Between the Races: USGPRU’s Stewart Aitken-Cade

For the 2009 season, USGPRU is including a new class—Formula 450—based on the Gavin Trippe-produced concept bikes that feature motocross frames and motors converted for road racing. Last year, Tyler Odom won an amateur national championship on the machine that will hopefully bridge the gap between the small 125s and the more aggressive (and expensive) 600s. Chief USGPRU steward Stewart Aitken-Cade has been in close contact with Trippe concerning the new class, and he offered his thoughts on what it means for the future of small-displacement road racing in America.

RRX: How has the year been going for USGPRU?
Stewart Aitken-Cade: We’ve had absolutely spectacular racing and a very large increase in the number of kids coming out this year. Overall, our numbers are a little bit down, but I think that’s to be expected.

Can you talk about the new Formula 450 class?
I’m thinking of it from an elemental standpoint—from a series standpoint: you start with 125s to 250s, and then move on to the big bike of choice. From the perspective of the 250 class, we really needed to fill that gap, and Formula 450 looked like a nice step between the 125s and moving up to a 600. Developmentally, it just fits very nicely. Gavin Trippe and I have been talking for months now about how we could roll this thing in, and we finally got a way to do it. We pulled the trigger, and I think it’s going to complement the missing 250 guys and have the longevity that we need to keep the intermediate class available for the kids that are coming up. I have my trepidations about how the dirt bike motors are going to hold up in a road race environment, but as we saw with the [Moriwaki] MD250s—those bikes did great. We’ll see if the 450’s extra power creates any problems, but everything I’ve heard from the guys who run them is that they’re a blast to ride.

With success with the MD250 class, do you see success in the Formula 450 class as a precursor to replacing 250 two-strokes?
It’s perfectly in line with doing that, but the manufacturers weren’t really backing the Formula 450 class that aggressively. If we can show them to be successful, maybe they will. I wonder if they’ve got something in the pipeline to replace the 250s—I just don’t know. As far as the 450s stepping in, I believe they make a perfect replacement for 250s, especially when it comes to getting parts; these things are harder and harder to keep on track. I know a lot of people will try very hard to do that, but they’ll end up in AHRMA, racing just like the other historic bikes—which pains me to no end, as a lover of two-strokes. But I do see the writing on the wall.

How does USGPRU plan for the “death of the two-stroke” in mapping out the next five or ten years?
I don’t want to get ahead of myself—the 125s are still a viable supported class. There are lots of bikes out there with lots of parts available, and it looks like there will be for a years to come. Luckily, the bikes are so darned simple, and people love these things—they’re a really good tool to start learning on. Where are we going to go? The MD250 did a great job of filling in that gap, but currently Honda and Moriwaki are the only manufacturers making them. I’d like to appeal to the Yamahas and Kawasakis to get on board and start making entry-level bikes like that.

Last year, Tyler Odom had success on the 450 at the AMA Grand Championships. Do you see that class as a good springboard for kids wanting to make it to the next level?
Absolutely. The bikes are wonderful, and it really appeals to the kids who come from a dirt track background because they’re used to the power delivery of those beasts—they already know the feel of them. There’s a natural crossover there for those kids—sixty horsepower and a combined weight of 380 pounds—but that won’t be as potent as a 250, where you’re talking 90 horsepower and 225 pounds for the bike. It might not quite have that power kick that you may want them to have before stepping on a 600, but it’s more powerful than a 125 and will ease that transition from the smaller bikes to 600s. That’s just a recipe for disaster—they’re just two different animals.

Due to the fact that USGPRU lines their class rules up with the FIM, what’s your take on the new Moto2 class in world championship racing?
I’m kind of confused as to why they chose that format; it doesn’t make sense to me. I understand it’s to save some dollars, but it flies in the face of the classic GP style of bringing your best and showing off what you can do. I know the spec motor will save money, but it just doesn’t seem right. How will it affect us? There are a lot of 600 classes out there, so I don’t see us trying to compete with these guys; I don’t think there’s a need to. I’m not going to change my rules anytime soon; I’m going to focus on our original intent, which is the intermediate introductory class that leads up to those kinds of classes.

Do you think it speaks highly of the USGPRU that you have such high numbers this year, despite the current economy?
If you look at membership numbers, they’re on par with last year—almost identical—so the interest is there, but the numbers showing up at the track so far has been just a slight bit down. I have to attribute that to the low cost of running these bikes verses the bigger ones. It’s also a testament to the folks that we have racing with us this year. They tend to be one of two categories: kids (who are going to race regardless), and then the older folks (more mature, technically interested in the machinery, and they can race within their means).