Road Racers Capture AMA Titles at Barber

A dozen riders earned AMA National No. 1 plates in 14 Expert and Novice competition classes during the 2020 AMA Road Race Grand Championship at Barber Motorsports Park, Oct. 22-25.

Four competitors received special AMA awards, as well.

The event was held in conjunction with the 48th annual WERA Grand National Finals, and racers competed on motorcycles ranging from 125cc Honda Groms to 1,000cc superbikes.

Saturday’s rain resulted in 41 bikes down, but there were no major injuries.

Gabriel Da Silva, who won the AMA 600 Superbike Expert and AMA 600 Superstock Expert classes, was named the 2020 Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon Award winner. The award is presented to the rider who demonstrated the most promise for success in the professional ranks. Past winners of the award include Blake Davis, Dallas Daniels, Jody Barry, Xavier Zayat, Anthony Mazziotto III, Hayden Gillim, Jake Lewis, Miles Thornton, Blake Young and Ben Spies.

Other AMA award recipients were AMA Youth Road Racer of the Year Alessandro DiMario, of Lexington, Ky.; AMA Vet/Senior Road Racer of the Year Kevin Callaway, of Detroit, Mich., and AMA Novice Road Racer of the Year Ian Cattanach, of Beverly Hills, Mich.

Da Silva, 16, of Vero Beach, Fla., turned in a standout performance for the weekend, winning all but one race he entered—the AMA 1000 Superbike class, in which he entered his 599cc Yamaha YZF-R6.

He was stuck to Taylor Knapp’s tail for most of that race, but his best lap of 1:28.51 was not enough to best Taylor, who turned in a 1:27.648 on his larger-displacement machine, a Suzuki GSX-R1000.

After winning three of three races on a wet track in the Saturday competition, Da Silva said he was “pretty comfortable in the rain.”

Barber Motorsports Park is filled with hidden eccentricities. Sculptures, large and small, dot the landscape, including giant spiders and armadillos.

The road course is 2.38 miles and has 17 turns. The straightaways are not long, but the elevation changes make it an interesting and challenging course.

Other Award Winners

AMA Youth Road Racer of the Year Alessandro DiMario won the AMA 400 Superstock Novice class with a best lap time of 1:42.62.

AMA Novice Road Racer of the Year Ian Cattanach comes from a dirt-bike background.

“I didn’t have any expectations, but I’m overjoyed with how the season ended,” he said.

AMA Vet/Senior Road Racer of the Year Kevin Callaway has been campaigning Ducatis with the backing of the dealership where he works, Ducati Detroit. He managed a sixth-place finish in the AMA 1000 Superbike Expert on his Panigale R, with a best lap of 1:30.161.

Kayla Yaakov, of Biglerville, Pa., also deserves mention for delivering a solid performance on her Kramer 690 and other bikes.

The 13-year-old handily gapped the field in several races and won the AMA Lightweight Twins Superbike Expert class.

The wet weather on Saturday was a challenge for everyone.

“In years past, I’ve been pretty strong in the wet, so I was looking forward to it,” Yaakov said. “I just had a lot of fun out there pushing to see how far the limit was in the rain.”

▲ Thirteen-year-old Kayla Yaakov captured the AMA Lightweight Twins Superbike Expert National No. 1 plate.

2020 AMA Road Race Grand Championship Class Champions

AMA 1000 Superbike Expert

Taylor Knapp
Harvest, Ala.

AMA 1000 Superbike Novice

Cory Lang
Cincinnati, Ohio

AMA 1000 Superstock Expert

Taylor Knapp
Harvest, Ala.

AMA 1000 Superstock Novice

Craig Frantz
Uhrichsville, Ohio

AMA 600 Superbike Expert

Gabriel Da Silva
Vero Beach, Fla.

AMA 600 Superbike Novice

Tony McKnight
Charleston, S.C.

AMA 600 Superstock Expert

Gabriel Da Silva
Vero Beach, Fla.

AMA 600 Superstock Novice

Micah Hand
Grovetown, Ga.

AMA 400 Superstock Expert

Michael Killian
Trussville, Ala.

AMA 400 Superstock Novice

Alessandro DiMario
Lexington, Ky.

AMA Lightweight Twins Superbike Expert

Kayla Yaakov
Biglerville, Pa.

AMA Lightweight Twins Superbike Novice

Ian Cattanach
Beverly Hills, Mich.

AMA Lightweight Twins Superstock Expert

Rodney Vest
North Topsail Beach, N.C.

AMA Lightweight Twins Superstock Novice

Nick Hafele
Cincinnati, Ohio