TOOELE, UT

Dave Lewis, Brant Wiwi and Oleg Pianykh showed up in top form for the first round of the Plaza Cycle Masters Of The Mountains road-race series at Miller Motorsports Park, running near-record pace on the green track surface. After a season of snow and cooler weekend temperatures, traction was in short supply; nevertheless, the racing was hot, with Lewis, Wiwi and Pianykh trading wins in the Middleweight and Heavyweight classes.

Oleg Pianykh (57, above) got the jump from pole, ahead of David Lewis (behind Pianykh), to lead Shannon Moham (945), Matt Guiver (523), Travis Ohge(40), Jesse Sherstan (999) and the rest of the King Of The Mountain GTU field. Lewis went on to take the win, dropping nearly a second off his qualifying time with an impressive 1:35.6 on Miller's East Course. He later went on to win the Middleweight Superbike contest.

 "I was pretty happy winning... [by] almost eight seconds," said Lewis. "A big thanks to Aaron Lanningham and Dunlop, and Lee's Cycle for an amazing motor. Going into [the King Of The Mountain GTU] I was pretty nervous, but I knew I had something for them. If I can just figure out how to get a better start, I know I can run up front all year. In Middleweight Superbike, Oleg was really giving me a battle the first few laps, and I couldn't motor [past] him anyplace, so I got him on the brakes going into turn seven. From there, I had to keep focused and work hard to keep him behind me."

Oleg Pianykh (57, above) won both the Middleweight Superstock and Heavyweight Superstock races, with Brant Wiwi (17) of Studio City, California, in a close second place by less than a second. Pianykh was also a close second to Lewis in both the King Of The Mountain GTU and Middleweight Superbike contests.

"I struggled a little bit the first day and had some issues on the brakes, and Wiwi is really strong on the brakes, so he'd end up catching me into every corner, then I'd get a good drive coming out - he kept me on my toes," said Pianykh. "In Heavyweight Superstock, we came up on traffic halfway into the race. I thought I had a gap on Wiwi, but then he was right next to me, so I really had to put my head down. It was a lot of fun. In [the King Of The Mountain GTU] I started from pole. Dave had a really strong pace and I had to work my ass off to try and keep up with him. I tried to get on the gas as early as I could, but I nearly highsided in almost every turn for two laps, so I had to back it off a little. It was a great way to start the season."

Brand Wiwi (17, above) got the holeshot at the start of the premier King Of The Mountain GTO race, ahead of Ray Thibedeau (119), Alan Schmidt (1X), John Hopperstad (98), Matt Cusumano (194) and the rest of the pack. Wiwi went on to take the win, and gained valuable points toward earning the number-one plate for the series. Wiwi took a close second in Middleweight Superstock and Heavyweight Superstock, and third in the King Of The Mountain GTU.

"This was great weekend," enthused Wiwi. "It seemed like the fog just pulled back... I had my priorities and focus all screwed up last year. I was uptight with my racing, and [I was] trying to make money as a professional racer. It skewed my focus away from why we all began racing: to have fun. I think that's when I go the fastest.

"We came out here this weekend to win KOM GTO," he continued. "It's really refreshing to set a simple goal like that and literally just get it done. That's what was the most fun about it. Nothing else really mattered. In the Superstock races with Oleg, it was a little cagey - really dicey. I knew where I wasn't going to beat him. I knew I was only going to get around him into a corner on the brakes or some obscure spot, so I tried going around him on the outside... The unorthodox nature of that racing was great. I didn't really care that I lost. Those races were a hoot."

All three racers will be out for the Utah SBA/WERA National round, May 22-23, and the Lucas Oils Superbike Challenge during the World Superbike round at Utah's Miller Motorsports Park, May 29-31. For more info, go to www.superbikechallenge.com.

Results

M/W S/STK: 1. Oleg Pianykh (Yamaha); 2. Brant Wiwi (Suzuki); 3. Jesse Sherstan (Yamaha); 4. Scott Decker (Suzuki); 5. Sean Black (Suzuki).

H/W S/STK: 1. Oleg Pianykh (Yamaha); 2. Brant Wiwi (Suzuki); 3. Scott Decker (Suzuki); 4. Matt Guiver (Yamaha); 5. Clint Gibson (Kawasaki).

OPEN S/STK: 1. Gerry Signorelli (BMW); 2. Ray Thibedeau (Suzuki); 3. Ryan Brand (Suzuki); 4. Clint Warner (Suzuki); 5. Gary Poole (Suzuki).

M/W S/BK: 1. David Lewis (Yamaha); 2. Oleg Pianykh (Yamaha); 3. Jesse Sherstan (Yamaha); 4. Sean Black (Suzuki); 5. Matt Guiver (Yamaha).

OPEN S/BK: 1. Jeff Stern (Honda); 2. Gerry Signorelli (BMW); 3. Alan Schmidt (Suzuki); 4. Ray Thibedeau (Suzuki); 5. Ryan Brand (Suzuki).

SPTSMN: 1. David Purcell (Honda); 2. Douglas Pogue (Triumph); 3. Brian Prax (Kawasaki); 4. Austin Carpenter (Yamaha); 5. Chris Blockston (Yamaha).

F-5: 1. Brian Prax (Kawasaki); 2. James McKay (Kawasaki).

F-40: 1. Gary Poole (Suzuki); 2. John Hopperstad (Suzuki); 3. Tommy Richardson (Suzuki); 4. Mark Snethen (Suzuki); 5. Chris Peterson (Yamaha).

S/TW: 1. Matt Cusumano (Ducati); 2. Brandal Glenn (Ducati); 3. Brian Whipple (Ducati); 4. Daniel Short (Suzuki); 5. Sean Black (Suzuki).

TW GTU: 1. Jon Glaefke; 2. Sean Black (Suzuki); 3. Don Roberts (Yamaha); 4. Ho Wong (Suzuki); 5. Daniel Short (Suzuki).

TW GTO: 1. Brandal Glenn (Ducati); 2. Brian Whipple (Ducati); 3. Pete Jenner (Suzuki); 4. Daniel Short (Suzuki); 5. Jon Glaefke.

NOV GTU: 1. Douglas Pogue (Triumph); 2. Gerald Hicks (Yamaha); 3. Darrel Cherry (Honda); 4. Austin Carpenter (Yamaha); 5. Shawn Nay (Yamaha).

AM GTU: 1. Tyler Cenarrusa (Honda); 2. Brad Moore (Suzuki); 3. Brandal Glenn (Ducati); 4. Douglas Pogue (Triumph); 5. Aaron Allina (Yamaha).

NOV GTO: 1. Jeremy Ross (Yamaha); 2. Douglas Pogue (Triumph); 3. Aaron Allina (Yamaha); 4. Shawn Nay (Suzuki); 5. Darrel Cherry (Honda).

AM GTO: 1. Brad Moore (Suzuki); 2. Tyler Cenarrusa (Honda); 3. Tommy Richardson (Suzuki); 4. Mark Snethen (Suzuki); 5. Chris Peterson (Yamaha).

ENDURANCE GTU: 1. Gary Poole; 2. David Lewis (Yamaha); 3. Adam Fetter (Yamaha); 4. Shane Kelsey (Suzuki); 5. Raymond Clark (Suzuki).

ENDURANCE GTO: 1. Brian Whipple (Honda); 2. Dustin O'Hara (Suzuki); 3. Chris Peterson (Yamaha); 4. Shane White (Suzuki).

KOTM GTU: 1. David Lewis (Yamaha); 2. Oleg Pianykh (Yamaha); 3. Brant Wiwi (Suzuki); 4. Jesse Sherstan (Yamaha); 5. Jeff Stern (Honda).

KOTM GTO: 1. Brant Wiwi (Suzuki); 2. Gerry Signorelli (BMW); 3. Jeff Stern (Honda); 4. Ray Thibedeau (Suzuki); 5. David Lewis (Yamaha).