MotoAmerica Twins : PIRC LWT Racer Team Report – 2018

by Sam Wiest · Published August 28, 2018 · Updated September 10, 2018

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Tyler and Brian down the front straight at PIRC | Photo By Brock Imaging

The LWT Racer team had a good showing at the MotoAmerica Twins Cup round in Pittsburgh. Riders dealt with a new track and new tires to them. Progress was made every time on track and a key gearing change made before Q2 allowed all 3 riders to drop time and qualify next to each other on the grid. Filling in for Sean Dougherty, Tyler Humphreys (riding Sean’s SV) missed out on the podium by .063 behind Chris Bays. Brian McGlade would finish in a very close 5th place on his new 2017 SV650. Tyler and Brian will compete at NJMP in two weeks in the MotoAmerica Twins Class.

Big Thanks to the LWT Racer team sponsors : ECD NY, TWF Racing, M4 Exhaust, Hotbodies, Drippin’ Wet, Woodcraft CFM, Vesrah/BD Trackside, Orient Express, Dc Paintworx, Ktech Suspensions

Tyler Humphreys – 4th

Photo Credit: Apex Pro Photography

Unreal weekend at Pitt Race racing for the LWTRacer.com team as a fill in for Sean Dougherty in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup race! Friday morning was my first time on that bike, on that track, and on Dunlops, so it was a weekend of first time experiences. I ended up Qaulifying P11 for the race, I was hoping for a strong top ten finish in the race. Off the start I made up a few spots and worked my way through the field eventually getting into a battle for 5th place. One of the leaders had a nasty high side causing a red flag. I started 5th in the restart, after which I moved up to 4th when another leader had a fueling issue. Me and Chris Bays got into a petty great battle for 3rd place. In the end I finished 4th out of 22 riders that started the race losing by a fraction of second to Bays for 3rd. After a P11 starting position I could not be happier with the race. I dropped 4 seconds a lap in the race.

Huge thank you to the whole LWT crew for the support, couldn’t have done it without them. Russell Masecar from RBoM Racing saved the weekend yet again after a rear wheel issue in Q2. Wouldn’t have made it to the grid without him. Thank you. Nathan Granoff and everyone else at NJ MiniGP, the best place to learn to ride a motorcycle the right way and fast way. Michael Faillace for being instrumental to setting my bike up, his advice is some of the best in the paddock, thank you. My Dad Ed Humphreys and brothers Ian and Spencer for their love and support through the whole weekend, it made it special having you guys there. Mark Lienhard and all my friends at Evolve GT Track Days you guys rock! Thank you for all the support. Justin Levy from Trackside Parts Club for making sure I had what I needed to get through the weekend, thank you bro! This amazing photo was taken by Michael Brock with BrockImaging, thank you for the great shot and for the encouragement throughout the weekend. Can’t forget Apex Pro Photography, thank you and heal up fast Joshua Barnett! Big thanks to Bell Powersports for keeping my noggin safe, and for the amazing track side support #thechoiceofprofessionals. Gotta thank Keith Culver from Yamaha Champions Riding School for his support and words of wisdom on the grid. Keith Wolff Woods, and Eziah Davis thank you guys for the help getting onto the grid. Sean Dougherty thank you again for giving me this opportunity, give the whole family another hug for me.

Brian McGlade – 5th

Barry Gilsenan of Celtic Racing talking to McGlade on the grid prior to the race.
Photo Credit : Sara Benagh

What a weekend. Struggled with learning a new track , Dunlop tires and basically a new bike. Q2 definitely didn’t go to plan so P13 wasn’t ideal for race time. Pace for the first part of the race was very fast so the red flag was in my favor to regroup and put the head down. A 5th place finish was great for the work that was put in. It was a great experience to run with the big boys and roll on NJMP in 2 weeks. All this would definitely not happen without my crew chief/mechanic/ tire man and just about everything else Dessie G.
Also a massive thanks to everybody at ECD NY, ATLANTIC HYRAULIC HOSE, BART CON CONSTRUCTION, ORIENT EXPRESS, Woodcraft, Zoran@TWFRacing, M4 Exhausts, Hotbodies Bodywork, K-Tech Suspension, Shoei Helmets, Forma Boots, DC Paintworx, Drippin’ Wet Graphics, and Sportbike Track Gear.
M4 EXHAUST

Last but most important thank you to Sam Wiest at LWT RACER for putting a strong bike under my ass and congrats to my teammate Tyler Humphreys on a top class ride.
See y’all in NJ.

Sam Wiest – 13th

Ben Smith and his father Mike helping Sam on the grid.
Photo Credit : Sara Benagh

We can mark this weekend as a good learning experience which isn’t always the greatest to say. While I have been on Dunlops at the VIR round, Pitt was a new race track to me but I am very happy to have ridden it. Amazing race circuit, probably a new favorite even tho I Was unable to turn the smooth fast laps that were desired. From the first session there was a tire chatter issue. This track offers an insane amount of grip and the front Dunlop gripped too well for my SV650 to handle. This was nothing new to me as VIR was a similar experience. So Q2 came around and I tried some new tire pressures which helped with the chatter but it did not eliminate it. I was able to drop 4 seconds from Q1 to Q2 and I knew if i could get rid of the chatter a bunch more time could be dropped.

Race time came and another change in tire pressure was in order and it worked very well. There was only a slight bit when trying to do the corner speed I desired. After 3 crashes, one being a nasty one by the 2nd place rider, we had a red flag. This is where an error in judgement played a big part in my end result. I decided to change tire pressure and it did not pay off. Made the bike un-ride-able and I was off my pace by a few seconds losing positions every lap. We learn every time we are on the race track and sometimes those lessons don’t mean there was a good result in the race.

I am very happy with how my teammates/riders performed. They both rode their asses off and Tyler missed out on the podium by .063.

Huge thanks to Frank/Sean/Paul Dougherty for the support, Ben/Mike Smith/Team Norris for the help on the grid, Zoran @ TWF Racing, Suomy, and rest of the team sponsors.