VIP Experience VIP Experience
Slicer’s Corner
Greetings to all of our brave VIP Guests who endured Tropical Storm Ophelia as she rolled through the New Jersey Motorsports Park area.
We had some exceptional guest speakers at New Jersey. One of them who had an incredible season is Hayden Gillim, who is part of the cover shot as the 2023 Mission King Of The Baggers Champion with teammate James Rispoli, team owner Terry Vance and the entire Vance & Hines Mission Harley-Davidson team. Celebrating and winning championships is a team eff ort, and it’s one that Terry Vance has had the pleasure of celebrating before in his rich racing history.
Coming into the final round, Hayden and James were both in position to win the championship. A great situation that began at Daytona, with race wins, several podium finishes and no DNF’s throughout the 14 championship rounds. Of course, Hayden, James and the team were having an outstanding year all coming down to the final two races. Hayden struck first, securing the win on Saturday, with James in second. The final race looked to be a sprint for the championship, with James leading, however, an offtrack excursion moved him to the back of the field allowing Hayden to secure his second championship of the season and the first for the Vance & Hines Mission Harley-Davidson team in the Baggers class. Well done, Hayden, James, Terry and the entire team.
As we closed the season at New Jersey Motorsports Park, another bright spot was JD Beach, who took the last win of the season in the Medallia Superbike class on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing R1. It’s always good have JD in the suite and back in the paddock.
We have just announced our 2024 schedule, which is on the last page. I hope you enjoyed your experience at NJMP, which has been commemorated for you in this book. We look forward to seeing you at a MotoAmerica VIP Experience in 2024.
Best Regards
Ron “Slicer” Heben
Mission accomplished….. Our 2023 MotoAmerica class champions!
Kyle Wyman #33 came back on Sunday and won the final Mission King Of The Baggers race, while Hayden Gillim #79 motored his way to a runner-up result, which was enough to crown him the 2023 champion. It was a Harley-Davidson sweep in the Baggers class.
Far Left: Hayden Gillim celebrates, even in the rain, and our VIP’s loved the experience of being up close on the front straightaway.
our VIP guests and the MotoAmerica brand ambassadors!
On the Mission King Of The Baggers podium, Hayden Gillim, James Rispoli and Travis Wyman enjoy the spoils of victory with
K-Tech Suspension’s Skip Dowling, Rob Silva, and Tony Stack explained their roles and how they provide K-Tech Suspension components and support to MotoAmerica riders as well as track day enthusiasts. They even provided some cool giveaways. Thanks K-Tech!
A VIP crowd favorite, H-D Screamin’ Eagle racer Kyle Wyman made a last-minute appearance as his fellow competitor Tyler O’Hara made an unplanned trip to the hospital for a foot injury.
Being from New York, Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s PJ Jacobsen had a lot of fans attending the NJ round. PJ and Jake Zemke (former road race champion and now an Athlete Manager at Wasserman), told us about their experiences. PJ and Jake both have a long history of racing success, and both were a joy to have in the suite.
Always entertaining are Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen and JD Beach. While Cameron is on the mend from a wrist injury, JD has been doing double duty, racing in American Flat Track and also filling in for Cam in Superbike. These guys were a hit for everyone in the VIP suite.
Polesitter PJ Jacobsen grabs the start of Medallia Superbike race 2, with Jake Gagne and JD Beach close by.
Being on Superbike pole has a lot of people wanting to get close. Here, PJ Jacobsen spends a moment with those lucky VIP’s.
Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz had a tough weekend. Here, several VIP’s get a pre-race photo with the number 11 Yamaha pilot.
Wrench Motorcycle’s Bobby Fong enjoys a pre-race moment with several Yamaha fans.
Three-time Superbike champion Jake Gagne always draws a crowd, and pre-race is no exception. Jake is always gracious to take a picture with his fans!
Our 2023 NJMP VIP’s gather together with the MotoAmerica brand ambassadors for a Medallia Superbike pre-race starting line picture. How cool is that?.
Jake Gagne and JD Beach were all smiles after finishing 1-2 in Medallia Superbike race 1. JD went one position better in race two with a dominating win. Notice the Dunlop rain tires, which were the choice of just about everyone on the grid.
The Superbike podium was a bit crazy on Sunday, with TV interviews of the winners and then the series champions. Here, Medallia Superbike champion Jake Gagne, runner-up Josh Herrin and third-place PJ Jacobsen gather with our VIP’s before they are rushed off. Good job, men!
The Superbike podium for race 2 with JD Beach, PJ Jacobsen and Corey Alexander (who put in two stellar third-place rides), enjoy the moment. Yamaha even had Jake Gagne come up for the team trophy. Now, that’s a team effort!
What a weekend for the winningest rider in AMA road racing history. Josh Hayes notched another victory to make it 88 wins to his credit. His Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha suited the New Jersey circuit perfectly.
“A man who never stands still” can best describe Josh Hayes’s day at the races. However, as busy as Josh is, he always comes by the suite to speak with our VIP guests.
At year-end, Dunlop presents each champion with a commemorative guitar for their achievements. Dunlop presented a guitar to Josh Hayes, as well, for his alltime race wins record! Now, all Josh needs to do is fi nd some spare time to learn to play! Good show, Dunlop, and thank you!
Jack Carbone, one of MotoAmerica’s TV race feed directors, gave a few VIP’s a tour of the TV operations and a close-up look at the impressive mobile studio trailer set-up.
MotoAmerica TV pit reporter Hannah Lopa was prepared for the elements. Hannah loves being at the races and engaging with the fans!
Yamaha’s National Events Manager Kim Knupp was a special guest in our VIP suite. Here Terry Karges, Chuck Aksland, Richard Varner and I recognize Kim for her outstanding career with Yamaha. Kim will retire after 44 years with Yamaha! Congratulations, Kim!
Lucky VIPs ran into Tommy Hayden, former fast racer and now Flat Track Manager for the Estenson Yamaha Team. Tommy was on hand to support Dallas Daniels in the REV’IT! Twins Cup class and, of course, his fellow Owensboro, Kentucky, racers JD Beach, Hayden Gillim and Jake Lewis. Good to see you, Tommy!
