Brian Dobrowolski Competes in MRA season opener at Pikes Peak International Raceway

Ricky Orlando wins race of he rockies

(This article was forwarded to Dr. Dave to thank him and his associates for their support to keep him in shape for competition).

MRA season opener at Pikes Peak International Raceway

Fountain, CO – Colorado’s Motorcycle Roadracing Association (MRA) opened its season at Pikes Peak International Raceway after postponing round one earlier in May. The racers enjoyed fantastic weather, a full paddock, and very full grids with many racers coming off of races in other clubs.

This weekend, Ricky Orlando proved that he’s going to be the man to beat this year with some convincing wins aboard his Rocky Mountain Kawasaki-sponsored ZX-10R. On Saturday, Orlando took his first win of the season in Open Supersport. Orlando was hounded by Oleg Pianykh the entire race and, after nine laps of the small 1.3-mile course, bested Pianykh by a mere 0.4 second. Then on Sunday, Pianykh took the Race of the Rockies pole with a scorching time of 56.932. This was even more impressive since Pianykh was riding injured from a get off in practice earlier in the day which left him wincing and limping when not on his bike.

From the start of RoR, defending champion Ryan Burke on his Yamaha R1M took the lead ahead of Pianykh and stayed just in front of him for the remainder of the race. Orlando got a bad start, coming around on lap one in fifth place just behind MRA legend Dan “Otis” Turner. By lap two, Orlando got past Turner and proceeded to hunt down MotoAmerica racer Aaron Hersh, setting off after the front two runners. Soon it became obvious that Orlando and his new Kawasaki were getting along fine together as he vanquished Pianykh on lap five, then Burke on lap seven to take the lead. With such a short course and a full grid, the second half of the race was going to be determined by who could get through traffic best. Personally, I doubt if there are any racers in the country who have as much experience getting through traffic as Ricky Orlando. His skill here was prominently on display as he led the remaining 11 laps to take the win with Burke 0.3 second and Pianykh 0.8 second adrift.

The win in Race of the Rockies GTU was taken by the perennial MRA fast guy Shannon Moham on his Yamaha R6. Moham had to run down a fast starting Brian Dobrowolski on a Kawasaki ZX-6R to take the lead. Probably the biggest grin on the Race of the Rockies GTU podium was on Tim Mayhew while getting interviewed on his Yamaha YZF-R6. Mayhew just stepped up to Expert level for 2016 and this weekend was his first try at Race of the Rockies.

Ricky Orlando is sponsored by Rocky Mountain Kawasaki, Dunlop, Hindle, EBC, Arai, Bel-Ray, Kyle Racing, and Chris Koster. Ryan Burke is sponsored by Vickery Motorsports, Imperial SportBikes, Dunlop, Boulder Motorsports, Performance Friction Brake Pads, Motul Oil, Mark Schellinger from YCRS, Geoff Cesmat, and all of his family. Shannon Moham is sponsored by Nordic Nursing, Dunlop, Race Tech, Woodcraft CFM, K&N performance, Vortex, GPR, Lockhart-Phillips, World Wide bearings, Vickery Motorsports, Rex Coultard, Renegade fuels, Pit Bull stands, Imperial Sportbikes, Denver, Dakota & Segren, Falicon cranks, Galfer brakes, and Brandon. Brian Dobrowolski would like to thank Bishop Plumbing, Dobrowolski Motorsports, Dunlop, John Bennett trainer, Rocky Mountain Kawasaki, Hotbodies, Vortex, GPR, Dr. Dave Jensen, Element Fitness, Professional Auto Body, XL3 Rigging, and Quick Cycles. Tim Mayhew is helped by Paint Pals, Sol Performance, Pirelli, Speedin’ Motorsports, Spy, Matrix Concepts, GoPro, Vortex, AGV Sport, and Amsoil.

This article was forwarded to Dr. Dave and is a reprint.