One More for the Road: WERA GNF at Barber
We thought the season was over.
MotoAmerica? ✅
Talent Cup? ✅
Done and dusted, right?
Well… not quite.
Turns out Carson had participated in a WERA rounds earlier in the year on a ZX-6R in both 600 Superbike and Supersport classes, which meant he was eligible for the WERA Grand National Finals at Barber Motorsports Park.
So of course, if he’s eligible… we’re racing.
Friday: Endurance Racing, Oil Leaks, and Improvisation
The weekend kicked off with a 4-hour endurance race, and Carson teamed up once again with longtime partner Reese Frankenfield, running it as a relay team, Reese on his R6, Carson on the ZX-6R.
Everything was going smoothly, fast pit stops, great pace, and the team was sitting P4 overall, closing on P3 with every lap. That is… until the Kawasaki had other ideas.
At the end of Carson’s first stint, the ZX-6R decided to puke a quart of oil all over itself, effectively ending its role in the relay. With no time to waste, the team made the call to finish the race two-up style on Reese’s R6 — full pit stops, fuel fills, rear tire changes, the whole endurance racing checklist.
Despite the setback, they brought it home in P7 overall and 4th in class — not bad for a team that improvised mid-race and finished on one bike!
Friday Night: Wrenches, Swaps, and a Little Desperation
Quitting wasn’t on the table. We spent Friday night swapping in the only spare engine we had — the original motor from that ZX-6R frame, with 20,000 miles on it. It wasn’t ideal, but it meant Carson could line up for the championship races instead of packing up early.
Saturday: Broken Levers, Backup Plans, and Big Comebacks
Saturday dawned cool and clear — perfect race conditions. But the Kawasaki gremlins weren’t done with us yet.
In morning practice, the shift lever snapped just one lap in. With the 600 Superbike qualifying session slipping away, we scrambled to fix it. The WERA officials gave us the go-ahead to qualify in the 750 session, and we managed to get Carson out there just in time.
Despite the chaos, he put the 600 into the top 5 in the 750 field, earning a front row start for Superbike later that day.
600 Supersport: From Row 15 to the Podium
The first race of the day was 600 Supersport, which grids based on season points. Since Carson had only done one round, he started waaaay back — P15, effectively 20th on track after a row break.
Didn’t matter.
The green flag dropped, and Carson got to work — slicing through the field lap after lap. With two to go, he was just over 1 second behind 2nd place, gaining at nearly 0.8s per lap. It would take something dramatic to take 2nd, but P3 was in the bag — and that’s exactly where he finished, earning his first GNF trophy of the weekend.
600 Superbike: Leading Early, Finishing Strong
With a front-row start, Carson launched off the grid and grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1, leading the field through the first few corners.
But as they exited Turn 4, Bryant Tywara on his Yamaha flew past with an unreal burst of power. It looked like he had brought an R1 to a 600 race. From that point on, Carson focused on riding his race, putting down his fastest laps of the weekend, and holding steady in 2nd. No one was close enough to challenge.
So, while he didn’t catch the Yamaha rocket ship, Carson crossed the line in P2 — a national runner-up in WERA 600 Superbike.
Sunday: Rain, Empty Pits, and a Smart Exit
Sunday brought two more scheduled races for the Kawasaki, but the weather had other plans. Rain was 100% in the forecast, and by Saturday night, the paddock was already emptying.
By noon Sunday, only about a third of Saturday’s grid remained.
We decided to take the P2 and P3 finishes, a whole bike, and a dry pit floor — and head home.
Now We're Actually Done.
This time, the season really is over. For real. No more surprise events. No more oil-spewing engines (we hope).
From MotoAmerica to WERA, from endurance relays to AI-powered setups, 2025 was a season of growth, grit, and so much progress.
Thank you to everyone who supported Carson this year — family, sponsors, teammates, and all the riders we battled with and learned from.
See you in 2026
See you in 2026.