HONDA CBR250R NATIONAL RACE SERIES
The 13-25 age restriction in the Honda CBR250R National Race Series has been lifted, allowing riders of all ages to compete in the exciting spec class.
smallest class, the Honda CBR250R Na- tional Race Series. Throughout the field the young competitors aboard the 250cc rockets diced and swapped positions. Part of the secret to the series’ initial suc-
gettIng started W
ithout a doubt some of the fiercest racing in the 2012 Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship came from its
cess was its use of a spec chassis, the Honda CBR250R. Limited modifications and a horsepower limit of 27hp meant the bikes hit the track very evenly matched, and had the added benefit of keeping costs down. The result in 2012 was very close racing
with a premium placed on rider talent and savvy. The action should continue in 2013 as the
CBR250R National Race Series returns for a second season. While 2012 champion Stacey Nesbitt won’t be back to defend her title, a number of her chief rivals should be part of the field. The class will also be spiced up by the news that the age limit im- posed for the 2012 season has been re- moved. Last year the division was limited to racers between the ages of 13 and 25, but for the coming campaign riders over 25 will also be eligible to compete. The lack of an age limit shouldn’t com-
promise the action on the track, or change the category’s status as a development ground for aspiring road racers. One of the young stars who emerged in
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last year’s inaugural season for the CBR250R series was Peterborough’s Tomas Casas. Just 13 years old when the season began and essentially making his racing debut, Casas emerged as a very formidable racer as the season progressed. He ended up winning six of the 10 races, including the last four in a row, although a pair of DNFs limited him to third in the final championship standings. A year older and wiser, Casas must be regarded as a favourite for the title this time around. Casas spent most of his time dicing with
Nesbitt and eventual series runner-up fin- isher Ryan Roche. Roche swept the first two races of the 2012 campaign but could- n’t find the winner’s circle again, while Nesbitt gradually overhauled the Picker- ing, Ont. rider in the standings. Nesbitt, Roche and Casas fought some epic duels during the course of the series and showed what the Honda CBR250R was capa- ble of on Canadian racetracks. The series also
did a good job of at- tracting racers from outside of the central Canadian core of Ontario and Quebec.
BEginnEr Class sEt to Build on CompEtitivE dEBut By John Hopkins
Calgary’s Sean Smith was a regular and fin- ished fourth in the final standings, although a nasty crash in the final round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park ended his year on a low note. East coast newcomers like Ballie Ives,
Connor Warnell and Leah MacInnis added some spice to the field at Atlantic Motor- sport Park and Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant. With a year of development under its belt
and the promise of more racers thanks to the lifting of the age limit, the Honda CBR250R National Race Series should continue to grow in 2013. With two races on every Mopar Canadian
Superbike Championship event weekend, the class provides excellent value for the rac- ers…and the spectators!
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