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The Utah Sport Bike Association (USBA) held its 4th round of Superbike Racing at the World Class Burt Brothers Motorpark in Tooele Valley UT, July 19th & 20th. The Series is a 6-round season with Purse money and championship implications for multiple classes encompassing different bike sizes and rider skill levels. Each round consists of 7 laps sprint races, 14 lap Premier “King of the Mountain” Race, and Endurance racing.
Race weekends always start on Fridays with an open lapping day hosted by local provider Apex Trackdays, and this round was no different. Fridays are not only for racers to practice, separated by skill level and experience there are groups for first time track riders and regular track enthusiasts as well. If you ride motorcycles, of any kind, and want to see what the track is all about then visit apextrackdays.com for more information. When the dust settled on Friday it was all smiles from the riders who enjoyed a day of thrills, and all business for the racers preparing for the high-speed battles to come.
Saturday morning, racers rolled their machines through technical inspection where the bikes are scrutinized for safety and awaited the first sessions of the day… Qualifying. All racers have the opportunity to earn their best starting spot for the weekend’s races. When 8am came around, the racers got straight to work laying down their fastest laps trying to put themselves as far up on the grid as possible to gain the upper hand come race time. #1 plate holder and club champion Anthony Norton topped the time sheets as the fastest qualifier of the morning clocking a 1:29.8 on the West Track the races were being held on this round. Previous champion and club president Brian Childree was second fastest, and Canadian Native Justin Delong qualified a close 3rd. These names should sound familiar if you have been following the series this year.
The USBA offers a unique opportunity for riders aspiring to become racers that also takes place each round on Saturdays, the StreetGP. This special format class offers classroom instruction, practice sessions, and a first taste of bar-to-bar racing action without the total commitment of a dedicated race bike. Riders can bring their street prepped motorcycles and grid up so long as they have the ambition and proper safety gear. Round 4 seen 30 riders getting involved with motorcycle racing for the first time speaking to the outreach the USBA has on the local riding community. Not only is riding and even racing on the track notoriously safer than riding on the street but its arguably much more exhilarating and the word is obviously getting out.
The first expert race of the day was the middleweight bikes of the Vortex Racing sponsored Moto2 class. Vortex Racing is a local Salt Lake City UT based manufacturer of performance motorcycle parts. This race set the tone of the weekend as Utah native Alex Cantrell, Josh Fisher out of New Mexico, and Nevada resident Lee Mcnutt, all locked in at the front of the pack battling for the lead from the first corner of lap one straight to the finish. After 7 laps, and multiple passes back and forth, the 3 were separated by only 1.4 seconds as they came to the checkered flag with Alex leading Lee and Josh in 3rd.
The Very next race brought out the big 1000cc bikes from the paddock in the Crossbeam Builders Expert stock1000 race. Fast Qualifier Anthony Norton started from the first position and when the lights went out, Norton nailed the start leading the pack into turn 1 with Justin Delong close enough to feel the heat off his exhaust. As the race rolled on, Anthony, better known as “Lugnut” stretched his lead and took a comfortable win as Justin secured 2nd and Class sponsor, owner of Crossbeam Builders, Chris Mousley worked his way into podium position crossing the line in 3rd just off the leaders. Crossbeam builders is a huge supporter of the local community specializing in home remodeling and custom home builds throughout Utah.
Sprint races rolled on with many more epic battles on track as the intensity built leading into Saturdays main event, The “Duel in the Desert” endurance race. Saturdays sprint races are all 7 laps, no more than 15 minutes each start to finish. Endurance racing adds a mountain of challenges over the 90-minute-long flag to flag race including mechanical dependency, rider fitness, and pitstops. Racers either choose to tackle this challenge solo, or team up with 1-3 other riders in the True Endurance class or relay class. True endurance teams share 1 motorcycle switching riders, tires, and refilling fuel on pitstops where relay riders each ride their own bike and simply pass a transponder from rider to rider that tracks their progress and lap count during the race. Starting the race from pole position was Anthony Norton on his Precision Fab Machinery True endurance team bike and right next to him, Local Legend Shane Turpin on his Paradigm Racing team machine. These two teams also happen to be championship rivals for the Racers Edge Performance sponsored True Endurance championship. Both teams had near flawless races executing their strategies and pitstops perfectly leaving the battle to the racetrack. Norton led the opening lap and built a lead for his teammate Kohl Burmester when he handed the reigns over at their first pit stop. Turpin continued to circulate regaining the lead. When Turpin brought his machine to pitlane to refuel and take on a new tire, Alex Zinaich hopped on to take his share of the race and the two teams stayed close with Kohl slightly ahead for the Precision Fab team into that last 20minutes. Kohl would have to bring his machine back to pitlane for fuel to finish the race and handed the bike back to Norton now trailing the Paradigm team. A few laps later the battle was on as Norton attempted to work his way bast Zinaich for the lead. Meanwhile, there were a half dozen gritty individuals taking on the race in the Hardline Excavation Ironman class and it was Mark Taylor leading that campaign. Mark would ride the whole race, only stopping once and be the first-place ironman at the checkered flag. In the relay class it was the trio of Josh Fisher, Ryan Breckenridge, and Chris Mousley teaming up to take the Apex Assassins class win in a close battle for the top spot. The top two bikes in the race were the previously mentioned true endurance teams battling to the final minutes. In the end, Norton and Burmester on the Precision Fab Machinery entry would take a narrow victory over the Paradigm team of Turpin and Zinaich. This battle is long from over as there are 2 more rounds of endurance, with the final round being double points. Racers and fans celebrated the days accomplishments over tacos and podium ceremonies while preparing for another full day of close racing.
Sunday brings the weekends premier race, the Burt Brothers Tire and Service sponsored “King of the Mountain” race, where the clubs fastest riders all battle for the prestigious #1 plate, club champion title, and a healthy pay day. But before that race would send off, the novice racers had their own payday to battle for.
Precision Fab Machinery is a fabrication equipment distributor and service provider for the rocky mountain states region, but also, they are motorsports enthusiasts doing their part to help grow the sport. Novice racers have a chance to take a bit of money home in the Middleweight Superbike Novice class sponsored by Precision Fab Machinery, and they were ready to fight for it in round 4. This class races both Saturday and Sunday with purse money in both races. Saturday, Pole Sitter Ryan Breckenridge out of Mesa Arizona took the top spot with Parker Mayer and Dakota Burford rapping up the podium. On Sunday things started out the same with Ryan leading Parker, Dakota and the rest of the field into turn one. The 3 upfront would run nose to tail for a few laps before Parker would make a mistake during the battle for 2nd and lose a few spots promoting Derek Festavan into podium position. Ryan just seemed to have a bit more pace as he snuck away out-front winning by about 3 seconds ahead of Dakota in 2nd and Derek in 3rd.
The stage was set and the clubs fastest and most experienced riders took to the track for the “King of the Mountain” race as their fellow racers and fans flocked to the grandstand. Reigning champion Anthony Norton and 2nd fastest qualifier Brian Childree stood alone in the first row of the grid as Justin Delong wasn’t able to make the race due to a mechanical. The start lights went on, revvs were up, and the lights went out as the riders blitzed into turn 1 with Brian and Anthony literally bar to bar drag racing in a game of chicken to the braking zone for the first turn. Norton has position and Childree filed in right behind him as the two set sail at the front. On his middleweight entry, Shane Turpin had made his way from 4th to 3rd and for the time being at least sat comfortably there ahead of Chris Mousley and Steven Marco.
Norton and Childree managed to streak away out front with Norton gaining a small advantage lap after lap until around lap 6 where Norton ran his fastest laps of the race building a gap that would prove sufficient. But all eyes were on Previous Club champion Jerry Hicks who was making his return to superbike racing this weekend after over a year away. Jerry missed qualifying on Saturday and started this race at the back of the field but by lap 5 was sitting in 4th place and on the charge. Turpin was 6 seconds ahead in 3rd at that time but by the end of the race Turpin may have felt Hicks’ presence as the Gap would be down to just .7 of a second. The finishing order would be Norton 1st, Childree 2nd, Turpin 3rd and Hicks just short of the podium in 4th. It should be no surprise that these 4 are either current or previous #1 plate holders for the USBA and leading the charge in KOM.
With only 2 rounds left for the 2025 season, racers are at the top of their games and fighting for every point and every purse dollar they can grab. The next round is Round 5 on the East course and is set to take place on August 9th-10th. The USBA welcomes Race fans and spectators at no charge to their events at Burt Brothers Motorpark and encourages you to bring the family. The action is nonstop 8am-5pm every race weekend. The Big talk of the 2025 season is the Season Finale September 6th-7th, which will be held on what is known as the “Perimeter Course”, a prestigious configuration that allows these 200+hp superbikes to reach speeds in access of 180 MPH. Racers from around the country are already signed up and ready to take their shot at the Glory of winning and reap the rewards for their efforts. This sixth and final round will no doubt be a spectacle and the biggest round of the season with special challenges like a 3-hour long endurance race. So, who will win the inaugural Endurance Championship, or the 2025 #1 plate? Anything can happen and only time will tell when the action resumes in Tooele Valley for the conclusion of the season. Come Race or Come Watch… Just Be There, as you won’t want to miss a moment of the exhilarating action. For More information, please visit UTAHSBA.com or see them on social media at @utahsba.
