2025 WMRRA Round 4
Track:
The Ridge Motorsports Park, Shelton, WA
Date:
June 21-22, 2025
Results:
| Class | Result | Video |
|---|---|---|
| MW SBK (Saturday) | 6th | Video |
| MW GP (Saturday) | 6th | Video |
| MW SBK (Sunday) | 5th | Video |
| 450 SBK (Sunday) | 5th | Video |
Summary
- ✅ Wet
- ✅ Cold
- ✅ Fun
After two rounds in Oregon, we’re back in Washington! While the week was pretty nice, the weekend brought changeable weather. Somehow the track remained dry Friday. The radar around the track was gross, but the track was fine. I think Mark DeGross asked for a favor or two for the 2-Fast ran WMRRA Practice Day.
While I didn’t have any personal best times this weekend, I kept the bike upright and continued to learn the platform. Keeping it upright was an achievement given the way Saturday especially went for most folks. But more on that in a bit.
I will say going from 90s and the scorching sun to damp and cold between the two rounds was striking.
Saturday
I wasn’t able to attend Friday so I got up early to be at the track in time for the morning riders meeting. I arrived to a very damp race track. It had been raining all night and was still going when I was unpacking. The weather looked to be set to dry up by lunch though; it was going to be the sort of day where practice and qualifying was in the wet and racing would be dry. I decided to uncomplicate my life, I’d just get gridded by points. Anyone who qualified would be in front of me, but starts generally aren’t my weak point. So I rolled the dice. This worked out alright. I’d start from the 2nd and 3rd rows for my events.
By my first event the track had dried, but there were still some slippery areas. MotoAmerica is next weekend and the Ridge has been working to prep the place. A few corners have fresh patches on them which are just a bit less grippy than the rest of the surface. For added excitement turn 14 was seeping water.
I had a few bits of excitement in Saturday’s races. I worked a bit on defensive riding; this was more important given the less than ideal surface. I also had a near incident when the rider in front of me had an electrical issue going through Turn 6. It did make for an easy pass down the hill, but it got the heart rate up for sure.
By the end of Saturday 17 motorcycles had been collected by our crash truck. It was clear grip wasn’t that great. I consider making it through the day without incident to be its own reword. I’d finish both races on Saturday in 6th place.
Sunday
Conditions on Sunday were better. Turn 14 still had a damp spot somehow, but the rest had dried up, and we had a day of racing on the patches which should mean a bit more grip. Unfortunately the temperatures were low.
My first race was MW SBK and I got a super launch, heading to turn 1 battling for 2nd position. I was quickly demoted to third however when Oliver Jervis put on a clinic on how to pass on the inside of turn 1, overtaking myself and the rider in front of us both. I’d spend this race doing my best to put in solid laps, but ultimately lost a couple of additional places.
The schedule for Sunday meant a lot of waiting. My second race was the final event of the day. It did eventually arrive, but the temperature had actually dropped, getting colder yet. The track was chilly. Even with the sun out the surface was barely 80F. For comparison, in Portland last round pavement temperatures were reaching 140F and it’s typical to be around 120F. This didn’t bring confidence for me and that showed in my laptimes.
I was able to move up the ranks slightly to 5th in both of my events.
Reflecting
I’m hungry to go faster on this bike as I get comfortable. I am still a bit down on confidence after a rough winter down in Chuckwalla but I am chipping away at it. I’ll get there. I left the weekend with a singular feeling.
Thanks to all y’all
Thanks to all of those that sponsor me. KYT makes amazing helmets. Sage at CT Racing Services for KTech and Pirelli support. It’s been a marathon for our trackside vendors with events. Sage, you’re killing it. Track Time track days for giving me a place to hone my own craft and instruct others. I was able to work with pitmate Andrew Burgess before this round and we had him turning near his personal best consistently. StevensonFoto makes me and my bike look so good. And Short Circuit Racing for the support trackside.
See y’all in July for Round 5.
