Lenz takes three in inaugural AMA mini event

Peter Lenz scored big at the inaugural AMA Southern California Mini Gran Prix presented by Arai

This past weekend Peter Lenz capped off a great season with 3 more wins, and two thirds at the first AMA all MiniGP race held at California Speedway. 2006 has been a great season for Peter who hails from Vancouver, Washington as he captured 9 championships and over 40 race wins this season.

Having never seen the track California Speedway before Saturday morning practice, Peter was at a disadvantage as he came to the home turf of the Southern California mini riders. Peter turned over 90 laps trying to sort and set-up the three bikes he would be running in Sunday’s main events. Throughout the day he attempted to dial-in the bikes to eliminate the front end slides and chatter he was experiencing.

Come Sunday morning the frustration of Saturday had passed as the chatter had been resolved and the speedway’s staff had cleaned the track, eliminating the excessive dust from the track surface. The morning’s heat races were uneventful as riders sized up each other for the first time at speed.

Not knowing how fast the 80GP class would be Peter ran the heat race for the 80GP class on his KTM65SX. It turned out that the 80GP class bikes were actually 92cc RS chasis bikes. Peter brought his out classed bike home in 5th. Peter decided to conserve energy and sit out the main.

The main events began after a short lunch under 84 degree skies. The track temperature hovered above 100.

The first main event was the Vortex 50 Light. The rules for the class allow a number of bikes, and while it is called a 50 class, it should be called, 'run anything but a 50'. Peter ran a stock NSR50 in the class, which is at least competitve in most other clubs that run a generic 50 class. Soon as the flag dropped it was apparent that it would be a race for second. Local fast kid Benny Solis, Jr. (11 yr) ran a Frankenstein of a bike; RS forks, custom fabricated aluminum frame, 36mm carb, and a stroked out CRF100 motor. To say the bike was fast was an understatement, and it is the same bike that later in the day would out pull Peter’s KTM65SX. At the end of lap one Solis led by 200 feet. The rest of the bikes were pretty tightly packed. Peter and the rest of the pack swapped positions several times a lap. Peter’s 7HP NSR was no match for the YSR70 powered RS of Austin DeHaven (12 yr) as Peter got out motored time again on the straights. He came home third in front of Rocky Morales (who won the 80GP main) and NSR mounted Drew Price.

The MiniGPX Semi-Pro Jr race saw Peter Lenz race Hunter Coffin (11 yr) for the first time in a year. Both boys have had excellent seasons, and this was the race minimoto spectators had been looking forward to for the season. Peter got the hole shot, with Hunter on his tail. The two boys stayed nose to tail for several laps gapping the rest of the field by over 500 feet. The boys were on the edge of traction, breaking loose several times a lap, until Hunter low-sided handing Peter and his Comcast BMS Factory ride the win.

Rooster Racing Pro GP saw Peter take his production class BMS ride to the win over his competitor’s open class bikes. BMS mounted rider Austin DeHaven (12 yr) was able to easily out motor Peter on the straights but couldn’t stay in front when the two riders reached the corners. Peter led every lap. Austin almost stole the win as he out motored Peter to the start finish line. If the line was 5 feet further up the track Austin would have snatched it, but Peter held on with only inches to spare.

In the Pro-Wheel Formula GP, Peter rode the fresh MiniGPX KTM65SX MiniMotard on Bridgestone tires. Peter grabbed the hole shot and didn’t look back. Solis was on Peter’s tail riding his monster 4-stroke which out-motored the 65, but Peter put everything he had on the table and didn’t leave anything in reserve. He was able to pull a gap on Solis. Trying to stay with Peter, Solis crashed on lap four bringing out the red flag. On the restart Peter again got the holeshot and brought the KTM home to win the first Formula GP AMA event over Canadian CMA Champion, Royce McLean (11 yr).

The last race of the day, the Bridgestone NSR Cup, was a heart breaker. With Peter having turned over 110 laps in the desert heat at this point, the little guy was wiped. He had put everything he had left into the Formula GP win. Peter suited up and climbed aboard the Comcast sponsored machine. As he waited on the pre-grid his rested his head on his tank. Off he went on his warm-up lap. As the green flag dropped, Peter again go the hole shot. He was back to his normal self, quickly turning the bike as he dragged his pegs through the first left hander. As the train of bikes came into the second right hander, Solis stuffed his bike underneath Peter, pushing Peter wide changing his arch to point him at a barrier. At the same time Drew Price came through cutting off Peter’s re-entry. Peter rolled out of the throttle, dropped his bike back into the race line and continued on in 3rd. Solis was now 2.5 seconds ahead and starting to gap 2nd place Price. Peter’s bike was geared for higher corner speeds then Price’s, making it next to impossible for Peter to make a pass stick on Price as he'd out-drive Peter and keep him at bay. While Peter was able to lead 4 laps of the NSR Cup’s heat race, during the main he was boxed and unable to get within 1.5 second of the times he had run earlier in the 50 Light race main. Those times would have put him at the front with Solis. Peter attempted several passes on Price, but none of them stuck. Peter changed his overall strategy to get around Price and he had only one corner left to try and make it work. Peter let Price gap him just enough to allow Peter to carry the corner speed his bike was geared to carry. Unfortunately Peter ran out of laps and finished less than half a wheel's width behind Price at the line.

Results from the AMA Southern Californai Mini Gran Prix Presented by Arai Helmets held November 5th, 2006

Pro-Wheel Formula GP
1. 45x Peter Lenz KTM65
2. 14 Royce McLean TTR125
3. 45 Joe Hylton

MiniGPX Semi-Pro Jr
1. 45 Peter Lenz BMS
2. 56 Austin Dehaven BMS
3. 6 Bennie Taylor BMS

Dianeses Pro GP
1. 45 Peter Lenz BMS
2. 56 Austin Dehaven BMS
3. 55x Hunter Coffin GRC

Bridgestone NSR Cup
1. 20 Benny Solis Jr. NSR50
2. 65 Drew Price NSR50
3. 45 Peter Lenz NSR50

Vortex 50 Light
1. 20 Benny Solis Jr NSR100F
2. 56 Austin Dehaven RS70
3. 45 Peter Lenz NSR50

Thank you to all of Peter’s personal sponsors that made this season possible:
MiniGPX.com
FNB Racing
BMS Pocketbikes
Comcast
Arai Helmets
Keith Code's California Superbike School
All Things Sheetrock
Smokin' Pocketbikes
Vortex Racing Components
SpyOptic
Tranquil Velocity Photography
Speed Graffix

And a huge thank you to all the companies that made the MiniGPX KTM65SX minimotard possible:
ASV Inventions
Barnett Clutch
Bridgestone
Buchanan Spoke
Everlast Powdercoating
Galfer Braking
Graves Motorsports
GP Tech
KTM
MiniGPX
MotoTassinari vForce3
Pro Caliber Motorsports
Pro Circuit
Pro-Wheel
Rain City Powersports
Renthal
SpeedGraffix

You can keep up to date with Peter through his website: http://www.peterlenz.com