The inaugural Peoria Classic was set to host rounds seven and eight of the 2025 Mission Foods CTR Flat Track Series; however, Mother Nature had other plans, shortening the event to a one-day show. However, Friday’s racing lived up to the event title, and fans were treated to a classic at Peoria Speedway.
Story by Scotty Taylor. Photos by Lacy Jo Photos
A Google search shows the distance from Rohnert Park, California, to Queensland, Australia, to be over 7000 miles, but the racing between Californian Ryder Bitz-Hay and Australian Bodie Paige was about as close as it could be over the weekend. Both riders were never separated by more than seven-tenths of a second in their three clashes, but the closest was in the 450 Amateur main event. A battle all the way to the finish line resulted in Paige winning over Bitz-Hay by a slim margin of 0.054 of a second. Bitz-Hay got a little payback in the Open Amateur main event, winning that contest over Paige, which set up a rubber match between the two during the evening’s final Pro-Am main event. Bitz-Hay posted a faster lap, but while speed is important, track position when the checkered flag drops is what really matters. Paige finished the evening with his second win of the day and took home a little extra cash thanks to several generous donors of the event.
Bitz-Hay’s battles on the day weren’t just with the Australian. Braxton Ragan was trying to defend his home turf in Illinois and secure the top spot in the 250 Amateur points standings. Both riders entered Peoria tied in wins and season points, and sure enough, they found themselves 1-2 on the track. This time, it was Bitz-Hay coming out on top over Ragan. With the win, Bitz-Hay now has a five-point lead heading into the final rounds of the series.
Jayden Nickens picked up two vital victories in the 85cc and Supermini classes. The wins by Nickens, combined with a pair of third-place finishes from Lucy Heaton-New and a pair of fourth-place finishes by Jackson Joiner, have set the stage for a dramatic conclusion to the title fights in these classes. Joiner leads Nickens by a single point in the 85cc class, while Heaton-New now sits two points ahead of Joiner in the Supermini class, with Nickens only 11 points adrift with two races remaining.
Cruise Texter earned two wins at Peoria, keeping his perfect season alive in the 50cc Chain class, and, by outdueling Odin Music in 65cc class, has trimmed Odin’s points lead to single digits. Texter settled for runner-up honors to William Cato Jr in the 50cc Air-Cooled class. The Cato family found added success on the night, with William Cato Sr taking top honors in the 30+ class ahead of Kyle Snyder, who, with a runner-up effort, has secured a championship in the 30+ class.
In the Vet classes, Davey Durelle added two more wins to his collection with victories in the 50+ and 60+ classes. Greg Boyle landed atop the 40+ podium, clinching the season championship in that class.
Audie Snelson got his first Open Novice victory of the season, and Kyle Snyder scored a win in the Vintage class. DJ Slosser was victorious in the Hooligan class, and Holden Conder topped the night’s Mad Dog division.
The Mission Foods CTR Flat Track Series now heads toward its finale on September 19-20 at Mid Carolina Speedway in Neeses, South Carolina. CN
2025 CTR Flat Track Round 7 Results
50cc Air-Cooled (Top 3)
1. WILLIAM CATO JR (Hon)
2. CRUISE TEXTER (Hon)
3. HUDSON WATERS (Yam)
65cc (Top 3)
1. CRUISE TEXTER (GG)
2. ODIN MUSIC (Hus)
3. SKYLAR LOUCKS (Hus)
SuperMini (Top 3)
1. JAYDEN NICKENS (GG)
2. WESLEY SETTLE (KTM)
3. LUCY HEATON-NEW (Hus)
50cc Chain (Top 3)
1. CRUISE TEXTER (Cob)
2. JONNY MOORE (KTM)
3. JACOB HOWK (Hon)
60+
1. DAVEY DURELLE (Yam)
2. KEN HALL (RTX)
3. RANDALL SENNEFF (KTM)
Open Novice (Top 3)
1. AUDIE SNELSON (Hon)
2. JACKSON SETTLE (KTM)
3. BENJAMIN WEIDNER (Hon)
85cc (Top 3)
1. JAYDEN NICKENS (GG)
2. WESLEY SETTLE (KTM)
3. LUCY HEATON-NEW (Hus)
Vintage (Top 2)
1. KYLE SNYDER (RTX)
2. JASON JAQUES (Hon)
50+ (Top 3)
1. DAVEY DURRELLE (Yam)
2. GREG BOYLE (Hon)
3. JAMES ABBOTT (KTM)
250cc Amateur (Top 3)
1. RYDER BITZ-HAY (KTM)
2. BRAXTON RAGAN (KTM)
3. BAYNE NANTZ (KTM)
450cc Amateur (Top 3)
1. BODIE PAIGE (KTM)
2. RYDER BITZ-HAY (KTM)
3. CODY KENT (KTM)
40+ (Top 3)
1. GREG BOYLE (Hon)
2. JAMES ABBOTT (KTM)
3. PAUL MALONE (Hon)
Open Amateur (Top 3)
1. RYDER BITZ-HAY (KTM)
2. BODIE PAIGE (KTM)
3. CODY MISHEY (Hon)
30+ (Top 3)
1. WILLIAM CATO (Hon)
2. KYLE SNYDER (Bet)
3. DAVE KILKENNY (Hon)
Hooligan (Top 3)
1. DJ SLOSSER (H-D)
2. JEREMY DERUYTER (Suz)
3. BLAKE BERRY (H-D)
Mad Dog (Top 3)
1. HOLDEN CONDER (Kaw)
2. JACK OFARRELL (Yam)
3. CARTER MORTIMER (Kaw)
Pro-Am (Top 5)
1. BODIE PAIGE (KTM)
2. RYDER BITZ-HAY (KTM)
3. DILLON DURELLE (Yam)
4. WILLIAM CATO (Hon)
5. CODY MISHEY (Hon)
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