Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of […]
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Roadracing World Young Guns 2024: Max Van appeared first on
Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.
Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the
Roadracing World Young Gun Awards marks the 28th consecutive year of showcasing an abundance of new talent.
Roadracing World Young Guns have won:
FIM MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;
MotoAmerica and AMA Pro races and Championships, including 13 AMA Pro Superbike Championships;
A KTM RC Cup World Final race;
WERA National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;
ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;
AMA Road Racing Grand Championships and Horizon Awards;
USGPRU National Championships;
Many regional and local titles.
The competition has continually become more intense as more – and younger—racers with higher levels of accomplishment are nominated, and the level of achievement required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.
We’ve spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers between the ages of 10 and 18 (as of the start of the 2024 season) who have, at a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships or had outstanding results as an Amateur/Novice. Most of the riders included here have done far more than the minimum.
The young riders recognized here are the most promising young road racers in North America. All have earned the title of
Roadracing World Young Gun.
We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.
The entire
Roadracing World Young Guns, Class of 2024 is featured in the April 2024 issue of
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine.
Max Van. Photo courtesy SportbikeTrackGear.com.
Max Van
Age: 18.
Current home: Shelby, Michigan.
Current height/weight: 5’11”/150 pounds.
Current school grade level: Graduated High School.
Began riding motorcycles at age: 2 years.
First road race: 2019, Grattan, Michigan, WERA, 3 Novice classes, 3 wins.
Current racebike: Suzuki GSX-R750.
Current tuners/mechanics: Brian Van (father), Dave Bavol, Jimmy Fox, and RJ Van.
Primary race series: MotoAmerica Supersport.
Top sponsors: Precision Track Days, 2 Wheel DynoWorks, SportbikeTrackGear.com and its customers.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2023 season, placed 3rd in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (4 podium finishes), won N2/WERA National Endurance Ultra-Lightweight race at PittRace; 2022 season, finished 5th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (3 wins, 5 total podiums), 2 class podium finishes in N2/WERA National Endurance races; 2021 season, finished 7th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (15 top-10 finishes in 18 races, best race finish was 4th); 2020 season, placed 17th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (only competed in 3 rounds, 2 top-10 finishes), won WERA North Central Regional F Superstock Expert Championship (6 race wins); 2019 season, finished 2nd in WERA North Central Regional D Superbike and D Superstock Novice Championships (12 race wins).
2024 racing goal: Finish in the top eight in the MotoAmerica Supersport with at least one podium finish.
Racing career goal: Spend my life working in motorsports.
Racing heroes: Chris Ulrich, Brian Van.
Favorite track: VIR.
Favorite hobbies: Working for my family’s business, SportbikeTrackGear.com, pursuing fitness training.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: Riding around and doing track days with our awesome STG customers.
…
Some of the riders who have graduated from Young Guns and gone on to racing success in National or International series include:
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion
Jason Aguilar (R.I.P.);
2013 AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion
Corey Alexander;
AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race winner
Tommy Aquino (R.I.P.);
2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and multi-time MotoAmerica Superbike race winner
J.D. Beach;
five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion and Moto2 World Championship point scorer
Cameron Beaubier;
MotoAmerica Twins Cup race winner
Jackson Blackmon;
former Canadian Sport Bike Champion
Tomas Casas;
three-time Canadian Sport Bike Champion and 2014 Canadian Superbike Champion
Jodi Christie;
former AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion and MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 race winner
Josh Day;
2011 Daytona 200 winner
Jason DiSalvo;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Championship runner-up and current MotoAmerica team owner
Dustin Dominguez;
2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2019 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, and 2021 Canadian Superbike Champion
Alex Dumas;
four-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race winner and former motorcycle track record holder
Carlin Dunne (R.I.P.);
Canadian Superbike race winner
Bodhi Edie;
two-time AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, two-time AMA Pro XR1200/Harley-Davidson Champion and four-time Daytona 200 winner
Danny Eslick;
2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner
Bobby Fong;
2010 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, 2015 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Superstock 1000 Champion, and three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion
Jake Gagne;
two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and World Superbike podium finisher
Garrett Gerloff;
2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Championship runner-up
Michael Gilbert;
2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Champion, 2023 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion, and 2023 MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Champion
Hayden Gillim;
2002 AMA Superbike Champion and 2006 FIM MotoGP World Champion
Nicky Hayden (R.I.P.);
2007 AMA Pro 600cc Supersport Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up, and 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship runner-up
Roger Hayden;
eight-time AMA Pro Superbike race winner and two-time AMA Supersport Champion
Tommy Hayden;
2013 AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, and three-time Daytona 200 winner
Josh Herrin;
MotoAmerica Supersport front-runner
Teagg Hobbs;
AMA Pro Superstock race winner
Jake Holden;
2011 British Superbike Championship runner-up and former MotoGP and World Superbike regular
John Hopkins;
2015 Supersport World Championship runner-up, 2019 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Superbike race winner
Patrick “P.J.” Jacobsen;
2021 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, Moto2 World Championship point scorer, and MotoAmerica Superbike racer
Sean Dylan Kelly;
Canadian Superbike race winner
Kevin Lacombe;
two-time MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, 2020 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion, 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship runner-up
Rocco Landers;
two-time MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion
Andrew Lee;
2021 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup Champion
Jake Lewis;
MotoAmerica Supersport race winner
Sam Lochoff;
MotoAmerica Superstock 600 race winner
Nick McFadden;
AMA Pro SuperSport race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport race winner
Stefano Mesa;
Elena Myers, the first and only woman to win AMA Pro Supersport races;
AMA Pro XR1200 race winner, multi-time Loudon Classic winner, and three-time BRL Champion
Shane Narbonne;
2012 Canadian Superbike Championship runner-up
Andrew Nelson;
2016 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Champion, 2019 British Motostar (Moto3) Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and two-time Daytona 200 winner
Brandon Paasch;
2012 Daytona 200 winner and 2010 AMA Pro Supersport West Champion
Joey Pascarella;
2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and powersports dealership owner
Bryce Prince;
AMA Pro and Canadian National race winner and multi-time N2/WERA National Endurance Champion
Chris Peris;
two-time AMA Pro SuperSport National Champion, British Supersport podium finisher, 2020 AFT Production Twins Champion, and 2023 MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Championship runner-up
James Rispoli;
2015 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport race winner, and Moto2 World Championship race winner
Joe Roberts;
2022 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up and 2023 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship runner-up
Gus Rodio;
former Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Champion and former FIM Moto2 European Championship competitor
Benny Solis, Jr.;
three-time AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2009 Superbike World Champion, MotoGP race winner, and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer
Ben Spies;
multi-time AMA Pro race winner and four-time overall WERA National Endurance Champion
Chris Ulrich;
MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher and former World Superbike competitor
Jayson Uribe;
2017 MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship runner-up, 2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship runner-up, and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher
Cory Ventura;
Canadian Superbike race winner
Alex Welsh;
former AMA Pro Superbike Rookie of the Year, Chinese Superbike Championship race winner, MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher, and MotoAmerica Super Hooligan race winner
Cory West;
MotoAmerica Junior Cup and Superbike Cup race winner
Ashton Yates;
and two-time AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up
Blake Young.
The post
Roadracing World Young Guns 2024: Max Van appeared first on
Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.