On the 16th of November, the Vintage Road Racing Association held its final event of the 2013 season, the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Chris Hurst took top honours, earning the Number One plate for the upcoming 2014 season with five race wins across four classes on machines spanning over 20 years of motorcycle racing history! The heart of the VRRA is the preservation of our racing heritage, and Chris is one of the finest representatives of that spirit.
Ty Waller of Quebec took home the Rookie of the Year award by placing second behind Chris Hurst in one of the VRRA’s most competitive classes: P4F3. There are typically over 30 entrants in F3 on any given weekend; second place is a huge accomplishment for any rider, let alone a rookie! Ty also spent a great amount of his time volunteering and helping around the pits and registration.
Two major changes to the VRRA’s agenda were proposed and voted on for implementation for the upcoming season, a change in venue for the Summer Classic in July to Grand Bend Motorplex, and the addition of a new Grand Prix class to complement the new-for-2013 class of Vintage GP.
In 2012 the VRRA voted unanimously to create a special class specifically for factory produced two-stroke road racing machines. In response to the popularity of Vintage GP, and numerous requests culminating in a petition for inclusion, the club nearly unanimously voted to add a second half to this class for more modern machinery. This new class speaks again to the heart of the vintage racing community by marking the passing of an era that will never return. These more modern Grand Prix bikes may not be what you’d typically think of as vintage, but are classics of their era.
Response to the CMR Racing Products sponsored Vintage GP was excellent, with no less than 18 machines at any one round. The series brought David ‘Woody’ Percival out of retirement for some epic battles in the Middleweight class, while VRRA fast guys Steve Humphries and Patrick Gagnon duked it out for top honours in the Lightweight class. There are already a dozen riders from both the US and Canada who have committed to participating in the upcoming Pro-6 Cycle sponsored Grand Prix class, including owners Sandy and Sheena Noce, and veteran AMA Pro Eddy Brunet!
Vintage road racing is growing, and it’s no wonder why. There’s more than just racing here, there’s a community. Preserving our past, and building toward our future, 2014 is going to be a great season! Visit the VRRA display at the North American International Motorcycle Supershow in January or The Motorcycle Shows in Toronto and Montreal in February!
— Written by Ashton Bond
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