Minimoto USA 2014 Round 3, Stockton

May 112014
 

 This was Evan’s first race at Stockton, though he had been to a few track days there. Saturday practice went well, but in his last practice session on Sunday, Evan went way hot into the corner after the long straightaway and slid his bike hard into the hay bales. He was perfectly fine, but the crash had snapped his handlebars, and his first race was coming up soon. With some help from Chris and Dean, Miles got Evan’s bike back together with some old handlebars. Evan had just enough time to do one lap to check the bike out and see how it felt. All was good except for the kill switch, but that was easily reconnected.

The Minimoto Jr. grid was full this round, which was great to see. Evan got the holeshot with Emi in hot pursuit. Within a few laps, lapped traffic became a factor. They both sliced their way through traffic expertly. Just when it looked like one of them was going to get balked, they would find a way around. Evan held on to first the entire race, but Emi gave him absolutely no breathing room, finishing a very close second.

In race 2, Emi got out ahead of Evan on the start. Evan stayed on her tail, and at the start of lap 2 tried for an inside pass. He didn’t get the pass finished in time, and they made contact at the apex. Evan went down immediately, and Emi ran off track and crashed as well. The race was red flagged to look at Emi’s shin, which took a hit when she went down. Evan got the holeshot on the restart and held on to the lead the entire race, getting his second win of the weekend.

AFM 2014 Round 2, Sonoma

May 042014
 

This was a very special round with the pros coming out to compete in the Superbike Shootout alongside the AFM races. It was a beautiful weekend, the paddock was packed, and there were a lot of spectators. Thanks to all of you who came out to watch the races! The addition of the pro races meant a little less practice, and Miles had his 650 Twins race late Saturday afternoon. Practice went okay with just enough time to get the bike dialed in, but unfortunately a lowside kept Miles from making the grid for his Saturday race.

With the help of some great friends, the bike was set up and ready to go by Sunday morning. Not pretty, but at least ready to go. 650 Production was Miles’s first race of the day, and his first chance to race with Corey (#190), who he met at Motion Pro. Miles got a mediocre start and was held up for about a lap, giving Corey the chance to create a decent sized gap. Miles chipped away at his lead for the next 5 laps and was on his tail with two corners left, but didn’t have a chance to make the pass, finishing in sixth place just 0.362 seconds behind Corey. Miles was ready for a rematch in Formula 4, but again he went backwards at the start and lost touch early on. The late race meant a cooling track and high winds at Sonoma, both contributors to his crash the previous day, so Miles was less willing to push it this time around. He rode a lonely race, bringing it across the line in 10th position.

Minimoto USA 2014 Round 2, Reno

Apr 272014
 

It looked like a Reno round in April was going to be a gamble, but the Texas Devil Racing crew was up for the challenge! The first obstacle was getting there. Miles managed to safely navigate the transporter over the pass on Highway 80, missing chain controls by a matter of minutes. Once at the track, all that was left to do was set up camp since there was no Friday practice due to snow. Saturday morning revealed a snowy landscape, but by lunchtime the track was warmed up and Evan was getting some good practice laps in. By the end of the day, Miles got the bike dialed in and everything was looking good for Sunday.

Evan got a great start in his first race and pulled out a good lead after a few laps. Emi (#16) and Errol (#39) were battling for second, which gave Evan a chance to make a clean getaway. After putting his head down for 10 quick laps he crossed the finish line with a commanding lead. In Race 2, Evan wasn’t able to get away so easily. Emi was on his tail the entire race, just waiting for her chance to make a pass. Evan never gave her the opportunity, holding on for the win.

Big thanks go out to Alan and Beth Cunningham for coming out to cheer Evan on. Make sure to check out their Safermoto vests. Miles loves (and has tested) his!

Minimoto USA 2014 Round 1, Willow Springs

Apr 062014
 

It was the first Minimoto USA event of the year and Evan was ready to get the season started. His bike had a fresh coat of paint and was refreshed for the season ahead. Unfortunately, Saturday practice had Evan feeling rusty and a little discouraged. He picked up the pace throughout the day, but still wasn’t turning the laps he was hoping for.

Sunday morning came up quick, but Evan was confident as he lined up for his first race: Minimoto Jr. Race 1. When the green flag went up, Evan pinned it and got the holeshot. He had pressure from behind from Max (#11) the entire race, but never gave up the front spot. Evan led the race flag to flag and was more than a little excited to start off the season so well.

Minimoto Jr. Race 2 was the last race of the day, and everyone was expecting a good one. Evan got another great start and jumped into the lead, but Emi (#16) was on his tail immediately. About half way through the race, Max (#11) and Troy (#29) came rolling through like a freight train and put Evan back to third place in a single corner. Evan made a quick pass back on Troy, but spent several laps looking for a way around Max. Evan’s lap times dropped 3 to 5 seconds to keep up with Max as they both dug deep and dropped the rest of the field. Finally, on the second to last lap Evan made an inside pass on Max through traffic. Evan took the white flag only to be passed a few turns later where Max was very strong. Evan stayed right on him and got a great drive onto the back straight, inching past Max into the braking zone and taking the lead. He was then able to hold on for the last three turns and take the win. It was one of, if not the, best race Evan had ever been in. By the looks of things, it’s going to be an exciting season!

AFM 2014 Round 1, Buttonwillow

Mar 232014
 

Getting ready for the first race of the year for Texas Devil Racing came right down to the wire, as usual. Miles couldn’t attend the Friday practice day, so Saturday practice was the first time on the bike since the final AFM round last year. Things were a little rushed on Saturday morning between tech inspection, getting tires mounted, and finishing up a few last things on the bike. Miles was excited to get out there, and he ended up pushing it a little too hard too soon on tires that hadn’t been on the warmers quite long enough, which resulted in a low side coming on to the front straight. With a little banging on the rearset, he was able to get out for the next session without a problem, but he was tentative for the rest of the day, running way off the pace he was hoping for.

Even after a mediocre practice, Miles was pumped for the first races of the season. He rolled into the hot pits ready for his 650 Twins race and closed his visor as they were signaled on track for the warm up lap. Unfortunately, one side of the visor popped loose from its mount, and the track officials couldn’t manage to get it back on. Miles had to remove his helmet and gloves to get it fixed, and by then everyone was lining up. He got a decent launch, but took it a little easy through the first few turns, remembering where cold tires had put him the day before. As the race went on, he got back into the groove and his lap times dropped every lap, finishing in 11th place.

Miles had his next race, Formula 4, after lunch and got a pretty good start off the line. He was running well until he overcooked it into Cotton Corners and had to stand it up and run off track. Since he knew he had a good chance at a podium in his next race, he brought it in safe in 14th place rather than push it on dirty tires. In 650 Production, Miles didn’t get the start he wanted and spent the first lap in 4th, but made a pass on the brakes going in to turn 1 to put him in 3rd. From there he focused, relaxed and turned his fastest laps of the weekend, getting his first Expert Podium!

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