ROSAMOND, CA

The first doubleheader weekend in the SRA-West 2010 championship saw the top spot of the podium traded on Saturday and Sundy, to the delight of a large crowd on hand at the AHRMA Moto Classica at Willow Springs Raceway. The Vintage racing series gave a huge welcome to the modern Sidecar class, which arrived at the event with fresh sponsorship from Barnett Clutches.

Front-runner Wade Boyd was not in attendance, leaving hard-core fans wondering if defending champion Becker Moto Works (above, leading) would garner an easy victory. However, the fledgling Team Johnny Killmore (following) got a fantastic start from the front row and pulled out a noticeable lead on cold tires. The six-lap race was led from flag to flag by the team of John Wood & Vanessa McClure, but the father-and-son team of William & Eric Becker gave no quarter.

Waiting for their Hoosier tires to warm up toward the end, Becker began banging on Wood & McClure's back door on the third lap. Wood held his line against the assault, trying to work lapped traffic to his advantage. Becker forced his way to the inside several times but struggled for grip off the race line. With a final attempt made in the last corner, it became a drag race to the finish, with Wood taking his first win by only two bikelengths.

Sunday's race would have the same start, but a lap-one mistake by Wood left the door wide open for Becker to take the early lead. A huge slide in turn five showed he was not waiting around for the tires to warm up this time! The veteran Becker was hounded by Wood for the first two laps, and Wood attempted a pass in turn three, but a miscue caused him to fall back. As the tires came up to temperature, Becker pulled away, only to be caught in lapped traffic. Again Becker pulled a gap, and again lapped traffic would hold him up. On the final lap, the two remained about five bikelengths apart to the checkers.

Afterward, Wood remained humble in pit lane.

"I just raced against my mentor," he said. "I rode faster than I ever have and brought my bike in without a scratch. I'm totally ecstatic."

William Becker wouldn't be quoted, but alluded to the fact that he thought there was one more lap on Saturday. The rumor leaves open the possibility that he had more to offer. With next month's return of Subculture Racing's Wayde Boyd & Christine Blunk, an already exciting season is becoming even harder to predict.

Also of note was the third-place finisher on both days, Bad Cat Racing. The Mike Jones & Cindy Creech team was out of striking distance, but closed a huge gap from previous rounds, while being the fastest machine on Yokahama rubber.

The SRA-West series will return to Willow Springs on May 15 and 16 for its last event at that course until October. Find the full schedule at www.sra-west.us. For more information on Barnett clutches and cables, visit www.barnettclutches.com.

Results

Saturday

SRA SDCR: 1. John Wood/Vanessa McClure (Win/Suz); 2. William Becker/Eric Becker (Bec/Suz); 3. Mike Jones/Cindy Creech (Bec/Suz); 4. Rick Murray/Paul Zuniga (LCR/Suz); 5. Steve Stull (RGM/Kaw).

Sunday

SRA SDCR: 1. William Becker/Eric Becker (Bec/Suz); 2. John Wood/Vanessa McClure (Win/Suz); 3. Mike Jones/Cindy Creech (Bec/Suz); 4. Rick Murray/Paul Zuniga (LCR/Suz); 5. Mike Troutman (CSR/BMW).