23rd ANNUAL REPUBLIC OF TEXAS BIKER RALLY

CORONA, CA (June, 10 2018)

Rounds 3 and 4 of the AMA Supermoto Championship was a double header event, held at the Travis County Expo Center in Austin, Texas, as part of the 23rd Annual Republic of Texas (ROT) Biker Rally.  This unique pop-up track offered riders a very technical .5-mile circuit, with a 50/50 split of off-road and tarmac including, whoops section, cambered downhill turns and an off-road start in the flat track area.  High temperatures and humidity would test the rider’s fitness but the track and tire selection was what played a bigger role by the end of the weekend.

First up, the Pro Lites, defending class champion and current points leader Christian Payne grabbing the first pole position of the weekend over fellow competitors Brady Tausan, Austin Pecoraro and Hunter Brooks rounding out the front row.  As the lights went out it was Tausan Racing’s, Brady Tausan grabbing the holeshot and leading the opening laps of Moto 1.  Racing was wheel to wheel between Tausan and Payne with Pecoraro giving chase.  Payne would make his way around Tausan in the whoops section and would slowly pull away from the field. Racing heated up between Tausan and Tri-County Powersports rider Austin Pecoraro for the remainder of the first Moto with Tausan holding on to second place.  Pecoraro would come home third, GPS Racing’s Hunter Brooks forth and Peter Olivier rounding out the top 5.  

In Moto 2, Last Minute Racing’s Christian Payne would take the holeshot and early lead over Tausan, Brooks and Pecoraro. Payne would pull away from the field leaving the battle for the remaining podium spots between Tausan, Brooks and Pecoraro.  With Pecoraro being the only competitor in the field competing in both Pro Lites and Open Pro, he would start to feel the heat and slowly fade toward the end of the second Moto yielding the last podium spot to Hunter Brooks.  Payne would take the overall victory on Day 1 with Tausan and Brooks rounding out the podium.  

Next up in the Amateur National class it would be 805 Supermoto’s Parker Pitman earning pole position over current points leader Mad Cow Racing’s Kevin Wehr and visiting Taiwan Supermoto racer Lin Chin Pei.  In Moto 1 it was Kevin Wehr grabbing the holeshot but an early mistake in the off-road section on lap 1 would put him mid-pack yielding the lead to his Mad Cow Racing teammate Justin Monnett. Taiwan’s Lin would give a good chase with Pitman close behind.  Pitman would slowly make his way past Lin and Monnett, going on for the Moto win.  Monnett would second place with his teammate Wehr making an incredible comeback to end up third.  

Moto 2, would have Kevin Wehr taking the holeshot over his Mad Cow Racing teammate Justin Monnett, and 805’s Parker Pitman.  Pitman would make his way around Monnett as they entered the flat track area and set chase for the leader.  Wehr and Pitman are no strangers on track which made for great wheel to wheel racing for most of Moto 2 until a stall by Pitman on the asphalt section would allow Wehr to get away.  Wehr would go on to win Moto 2 and take the overall.  Day 1 saw Wehr on top of the podium with his teammate Justin Monnett 2nd, Parker Pitman 3rd overall.

Open Pro class qualifying put 4-time Champion Gage McAllister on pole position with Ryder Smith Racing teammate Sean Butterman second, visiting Italian racer Alberto Moseriti third and Tri-County Powersports Nick Reimer rounding out the front row.  In Moto 1 it was Italian Moseriti grabbing the holeshot and early lead on his Travanski Global, DVR USA sponsored bike.  Moseriti would hold off a charging field in the opening laps with McAllister and Butterman on his rear fender.  McAllister showed great speed in the off-road section of the .5-mile circuit blitzing the whoops section past Moseriti and into the lead on lap 4. McAllister would take advantage of an open track and pull away for an easy opening Moto win.  RSR teammate Sean Butterman would also make his way around Moseriti leaving a great battle for 3rd place between the visiting Italian and Nick Reimer.  Reimer was showing great speed, and it looked like only a matter of time before he would make his way around the Italian, but late in the Moto Reimer nearly vomited in his helmet due to the high heat conditions yielding the 3rd position to Moseriti.  McAllister, Butterman and Moseriti were your top 3 finishers in Moto 1.  

In Open Pro Moto 2, Moseriti again took the holeshot and early lead setting the pace for the field.  McAllister used his great off-road speed again to make his way around the Italian in the whoops sections, setting sail to another Moto win and the overall.  Reimer would make an exceptional scrubbing pass into the flat track area past Moseriti for the final podium position.  With that pass Reimer was able to put a Tri-County Powersports sponsored rider on the box in each class. McAllister, Butterman and Reimer were your overall podium finishers on Day 1.  

Day 2 of the double header race weekend continued on Saturday bringing a new set of challenges for racers.  As the off-road section wore in, most riders switched from rain tires to grooved slicks, which would be a deciding factor in several Moto’s.  

Pro Lites qualifying saw Last Minute Racing’s Christian Payne put his Tokyo Mod’s sponsored CRF250R on pole position followed by GPS Racing’s Hunter Brooks and Tausan Racing’s Brady Tausan 3rd.  In Moto 1, Hunter Brooks would take his first holeshot of the year followed wheel to wheel by Payne, Tausan and Pecoraro and Olivier.  Brooks would hold off Payne only a short time as he made the pass for the lead in the off-road section.  Behind them the racing heated up between Tausan and Pecoraro.  Different tire choices gave Tausan on his wet tires an advantage in the off-road section with Pecoraro on slicks gaining time on the tarmac areas.  Tausan’s rain tires wouldn’t last long in the Texas heat slowly losing grip allowing Pecoraro to make the pass entering the off-road section.  Moto 1 ended with Payne taking the checkered flag followed by Brooks and Pecoraro.  

In Moto 2, Payne would take his 3rd holeshot of the weekend followed by Tausan, Pecoraro and Brooks.  Payne would hold an early lead until he tucked the front the flat track right hander on lap 2, yielding the lead to Austin Pecoraro.  Payne would remount 4th behind Tausan and Brooks with his work cut out if he wanted his second overall win for the weekend.  Christian Payne would carve his way past Hunter Brooks and Brady Tausan giving chase to the leader and catching Pecoraro half way through the final Moto.  Different tire selection again between the top 2 would be the deciding factor with Payne on wets and Pecoraro on slicks.  Payne would lose grip in his tires in the closing minutes allowing Pecoraro to pull away for the Moto win.  Payne still took the overall going 1-2 for the day, Tri County Powersports Austin Pecoraro 2nd overall with Hunter Brooks grabbing the final podium position for the weekend.  Payne took 3 of 4 wins for the weekend extending his points lead to 21 over Pecoraro with 2 rounds left.  

In the Amateur National Class it was points leader Kevin Wehr earning pole position over 805 Supermoto’s Parker Pitman and Ryder Smith Racing team owner Joe Agley.  As the lights went out on Moto 1 it was Mad Cow Racing’s Justin Monnett grabbing the holeshot from outside row 1 chased by his teammate Wehr.  Monnett would lead the opening laps before Wehr would make his way past, slowly pulling away for the Moto win.  Pitman would make his way past Agley and Monnett to take second place, Joe Agley third.  

The racing action turned up in Moto 2 as several riders had a chance for the overall win.  RSR’s Joe Agley would take the holeshot over Wehr, Monnett and Pitman.  Kevin Wehr would have an early issue in the second turn, going down and remounting at the end of the field.  Agley would hold the lead for nearly half of the 15-minute moto before being chased down and passed by 805 Supermoto’s Parker Pitman.  The real story of Moto 2 was Kevin Wehr’s comeback from nearly last place all the way to second place in the last lap.  Pitman would take the overall going 2-1, Wehr second and Agley earning a well deserved third.  

Open Pro day 2 action again saw 4-time Champion Gage McAllister take pole position over his Ryder Smith Racing teammate Sean Butterman, Italian Moseriti and Tri-County Powersports Nick Reimer rounding out the front row.  In Moto 1 McAllister made quick work of the field, taking the holeshot and pulling away for and easy Moto win.  Racing behind was wheel to wheel between Alberto Moseriti, Sean Butterman and Nick Reimer.  A stall in the off-road section would take Reimer out of the chase leaving the battle for second place to Moseriti and Butterman.  Moseriti was able to hold off a hard charging Butterman for second place in Moto 1, Butterman taking third.  

In Moto 2 McAllister again took the holeshot with riders going down in the opening turn behind him.  Moseriti would tuck the front collecting a few riders with him, re-mounting mid-pack.  The visiting Italian would work his way back up to forth by the end of the Moto earning him the final podium position behind Ryder Smith Racing teammates McAllister and Butterman.  Gage McAllister extended his points lead to 48 over second place Nick Reimer headed into Round 5.  

The AMA Supermoto Championship continues in Trois-Rivieres Quebec City, Canada on August 3-5 at the very fast GP3R circuit in conjunction with FIA World Rallycross Championship and Americas Rallycross Championship.          

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