NOTICES AND UPDATES

The Loudon Classic schedule is now posted

We’re excited for the 97th running of the Loudon Classic! This three-day, twin-sprint event will be worth the 6-week wait after round two. The LRRS staff and advisory board poured over the schedule for many hours, and the finished product is attached. Here are a few of the highlights:

Thursday: Penguin will have a regular school and racer practice. 

The Rookie Race for new riders will be the first race on Friday, prior to the GT races.

Three Day Format with Twin Sprints: Every AM and EX sprint class will run twice over the three day weekend. All races will count towards LRRS season championships equally. There will be one round of practice each morning (all groups running separately). All races are scheduled for regular length except for the classic, which is 20 laps. The only races to run only once are the GT races, which will start off our day on Friday.  Each Novice will have at least two classes available each of the three days.

Premier Classes: The Loudon Classic will feature three premier classes on Saturday; Lightweight GP, Unlimited GP, and the Loudon Classic feature race - Middleweight GP. All three of these classes will have qualifying during the Friday races in these three respective classes. The fastest overall times will be used (not finishing position). 

Loudon Classic: Is open to all Amateur and Expert riders who want to try to qualify. AM riders will still have their two MWGP races for their championship Friday and Sunday. The classic is an extra race they can optionally enter (registration will be opened for AM riders on July 25th). The top 40 riders who can run within 110% of the pole time will qualify. LRRS reserves the right to place 4 “promoters choice” entries on the grid. In the event of a red flag, there will be no tire changes allowed unless the race is declared wet after the race begins. If a tire must be changed for safety reasons under dry conditions, that rider must first get permission from the referee will then go to the back of the grid if permission is granted.

Purses: The Friday Michelin MotoRace Dash for Cash will pay the traditional $1500 purse. The purse for the Seacoast Sport Cycle LW GP and Street & Competition Unlimited GP feature races, presented by Brian Fernald Construction on Saturday for the classic will be 1st - $450, 2nd -$250, 3rd -$150, 4th - $100 and 5th - $50. The purse for 97th Loudon Classic, presented by Michelin/Motorace will be as follows: 1st - $1500, 2nd - $850, 3rd - $650, 4th - $500, 5th - $400, 6th - $300, 7th - $200, 8th - $100. The purse payout for the top 3 Amateurs in the classic is $250, $150, $100. 

We are all excited to get back to the track and start the 2020 race season!  We have been working on many changes and discovered a couple of important issues that need to be addressed.

1. We had an issue with the entry system this morning, so we have moved the pre-entry cutoff up to 10:00 tonight.
   
2. IMPORTANT: please log in and check today to be sure your transponder number is in the system.  Many riders have not entered their transponder numbers into the system and this could cause you to miss practice time.  All of these numbers were cleared in January to correct misinformation that was causing several timing issues last season. With the COVID restrictions we are trying to anticipate as many issues as possible so that you do not have to wait in line at Registration to solve these problems (riding is so much more fun than standing in a long line).    Instructions are below (see photo)
   

If you have multiple transponders for different bikes please enter them all and relate them to the machine they will be on.

Please note that ALL riders must ALWAYS have a transponder on the machine when on the track.

An on a final note we must all be aware of the social distancing and mask requirements due to the COVID virus.  We need to follow these 100% in order to be able to run this and future events.  Many have you been to other venues with varying rules with regard to the virus. Since we are the first event in NH (which has a very cautious governor) for 2020 we will be under a particularly high level of scrutiny.  We expect to see state/town officials several times.  We all want this event to go off smoothly and to have no issues from enforcement officials (which could shut down our event).

1. Please carry a mask with you at all times when you are not riding.  Masks must be worn anytime you are inside a building or while among groups of people.
2. Everyone has a different level of personal concern for social distancing and mask wearing.  Please maintain distance whenever possible and respect of other people's space and concerns. 

Dear LRRS Riders,

We posted another video (4 minutes) on the Loudon Road Race Series Facebook page Tuesday night, and if you get a chance it would be great for you to watch it. There’s just something about being able to hear someone talk that really helps everyone get the feel for what is going on and why. As everyone will come to know, we feel it’s really important to communicate the WHY we make the decisions we do. We have a lot of great people in LRRS and want to truly involve all of you every step of the way. 

Round One Schedule July 3-4, 2020

Here are the basics of what was communicated:

· Race Entries are now open and there are some cool changes. https://trackintel.com/ti/lrrs

• New - You can enter for ANY race weekend of 2020 starting right now.
• New – There is a place where you can enter for the whole season with 1 click
• New – Your weekend pit pass ($25) is automatically added for riders. This will help make things faster/easier when you arrive at the track.
   

· Riders can now manage entries online up to the pre entry deadline (1 week before the event). This makes life way easier for all and gives you the power to easily update your own account.
 

• Even for full season entries, riders can adjust classes entered for any event
• Credit cards will not be charged until 1 week before each event
• Season event checkout will show you the total you’ll be charged for all the regular weekends (except the Loudon Classic twin sprint will double the race entries).
   

· Loudon Classic Updates: As announced, this will be a Twin Sprint Weekend. This means all the sprint races will be run twice during this three-day event. After talking to several riders and CCS, we decided to alter our original proposal and mirror what CCS does on these weekends. We doubled up the sprint races only and will run the GT races only once on Friday (at full length). For those doing individual weekend entries, you can enter Race 1, Race 2 or both.
 

o Premier Class Qualifying – The three purse paying feature classes (LW, MW and UNL GP) will all have qualifying for the feature Saturday races (Race 2 for these classes). Instead of having a separate qualifying session (which costs $$ and tires) we decided to use the race times from Friday’s Race 1 to qualify you for the main event on Saturday. 

o Loudon Classic – Amateur racers will have the option to enter and qualify for this race in addition to their regular AM MWGP Race 1 & Race 2. This option will be open soon (time is not too critical because gridding will be by qualifying). We’re working on some challenges on the entry system back end to allow this to work. Your Friday AM MWGP Race 1 will be your qualifier for the classic if you decide to enter. The maximum entries is 40 riders, and all participants must qualify within 110% of pole to make the grid.
 

· Event #1 details: Our July 4-5 weekend will be the first event at the speedway in 2020. As such we need to be particularly good about following the guidelines as set out by the state of NH. Matt Goslant of NHMS worked hard to get the season open and we really appreciate his help!
 

o You’ll be getting an email in the next 1-2 weeks to read and sign regarding the Covid procedures we need to adhere to. Here are the highlights:
 

• This event allows participants and crew (family, mechanics) only. It is not open to the public for spectating. Group limits are set at 10 people.
• There will be a Covid questionnaire and waiver coming via email before the event for you to review and sign.
• If you’re sick, stay home. Everyone will be contactless temperature check upon arrival and we are also required to do some random checks during the weekend.
• Everyone should have a mask around their neck at all times when not riding. When indoors or when distancing is not possible, masks should be on.
• Garages will be required to have doors open throughout the event. The max capacity for any garage will be 4 people.
• The facilities will be cleaned and sanitized frequently throughout the weekend.
• For registration and tech, riders need to bring their own pens. All bikes coming to tech must be brought with a stand so that distancing can be maintained.
• Trophy presentations are not allowed for this event, trophies will be available for pickup at a pre-determined location where distancing can be maintained.
• Food and beverages will be served at the event and Levy Foods (the NHMS vendor) will adhere to NH Covid standards.
   

o New riders: If you are licensed but have not raced with LRRS yet, the pre entry portal is not open for you yet. We make many special considerations for new riders (individual help with class selection, free transponder rental, ½ price first weekend entries) that are always handled in person at about 5pm the evening before the event starts. This is Friday July 3 for weekend 1.
 

•  All riders: Just a reminder to charge your transponder before July 4-5 or to renew your subscription for 2020. Do it today and check it off your list! 
•  Daily Schedules: We’ve attached the daily schedule for July 4-5 and July 18-19. The schedule for the 2020 Loudon Classic should be released in couple weeks.

·  

Thanks again for being a part of LRRS. We’re working hard to make sure that our season gets off to a great start!

Sincerely, 

John Grush
Eric Wood
Co-Executive Directors,
Loudon Road Race Series

 May 29, 2020

Dear LRRS Riders,

We posted a video on Facebook Wednesday night, and if you get a chance it would be great for you to watch it. Some things are just better communicated in person. Please check the Loudon Road Race Series Facebook page and take a look at the video if you get a moment, it’s about 8 minutes long. Here are the basics of what was communicated:

· We’re sorry about the delay in communication about the 2020 LRRS schedule. Things have been changing constantly and we wanted to give good information one time instead of making multiple announcements and updates.
 

· Thanks to the hard work of Matt Goslant and NHMS we have a solid plan for the season. If it were not for all the efforts of the NHMS staff we might not have had a season in 2020.
 

· First and Foremost – this season has presented some unique challenges for both the series and the speedway. There are some surprising similarities to the situation now and the start of LRRS’s predecessor AAMRR some 40+ years ago. After a lot of conversation with the leadership at NHMS we realized that be best course of action was for us (John Grush and Eric Wood) to take ownership of LRRS. The current economic climate will present us with some challenges in the next couple years, but we’re confident that with the right plan of action and the support of the riders in LRRS that we can grow the series and ensure road racing will be in New England for a long time to come (the preservation of our sport has always been our #1 goal).
 

· On top of everyone’s mind – what is our 2020 schedule going to look like? There are more details to follow, but here’s what we have to start:
 

o The state of NH set limits for the number of participants that was wellbelow a typical LRRS weekend, and also mandated that there was no camping or hotels for out of state riders. This left us with no choice but to postpone the June event.

o We’ve been working closely with Kevin Elliot of CCS, and after discussion we agreed that we are going to postpone our joint series venture to 2021 and will not be traveling to NJMP on July 4th weekend. We greatly appreciate Kevin and his efforts, and look forward to a strong partnership for the future.

o The first LRRS event of 2020 will now replace the scheduled NJMP event on July 4th & 5th. Penguin will run a two-day school on July 2nd and 3rd, with racer practice available on both days. We can’t wait to finally get the season started.

o We spent a lot of time talking with the whole advisory board and we appreciate all the feedback from everyone as we went through this process. We’ll recognize those people at the first event for their efforts.

o There will be 5 LRRS events in 2020, and after discussing the concept with several riders and officials we’re going to have a special schedule this season to give the championships for 2020 real meaning. The Loudon Classic on August 28, 29 and 30 will be a 3-Day event at which we will run TWIN SPRINTS. That’s right, a full slate of races run twice in three days. For this weekend only, GT races will the same price as a sprint race, but they will be 12 laps long. This setup has worked will for both AHRMA and certain special CCS events for years. In spite of all the economic turmoil, we are excited to announce that there will still be $7000 in purse money offered at this event in premier classes. The exact schedule and details will be released in June.

o This twin sprint gets us to a total of 6 contested races. In order to get us back to “7” events, the last LRRS date in October will pay DOUBLE POINTS. 7 races ensure that if you crash one weekend, you can still win a championship if you will all the rest. This setup will also ensure that nearly every championship will be decided in October, which will make all of the championships competitive right to the end. This has been the existing practice with CCS clubs for years, and many of us have witnessed this first hand when we have gone to Homestead, FL in December.
 

· Some basic updates for LRRS 2020
 

o Registration for 2020 events will go through the same portal that it always has. We’re working on an all new system for 2021 that will modernize the whole registration and check in system. You can expect a new level of service when it comes to things like rider number requests. This is a club again and we’re going to all work together with a three-tiered focus on fair and safe competition, growing the sport, and fun!

o As we looked at the financial ramifications of running LRRS, we realized that in order to remain solvent that LRRS would need to move in line with CCS when it comes to registration fees and pit passes. Entries for 2020 will be $65 for sprint races and $90 for for GT races. All racers will pay a gate fee, which will remain at $25 for the weekend.

o For post entries, the prices are going to go down – especially for riders who enter multiple races. There used to be a $15 post entry fee per entry. Going forward, we are going to charge a flat $30 post entry fee. That means if you enter 3 classes, your post entry fee is only $10 per race. If you enter more, the per race fee goes down even more
 

o For new riders, we are going to continue the practice of half price entries your first weekend, as well as for free transponder rentals for your first three races. We’re excited to continue to watch the progress of the new and younger riders from LRRS. Our home-grown stars like Ben Gloddy and Teagg Hobbs will be at Moto America all season long, and there are many others who will be joining the series for select rounds. It’s great to have people to cheer for!

We expect to announce the full schedule for 2020 by the end of next week. There are a few details that need to be ironed out before we can confirm the dates outside of the season opener and the Loudon Classic.
 

We’re excited to move LRRS into a new era where it’s truly like a club again. The atmosphere and the people at the racetrack are a huge part of why we love to come to LRRS. We’ve got many of our lifelong friends here. We’ve worked really hard to make this plan for 2020 one that makes the racetrack a place that you really want to be. We look forward to seeing everyone in July, and as we move through the season and try out these exciting new programs we will absolutely welcome feedback from everyone.
 

Keep an eye out next week for more information, and thanks for being a part of LRRS.

Sincerely, 

John Grush
Eric Wood
Co-Executive Directors, Loudon Road Race Series

 LRRS Family,

Riders - are you ready to fire up those bikes that you worked on all winter? We're ready to hear them roar as we get back home to the track and our LRRS family.

Click Link below for the schedule of our opening round on June 20 & 21. With the Loudon Classic having been moved to August, this event will feature the full slate of LRRS classes plus the ASRA Team Challenge, three CCS "Classic" classes (bikes made in 2006 or earlier), and the Moto Girl GT class. This weekend will be championship points paying event for three groups (LRRS, CCS Atlantic, and CCS Mid-Atlantic) so it should be a ton of fun! To help you get all tuned up and ready to go, the Penguin School will be running a two-day school on the Thursday and Friday before this event.

CLICK HERE for this events Schedule

The remaining championship rounds for 2020 are listed below. The 98th Loudon Classic will be run as a two-day event on August 29-30 and we anticipate the return of both AFT and the vendor midway as we continue the longest-running motorcycle race in America.

July 3-4 at NJMP (sign up with CCS directly)

August 1-2 at NHMS

August 29-30 (98th Annual Loudon Classic)

September 19-20 at NHMS

October 3-4 at NHMS

We're working hard to make sure that we kick the season off strong, and will be communicating with all of you as the opening event approaches to help you prepare for any procedural changes that might be required for this year as a result of the virus. Helmets make great face masks - let's bring on the season!!

LRRS Race Series Crew

We hope you are all doing well, and we wanted to give everyone a quick update on a few items pertaining to LRRS.

1) Anne Marie is no longer with NHMS. She has accepted a new role at the Town of Loudon and we wish her all the best going forward. It is a big role to fill, but rest assured that we will move forward with a new face (or faces) to fulfill all of her duties (you may still see her helping at the first two rounds of LRRS). Separate from the change with Anne Marie, there was also a large restructuring across all the speedway properties owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports. Our staff has gotten smaller overall, but we still plan to provide the same level of service that you have come to expect from NHMS.

2) Our opening round is slated to be the third weekend in June. We had hoped to be able to start the LRRS season in mid-May, but with the large reduction in staff coupled with the fact that the entire staff is returning to the track a mere 10 days (we hope) before the first event, we did not feel that we would have the resources properly prepare the speedway itself for an event like LRRS. As many of you know this is not like a simple track rental, preparing the track properly for motorcycles is something that cannot be done halfway. There is always maintenance done between seasons, and we've lost many weeks of valuable time. In addition, we have a large number of riders who come from states that still have very high infection rates. June looks to be as close to a sure thing as we can expect right now.

As for the Classic itself, we are waiting for the final word from the Laconia Motorcycle Association on the decision about the date of this year's motorcycle rally. There has been a lot of discussion about moving it to August. If the June date ends up remaining the same then we will kick off our season with the running of the 97th Loudon Classic. If the Association moves the rally to August then the 97th Loudon classic will be run on August 29th, and our June 20-21 date will just become our season opener round #1.

3) With respect to garage fees, there were three garages that were paid for the entire year and those riders will get a pro-rated refund in the next few weeks. For everyone else who paid a deposit for the first half of the season, payment #2 will be reduced on a pro-rated basis.

4) We are actively working on plans to keep everyone safe when our season starts. We are considering putting measures in place to do some very basic screening upon entering the speedway. There will be efforts made concerning registration, riders meetings, and other group gatherings to help with social distancing. You can also expect some changes to the foodservice during the course of the weekend. If any of you have any concerns or suggestions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to Eric Wood, John Grush, or myself.

Take care and we sincerely look forward to seeing you all soon.

Matt 

Just a heads up for all of our riders - the two May events at NHMS have been cancelled. While we're "away" NHMS is planning a repave of turns 10-12, so Loudon's roughest section of track should be all resurfaced when we get back in June. That's something we've been waiting to experience for several years now!!
We're waiting to see what happens for the Loudon Classic, but either way we look forward to being back on track in June. If the Classic moves to August, we'll still be running but our Penguin school dates may moved by one day. More news to follow - stay tuned!!

Loudon Road Race Series
Statement from David McGrath, executive vice president, and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway, on Loudon Road Race Series and Granite State Legends Cars Road Course Series schedule updates:
“During this time of uncertainty due to COVID-19, the health, safety, and well-being of our competitors, officials, staff members, and fans is of the utmost importance to us. Due to these unprecedented circumstances, the May 2-3 and May 16-17 Loudon Road Race Series events have been canceled. With this change, round one of the Loudon Road Race Series is tentatively set for June 20-21. The date for the 97th Annual Loudon Classic will be determined after the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association meeting later this month.
In addition, the May 2-3 and May 16-17 Granite State Legends Cars Road Course Series events have been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date. At this time, the May 9-10 Granite State Legends Cars Road Course Series and Oval Series events are still on schedule to bring great racing and entertainment to our fans.
We are monitoring this rapidly evolving situation closely, and we are staying in constant contact with state and local public health officials on the most up-to-date facts. Schedule changes will be posted to our event schedule on our website, and if there are any major changes to our events, we will immediately post updates on our website and social channels.