The following article was not written by Speed Trap Magazine Staff
From Vesrah Racing…
Hayden Gillim triumphant at the 101st running of the Loudon Classic on his Vesrah / Real Steel GSX-R750.
At the 101st running of the Loudon Classic presented by NEMRR held Saturday June 8th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire Hayden Gillim was able to capture the win and the $55,000 share of the purse that came with the victory. Running the same Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R750 that he used earlier this year to get a podium in the Daytona 200, Gillim qualified on the front row in third place with a 1:10.899 lap time.
At the start of the race, which was delayed allowing the track to dry from rain showers, Hayden initially slipped back to 4th place but quickly recovered back to 3rd place. As the 25-lap race went on Gillim was able to move into 2nd place on lap 15 and set out after the leader. On lap 21 Hayden was able to pass for the lead and never relinquished it finishing 1.513 seconds ahead of 2nd place. Gillim also turned the fastest lap of the race at a 1:10.711 which was faster than his qualifying time.
This effort was proudly supported by Vesrah, Steel Commander Corp. Comstock Energy LLC, Maxima Racing Oils, Fast Line Track Days, KTech suspension, Skip at Orient Express, Dunlop, GB Racing and REB Graphics.
Hayden Gillim – Rider #95: “A last minute decision to go do the 101st Loudon Classic turned into a great weekend. I talked Mark into loading up the Vesrah race bike from the Daytona 200 and driving up to New Hampshire. Having never been to the track before I didn’t really have any expectations. A top 5 for me would’ve been amazing. After qualifying I felt I had pace for the podium and was happy with that. After a bit of a comeback and help from some lapped traffic I managed to snag the top spot away from some fast competition.
Thanks to Mark, Vesrah, Steel Commander, Comstock Energy, Dunlop, and everyone else that made this weekend a huge success!””
Mark Junge – Team Principal: “I had mixed emotions coming back to Loudon as the last time I was here back in 1998 as a rider I had a big crash and broke my leg – For Hayden to come away with the win was a great outcome. We did this race without our normal crew as it was just Hayden and I and I have to thank several friends who pitched in when needed.”