Stoner on Top!

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The 2023 TOR Triple Crown came to an epic conclusion at New Jersey Motorsports Park on December 3rd. NJMP, typically known for hosting major Car and Street bike events on their road courses, opened their doors for some dirt bike racing action. The perfect location to host The Hunter GP. This special event was named in memorial to South Jersey native Hunter Harbs. Tragically, in August of 2022 we lost Hunter in an auto accident. Hunter, a local off-road racer, had a unique friendship with TOR founder Tegan Temple. Some would call it a big bro little bro type of relationship. Hunter always looked up to Tegan, following in his footsteps any way possible. And Tegan, always guiding Hunter to be a better rider, and including him with the big boys when out riding in the South Jersey pits. Even from a distance, you could tell the two had a special friendship. So for Tegan, when planning the first TOR race in New Jersey it was an easy choice for him to name round three, The Hunter GP.

For those of you who are familiar with the venue it may have seemed odd, or perhaps a misprint. A dirt bike race at New Jersey Motorsports Park? But wait, there’s no dirt bike track there, how can you have a dirt bike race at a race car track? That’s the beauty of Temple Off-Road, the crew is capable of building new courses at just about any facility or property location. If you have the space for parking, we have the equipment and knowledge of how to design, and build a GP style race course, as well as property/track restoration post race. The track crew at TOR mowed in about 2.1 miles of fresh, never ridden before trail. Consisting primarily of grass track mixed with woods and of course an extreme section!

With a lousy weather forecast, the TOR crew knew they were going to be tested, and that proved to be true in more ways than one. With a huge turnout expected, it was all hands on deck to make sure everything went off without a hitch. Despite the dreary conditions, campers began to fill the parking lot Friday evening and by Saturday morning it looked like a full blown national with all of the rigs parked up. By Sunday morning there were over 1000 spectators and racers on hand to catch some TOR racing action!

Saturday morning, you could feel that positive and fun energy that TOR has come to be known for. Surprisingly, the rain held off for both our PeeWee and our Stacyc eBike races. The Stacyc racing at TOR has become a fan favorite. TOR is a family oriented, family run series. Having the Stacyc bike event on Saturday affords parents who are also racers the opportunity to have their kiddos get some seat time, and a bit of racing action for themselves. For example, the big story around the Stacyc pits was the Economou boys. Riding in the 2-4 year old class, out of Neptune City, NJ is Jettson Economou. And Jett’s Dad, “Big Joe” Joe Economou riding in the A Veteran class on Sunday. Taking it right down to the finish, Jett and another rider got tangled up as they both crossed the line; making it a true photo finish! Jett is an up and coming rider to keep your eyes on. Soon he will be making the jump onto a motorbike and will be competing on Sundays alongside his pop. Jett put on a show for the Stacyc bike fans who lined the course to get a glimpse of the racing action. On Sunday, with Jett cheering from the sidelines, Big Joe would go on to finish 1-2 for 1st overall in the Vet A class!

The PeeWee riders had arguably the best racing/track conditions on Saturday afternoon. WIth 60 total racers across 8 classes there were some TOR regulars, as well as some new faces on the starting line. I asked Preston Siniavsky, the points leader in the 65cc 10-11 class to wear the TOR GoPro, check Instagram to see some footage! Preston would go onto win the race and wrap up the championship! Preston is the first PeeWee rider in TOR history to take home the # 1 plate! Preston, and his family dedicated themselves to racing the Triple Crown and we are thrilled to have Preston representing the next generation of Temple Off-Road GP racers!

Something you will quickly notice at TOR is how well represented the ladies classes are. From the PeeWee to the Pros, there were multiple classes with 10 or more female riders at all 3 of the TOR races this year. Honorable mention to the Girls 4-11 class at round 3. With a total of 10 young ladies racing bar to bar the 4-11 class was won by Jesse Slatten (KTM) followed by Alivia Regalbuto (YAM) in second and Hayleigh Kaisinger (KTM) in third.

Possibly the gnarliest story I heard all season came from Brighton Richards. Making her TOR debut after a self described “retirement”, Brighton was at NJMP on Saturday to watch her cousin race where she was then talked into racing on Sunday; Brighton raced the Girls 12-17 class on a Husqvarna she borrowed from her cousin! Richards, described herself as a motocross racer, so she was used to the GP format but not used to dodging trees while racing through the woods! While up on the podium talking about her race, Brighton casually mentioned that she had fallen while out on the race course and dislocated her shoulder. At this point she was out in front with the lead, she had two choices. Option 1, pull off the track and seek medical attention(logical). Option 2, pop that shoulder back into place by herself with no assistance and finish the race(hardcore). I was speechless when Richards said she took option 2. Not only did she finish the race but she WON the race! That is what racing is all about, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep moving forward! Brighton went 1-1 in the Girls 12-17 class.

After hanging out at all of the triple crown events this season, one thing that stuck out to me was the tight nit community of youth racers. Watching the youngsters ride around their bicycles and ebikes, playing, laughing and cheering each other on during the races; it was great to see kids being kids. Thank you to those dedicated moto parents, this little series is nothing without you! Saturday came and went, with little rain during the day. However, the overnight hours delivered about ½”-1’ of rain. By day break on Sunday morning the heavy rains had tapered off and we were left with a light drizzle that stuck around till about 11am. The TOR track crew, tech crew and sweep crew was ready to rock and roll for the first race of the day at 8am. Everything was working properly as far as the MotoTally scoring system goes, and it seemed as though riders were now familiar with the TOR GP format and found themselves on the starting line with no troubles.

All season long there have been stellar battles in the supermini and youth classes. The final round did not disappoint and delivered some more great racing action. The Supermini 14-16 is considered the premier youth class, with riders like Dominic Griffith and Ryder Sigety. Even though Sigety took 1st at round 2 and 3, unfortunately, he missed round 1 and it was enough to set him behind in the points. Sigety showcased his skills and proved why he is one of the top youth riders in the country. Ryder Sigety went 1-1 and first overall on the day in the Supermini class and finished 2nd overall for the Triple Crown championship. What matters most when you're battling for points is consistency. The Supermini Championship was awarded to Dominic Griffith! Dominic showed up and went work at all 3 rounds, going 1-2-2. Starting out strong with a victory at the Hurricane Hills GP, Dom carried that momentum into round 2 where he took 2nd place. Then at round 3, the champ went out there and rode fast and clean knowing that the championship was on the line. Dom went 2-2 at round 3 and wrapped up his Triple Crown Championship! It’s written right in the TOR mission statement “our goal is to develop the next generation of national caliber champions” I would say were off to good start!

Later that morning, the big bike races got rolling. The C class riders were first up, C Open, C 250 and C 200. The C class is intended for novice riders and youth riders making the transition from mini bike to big/full size bikes. Sandbaggers beware, if you race B class or A class at any other series you MUST race that class at TOR. No self demotion! TOR will be doing our best to patrol this ourselves, however protests are always welcome if you believe a rider is trying to pull a sneaky one on the TOR registration officials.

The top 3 overall riders from the C classes were Evan Moyer (HUS) 3rd, Connor Wilford (YAM) 2nd. 1st place overall went to Keith Hughes (YAM) riding in the C200 class! Hughes had himself quite an impressive season racing the TOR Triple Crown, winning all 3 races in the C200 class. Total domination, congrats Keith! We are grateful for all of our C racers, the show doesn’t go on without your participation. If you know someone who is curious about racing, encourage them to sign up for C class in 2024!

Following the C class is the B class, B Open, B250 and B(beef)200. Also included in this race is the Schoolboy A/B class. The top 3 overall from the B race; 3rd Noah Ritz (YAM), 2nd Dalton Robbins (KTM) and 1st Overall was Mannix Mathis! Joining the B classes, row 1, is the PRO/AM 125 dash for cash. The dash for cash is a single moto, all out sprint, limited to 125cc small bore dirt bikes! The goal of the PRO/AM 125 race is to entertain the spectators while giving the top pro riders another class to race.

Top 3 in the PRO 125 class: Robert Weiss (HUS) 3rd, Lucas Seelman (KTM) 2nd, and taking home his first win in the class was Mikey Beeler (KTM). Although he missed the podium at The Hunter GP, Ryan Quinn had a strong points lead going into the race and only needed a top 10 finish to wrap up his championship. Aboard his ultra cool KX125, Quinn Dawg would go onto finish in 7th place and thus taking home the # 1 plate and the championship in the PRO 125 class! One thing in common across the board for all of our Triple Crown championship winners was their dedication to attend and compete at all 3 rounds. Quinn is a rider, and riders ride. All season long, no matter the conditions or the location, Quinn made sweet music with his small bore Kawasaki! I personally cannot wait to watch Quinn defend his title in 2024! Do you know an old washed up pro rider who absolutely shreds a 125cc? Send them our way and we will PAY them to win!

For the Veteran A class riders (ages 30+) it was an all out battle for the overall! After the first lap of Moto 1, it was non other than Timmy Hunter (KTM) with the lead! However during lap 2, and all the way to the finish, the battle was between Joe Economou (HON) and Justin Harris (KTM). Big Joe would take the Moto 1 win with Harris in second and Hunter in 3rd. Moto 2 had a similar start, with Hunter leading the first lap and then fading back to a respectable P5 by lap 3. Hunter went on to finish 3-5 for 4th overall on the day. The moto 2, battle for the lead was primarily between Big Joe and Darren Huff. The 2 went back and forth for the first 3 laps, and just when Big Joe thought he was going to take the win, in comes Zach Page with a last lap charge! Going from 6th to 4th, and then to 3rd, Page was reeling in the leaders and managed to get by Economou and Huff on the last lap! Page took the win Moto 2 win with Economou in 2nd and Huff taking 3rd. The final results from A Veteran: Economou 1-2 for 1st overall, Harris 2-4 for 2nd overall, Huff 4-3 for 3rd overall. On the outside looking in, was Timmy Hunter in 4th and Zach Page in 5th.

The main event: PRO Class(AA), PRO Veteran(35+), A OPEN, A 250, and A 200. With names like Jason Tino, Kyle McDonal, Corey Doughten, Mike Lafferty and Jerod Stoner; this is the big show! Mike Lafferty, the OG of off-road racing took home the win in the Pro Veteran class. At 48 years young, Lafferty’s flame burns strong! Mike’s passion for riding has never been stronger, and TOR is keeping his skills sharp. After finishing 2nd overall to Craig DeLong at round 2, Jason Tino knew he had to come back for more TOR racing at round 3. Unfortunately, Tino missed round 1 which set him back in the Triple Crown points Championship. The PRO class battle for the championship was between Jersod Stoner and Corey Doughten. Coming into the 3rd and final round at NJMP, only 1 point separated the two racers. In dramatic fashion, the final race of the year would determine the Champion.

Jason Tino did not dissapoint, landing his Magna 1 Husky on the top spot of the podium! The young sprint rider went 1-1 whilst leading every lap of both motos. Even in the tough conditions, Tino showed speed and grit. Seemingly never letting off the gas, Jason was able to take both wins by over a minute ahead of second place. It was great to see BETA Factory support rider, Kyle McDonal out there for round 3. Kyle finished 2-2 for 2nd overall! The beauty and curse of GP racing is that you never know what is going to happen once the combined results of each moto shake out. It’s all about consistently showing up and giving it your all. Rangers Emmons(GG) proved that point as he went 5-4 for P3 overall in the PRO class! The PRO class podium: Jason Tino 1st, Kyle McDonal 2nd, and Ranger Emmons 3rd.

But wait...what happened to Stoner and Doughten??

Through the first few laps of Moto 1 Stoner and Doughten banged bars and battled for 2nd place. For a brief moment, Doughten actually led the race before Tino made the pass just before going through the scoring area on lap 1. By lap 3 in moto 1 it was clear that something was wrong with Doughten’s Yamaha as he faded back to 5th and off the lead pace. Corey, visibly frustrated, was forced to pull off the track on the final lap which resulted in a DNF. I went over to visit Team Doughten in the pits post race to get the scoop. Turns out, Corey had gotten stuck in the mud and dropped the motorcycle on its side, completely burying the throttle side of the handlebars. When Corey picked up the bike it was missing a vital component...apparently Mother Earth decided to keep his throttle grip! Picture yourself walking through some mud and all of sudden your foot get stuck and the mud sucks your shoe right off your foot; same concept with Doughtens throttle grip. Left with nothing but a slick piece of plastic(throttle tube), Corey was unable to grip and twist his throttle.

With a Doughten DNF, Stoner went on to finish P3 in Moto 1. Now with a small points advantage, Jerod could breathe a little easier going into Moto 2. It was going to take placing 2nd and beating Stoner or winning the second moto for Doughten to take the championship. Meanwhile, mathematically speaking, Stoner just had to make sure he finished in 10th place or better in the second moto to gain enough points to win the title. The race would end in heartbreaking fashion for Doughten. After addressing his grip issue from moto 1, the kid couldn’t catch a break. Corey went out there and laid it all on the line only to have a mechanical failure on his dirt bike. The wicked muddy conditions allowed water to find its way into the air box, ultimately causing the bike to run poorly. The result, another DNF, closing the door on championship dreams for the southern Chester County boy.

Whether this was your first year being around the race community or you have been racing for 30 years, a name that will live rent free in your head is Jerod Stoner. At 34 years of age, Jerod has cemented himself as a local icon within our community. The kids who now race at the top level usually are around 18-24 years old. That’s quite a bit of age difference there, but I only bring age into it because when Jerod was an 18 year old kid riding at the top level he never knew he was influencing an entire generation of riders. “I spent my whole life looking up to this guy and now I get to stand on the podium with him” - Corey Doughten “I always wanted to be like Jerod, and tried to model my riding style after his” -Tegan Temple/TOR Founder. Stories and memories of Stoner could be heard echoing all throughout the pits at every race this season. Personally, I remember Stoner's hay day like it was yesterday. Circa 2007, I entered in my first harescramble on a big bike race at The Flying Dutchmen MX track. I cautiously made my way around the course, when I could hear a bike coming from behind, the unmistakable sound of a properly tuned 2 stroke. Above the sound of the motor, I could hear Jerod politely(screamed) instructing me to move out of his way as he was the overall leader. Meanwhile I was probably last place overall. Jerod went by in a blurr, but to this very day, 16ish years later, I can still picture the back of that iconic jersey; “STONER 33” as he left me in his dust. The influence Jerod had on us when we were kids is part of the reason we are here today talking about a brand new off road series in 2023. It sounds corny, but passion breeds passion.

Going 3-6 for 5th overall at the Hunter GP, Stoner captured the 2023 Temple Off-Road Triple Crown Championship! While on the starting line, Stoner’s KTM EFI light came on, indicating that there may be a mechanical issue with his motorcycle. His last thought before the green flag: “Are you silly? I'm still gonna send it!” And send it he did, grabbing the moto 2 holeshot! After lap 1, Jerod settled into 6th place, riding smart and consistently all the way to the finish. Ultimately the EFI warning light did not hinder the bikes performance. Stoner's impact on another generation of racers, cannot be denied. Youngsters and youth riders will never forget their first TOR PRO Class Champion. The championship could not have been won by a more honest and deserving racer, we are proud to award Jerod with #1 plate and write his name in the TOR history books. Congratulations, Jerod Stoner!

After sending out shock waves, stirring up a little ruckus and turning a few heads, the 2023 Temple Off-Road GP Racing Series has come to an end. TOR is exactly what the local region has been waiting for. New, never raced before locations. New family fun events such as pit bike racing and Stacyc racing. Finally, a new style/format of racing, the likes of which has never been seen before in the Tristate area. This little experiment, and the dream of Tegan Temple has proved to be a smashing success. The TOR crew assembled by Tegan, is a force of nature who will stop at nothing to deliver the ultimate dirt bike racing experience. The positive response and support TOR has received from the racing community is truly overwhelming. If you missed out on the 2023 Triple Crown, don’t worry the 2024 schedule with 10+ rounds will be released before year's end!

Like it or not, TOR is here to stay.

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