SCminiGP (~http://www.scminigp.com~)will be in full form this weekend at California Speedway for the AMA Suzuki Challenge. The three day event will host the AMA Superbike Series along with the entire AMA race series: Formula Extreme, Supersport and Superstock.

Looking to promote the sport to new riders this will be SCminiGP’s third year promoting at the event. SCminiGP has been making an active effort to hit most of the major motorsports events in the So Cal area. Last year SCminiGP gathered 12 new riders and is hoping with their new enhanced display to capture double those numbers by sign up kids for introductory youth program. SC increased their membership from the most recent International Motorcycle Show held in Long Beach. Fontana’s California Speedway is the location of SCminiGP’s home track CalSpeed Karting. SC hopes this will bring them closer to local youth in an effort to further expand their Blata Cup Youth Program⌐.

If you’re going to be at the races in SoCal make a pit stop to say hello. Of course, SCminiGP will have staff, local racers both youth and adult, and Blata USA on site to supporting the booth in an effort to educate more families on the fun they can have racing MiniGP with SCminiGP. Fontana is expecting 30k+ in attendance this weekend.

US Mini Road Race (USMRR) kicked off it’s inaugural race last weekend. The crowd that came out for our first race was small, but very enthusiastic. The weather was sunny and 70 for the day, we did have to fight through quite a wind, but nobody seemed to mind. The IIR track was ready for some racing.

Everyone seemed to have a great time that day. We had guys who were racing for the first time and for some it was their first time on asphalt period. Aaron Kauffman made his way out on the race track for the first time and only the second time ever on his EX250, he stayed up the whole race and came off smiling. The father son duo of Paul and Caleb Prentice were also out racing for the first time, they both did a great job as Caleb shows he seems to be a great fit for racing his 50 on asphalt. His dad did great, even after a few get offs on the track, he kept it upright and finished strong. We also had Darin Dux come out on his YSR for the first time and he did well, especially since he was riding a pogo stick around the track, as soon as he gets his suspension just right it will be even more fun to watch him out there on the YSR. Nate Lenz brought out his Aprilia 50, for his first time on that bike, he really got into his groove by the main race and ran well, it was great to watch that bike go around the track. Sam Miller drove down from Minneapolis with scooter man Pete Meixl, but the scooter wasn’t set up right for the track so it retired early. After Sam remembered to fill up that gas tank he showed the boys how it was done in the F4 class on his KTM. Of course, race promoter Brian Naylor and son Kinzer “Speedy” Naylor showed up to race their KX 60 and 65 in any class that would have them and had a great safe, fast race day.

Medals were taken home in all the events and a special mention to Kinzer “speedy” Naylor for the fastest lap time of the day at 44.62 and fastest average speed of the day at 48.4 MPH, just inching out his dad and Sam for the title.

F1 Main

After Caleb came out for the start Nate was able to get past him in the hairpin on lap 1 and run it to the checkered.

1st Nate Lenz

2nd Caleb Prentice

3rd DNS Pete Meixl

F2 Main

Brian gets the hole shot on the KX60 and Kinzer was on his toes most of race but he finished 1st by a good margin.

1st Brian Naylor

2nd Kinzer Naylor

3rd Darin Dux

F3 Main

Brian got the hole shot again as Kinzer studders on the start, but set up for a pass on lap 7 to overtake his dad for a solid victory.

1st Kinzer Naylor

2nd Brian Naylor

F4

What great fast racing as Sam pulled out the holeshot and led it the whole way with 1 of the KX’s on his toes at all times he gets to the checkered 1st. A fun fast race to watch.

1st Sam Miller

2nd Kinzer Naylor

3rd Brian Naylor

4th Paul Prentice

5th Aaron Kaufman

Thanks to all the riders for coming out on a beautiful Iowa day to have some safe and fun racing. Reminder there is a track day on April 28th at Marshalltown. The Naylor team are headed down to OKC to hang out and race those speedy southern boys with Oklahoma Superbikers.

Check out the finishes at ~http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=199340~ and photos at ~http://www.miniroadrace.com~.

The SEMRA season traveled to beautiful Bakers Creek Racetrack in Decatur, Alabama for the 3rd race weekend of the calendar. The weather forecast was unwelcoming at best, and for once the weather man was correct (at least for Saturday). Forecasts were for strong thunderstorms all day for the Saturday endurance and a cold dismal day on Sunday with lows close to freezing and highs barely crossing the 50 degree mark. Thru it all though, the SEMRA family pulled together and had a GREAT weekend.

We awoke Saturday morning to dark skies and they opened up shortly after the gates at the track were open to us. At least most people were able to get their tents setup before the monsoon of Biblical proportions arrived. We decided to combine the 3hr endurance with the 2hr endurance (kids, adult novice and spec class) since so few people were going to be on the track. Through it all, a great day of racing and unbelievable fun was to be had. Almost every person on the track met the pavement at least once and yet not a sole was permanently injured with most remounting their bikes in mere seconds. (Try that “big bike” racers!) If there’s anything to be learned from this weekend, it’s that you shouldn’t be afraid of the rain!

The young 9 yo Michael Scott deserves a mention for setting the fastest lap of the race with a 48.054 on a KTM 65; and Robby Neely, the overall winner, with the second fastest lap running a 48.291 on a KTM 85.

The results of the Saturday endurance are as follows:

2hr Adult Novice

Pos No Name Laps Total Time Best Time

1 36 Curtis Donaldson 153 2:45:59.198 55.064

2 119 Caleb Adams 124 2:18:14.080 56.185

2hr Spec

Pos No Name Laps Total Time Best Time

1 248 Bob Henderson 158 2:45:24.871 54.727

2 84 Jamie Spencer 142 2:45:31.187 50.238

3hr HW

Pos No Name Laps Total Time Best Time

1 11 Robby Neely 191 2:45:30.687 48.291

2 320 Grant Singley 191 2:45:50.376 49.354

3 5 Robert Sanders 182 2:45:22.945 51.972

4 46 John Halsey 144 2:44:32.250 51.332

5 95 Kris Turner 78 1:08:35.868 49.148

6 10 Carlo Gagliardo 23 2:46:06.422 50.149

3hr LW

Pos No Name Laps Total Time Best Time

1 001 Paul Yates 178 2:45:17.078 51.822

3hr MW

Pos No Name Laps Total Time Best Time

1 180 Michael Scott 189 2:45:42.149 48.054

2 74 Keith Montgomery 181 2:45:28.647 51.740

3 111 Royden Vickers 148 2:45:10.203 51.898

4 122 Steven McDonald 146 2:22:47.081 51.088

5 424 Thomas Bane 57 2:45:22.568 56.553

Sunday’s weather made Saturday’s look like a warm day in the sun. Looking out the hotel window showed a still soaking wet pavement. Walking outside revealed even worse, SNOW FLURRIES! The temperature was hovering right around the 40 degree mark when we headed out to the track. It continued raining throughout the morning practice and qualifying sessions; and the temperatures didn’t go up by much. The rain finally managed to stop around lunch time.

The track was still wet for the start of the Supermoto race, but the riders didn’t seem to notice! Robby Neeley and Lyles Sanders had an amazing battle the first half of the race. Lyles managed to get the best of Rob and checked out with the fastest lap of the weekend, a 41.971.

The track continued drying thru the kids class, but still offered up tricky conditions for the youngsters with cold, wet patches thru-out. Cole Mattison led from turn 1 to the finish. Caleb Adams was attempting to make a charge after a bad start, but lost the front in turn 1 and retired the race while in 2nd place.

The track finally dried and offered up a better day of racing even if it was still cold. Carlo Gagliardo pulled his usual disappearing act in all 3 races he entered: F1, GP85 and the spec class. He also set the fastest time of the weekend outside of the Supermoto class with a 42.053 in the GP85 class on his Honda 150r. Alex Hilliard gets honorable mention for his impressive race performance in F2 as well as his race start crash in T125 which left his bike on top of him.

The results for the Sunday sprints can be seen on mylaps.com at: ~http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=198498~

The cancellation of the first round of the Canadian minigp national series freed up Peter Lenz (www.peterlenz.com) from his scheduled obligation to ride for Metrakit Canada (www.metrakit.ca) in the event and instead saw him head south. Peter in his own words tells us about his weekend, written while driving back from the event held 1100 miles from home.

Today I raced at SCminiGP in California. I left on Friday, April 13. My dad and I drove for 23 hours to get to Grange in California. When we arrived at the track on Saturday it was in good conditions for practice. Also it was good conditions for scrubbing in my new Bridgestone tires from PMP. The day before I left, Arai supplied a new helmet from Japan and it is an extra extra small Quantum. It is a lot lighter than the Arai I wore last year.

On Saturday it was take and go for suspension on the 80. The transmission on the 65 would not shift down and my dad and I knew it was going to be one BIG problem. It was a couple of hours until my dad and I figured it out. First we had to get the oil out of the bike and then we saw our problem right in front of us, it was the on drain bolt, it had metal shavings on it. It meant that the transmission was falling apart but that did not worry us, we found out what our problem was. We changed the oil and it got better, but still isn’t ok. For my next practice I rode my Metrakit 50. I also had to break in new tires on that bike too. It was an ok experience for doing it for the second time that day. There was nothing wrong with it thanks to GP suspension. The Metrakit 80 was not so good in the beginning of the practice but my dad helped and put more pressure in the tires.

Then came race day where big things happen and a lot of surprises, like crashing. When morning practice came it was raining and I was kind of upset to know it was raining. My first practice came up and I was nervous to go to it, but I knew I would have to finish it so I did it. When I went out I thought of the asphalt, if you think of rain then you will crash, if you think of something else you won’t. So that’s what I did and did not crash.

There were a lot of stalls and people crashing who just did not go smooth on the gas and that’s how some of them crashed. My dad and I did not have any rain tires so I ran my DOTs. For my first race, 50 light, I did well. I started last and worked up in the heat race and I got third in it. For my 80 race I ran my 65 because my Metrakit 80 had old slicks. I did not do super good but I did good in it, I got fourth, first on the second row of the grid for the main. For my next race, which is Formula GP, I ran my 65 in that class and I got first for the heat race and won by like 15 seconds.

Then came the mains where if you mess up you mess up for good. My first race was the 50 light which was one of the hardest races. I got by Ryan going down the hill and stayed in front of him by half a second and WON! My next race was not good at all it was the 80. I switched bikes back to the 80 and had tire problems and finished 6th. The next race was GREAT, I WON! I won against 18 people on my 65.

We are driving to my Grandma’s house, then I fly home to go to school tomorrow. My dad and I are happy.

Written BY PETER LENZ

Peter is scheduled to race next with the SMRRC in Stockton, CA at the end of this month. You can keep up with Peter via his website: ~http://www.PeterLenz.com~

2007 Sponsors

Metrakit Canada, California Superbike School, Arai Helmets, Elf Lubricants, EDR Performance, MiniGPX, Pro Caliber Motorsports, Miller Paint and Graphics, All Things Drywall, Vortex, SpyOptic, Tranquil Velocity, Speed Graffix, Echo Alley Web Development, Performance Motorcycle Products.

Capcom«, a leading developer and publisher of videogames last week confirmed that it has secured the PlayStation« format rights to publish official videogames based on the adrenaline fuelled motor sport, MotoGP. The first game to be published under the terms of this agreement will be MotoGP ‘07 (working title) due for release this autumn on the PlayStation« 2 entertainment system.

MotoGP is the world’s premier motorcycling championship consisting of 18 Grands Prix from around the globe and featuring the world’s top motorcycle manufacturers including Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Ducati, Kawasaki, KTM and Aprilia plus the world’s best riders such as Nicky Hayden, Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, Makoto Tamada and Casey Stoner.

Commenting on the announcement Mark Beaumont, executive vice president, officer and head of Capcom consumer software publishing in the Americas and Europe said: “MotoGP is the most exciting motor sport on the planet and we are really thrilled to be partnering with them. This project clearly demonstrates Capcom’s intent to broaden its portfolio to include both original and licensed IP, work with the best developer talent and brands from across the globe to create new exciting gaming experiences. MotoGP is a multi-million unit selling franchise on PlayStation formats and we look forward to taking it to the next level.”

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, the exclusive holder of all commercial and TV rights to MotoGP commented: “Capcom’s long tradition for innovation and pushing technological boundaries in pursuit of delivering high quality entertainment perfectly matches the core values of the MotoGP brand and we’re delighted to be partnering with them.”

2007 NSR California Cup

SMRRC & SCminiGP will host the 2007 NSR California Cup. The cup will consist of three races in the state of California. The series will consist of two qualifiers events and one final championship event.

Event Dates:

May 13th, 2007 – 1st Qualifier

California Speedway û CalSpeed Karting

September 2nd, 2007 – 2nd Qualifier

Stockton Motoplex Kart Track

October 21st, 2007 – Final

Buttonwillow Raceway Kart Track

Eligibility:

- Riders must meet the age requirement of 7 years of age

- Riders must ride a Honda NSR 50 to the required specifications

- Riders are not required to be a member of either organization

Pricing:

Qualifiers $25

Final Event $50

Riders are not required to enter or pay standard organization race entries. Riders will be required to pay all gate fees or insurance requirements required by the organization and facility. If rider choose to race in additional class entries riders will be required to pay local organization entry fees.

Qualification:

Riders must race at one of the two qualifying events to be eligible for the final event Riders must complete at least two laps of a qualifier event to make the final event Positioning & Points:

Riders will earn points for each event they participate in depending on their final position. For qualifying events the grid positions will be assigned by a pee pick. For the final event the grid position will be determined by the number of points a rider has earned. The point’s structure will be as follows:

1st û 20

2nd û 19

3rd û 18

4th û 17

5th û 16

6th û 15

7th û 14

8th û 13

9th û 12

10th û 11

11th û 10

12th û 9

13th û 8

14th û 7

15th – 6

16th û 5

17th û 4

18th û 3

19th û 2

20th or more û 1

The final event winner takes all. Points only apply to grid positioning for final event.

Race Structures:

All qualifying races will run both a heat and main event. The heat will consist of 6 laps. The main will consist of 8 laps. For the final race there will be no heat event and the race will consist of 12 laps. For the qualifying events riders will only be allowed one warm up lap. For the final event riders will be allowed two warm up laps.

Two classes will be offered:

Light Weight Class û 134lbs and under

Heavy Weight Class û 135lbs and above

Weight does not include any of the riders gear

Awards & Prizes:

50% pay back for top 5 on Final Event Entries

Round #1 of the Canadian National Mini RoadRacing Series has been postponed due to complications with the official sanctioning for this event. The Pacific Coast Mini RoadRacing Club (PCMRC) has worked hard to ensure a viable venue for the first round of the 2007 season. Despite finding a facility which was available it was simply too late in the game to get all the appropriate paperwork in for a National Event.

PCMRC is looking into the viability of an October event.

The PCMRC are still planning on meeting at the F440 facility, Sunday, April 15th from 10am-2pm. This will be an unsanctioned come and play day, still allowing for riders to partake in the exceptional hospitality that the Vancouver based club has to offer.

New for the 2007 race season the former Western Canadian Mini Roadracing Series has been replaced by the æPITSTER PRO CANADIAN NATIONAL MINI ROADRACING SERIES’.

Representatives from the 2003-2006 CMA Western Canadian series have joined forces to create the Canadian National Mini RoadRacing Series. The parent Association æCanadian National Mini RoadRacing Association’ (CNMRA) formed by the 7 Canadian Mini RoadRacing Associations’ with the Presidents and their chosen directors to support the series as a group and work to maintain the fundamental values that have made Canadian Mini RoadRacing such a success.

PITSTER PRO (~http://www.pitsterpro.ca~) has been established as the Title Sponsor and financial support is available for all current registered National dates as of April 9, 2007 for 2007.

Official Dates:

April 15, Vancouver, BC (~http://www.miniracingbc.com~)

May 18-20, Edmonton, AB (~http://www.amra.ca~)

July 7-8, Calgary AB (~http://www.amra.ca~)

August 3-5, Quesnel, BC (tzed.racing@telus.net)

September 1-2, Saskatoon, SK (~http://www.smra.ca~)

Opportunities are available for racers, volunteers and sponsors.

For information on how you or your group can become a part of this series: contact your local mini roadracing organization or contact us directly at cnmracing@shaw.ca.

National 4 stroke minibike seriesa

The ACU and Europe’s leading minibike specialist, MBP, have been working together for the past 6 months to put together the UK’s first National Minibike Series. Roy Humphrey and his hard working Motocross Committee have been working alongside Tristan Tunstall from MBP, to put together an ACU sanctioned National Minibike Series. At the end of the series, winners in their respective classes will be crowned as ACU National Minibike Champions and will hold the number 1 plate for the next season.

Says Tristan Tunstall from MBP: “We have been involved with organizing minibike racing in the UK for over 5 years now as well as attending races in Europe and the United States since the start of 4 stroke minibike racing in 2000. We have a good idea of what riders want from a race series and the time is now right to lift minibike racing in Europe to a more professional level. We will run a well-organized series of national caliber races, similar to that of the Maxxis British Motocross Championships. Together with the ACU we have produced technical regulations relating to bike classes, minibike track design and rider safety. The minibike scene is very large in the UK but has previously lacked direction, partly due to the fact that it started off as a backyard sport. This is all set to change with the ACU and MBP working together to put British minibike racing firmly on the world minibike map. The aim of the series is to give competitors the best possible race organization and best minibike specific tracks on which to compete. We plan to set a high benchmark for minibike racing with this series, which should encourage the formation of regional minibike clubs holding their own club level races, following the standing regulations we have developed. My co-promoter, Paul Hunt is no stranger to the UK race scene having twice been a national motocross champion. Paul has vast experience of running races and getting things properly organized to a high standard, Paul was one of the first people to organize mountain bike racing in the UK and is no stranger to breaking new ground in emerging sports. Both Paul and I believe in doing things properly, this will be the best race series the UK minibike scene has ever seen. We approached the ACU to help move our plans forward, as they are the most professional and established motorcycle sporting body in the UK. Together we have come up with well thought out regulations, which any race organizers could and should follow. This is a very positive step for 4 stroke minibike racing in the UK”.

Roy Humphrey Chairman of the ACU Motocross Committee commented: “Here at the ACU we have long been aware of the potential of four stroke minibike racing and when approached by Europe’s leading minibike specialists, we decided now was the time for the ACU to become fully involved in raising the level of minibike racing in the UK. There has been a lot of unhelpful press as a result of the media regarding ‘minibikes,’ but here at the ACU we recognize the need to embrace and encourage new facets of motorcycle sports. The National Minibike Series that Paul and Tristan are organizing is for the serious minibike riders out there, as opposed to offering a solution to social issues associated with cheap ‘minimotos’ tearing around housing estates causing a public nuisance. The ACU has the Local Authority Support Unit to deal with these types of issue. Using the Standing Regulations we have developed, four-stroke minibike racing will be able to realize its potential in much the same way as modern motocross to date. Racing needs to be well run, organizers trained properly and safety has to be of prime importance in this day and age. We see four stroke minibike racing as a great way of encouraging new riders into motorcycle sports, thanks to its relative inexpensiveness when compared to other motorcycle sport disciplines.”

The 2007 National Minibike Series will be held over 5 rounds in the first year from Spring through to Autumn and will visit tracks around the country. New tracks will be constructed at Doncaster Moto Park and TonyMoto in Winchester. The existing track at Mildenhall will be modified for two of the rounds, with track design input from National Champion Carl Nunn. There will be 6 categories of racing depending on wheel size and engine capacity. There will be 2 ’stock control’ classes, which have been formulated to encourage riders to take up the sport. ” We realize the importance of encouraging new riders to help grow the minibike race scene while keeping the cost of running a quality machine to a relatively low budget ” commented Tristan Tunstall. “These 2 classes will use Japanese machinery allowing only a modest amount of permitted modifications. This will make for a level playing field and skill will be the deciding factor in winning races, not how much money spent on the bike. We will have 4 classes for increasingly, modified bikes too and if riders do well in a stock class they may choose to move up to a class with greater scope for permitted bike modifications”.

Round 1 – May13th – Winchester

Round 2 – June 17th – East Anglia

Round 3 – July 22nd – Doncaster

Round 4 – Aug 12th – East Anglia

Round 5 – Sept 2nd – Winchester

The full low down on the race ACU backed national 4 stroke minibike series check out the website, entry details and race classes will be available on the MINI4GB web site that goes live on Friday the 2nd of March – the web address is ~http://www.mini4gb.com~

For more information about the ACU backed National Minibike Series you can go to ~http://www.mini4gb.com~ for the low down on race classes, entry details and useful information regarding getting started in minibike racing.

USMGP at BeaveRun May 11th, 12th & 13th registration is now open!

USMGP Summer Jam! Sponsored by Mid-South Minimoto

Please go to ~http://www.speedreg.com~ and register for this event. You are not required to pay online but if you want you can and make things easier for yourself and us at the event. We will be doing qualifying at this event so get those bikes prepped. This event will have everything from the featherweight class to Open Motards & classes for YSR’s & NSRS. So bring them out. Should be a great weekend. The price of open practice is to be determined yet but most everything is leading to it being around $20.00 for all day Friday. The practice on Friday is being run by the track.

If you make a mistake and miss a class please do not register again. Just come see us at the registration table at the event!

For all of you shifter bike racers please check the class rules as they have been updated. You do nto have to register again if you have we will make sure you are in the correct class at the event registration table.

USMGP Summer Jam!

Hope to see you there!

Chuck Shorie

USMGP President

~http://www.usmgp.com~