Track:

The Ridge Motorsports Park, Shelton, WA

Date:

July 19-20, 2025

Results:

Class	Result	Video
MW SBK (Saturday)	7th	Video
MW GP (Saturday)	2nd	Video
MW SBK (Sunday)	5th	Video
450 SBK (Sunday)	4th	Video

Summary

Last race round at The Ridge Motorsports Park of the season, packed grids, and fun racing. Oh, and some hardware.

Saturday

First practice on Saturday had an odd vibe. There was a lot of traffic and it just felt like something was in the air. It made it hard to settle in and do much with my laps. I came in, jumped off the bike and my boots hit the ground with a click. Somehow both soles on my boots came off… A few minutes after the session another racer let me know just where they were on track. Maybe the odd feeling was not having any purchase on the bike? Anyway, I took off my white boots and on went the black pair.

One of the few photos in my white boots.

When I went out in qualifying and there was again traffic, but I got my head down. My qualifying group has a few different classes and I was behind a slower class motorcycle, a MotoGuzzi, that I noticed dragging hard parts and upsetting their suspension in turn 9. I quickly decided I didn’t want to post up behind any longer and setup for a pass into turn 11. I’d gotten past them on a wide line and then felt a bump on my side. They had stood the bike up, ran into me, and then crashed. Talking in the pits it sounds like they have a mechanical issue with shifting. Luckily the only problem for me is a mark down the side of my suit.

Race 5 - MW SBK

My first race of the weekend went alright. I got a reasonable start, getting into the initial turns in 5th. I was alright with the pace I seemed to have against the other riders, but the folks at the front in this event had a bit more than I did. I’d end the race in 7th after losing a place or two. I’ll say one area of improvement on this bike is still getting my elbows out and confidence up when going wheel to wheel. It’s better every weekend, but some of the passes should have been harder for the other rider.

Race 10 - MW GP

Race 10 was solid. I had very consistent laps throughout the race. Hannah Johnson led from flag to flag in front of me. I kept trying to close the gap but the pace was steady. For a bit of levity Hannah would look back at me in a few corners to check if I’d made progress. Next time we race, hopefully I can make Hannah work for it, but on the day she was the better rider. I should be happy with a second place though. It’s a respectable finish.

Sunday

Race 14 - MW SBK

First race on Sunday was race 14, MW SBK. I got an okay start which resulted in me slotting in behind Kevin O’Neill. I was having a better weekend pacewise than Kevin, so I figured my race was going to be inverting our positions. About halfway through the race, we caught a 1000 from the wave in front of MWSBK. Passing bikes with disparate power configurations can be tricky and I could tell Kevin was frustrated trying to get around them.

I had a few opportunities to pass while we were stuck up a bit, but I decided we’d be able to pass the slower bike, then continue the battle. Kevin went for the pass into turn 6, I followed, and we were unleashed. I then got decent drive up the back hill and braked later into turn 11 than Kevin to make the pass. Once I did this I was able to drop about a second off of my laps, going to a 1:56.30.

Race 22 - 450 SBK

The last race, R22, 450SBK, was a good result, with the best laptime on the weekend (and of this season at The Ridge) but not much of a race. I got off the line in 3rd. The only pass that would happen was Nathan Aldrich who was gridded in the back but fast as always. He passed me early on in the race and then I hung out in 4th. I could see the pack in front, but wasn’t making any progress. Still, this race resulted in laps in the 1:55s which is the best on the weekend (and season).

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. Track Time track days for giving me a place to hone my own craft and instruct others. StevensonFoto continues to make me and my bike look so good. And Short Circuit Racing for the support trackside.