoys adding new sponsors to our already strong line-up of industry supporters, but when it’s a company that’s been in the industry as long as Pilot, it’s just a little bit more rewarding. For 2009, Pilot will be awarding leather suits, body armor, and other racing gear to racers in the USGPRU’s 125GP National Championship® races across the country.

“With a good mix of adult and youth riders that are up and coming, the USGPRU 125GP class is a great place for Pilot to further establish its name as one of the premier makers of professional race leathers, armor and team apparel” said Pilot USA president Josh Bennett. “We look forward to a long and successful relationship with the USGPRU.”

Over the past few years we have seen a marked increase in the number of kids roadracing motorcycles in the US. The USGPRU and several other race organizations have been able to lower the age minimums and get these kids racing and learning our race craft sooner than we’ve seen in many years. Just 3 years ago we were seeing only 7% of our grids comprised of kids, and now it’s almost 25%.

As many in the USGPRU are parents ourselves, we want to not only teach these kids, but keep all of these new racers safe while we’re at it. So we’ve joined forces with Impact Armor and RS TAICHI, with support from the Ethan Gillim “Chasin a Dream” program and Moto Liberty, to put these young racers in some new safety gear. And in some cases, we’re doing it at no cost to the racer. Impact Armor and the “Chasin a Dream” program have made it possible for us to give away custom chest protectors to the first 30 kids that sign up with us this year.

The older USGPRU racers will all be able to purchase these same chest protectors from Impact Armor or RS TAICHI ones from Moto Liberty for a special USGPRU rate.

Moto Liberty and RS TAICHI have also provided 100 new RS TAICHI helmet removal caps. These caps are designed to help reduce the chance of neck injury during helmet removal after a crash. If the racer is unconscious or otherwise unable to remove their helmet, this tool helps emergency personnel to remove the racer’s helmet without putting additional strain on the racer’s neck. These caps are free to all USGPRU racers in 2009.

For 2009, the USGPRU has made the wear of chest protectors mandatory for youth racers and optional but encouraged for the adults. The goal is to keep ALL of our racers as safe as possible and give absolutely no reason not to wear the right safety gear. The last thing we want to see is someone spending money on go fast parts at the expense of their personal safety. By making this gear free or significantly discounted, we hope to have every one of our racers wearing these products all year. If we only save one person from serious injury, it will have been well worth the effort and expense.

We all wish you a very happy holiday season and hope to see you out at the racetrack, a little bit safer, in 2009!

Repsol Prize Pack - Ryan Matter

Accumix Jug - Jim Race

Accumix Jug - Don Roberts

Accumix Jug - Dana Wilson

Accumix Jug - Darrin Kuebler

Accumix Jug - Cannon Kopec

USGPRU Tshirt - Michael Nowicki

USGPRU Tshirt - Jesse Stevens

USGPRU Tshirt - Morten Fredericksen

USGPRU Tshirt - David Arvidson

USGPRU Tshirt - James Kupernik

USGPRU Tshirt - Miles Thornton

USGPRU Tshirt - Steve Wenner

USGPRU Tshirt - Gerard Lee

USGPRU Sweatshirt - Chase Vivion

USGPRU Sweatshirt - Matthew Elder

Repsol Replica Bike - Seth Sherman

Powerstands - Garrett Gerloff

Motion Pro Gloves & Tools - Daniele Lenarduzzi

Motion Pro Gloves & Tools - Garrett Gerloff

Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers/Pucks/Gloves - Angus Borland

Hjelm RS125 Set - James Kearns

POV1 Onboard Video System - Jake Lewis

Ohlins Shock - Bill Kingsland

Bridgestone Tires - Steve Wenner

Custom Vanson Leathers - Road Race City

Rising Sun Cycles Honda RS125 - Frankie Lee Gillim