The 2019 Loudon Road Race Series season, which featured 174 expert riders, 134 amateur riders and 60 novice riders, closed with the completion of round seven as the riders took on the 1.6-mile road course this past weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Many competitors ended their season adding a few more achievements and milestones to their personal records.
"It was probably one of the greatest feelings I think I'll ever feel," said Daniel Weems reflecting on his first career expert win, which included beating veteran expert rider Scott Greenwood, in round six's Heavyweight Supersport. "Not very many people beat old Scotty, but I got the jump on him from the start, and it was kind of like waiting for a shark attack. The halfway point came, then the white flag came and I was screaming at myself, 'brake, apex, gas.' I was sliding absolutely everywhere, and then I hit the checkered flag. I haven't felt that since I won my first amateur race two years ago."
Abington, Mass. native Weems, who started racing with the Loudon Road Race Series in 2017 as an amateur, completed his second expert season this past weekend taking home a top five and a top 15. Now that he's beaten Greenwood in the wet, he has shifted his focus to beating him in the dry in, what he's hoping, the 2020 season.
Many riders improved their skills enough to jump up a class during the 2019 season, landing in a whole new starting grid as they eagerly awaited the green flag on the frontstretch. More than 20 riders earned amateur level credentials after successfully exceeding the requirements of novice level riding, and a few, like 13-year-old Brianna McHugh, who was a first-time LRRS competitor this season, improved exponentially well, earning them expert status.
"I'm part of the Penguin Roadracing School mentor program," said McHugh, a Rindge, N.H. native who achieved two top fives and two top tens in round seven. "Eric, John and everyone on the team really helped me out a ton, and I can't thank them enough. I've made so much improvement just because of them."
After a successful 2018 season, Milton, Vt. native Tyler Wasserbauer made the leap from amateur to expert to begin his second season with LRRS and managed to secure the 2019 expert GTO championship.
"Cory [Hildebrand] kind of gave the GTO championship to me," said Wasserbauer. "He's faster than me and I have yet to beat him, but he didn't go out in the rain, so that was the difference in the championship. The transition from a 600 to a 1,000 was a big step, and then also going from amateur to expert was a big step, so it was a lot of change at once. I'm lucky more than anything."
A little bit of luck may have been on his side in earning the title of 2019 expert GTO champion, but nonetheless, Wasserbauer's achievements in his first year as an expert rider landed him on the podium 17 out of a possible 28 times, proving he more than deserves a championship title. He closed out round seven with two podium finishes, a top five and a top 10.
The awards banquet honoring the 2019 champions from the Loudon Road Race Series, MOAT Mountain Road Course Series and J&J's Yolk & Co. Oval Series is on November 16 at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. The Loudon Road Race Series will return to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the spring to kick off the 2020 season.
Check out the full results from all races: https://trackintel.com/ti/lrrs/ajax2014/results/index.html
Stay up-to-date with the Loudon Road Race Series:
- Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/LRRSNHMS/
- Website: https://www.NHMS.com/Local/Loudon-Road-Race-Series/
For ticket information for all events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, including the November 28, 2019-January 5, 2020 Gift of Lights presented by Eastern Propane & Oil, the June 13-21, 2020 Motorcycle Week at NHMS and the July 17-19, 2020 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 race weekend, visit the speedway website at NHMS.com or call Fan Relations at (603) 783-4931.