Sandia Motorsports Park ULGP Race Report

Sandia Motorsports Park ULGP Race Report (Pic)

SMRI Kicks Off 2010 with Toughest ULGP in Years

By Kurt von Ahnen

A long off-season and high anticipation throughout the support classes on Sunday led to the toughest ULGP (Unlimited Grand Prix) event SMRI has seen in years. It was a barn-burner that had our reigning champion on the ropes until the final lap, when Mike Shreeve took the checkers.

Kurt von Ahnen photo

Ray Thornton, #717, took the holeshot at the start, with Mike Shreeve filing into second place. The pace was a second or two off of last year’s as the racers blew out the cobwebs and got used to recent upgrades by Sandia Motorsports Park of Albuquerque. Sandia Raceway is a 1.2 mile road course with seven turns, navigated last season in the low 51 second range. As the lap times dropped Shreeve began to reel in Thornton, but it was Kelsey Walker #410 – A Shreeve Protégé – who was about to make a race changing move.

On about the fifth lap, Walker closed in tight on Shreeve making contact in the left hairpin, turn 3. Some would call it a T-bone, while after the event “Rubbins’ Racin” was the chant. Both riders managed to stay upright, but it was goodbye to Thornton who had stayed clear of the incident. This put the #311 Yamaha R6 of Mike Shreeve in unfamiliar territory. He had to work for his top podium spot. In his post-race interview he blamed the contact with Kelsey and his lack of fitness for the daunting task. Shreeve said he was starving for air and would’ve breathed through his ears trying to catch Thornton, which he did on the final lap, running for the flag. Thornton claimed second and Walker nailed the final podium position.

The fans that stayed late got a real treat as this was the most closely fought battle in ULGP seen in years.

A second storyline of the weekend was the dominating growth of vintage racing in the SMRI. Out of 20 students, the vintage field gained five riders and maintained the busiest grids of the day… short of the student class. Easily mistaken for an AHRMA event, the vintage show displayed by Steve Brown and Jeremy Ragsdale was not easily forgettable, as Ragsdale chased Brown down but failed to make the pass. #15 Tracy Riffe is a driving force in the pits providing vintage bikes for up to a half dozen riders per event, enjoying the ability to ride an Aermachi 250, Honda CB400, and Honda CB750 all in one day.