AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Round 6 Recap - Castle Rock TT

CASTLE ROCK, Wash. (August 7, 2013) - Following a short trip up the coast from Sacramento, Calif., the Castle Rock TT ended AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles' second West Coast stint of 2013 and signaled the midway point of the season.

The night was a big homecoming for some of the premier riders of the sport. Graham, Washington's Sammy Halbert (Fredericktown Yamaha/Yamaha) and Eatonville, Washington's Brad Baker (Specialty Fabrication Incorporation/Honda) were just two of the many contestants who hail from the Pacific Northwest but spend their summers chasing the national scene. However, on this particular night it was Godfrey, Illinois native Jeffrey Carver Jr. (Mack Daddy Racing/Honda) who spoiled the party and came away with his first ever Grand National Expert main event victory.

"I'm feeling awesome right about now," said an ecstatic Carver following the race. "To come out here and get my first national is just an unbelievable achievement for me, my team and my family. Those are really the people I need to thank the most. I wouldn't be nearly the rider that I am without my team backing me. I have to thank my parents for getting me this far."

Carver won his heat race and was the pole sitter for the night's main event. For most of the race, he found himself in a battle with Salinas, California's Briar Bauman (Rod Lake Racing/Honda). The two were neck and neck going into every turn and at one point it looked like both of them were going to win. On lap 16, however, Bauman suffered a nightmare-like bike malfunction and slid off the grid on turns one and two. The mishap left Bauman unable to continue racing and resulted in an 18th place finish after contending for the lead for the majority of the main event.

Bauman's misfortune enabled Clio, Michigan product and defending Grand National Champion Jared Mees (Montgomeryville Cycle/Honda) to make the jump to secure his second consecutive second-place finish of 2013. Mees hopes he can roll over the momentum he gained from Sacramento and Castle Rock to future rounds so he can improve on his fifth place position in the current overall point standings.

Making his debut on the Zanotti Racing Honda CRF450R, Salinas, California's Stevie Bonsey's third-place finish was very impressive. Bonsey picked up the new ride just days before the Castle Rock event as Coatesville, New Jersey's Jake Johnson and the popular team split after the Sacramento Mile. Johnson, won two championships with Zanotti in 2010 and 2011, rode Briar Bauman's backup Honda and finished 17th in the main event.

Winn, Michigan's Henry Wiles finished fourth in the main event after almost not qualifying for the featured race. After a lackluster Heat 1 appearance, Wiles was forced to enter the second Grand National Semifinal. Wiles would go onto win the semi and improve his stock to third in the overall point standings with a fourth-place main event finish.

Dryad, Washington's Brad Baker has remained consistent all season long, not finishing a main event outside the top ten and last weekend at Castle Rock was no exception. Baker's fifth-place finish wasn't nearly his more impressive performance of 2013 but it wasn't bad either and the 20-year-old remains the overall Grand National Championship leader by a whopping 27 point margin.

Castle Rock TT Expert Twins Results Top 10
1) Jeffrey Carver Jr.
2) Jared Mees
3) Stevie Bonsey
4) Henry Wiles
5) Brad Baker
6) Bryan Smith
7) Scott Baker
8) Sammy Halbert
9) Kenny Coolbeth Jr.
10) Mikey Martin

Grand National Championship Combined Point Standings Top 10
1) Brad Baker (111)
2) Bryan Smith (84)
3) Henry Wiles (82)
4) Brandon Robinson (77)
5) Jared Mees(74)
6) Jake Johnson (72)
7) Sammy Halbert (71)
8) Kenny Coolbeth Jr. (69)
9) Jeffrey Carver Jr. (67)
10) Robert Pearson (57)

AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles

The AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles main event at Castle Rock was a thrilling display of domination by Brisbane, California's Dominic Colindres (Motorcycle-Superstore/Honda). Colindres got the holeshot off the pole and by lap three; he had already built a pretty big lead for himself. Colindres seemed to increase his lead with every lap that passed and eventually would go on to seal his first victory of the 2013 season by 2.65 seconds.

"The track was completely different than last year," said Colindres following the race. "It really suited my riding style and the win came at a critical time for me. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the races now and this victory will certainly give me a huge boost of confidence. This win was for my mom and dad, the two people who have always been there for me and I can't thank them enough."

With Salinas, California's Bronson Bauman (Rod Lake Racing/Honda) locking up second-place about as easy as Colindres locked up first, the biggest battle on the track was the fight for third.

On lap 23, San Martin, California's Rodney Spencer Jr. (GP Sports/Honda), who was barely holding onto a third-place position at the time, slid off the grid and opened up the door for Stockton, California's Ryan Kearns (Stockton Moto/Honda) and 2012 Castle Rock TT winner Jacob Lehmann (Ride Motorsports/Honda). With one lap remaining, it looked as if Lehmann was going to be the one to really capitalize on Spencer's mistake but it was Kearns who ripped third-place right from his grasp on the final turn to close out the podium.

Castle Rock TT AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles Results Top 10
1) Dominic Colindres
2) Bronson Bauman
3) Ryan Kearns
4) Jacob Lehmann
5) Rodney Spencer Jr.
6) Wyatt Maguire
7) Cole Anderson
8) Mikeal Strable
9) Cole Frederickson
10) Ryan Wells

AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles Point Standings Top 10
1) Wyatt Maguire (93)
2) Ryan Wells (81)
3) Kyle Johnson (66)
4) Dominic Colindres (61)
5) Rodney Spencer Jr. (56)
6) Shayna Texter (55)
7) Stephen Vanderkuur (55)
8) Jason Isennock (51)
9) Bronson Bauman (45)
10) Mike Poe (42)

12 Races, 12 different winners

Overall, it was a great night of AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles action last weekend. With Jeffrey Carver Jr. winning the Grand National Expert main event and Dominic Colindres following suit with an AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles main event victory, there have now been 12 different winners in all 12 AMA Pro Flat Track main events so far in 2013.

Next Up

AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles heads to PMC Race Park in Peoria, Ill. for the Peoria TT on August 11, 2013. For tickets and more information regarding the event, please visit http://www.peoriamotorcycleclub.net.

About AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles

AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles is a national motorcycle racing series in North America and is considered one of the oldest forms of motorcycle racing. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, the Series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track racing in the world. The 2013 schedule consists of rounds on the country's finest flat track courses. For more information on AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles, please visit http://www.amaproracing.com/ft/.

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