WMRRA/OMRRA Combined Round Race Report from Phil Melnyk
Photos: James Mellinger and Dane Anar
Living is racing, racing is life. This past weekend, OMRRA hosted WMRRA at Portland International Raceway for the second of two joint rounds shared between the clubs.
Bringing the two clubs together in this fashion elevates the playing field, increasing the level of competition, excitement, and interest in our sport of motorcycle road racing!
The weekend went exceptionally well, both clubs bringing out their best riders to lay it all on the line. I felt reasonably prepared, both mentally and physically. My Triumph of Seattle Yamaha R6 was more than ready, all set up for me with the help of Dave Lanigan at Speed Dealer Motors, Don Beck with Superbike Underground, and Barry Wressell with KFG Motorsports doing the fine-tuning. James with Triumph of Seattle made the 200-mile trek down from Seattle to help me out in the pits as well, thanks dude!
Saturday started off with practice and qualifying. I warmed up 1st practice, then went out for qualifying. I had an issue with my front tire warmer getting snagged, so I missed getting out in the front of the pack with the fast group, losing my chance for a tow!
I reminded myself that speed comes from accuracy, consistency, and smooth input and went out on track. I put in a few solid laps, nothing that felt particularly fast, and pulled in after coming upon a large group of riders that I knew would ruin my chances for a fast lap. To my surprise, I qualified in P2 right behind Chromie with a 1:10.8!
600SS Saturday
Lined up on the front row, green flag drops, and I get a decent start. Mackenzie Ancien and Luke Luciano pull out in front of me heading into T1. Then on the brakes, Dustin Walbon blows by all 3 of us, threading the needle in between bikes and into the lead! I pass Luke into T3, Follow Mac for a lap, and pass her into T1. Dustin is gone, Jerk! Mac and I battle it out for the rest of the race, and I just manage to hold her off at the line for 2nd.
600SBK Saturday
This race was a repeat of 600 SS, Dustin getting into 1st and clearing out, Mac and I battling for 2nd, except this time, she managed to outsmart me and beat me to the line! Excellent effort Mac!
600SS Sunday
This race was the toughest race of the weekend for me. I was having nerve issues in my right arm related to a previous injury. This led to me losing the ability to apply brake pressure. By Lap 2 I was only able to trail the brakes into every corner, also having to move my brake marker back about 150FT. I still managed to get some decent lap times, but I steadily fell back into my position during the race. On the last lap, into T7 I managed to gain a position back over Sean Creasap for 3rd place. It took everything I had, and I also had to make a very risky pass on a twice lapped rider. Luckily everything worked out!
600SBK/WMRRA Formula 2 Sunday
This race was by far the most fun of the entire weekend. Ryan “Chromie” Sutton was in this race, coming out to collect points for WMRRA F2 and to show us kids how its done! Off the line I got a good start, Ryan Doherty pulling ahead as we approached T1. We both go deep into T1 and on my left I see Chromie fly by with Dustin on the outside of him, both completely blowing T1 and going off track! I stay calm and latch onto Ryan Doherty slowly reeling him in. We hit lap traffic on Lap 2 and he manages to pull a small gap. I claw it back and again we hit more lap traffic. By lap 7 I am worn out from trying to make up lost time, Ryan had a 2-second gap on me by this time. Going into T9 I can see that he is carrying too much entry speed. He tucks the front and slides off track, leaving me in 1st Place! It was short lived though, on the next lap, Chromie passed me on the front straight, waving as he goes by with his middle finger. He then proceeds to almost blow T1, again! He then loses his footing on the pegs into T3, and again into T7! I was laughing so hard I almost blew T1 myself. I must say though that to come back from last place after going off track, get into 1st, almost do it again, and still win the race really shows his true level of riding ability. Good job dude!
Although I didn’t reach my goal of getting into the 1:09s, I had a wonderful time racing, working on bike setup, and hanging out with my WMRRA/OMRRA family! I came away with four podiums, a new Personal Best of a 1:10.2, and a firm footing in 3rdplace for the WMRRA Overall Championship!
A huge thank you to all of my sponsors:
• Garrett, James and the team at Triumph of Seattle for the bodywork, gear, parts, and help in the pits
• DJ and Cliff with Moto G Racing for the best Pirelli tires and unending sarcasm
• Barry and April with KFG Motorsports for the continued support throughout the years, the suspension was perfect!
• Dave Lanigan with Speed Dealer for the awesome motor and for being a voice of reason
• Don Beck with Superbike Underground for pushing me to try new things, the bike was fast!
• Mark with 2Fast for the seat time and environment to test my abilities in a safe manner
• Trev Beckman with FlexiGlass for the best bodywork out there
• Brandon Knowles with Brand X Customs for the awesome paint
• Derick, Jaquelyn, Christine, and Aaron of the Premium Rush crew for always lending a helping hand
• Greg Canright with Canright Construction for being an exceptionally understanding employer.
• A quick shout out goes out to Pat Farrand for being right, once in a while…..
• I would also like to thank EBC Brakes, Silkolene, Vortex, Woodcraft CFM, and Skagit Powersports for their continued support.
See you all in 3 weeks!
