Fireworks on the Half Mile story and photos by
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May 5th thunderstorm caused postponement of the Elkhorn Half Mile motorcycle races. The next track date available turned out to be July 4th, and it couldn’t have been a better choice. The weather for this day was perfect, warm and sunny. With a lot of people having the holiday off, the crowd was great.
Gordon Lunde
RESULTS
Dan Vrana of DVR Enterprises is the promoter of this event. He put on his first Elkhorn Half Mile last year, bringing back an event with a long and rich history. The Elkhorn event had been a tradition at the Walworth County fairgrounds for many years. The races took on the Carrol Resweber Classic name for a few years toward the end of its run in the 80s. Vrana wanted to bring the event back and hopefully restart the tradition of ½ mile flat track racing at the popular venue. Elkhorn is the only limestone track in the area and riders need to change their style drastically to do well here. The races started with a parade lap of bikes carrying the American flag around the track during the National Anthem to honor Independence Day. The classes that ran were a modified version of the normal AMA District 16 series; Lightweights, Vintage, 250, 450, Open Pro classes and more. The most popular racer classes were the 250 and 450 Amateur events. Morgen Mischler won both races, but had to fight hard in the 450 event. Charlotte Kainz came from the back row to catch Mischler on lap three. From there the pair diced for the remaining laps, but Kainz could never put her Honda out front. A great race ensued in the 80s Singles class between Germantown, WI resident Jesse Janisch and Michael Bickerton from Galesburg, IL. The pair swapped the lead several times, often on the same lap. Janisch, riding a Rotax, pulled off the win by a bike length at the finish line. Another hotly contested race was the Pro Twins class. Brad Cramblit out of Des Moines, IA led the first lap with Steve Kasten, Soren Lavalley and Mark Gibson in tow. By lap two Kasten, from Black River Falls, WI took the lead over Cramblit, who dropped out on lap three due to a mechanical failure. Lavalley then took over the number two position and gave Kasten a good battle for the lead. The pair traded places several times over the next few laps. With some serious speed through turn one, Kasten began to pull away at the end and took the win with room to spare.
William Burger – Yamaha Chuck Dickenson – Triumph Tim Roenneburg – BSA
80s Singles • • •
Jesse Janisch – Rotax Michael Bickerton – Honda Ron Williams – Rotax
70s Singles • • •
Michael Bickerton – Honda Randy Thistle – Honda Gerald Chisom – Honda
450 Amateur • • •
Morgen Mischler – Honda Charlotte Kainz – Honda Parker Lange – Suzuki
250 Amateur • • •
Morgen Mischler – Honda Morgan Momroe – Honda Charlotte Kainz – Yamaha
Senior +40 • • •
Tom Hochmuth – Yamaha Dusty Vestal – Yamaha Roger Johnson – Yamaha
250/360
Lou Gerencer – BSA Jordan Baber – Honda Alex Johnson – Honda
• • •
Brakeless Hand or Foot Shift • Terry Vestal – H-D • Soren Lavalley – H-D • Michael Anderson – Triumph
Only one injury was reported during the day. Local favorite Brock Schwartzenbacher was injured in a turn one crash when he tangled with an unidentified rider and went down hard. Brock was transferred to a local hospital then flown to Milwaukee for further tests. At press time he was reported up and doing much better. With good attendance by racers and spectators this event will become another tradition at Elkhorn. The venue is superb and the races always provide great entertainment for the fans. You can find information on all AMA District 16 events at www.cycleusa.com. 16 Thunder Roads WISCONSIN / NORTH ILLINOIS AUGUST 2013
Lightweight • • •
www.trwinoil.com
Pro Twins • • •
Steve Kasten – Yamaha Soren Lavalley – H-D Matt George – H-D
Open Pro • • •
Tyler Butts – Honda Daniel Mischler – Honda David Schultz – Honda
AUGUST 2013 Thunder Roads WISCONSIN / NORTH ILLINOIS 17