The Bikes Roll The Weekend At VIR

August 6, 2025January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

The hillside vibe at Virginia International Raceway gets a jolt when the bikes show up. The speed and physics don’t seem to mix when these things are on the track. Racers throw the full weight into the turns and the angles are simply unreal with the outward force held only by a small contact patch of tire on tarmac.

MotoAmerica put this on display with a variety of fan fair and activity with a timely slot on the race calendar at Virginia International Raceway.

For the two wheel weekend, there were 6 divisions of races putting well over 100 riders on the track over the weekend with some divisions putting 30plus riders out on course. Practices and qualifying opened the weekend with each division racing a full calendar on each day. Between events, fans had access to food trucks and entertainment, including an an enduro trials motorcycle show.

From pro to young amateur with an all woman class also on track, MotoAmerica covered the range of riders. The “Talent Cup” is a spec class challenge series for ages 14 to 21. Super Sport and Stock 1000 are the ladder classes feeding into the premiere Superbike class. Twins Cup is a local/regional challenge class.

The “Build Train Race” division is an all female series in which the ladies build the cafe style racers, supplied by Royal Enfield. They learn the mechanics of the bike, then ride and train on track with their bikes. They then compete on the MotoAmerica schedule.

For the timing and calendar schedule at VIR, MotoAmerica fell into a showcase position. Racing with SRO GT World Challenge had just run a couple of weeks before featuring sports car racing with division and manufacturer variety. The next event after the bikes is the IMSA Michelin GT which also features division and sports car variety on a world view stage.

The similarities cross over the big difference of wheels on the track. Familiar and exotic manufacturers are showcased in all of these events. For MotoAmerica, the bikes on the track and showcased on display are similar in variety to IMSA and GTWC. Honda, Kawasaki, Susuki and Yamaha are staples. BMW and Ducati are a little more uncommon on the street but fast in competition. Kramer is a specialized builder featured in the Talent Cup division. Around the track in the paddock and the fan area, it is open season to see everything from Aprilia to Triumph to Harley-Davidson, Indian, Victory and more. MotoAmerica offers a motorcyclist showcase across the spectrum.

The bikes at VIR are offer a spectacle which is unique to experience. Car racing, for the most part, puts the car on display as the driver is tucked away inside. Motorcycle racing puts the human element on display in full view as part of the show with the machine. If visiting VIR for motorcycle racing is an option in you calendar, take a serious look at filling in that option.

Weekend Photo Gallery – MotoAmerica at Virginia International Raceway – August 2-3, 2025

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Roanoke Drifting In Jappalachia

It is a fine thing when conditions lead to continuity. This particular continuity is also an automotive conundrum in several ways considering the current condition of the existence of the automobile. What….?? The trend that has taken hold, especially here in these United States, is the popularity of the SUV, the crossover variations of five door hatches, the automatic transmission and front wheel drive. All of these would point to a humorless and drab driving culture of A to B with a soccer game or a grocery store on the agenda. The days of fun behind the wheel are drying up. Or are they…? There are a handful of new rear drives out there. Of those, fewer still have a manual transmission. This leads to the continuity of cars of the past being rebuilt and re-born by people who seek the slides and the sideways. Yes, America, drifting may be the saving grace of the manual, rear wheel drive car. On a warm Wednesday tucked in the back corner of an industrial park I was there to bear witness to a mixture of car cultures. The recipe was a good mix of classic British “Top Gear”, American Motor Trend “Roadkill” and a heavy helping of the Japanese origins of drifting. The cars were budget sourced from the pre-owned market and rapidly made “drivable” over the past several days. Now they were here in this slightly barren environment to be compared on a mapped rally / drifting course by (can you guess…?) the same “tame” racing driver. For the sake of a little background… This group of guys have a mission which is building on their combination of talents. What is the mission…? Loosely defined it is a mixture of Japan’s origin culture of drifting and the extreme styling of it with the back roads mountain attitude of American muscle cars. They call it “Jappalachia”. There have been trips to Japan with driving study in the origins of the legendary Daigo Saito drifting style. Japan is distinguished as the genesis of drifting even as the sport has expanded worlwide. The “Jappalachia” handle has been vetted during these visits with positive approvals. The drift is no stranger to these men. A recent visit to NASA Haltech Hyperfest at Virginia International Raceway had a Nissan going tandem on the drift pad competition. On this Wednesday, they have two cars ready to take on the course. These are not their “pro builds” but side projects for the practice and fun of it. One is a late ’80s Corvette and the other is a Nissan 240sx (’89…? ’90…? give or take…) Both of them had less than “garage kept” history. Both put up sideways and dusty shows. I think the Corvette took the time even with bottom scrapes, fuel delivery issues and a lost ass bumper. It was also driven after the 240 so one could say the previous lap in the Nissan gave a nudge of “practice” to the ‘Vette. The “real” cars involved…? These guys are looking ahead to extreme builds in their shop. They are working up another C4 series Corvette and a 3rd generation Ford Mustang. The cars are being treated as homage to the extreme Kaido or Bosozoku style of Japanese drift builds. Big fenders, shovel forward in front of the wheels and wide body wings over the back. These are American muscle cars treated with anime angles. Engines are being built. Chassis and suspensions are being tuned and going into place. A rough timeline has turns on the calendar for the newly re-opened Southampton Speedway later this year as that track is running a drift schedule. This is Jappalachia. Connections…? Roanoke, Charlottesville, Japan, backgrounds in design, mechanics, fabrication, travel… They have formed a friendship from chance encounters, childhood history and love of fun in cars. The “tame” racing driver…? 2016 F4 Champion / 2021 EFO F3 Champion – Cameron Das, visiting from the UK with friends connected through common and crossed paths. His 2016 F4 is in the Jappalachia shop. 2016 USA F4 Champion, Cameron Das, with the season winning car in the Jappalachia shop Das is currently doing a social media series of video showcases of kart racing and tracks. Cameron Das: YouTube InstagramTay Whiteside – Lift Arc StudiosGresh Chapman (Instagram): Jackson WalkerConnor Shupe Visit the Jappalachia Website Photos – A visit to Jappalachia – Industrial Drifting *The dog is “Pickles” – an Alaskan Malamute. He’s a sweetheart in a sweet spot.
Movie Truck Throwback

Hanging out with long time friend from stage and screen who happened to be in a famous truck movie by Stephen King
RoVA-Drive Showcase: Benoit Pigeon

Elite commercial photographer has a fast eye for drag racing
RoVA-Drive Showcase: Bryan Reedy

Late Model Driver (#17) based in Roanoke