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![\"Mind](\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/v2\/LSOPA65BRZAKFFUT72EI2YLMHY.jpg?auth=eceb17362432c5c2e9c627345290cbbb720b283b13f2e5fc8c1a88e9e993861b\")
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It\u2019s getting harder to describe MotoAmerica<\/a> at Road America as \u201cfamily friendly\u201d in dollar terms. A $366 starting bill for 48 hours of camping for two plus race spectating is a lot of grocery money. While some racetracks make money by getting people into the gift shop, so to speak, Road America starts its CRM (Customer Relationship Management) push early. We were \u201cinvited\u201d to reserve camping spots with a credit card in November.<\/p>\n But every year brings improvements in infrastructure, amenities, and pavement. Though the steep price of entry made few customers at Road America\u2019s growing number of concession stands, it\u2019s a reminder that it\u2019s all about trying to outdo last year\u2019s grilling, feasting, and light festivities. Yeti coolers and Piggly Wiggly grocery stores exist for a reason. If you come to party, remember to bring the party. Don\u2019t believe us? Read last year\u2019s report during the Motorcycle Racing at Road America 2023<\/a> article.<\/p>\n Attendance figures haven\u2019t been released, but it certainly beat last year\u2019s 41,081. Credit goes to the King of the Baggers<\/a> series for the growing draw and visibility into what MotoAmerica brings each year to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. And there are more spots to view the action. New bleachers and gravel watched on high over the turn 11 kink and main straight heading to the flag. New jumbotrons proliferated, with the camping area along the western side of the interior straight after turn 3 finally connecting to the inside of turn 5, creating a wonderful path for pitbikes.<\/p>\n Despite rising costs, those of us who hail from the Badger State have a hard time saying no to Road America. It\u2019s an obvious point of pride having a world-class racetrack with history in our backyard. Road America\u2019s long 4.050-mile length and ample camping area is an ode to Wisconsin\u2019s appetite for living well, enjoying encased meats, and washing everything down with the finest beer made in America.<\/p>\n To start, let\u2019s save some time and words by getting the sponsorship nomenclature out of the way. The official names of the racing contests at the MotoAmerica Superbikes<\/a> and Vintage MotoFest were:<\/p>\n Soaked Saturday<\/p>\n Everything was fine until about 11 a.m. or so. Then came the downpour. But for the brave, the rain riding clinic was in session. Hard braking after the straights separated guts from gut-wrenching. With near-zero grip, rear tires and chassis swung like hinges on fully planted front tires.<\/p>\n Notable victims? James Rispoli<\/a> went down hard in Saturday\u2019s Bagger race in a scary high-side in turn 1. Sean Dylan Kelly on the TopPro Racing Team BMW<\/a> led the opening lap into turn 5 before going wide, a cautionary tale for the field behind him. Josh Herrin<\/a>\u2019s Warhorse HSBK Ducati<\/a> did the same, ending a promising charge up the field. Rispoli\u2019s get-off was the lone incident in the Baggers<\/a>\u2019 Saturday contest. Despite no rider aids of any sort, they had one solution for good rain grip\u2014a roughly 620 lb. curb weight.<\/p>\n Racers navigated the glasslike track, sending shards of mist behind them. As they muscled wet leathers and visors through the spray, racing got simple: Follow the taillight and rely on muscle memory. Racing lines were temporary. For 15 seconds or so, every racer produced a somewhat dry 5-inch-wide path through standing water. But rain quickly reclaimed it. In any case, the Dunlop rain tires stuck well despite the low-60-degree temperatures. Until suddenly they didn\u2019t. Turn 5 harvested more than its usual share of the over-ambitious. The lucky ones recovered, shedding mud and grass while charging up to turn 6.<\/p>\n The new (since late 2022) pavement handled the rain well, with little pooling to be seen, except the turn 3 exit. But the lack of pooling made the track one giant shallow puddle. Loris Baz<\/a> on the Warhorse HSBK Ducati noted he was aquaplaning in sixth gear heading into Kettle Bottoms in practice. As for drafting, the rain complicated things. Racers could probably follow the required taillights fine, but gallons of watery spray mitigated the slipstream advantage. Having slingshotted around their quarry, putting power to water-logged pavement was hard.<\/p>\n P.J. Jacobsen<\/a>\u2019s Rahal Ducati Moto with XPEL Ducati didn\u2019t bother drafting Matthew Scholtz<\/a>\u2019 Strack Racing Yamaha<\/a> in turn 14 on the last lap of the Supersport race. Instead, he took a wide line, sat the bike up quickly, and out-motored Scholtz for a 0.040 second margin of victory. Sunday\u2019s finish made this seem like an eternity, more on that later.<\/p>\n Related: <\/b><\/i>Top 5 Features About Harley-Davidson\u2019s Bagger Racebike<\/b><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n The lack of visibility wasn\u2019t all bad. Racers probably didn\u2019t notice the empty stands by turn 7. Spectators huddled under a tree or umbrella within sight of jumbotrons. Or for the brave, making do with $18 rain ponchos from the gift shop or custom-made garbage bag ponchos. Despite empty stands, plenty followed the action on the MotoAmerica Live+ app, safely huddled in trailers and tents. Being Wisconsin, the rain stopped just as the final Twins Cup race ended. Just in time to grill some brats and start up the fire pits.<\/p>\n While \u201cBig Show\u201d races get the headlines, seasoned fans know the Junior Cup, Twins Cup, and Royal Enfield<\/a> BTR series are the future. In Junior Cup, defending champ Avery Dreher of Bartcon Racing crashed out of third place on the last lap of Saturday\u2019s contest, taking second place BPM Team rider Isaac Woodworth with him. This gave his sister, Ella Dreher of Bad Boys Racing, her first podium ever, for third place. Matthew Chapin, also of Bartcon Racing, took the checkered aboard the class-standard Kawasaki<\/a> Z400<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Twins Cup saw Dominic Doyle of Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing take first by 10.443 seconds over an Aprilia<\/a> and Suzuki<\/a>. Point leader Gus Rodio of Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering withdrew with mechanical issues, allowing the series\u2019 dark horses to inch up in the points.<\/p>\n Twins Cup rookie (and 2023 Royal Enfield BTR champ) Mikayla Moore<\/a> crashed in her practice debut, leaving her unable to start Saturday\u2019s Royal Enfield BTR race. This led to an opportunity for Cassie Creer to claim her first Royal Enfield BTR win. Having never raced in rain before, she held on for a 0.225 second win over Emma Betters. What was it like? \u201cIt was terrifying.\u201d Fear can be a great motivator.<\/p>\n Sunny Sunday<\/p>\n It would be a stretch to call Sunday \u201csummer.\u201d But the sun broke through and dried track and fans alike. While Cameron Petersen and Jake Gagne<\/a> put in matching 2:33 best lap times aboard their Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Superbike machines on Saturday, Sunday saw lap times drop back to 2:10 and 2:11 for Herrin\u2019s Warhorse HSBK Ducati Superbike and Bobby Fong<\/a>\u2019s Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha, respectively. While Petersen\u2019s margin of victory was just 0.004 second over Gagne on Saturday, Herrin beat Fong by 9 seconds on Sunday.<\/p>\n Troy Herfoss<\/a>\u2019 S&S Indian<\/a> Challenger dominated KOTB on Saturday, beating Kyle Wyman<\/a> by 5.254 seconds after leading by as much as 9 seconds. But Sunday belonged to Wyman\u2019s Harley-Davidson<\/a> Factory Road King, beating Herfoss in a drag race to the flag by just 0.039 second. Sometimes raw power carries the day. The Motor Company brass were no doubt happy, as was Willie G.<\/a> himself, said to be in attendance. No matter who you root for, America is a better place with two American marques duking it out on the track.<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s Superstock race saw the closest finish in MotoAmerica\u2019s 10-year history. Tyler Scott<\/a>\u2019s Vision Wheel M4 Ecstar Suzuki caught both Scholtz and Jacobsen napping, nipping both at the line by 0.001 second, the measurement limit of Road America\u2019s timing and scoring capabilities. As MotoAmerica\u2019s Sean Bice noted, Scott\u2019s estimated 2-inch advantage at the finish line at roughly 160 mph equates to an estimated 0.0007 second margin of victory. More or less, anyway.<\/p>\n Twins Cup spectators saw double on Sunday as the Aprilia of rookie Alessandro Di Mario of Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering netted second again. Don\u2019t you get points for getting the same position in wet and dry? Rocco Landers, aboard the RevZilla\/Motul\/Vance & Hines Suzuki, eked out first place by just 0.154 second over Alessandro, adding a nice bookend to a third place finish Saturday.<\/p>\n Junior Cup usually owns close racing and multiple lead changes, but everyone decided to copy them this year. Nonetheless, Chapin of Bartcon Racing followed up his Saturday luck with a decisive 0.346 second win over Logan Cunnison\u2019s Speed Demon Racing machine. Number of lead changes? Eight by our count, in six laps.<\/p>\n Mikayla Moore shook off a thigh contusion from Saturday\u2019s Twins Cup practice crash to regain her form on Sunday, taking first by 23.937 seconds over Aubrey Credaroli in the Royal Enfield BTR race. Saturday\u2019s winner, Cassie Creer, netted third place for a second trip to the podium.<\/p>\n —— The most popular place to watch? Turn 5, of course. You know, where most of the race incidents happen. Anders T. Carlson<\/p>\n Pitbikes and Other Vehicles<\/p>\n American Honda<\/a> must finally be delivering Navi<\/a>s in decent numbers, as its $1,807 machines finally showed up in full force. Several examples with trick exhausts and deleted rear fenders were present. Honda CRF110<\/a>s and Yamaha TT-R110<\/a>s were everywhere, as usual. But vintage Honda Trail C70s were scarce, with older Kawasaki KV75s barely seen. But in their place, newer Honda Trail 125<\/a>s were all over the place. As were vintage Honda Passports, some in heavily modified form. Custom trellis swingarm with a new 125cc crate motor with VM24 carbs? There\u2019s your Passport to fun-ville.<\/p>\n A lovely pair of matching 1985 Suzuki FA50 Shuttle \u201cNopeds\u201d showed up. It\u2019s not a rule, but you probably get 50 Road America points for matching pitbikes. Pull-start Coleman-type minibikes were the choice of troublemakers unable to rent golf carts after \u201cincidents\u201d last year. One old Honda CR500 was spotted, as were countless Yamaha 175 two-stroke dirt bikes, all making shortcuts (and occasional burnout circles) through the wet Saturday grass. Conditions made motocrossers of everyone, unless you were in a golf cart. That didn\u2019t stop multiple drivers from channeling their inner Ken Block<\/a>, oversteering passengers into opposite lock slides over green grass. Harmless fun, unless you repair golf carts for a living.<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s rain kept car-spotting to a minimum. But a few notables showed up, if for no other reason than to show off their wax and finish skills. A black 1968 Pontiac GTO had the turn 1 outfield to itself on Saturday, but Sunday saw vintage machines out in force, with a gorgeous mid-\u201960s Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA and a bone-stock 1968 Pontiac Firebird, complete with rare, base 3.8-liter inline six-cylinder and single Rochester carburetor. The owner made a point of buying it before he shipped off to Vietnam and has owned it ever since.<\/p>\n\n
![\"On](\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/v2\/MJ64OHWOCRFB7HWZXJLU4JHFAE.jpg?auth=a9847c98906224f643df7d565179b92dca2eae6e6bf69a919678edc8c8329f4e\")
<\/p>\n![\"Even](\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/v2\/FUFGJQGH6ZBYVPGGZMPWF77BSI.jpg?auth=a92917373ecef1d26aef253ac0712339a182f39a59b478b52afeeb3d70084f94\")
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<\/p>\n![\"C\u2019mon,](\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/v2\/U22CVOQWVFB2TPJMTUZBBSH7ZY.jpg?auth=0192c55cedff99f7b4e1397b6e0f3100062e655d7954680fa849886abe77e25a\")
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<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/v2\/6LWZ5DSP3VFWDLUR5RT6FQM4HU.jpg?auth=441218df730125f634af071b108def74c5f11f2a1347903c12bec7d59dbbc2fd\")
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<\/p>\n![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/v2\/M3OP743LUJHLLGLOUOYMPVCWPU.jpg?auth=3f40784463f6382e9312a01eece0ffef604923a79a72827bad11df4602b69502\")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/v2\/6AIYLQVYEJCGLH4AMING3RMVPM.jpg?auth=781e1393e22d984e92f9cff79e65dfa26675bb9f7602392a0fddff20f9f47c46\")
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![\"Still](\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/v2\/N5BAHXMFUVCTPGBJO42RTVBY6U.jpg?auth=fc5489471d7ae4d2e0ae4811d8b1151720ee4df9dc530a9d8790773029d6b61f\")
<\/p>\n![\"You\u2019re](\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/v2\/XJRHC6OASZGARCOX533G7QCORA.jpg?auth=a685e643c50906a9ffbdecfd0269a930a65ecef5df928101de49b2132293c4cf\")
<\/p>\n![\"What\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/v2\/HT4XWCHKXFCKFIMVIMP3F7RJZI.jpg?auth=e715338e2659d29727f5df6af55d3406309ee14045bf4c5b1182af488f197e59\")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/v2\/VRMTG7PA75CSZNDNUEMSSOYXDA.jpg?auth=11c18493d8d918471223e4f87f393e0bb27231e327e82952c3e7f9305e156a64\")
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<\/p>\n![\"Likely](\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/v2\/IPOMPME4ZREUNAZXPUEMEH4H7E.jpg?auth=2606d42405f5c3d70e4ba06e3b5e7f8c7f1079d6ce6606706e024975a33957fa\")
<\/p>\n![\"Van](\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/v2\/WN52HK6FLJGOXAH7MT64IQAUTE.jpg?auth=a959ff43f3d9fb7a14a6db87f3bdd975379adc56cf9d3b40563e930fa38285c5\")
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