Back on the Kramer: Mid‑Ohio Talent Cup Weekend Recap

Getting Back in the Groove at Mid‑Ohio

It had been a little while since the last round at Road America, and I couldn’t wait to get back on the Kramer. There’s just something about Mid‑Ohio—tight corners, elevation changes, and the flow of the track—that always makes it one of my favorites on the calendar. With fresh energy and a tuned-up machine, we rolled in ready to go for the Talent Cup series weekend.

Practice Session: Off to a Strong Start

Practice 1 gave us a solid foundation. We logged a 1:37.931—just six‑tenths off the session's fastest time. The best part? It felt like there was still plenty of time left in both the bike and myself. That session had us running close to last year’s race pace, which was a great mental boost. Everything felt tight and responsive, setting the tone for a promising weekend.

Qualifying 1: Mechanical Hiccups and Recovery

Heading into Q1, we made a few strategic changes. The updated gearing was meant to give us better drive off the corners without sacrificing top-end power. But mid‑lap, the quickshifter unexpectedly came apart, forcing us to pit early. After about 10 minutes of scrambling, we installed a new unit—but it started cutting the engine randomly, robbing me of consistency.

Still, I shaved nearly half a second off my practice time. Unfortunately, the rest of the field improved even more, and I ended up 8th. Not ideal, but solidly in the middle of Row 3 and still right in the mix.

Qualifying 2: A Strategic Decision

Heavy overnight rain left the track soaked for Q2. Since the forecast for race day was dry, going out on a wet track didn’t make sense—we had to manage our limited tire stickers carefully. So we sat the session out, watched the live broadcast, and saw Sam Drane push through the wet solo. His time was a full 18 seconds off Q1 pace, confirming we made the right call.

Race 1: Setup Tweaks and a Tight Battle

We reversed some gearing changes for Race 1, aiming for more top-end speed into Turn 5. That meant new shift points across the track, letting us stay in the power longer before braking. Suspension tweaks were also made to minimize chatter from the back straight’s exit.

The race itself was a blast. I was locked in a constant battle with Sam and Ella—trading positions and pushing each other every lap. I made it up to 4th by lap 9, but Sam slipped past me on the back straight and Ella beat me to the line. I crossed in 6th—just six tenths behind the race winner, Alessandro. It was the closest Talent Cup finish of the year so far!

Race Day 2: Slicks, Strategy, and Mid-Pack Mayhem

Another rainstorm rolled through before morning warm‑up, soaking the track again. With only two fresh tire stickers left, using them on rain tires wasn’t an option. So once again, we watched the session from the pits. One funny moment—commentators mistook Rossi Garcia for Hank Vossburg, even though Hank was sitting right next to me watching the broadcast!

When Race 2 rolled around, the track had dried enough to go out on slicks. Lap 1 saw Hank and Bodie rocket ahead while the rest of us—Alessandro, Kody, Rossi, Sam, and myself—battled intensely for 3rd. The order changed constantly, and every lap had multiple passes. On lap 9, Rossi crashed going into Turn 2, though I didn’t even realize it at the time. I was locked in, chasing down Alessandro and trying to regain 3rd after Kody had passed me. Unfortunately, Rossi’s crash brought out the red flag and I didn’t get to fight the last half of the lap.

Ultimately, I finished 5th at the checkered flag, just a few bike lengths off the podium.

Final Results and Reflections

Overall, Mid‑Ohio was packed with learnings. From gear ratios to suspension tweaks, and making strategic calls based on weather and tire limitations, every part of the weekend helped me and the team grow. I’m proud of how we kept fighting through every challenge and can’t wait for the next round.

Back on Track: Carson’s First Test of 2025 with the Kramer APX-350 MA

Back on Track: Carson’s First Test of 2025 with the Kramer APX-350 MA

The past two days marked a major milestone: Carson King is officially back on a roadracing bike for 2025. It’s been a wild ride getting here, with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

Our original plan was to race in MotoAmerica’s Twins Cup this year. But as things developed over the offseason, we made the call to jump into the newly-formed Talent Cup aboard the all-new Kramer APX-350 MA. Big change? Absolutely. Right move? We think so.

A Tight Timeline and a Big Fix

The Kramer arrived at our shop about a week before we had to leave for the MotoAmerica pre-season test at Motorsports Ranch in Cresson, TX. Not much time to prep, but we were excited… until we learned we couldn’t even start the bike.

Some of the other teams who’d already gotten on track ran into engine issues, and Kramer worked fast to figure out a solution. Part of that fix? We needed to head down to Texas a day early so the Kramer team could update our bike before the test started. Not ideal—but we rolled with it.

Sunday was all about the Kramer guys wrenching and getting bikes sorted while teams trickled into the paddock. And then… well, something we didn’t expect happened.

King Kenny Roberts and his son Kenny Jr. showed up. Yeah. Just hanging out, talking shop with us like it was no big deal. Chatting about the new bikes, the series, and what Carson’s got going this season. That wasn’t exactly on our bingo card for the weekend.

First Ride, Steep Learning Curve

By Monday morning, it was time to hit the track for the first time on the new bike. And let’s be honest—we knew right away we had our work cut out for us.

The Kramer APX-350 MA handles completely differently from anything Carson’s ever ridden. It’s also the most advanced bike we’ve worked on, packed with adjustments and data logging that’ll keep us busy all season. The learning curve? Pretty vertical.

But Carson did what Carson does—he got to work. He kept chipping away, improving every session as he learned the bike and the track. Meanwhile, I was elbows-deep trying to figure out the data. That part didn’t go entirely to plan.

Our homemade mount for the AiM Solo2 DL broke halfway through the day. That left us flying blind on lap times and without any data for a few sessions. We pulled together a quick fix to get through the day, but we’ve got a new mount design coming before our next test.

Cameras Rolling and Pressure Rising

Another curveball? MotoAmerica’s Pressure to Rise YouTube series was there filming. They’re following the Talent Cup riders this season, and they dropped by our pit for an interview. Look for us in the series—we were deep in conversation about gearing changes when the cameras started rolling. Guess we better keep an eye on the episodes from here on out!

Carson being interviewed by the MotoAmerica Pressure to Rise team

Day 2: Progress and Pushing Limits

Tuesday started off windy—like really windy. But Carson went out and immediately dropped some solid times on the same setup we finished with the day before, running a shorter rear sprocket.

After a few sessions, we realized that gearing wasn’t doing us any favors, so we made the call to go the other direction. Carson found more speed with a taller gear—more drive out of corners and more stability in the fast stuff.

Travis installing new gearing to try out

With Carson getting more comfortable, we started experimenting with the suspension. Softer springs front and rear gave him instant confidence—no more unexpected wheelies or rear-wheel lift under braking. We tried going softer again on the front, but by then, the tires were shot and Carson was spent. After two long days and probably 50-75 laps each day, he was still within a tenth of his best time. That’s grit.

What’s Next: CotA with MotoGP!

This test was a huge step for the whole team. Carson’s learning the bike, understanding how setup changes feel, and giving us better feedback every session. I’m learning how to read the data (and what data matters), and Travis and Jalynn are figuring out how to keep this machine dialed in.

It’s going to be a year of learning for all of us—but we’re here for it.

Next up: Circuit of the Americas at the end of March. Carson will race in the Talent Cup as a support class for MotoGP. He’ll be riding in front of the biggest crowd of his career in one of the most legendary paddocks on the planet. We can’t wait.

Stay tuned!