AMA Pro Road Racing Announces Roadracing World Young Gun of the Year Award for 2014 Season

In an announcement out of Daytona Beach the other day, AMA Pro Road Racing announced the return of the Roadracing World Young Gun of the Year Award for the 2014 season. The award honors the youngest of the pro racers in the premier road racing series in America and names the top riders 18 years old or younger who compete and stand out in their respective series throughout the season.

In the shot above taken from the Stu's Shots archives, four riders appear that would have likely at one time or another during their careers been recognized as 'young guns' for their abilities and accolades either earned or 'to be earned' in their respective pro racing careers.

From the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course round of the AMA 250 Grand Prix Championship series event in July-August of 1992, there were four riders who stood out in the series that season that didn't win the title, but were either past or future champions in several major series throughout the world (future 2-Time World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards II won the '92 AMA 250 GP title over this host of fine and talented men.)

(L-R) Rich Oliver is shown on the #97 Wayne Rainey Racing/Otsuka Electronics-sponsored Yamaha TZ250 as the pack gets ready to head out for the series' main event of the weekend at the Camel Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop AMA Pro Road Racing round.

Oliver went on to win five AMA 250 GP Championships to garner the all-time win record of 71 wins at the end of the 2003 season, the series' last before the two-stroke championship was eliminated from the North American road racing championship schedule. Oliver also went on to become undefeated in the 250 series in three seasons, '96-'97, when he won 20-straight races, and in the series' final season of 2003 where he led every lap of the 12-race series swan song. Oliver also claimed a Formula USA Championship and a WERA 250 National Championship to add to his illustrious resume before retiring from the sport to become the owner of the Rich Oliver Mystery School, one of the preeminent riding schools in operation in the United States.

Jimmy Filice, shown on the #1 Commonwealth Racing/Camel/HRC-sponsored Honda RS250, won the previous season's 250 GP Championship while riding for the L.A. Motor Works team, one of three of his championships won in the two-stroke class throughout his career. In winning his final championship during the 2001 season, Filice bested Oliver by just one point to claim the crown in what was a series for the ages as the two battled tooth and nail throughout the year. The 1981 AMA Pro Flat Track Rookie of the Year won a total of 29 National series races throughout his racing career, spread between the AMA Grand National Championship and 250 GP Championship, and was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2000. Most fans will probably remember Filice's grand win in the 250 World Championship round at Laguna Seca in 1988, riding as a fill-in rider for world championship-winning tuner Erv Kanemoto.

Kenny Roberts, Jr. was Oliver's team mate during the 1992 season, shown on the #25 Wayne Rainey Racing/Otsuka Electronics-backed Yamaha TZ250. KRJR as he is now famously known, as well as being the first-born son of 'The King', Kenny Roberts, Sr, won the 2000 500cc World Championship while riding for the Suzuki team, in the most recent season that Suzuki has been able to win the premier road racing class in the world. Roberts won four races that season and stood on the podium nine times while starting from the front row 13 times throughout the year.

And last, but surely not least, shown just behind Roberts, is the late Randy Renfrow, who won three premier road racing championships before his early and unfortunate demise from this earth in August of 2002. Renfrow is shown on a Ruben McMurter-backed Honda RS250 (partially obscured.)

The very last of the AMA Road Racing Formula One Champions (1986), Renfrow also won the AMA 250 GP Championship in 1983 and the AMA Pro Twins Championship in 1989 on a Commonwealth Honda RS850, built around the all-conquering Honda RS750 that dominated the AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship in the early-late '80s, and headed up by Louisville, KY's Martin Adams, who went on to campaign Renfrow in Honda's return to the AMA Superbike class in 1990. Renfrow won a total of 17 National championship races throughout his career, including a win on a Commonwealth Honda RC31 in the AMA Superbike Series at Willow Springs in 1990 as a member of the Honda factory team. Renfrow was just inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in October of last year.

You can check out AMA Pro Racing's press release below to read more about the upcoming Roadracing World Young Gun of the Year Award.

AMA Pro Racing Announces Second Season of Roadracing World Young Gun Of The Year Award

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 29, 2014) - AMA Pro Road Racing and Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. have reached an agreement to name the 2014 Roadracing World AMA Pro Racing Young Gun Of The Year.   The Young Gun Of The Year Award is based on Roadracing World's 18 consecutive years of recognizing the best young road racers in North America. The 2014 version of the annual feature recognized 32 riders - 12 of them AMA Pro riders - and was published in the April, 2014 print edition of Roadracing World magazine. One of those riders is likely to be named the 2014 Roadracing World AMA Pro Road Racing Young Gun Of The Year and receive a $2,500 cash award.       Joe Roberts is shown on the #3 M4 Motorcycle Racing Honda CBR600RR during the 2014 Daytona 200, in which he placed in the 11th-place spot at the end of the 57-lap endurance race. Roberts, who won three races in the AMA Pro SuperSport Series during the 2013 season, is an instant contender for the just-announced return of the Roadracing World Young Gun Award for the 2014 season. AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.         To be eligible for the award, riders must have been no older than 18 years old at the start of the 2014 AMA Pro Road Racing season. The award will go to the eligible rider with the most overall points in either the SuperSport or GoPro Daytona SportBike classes and a check will be presented during the 2014 AMA Pro Road Racing Awards Banquet.   "We're happy to work with AMA Pro Racing to name the 2014 Roadracing World AMA Pro Racing Young Gun Of The Year," said Roadracing World founder John Ulrich. "For almost two decades we have recognized the top up-and-coming road racers in the country in our annual Roadracing World Young Guns feature. Many of our Young Guns have gone on to great success with AMA Pro, and this is a great way to work with AMA Pro Racing to acknowledge their aspirations and accomplishments."   AMA Pro Road Racing riders who will be eligible for the coveted award at the conclusion of 2014 include: Garret Gerloff, Ryan Matter, Jake Lewis, Mario Alvarez, Andre Ochs, Max Finders, Erick Sanchez, Mathew McAllister, Christian Crosslin, Hayden Schultz, Kaleb De Keyrel, Richie Escalante, Joe Roberts, Nick McFadden, Eziah Davis, Jason Aquilar, Tucker Lancaster, and Bodhi Edie.   Past Roadracing World Young Guns who have won AMA Pro road races include Corey Alexander, the late Tommy Aquino, J.D. Beach, Cameron Beaubier, Josh Day, Jason DiSalvo, Dustin Dominguez, Danny Eslick, Bobby Fong, Jake Gagne, Nicky Hayden, Roger Hayden, Tommy Hayden, Josh Herrin, Jake Holden, John Hopkins, Elena Myers, Shane Narbonne, Huntley Nash, Tyler Odom, Joey Pascarella, Chris Peris,James Rispoli, Ben Spies, Chris Ulrich and Blake Young. Next Up AMA Pro Road Racing heads to Road America for Round 2 in Elkhart Lake, Wis. May 30-June 1, 2014. For tickets and more information regarding the Subway SuperBike Doubleheader, please visit http://www.roadamerica.com/buy-tickets/superbike-doubleheader-ama-pro-racing.html. How to Watch FansChoice.tv will be the official home for live streaming coverage of AMA Pro Road Racing and AMA Pro Flat Track events in 2014. The site will also provide coverage of IMSA's development and single-make series, and NASCAR's touring and weekly series. About AMA Pro Road Racing AMA Pro Road Racing is the premier motorcycle road racing series in North America and is universally regarded as one of the most competitive road racing organizations in the world. The series is comprised of four production-based classes: AMA Pro SuperBike, AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series. Learn more about AMA Pro Road Racing at www.amaproracing.com/rr/.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines.  Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.   For additional information contact:   AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

AMA Road Racing: Read All About Colin Edwards' Path to Racing in this Week's Edition of Larry Lawrence's Archives in Cycle News

Southwest Motorsports Yamaha team mates Colin Edwards #45 and Chris D'Aluisio #2 come into the turn 5 area during a practice session for the AMA 250 Grand Prix Championship Series at Road America in late June 1992.  The Southwest Motorsports/Yamaha/Dunlop/Arai-sponsored and TZ250-mounted riders would battle for the 250GP final event during The Coca-Cola Super Cycle Classic at the Elkhart Lake, WI. track, but it would be D'Aluisio taking his 3rd win in a row at the track that year.

Edwards burst onto the scene in AMA Road Racing in the 250 GP class in late '91 after claiming a handful of championships and hardware in the WERA Series, and would open the '92 season with a win at Daytona and at Charlotte, which would catapult him to the '92 AMA 250 Grand Prix Championship.  Yamaha USA took note, and by the '93 season he was on the factory-supported Vance & Hines Yamaha AMA Superbike Championship team as a team mate to '89 AMA Superbike Champion, Jamie James. 

Edwards would go on to win his first AMA Superbike Championship Series race at Mid Ohio in '94, and by the '95 season was racing in the World Superbike Championship in Europe.  Ironically, Edwards would win his two World Superbike Championships after he left the Yamaha fold, while riding for the Castrol Honda WSBK team.
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Check out this great story about 2-Time World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards, that details his rise to fame from a Texas WERA racer some 20 years ago, thanks to the one and only Larry Lawrence and his 'Archives' column at Cycle News.com's Digital Edition:

http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20111004#pg107
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Indy Red Bull MotoGP Round 11 May Be Last Chance for North Amer Fans to See Colin Edwards on a MotoGP Bike

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Kenny Roberts, Jr. sits on the #25 Wayne Rainey Racing/Otsuka lectronics/Nankai/
Tsubaki/PJ1-backed Yamaha TZ250 ready to roll out for practice at Mid Ohio in late July/early August of 1992. To his right sits--and SMILES--eventual '92 AMA 250GP Champion Colin Edwards on the #45 Southwest Motorsports/Yamaha/Dunlop/OTS/Arai/Vanson-sponsored TZ250. KRJR obviously moved up to the then-500CC World Championship, and won the title for Suzuki in 2000, the second to last before the end of the two strokes.
Edwards moved up to the premier AMA Superbike Championship Series in '93 winning Rookie of the Year honors and winning three races in '94 while riding for the Vance & Hines Yamaha squad, his first of those wins coming at Mid Ohio in the summer of '94. Moving to the World Superbike Championship in the mid-late '90s with Yamaha, he could never attain the championship with them-and it wasn't for lack of trying! With a move to Honda, CE captured the '00 and '02 World Superbike Championships on one of the team's star-fleet RVF-RC51 big twins, winning his AND Honda's initial championship on the all-new 1000CC twin that was brought out to even the score over the big twin Ducatis.
Could the 2011 season in MotoGP see Tech 3 Yamaha without any Texas riders (with Ben Spies most-likely moving up to the Factory Yamaha team) and Colin possibly on a Xerox-sponsored Factory Ducati in WSBK? Time will tell. That's why they call it silly season. But where ever The Texas Tornado may land, hopefully he will be smiling again!
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Colin Edwards' Tech 3 Yamaha Monster Energy/Motul/Antonio Lupi-backed YZR-M1 sits outside the paddock garages at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August of 2009 in preparation for the 2nd Annual Indy Red Bull MotoGP round. With the talk-and probable announcement this weekend-that team mate Ben Spies will be moving up to the Factory Yamaha team for the '11 season, and CE considering a move to World Superbike, the France-based Tech 3 team could be looking at starting fresh for the first time in a few years. And the big question would be who would fill the seats on this fine team? Considering they have the direct ties to the Yamaha factory, a rider would just about give his first-born to ride one of these finely prepared machines. I know it's silly season, but with Indy being the 11th of 18 rounds for MotoGP, it's also time to line up the dominos for next game.
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With the 11th round of the MotoGP calendar about to commence at the 3rd Annual Indianapolis Red Bull MotoGP, the cards are starting to fall as to who will be where, and who won't for the 2011 season. With '07 MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner announcing his move to the Repsol Honda squad and multi-time Champion Valentino Rossi making his move to Marlboro Ducati official 10 days ago, the big news that will most likely come out of the World Capital of Racing in Indianapolis this weekend should not only involve Nicky Hayden as discussed earlier today in our previous post, but the riders on the Tech 3 Monster Energy Yamaha squad.

It's pretty much a badly kept secret that Ben 'Elbowz' Spies will be moving up to the Factory Yamaha team for the '11 season, and that announcement will most likely come 'officially' this weekend, so as to help spur on more American fans and with any luck American involvement in the high dollar arena of MotoGP racing. And to be able to capitalize on a U.S.-based round and crowd to help generate more buzz throughout this great land of ours.

For Colin Edwards, the talk has been centered on his possible/probable move to the Factory Ducati squad in World Superbike for next season. CE has been fairly vocal on the lack of speed from this year's YZR-M1, and of course the fact that Honda has the fastest bike, again, in a straight line has pretty much made it miserable for anyone NOT on the Big Red--or Orange as the Repsol sign would be. Except of course Yamaha Fiat Factory Pilot Jorge Lorenzo who can't seem to turn a wheel wrong.

With Ben Spies able to get one on the podium in his first year in the premier class, the frustration with NOT being able to get the bike up to speed has grown with Colin Edwards, thusly the chance he may or could make the move to the series he helped to dominate from '95-'02 and winning two World Superbike Championships in the process a solid reality. That could mean that U.S. fans may be seeing the last appearance by the Texas Tornado at Indy on a MotoGP bike. Not that a move to WSBK would be bad--where ever the man lands, as long as he's smiling and in the mix, bravo. JMOH. But then I've been a fan of CE's for 19 seasons now, dating back to early '92.

So if you ARE a fan of Colin's--and even if you aren't--relish this visit to the World Capital of Racing in Indianapolis by not only the MotoGP circus in general, but of Colin on a multi-million dollar factory prototype as it may be our last chance to see him before he possibly heads over to the World Superbike Championship for the 2011 season.

Read about it below and check out an old interview with CE as well!
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Here's the article by Dean and Co. over at SuperBikePlanet.com that talks with The Texas Tornado about his chances/prospects of moving to the Ducati WSBK team for the 2011 season. Which ever way it goes, Colin will still always be a welcome sight at any race event, being one of the crowd favorites as well as one of the on-track favorites. Where ever he may land for the 2011 season and beyond, the series he runs and the fans that follow it will be better off for it as always! Go get 'em man!

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2010/Jul/100724b17.htm
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And here's a great little article about Colin penned by the always excellent and on the edge Dean Adams over at SuperBikePlanet.com that talks with him back in '03 after he had moved to the MotoGP World Championship after having won the '02 World Superbike Championship.

Check down the right side column and you'll see the cover shot for American RoadRacing in August of '92. It's CE and KRJR on the bikes as shown in the first shot above from the '92 AMA 250GP Championship and Colin's championship-winning season. Good old stuff! Thanks Dean!

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2003-nov/031110edwards1.htm
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