MRANN, like most racing groups, has an annual banquet to mark the end of one season and honor those that have competed as well as helped the season.

SPARKS (Dec. 5) – Those riders that compete in the MRANN (Motorcycle Racing Association of Northern Nevada) desert racing series assembled at the Sparks Nugget to celebrate the past season and honor their champions and top finishers.

This year Chris Maas and Reece Honea were the MC’s and they first acknowledged the series sponsors, RMS, CMS, Number Tech Graphics and Back Country.

The awards began after dinner and first up were those that compete on Saturday. A racing weekend usually is a two-day affair beginning with the Pee Wees, youngest riders, followed by the Mini Bikes and Women.

Wyatt Rankin receives his trophy for being he 2015 6 & Under Pee Wee champion.

The 7 & Older Pee Wee champion in MRANN is Jordan Maas.

First to get his award was Waytt Rankin, who topped the 6 and Under division followed by Jordan Maas, 7 and Over and the last Pee Wee division, 4 Stroke’s champion was Genevieve Miller.

Genevive Miller was the Pee Wee 4-Stroke champion.

Dalton Legenbauer won the 65cc Novice title while Lawson Williams was the overall class champion. In the 100cc (Mini Bike) division Carley Legenbauer won the Novice title while Alek Simone was the overall champion.

In he Women’s division Christina Courtney was the Novice winner while Chrystal Ponsock scored her fifth overall championship.

Chrystal Ponsock picks up her fifth Saturday’s Women’s championship.

Ponsock allowed that next season is going to be her last Saturday campaign as she’ll follow her son into the Sunday races starting in 2017.

Saturday races uses a short course while the Pee Wee racers use an even shorter course and all races are timed events.

Those that race on Sunday run a much longer course that can be up to and over 40 miles a loop. There were a couple of exceptions where a short course was used but riders did more laps.

Beth Legenbauer is the Sunday Women’s champion.

This year’s Women champion was veteran Beth Legenbauer. And the oldest champion, in the Over 60 class, was the grand old man Pete Prichard while Jeff Shepard was the Over 50 champion.

Pete Prichard holds his trophy for winning the Over 60 title.

The Open class winners were Clint Von Linsowe, Daniel Lawson and overall champion Wyatt Brittner. In the 4-Stroke class the winners were Dylan McFarlane, Thomas Duncan and Dan Capparelli, who not was the class champion but second in the total points for the year.

Kyle Banta was the 200 Novice winner while Chris Maas was the class champion. In the 250cc division Tyler Bogan won the Novice title while Austin Serpa not only won the division, but is the overall points leader for the season.

As such Serpa gets to wear the Number 1 plate, with a blue background, on his bike next year. And he was presented with his overall points championship trophy after all the others had been handed out.

After a season’s worth of racing, Austin Serpa is MRANN’s overall points champion. Here he is holding his trophy.

MRANN awards the top 20 in points a special plate that has a blue background and ranking number that riders can use in the following season.

The club also hands out special awards after everyone gets their trophies.

This year’s most improved Mini Bike rider was Ryder Thomaselli while Jake Kinkel was the most improved Big Bike rider. Chris Sutherland, after a challenging season, won the Hard Luck award.

The Race of the Year went to the Tankslappers club that staged the race at Purgatory Peak.

One special award is for the Family of the Year and this year it went to the Legenbauers. Both kids and wife Beth races while husband Justin does the wrench work to keep everyone’s bike in top shape.

The Legenbauers were this year’s Family of the Year.

The club has another special award, one that has only been earned just a few times. That is Sportsman of the Year and this time Tina Bodden earned it for her tireless work helping at the races.

Tina Bodden was honored by MRANN as their Sportsman of the Year.

MRANN also announced its 2016 schedule that begins on February 13-14 and will end on November 12-13 with the usual summer break from late June until early September. That schedule can be accessed at www.racingmrann.com.

The night was a lot of fun for everyone and ended with many group photos being taken by various clubs and families. Then the DJ cranked up the music and the dancing began while other headed out for home or more parties.

OTHER RACING NEWS

• There are rumblings in Formula 1 which could impact this world-wide sport..

In the Mercedes championship team, owner Toto Wolff has repeated warnings to his two drivers Nico Rosberg and F-1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton about tensions between them and how he won’t tolerate this. If it continues he might alter the line up, which could mean one of them might be leaving the team.

And the warnings were repeated for team members as well. Probably because those people work with a certain driver are loyal to them.

Another rumbling is putting the United States Grand Prix, held at the Circuit of the Americas outside of Austin, Texas as “provisional,” for 2016. The problem is Texas reducing the money they’ll give to the race from $25 million to just over $19 million.

Apparently the tax receipts from this event were over estimated.

We’ll have to see what happens with this and once again the Grand Prix of Mexico is the week after the one in the U.S.

And F-1 is facing the reality of diminished TV watching audience, especially for its final race. Other options are beginning to be discussed such as streaming races over social media and the Internet.

Nothing is final yet but apparently all options are being looked at.

• Back here in this country, teams in NASCAR probably have been and will continue to work in getting their 2016 cars ready for the first race at Daytona on February 21st.

If you enjoyed this article, please “like,” and share it was widely as possible. Comments are welcome.

Subscribers get articles posted in their inbox as soon as they appear on the site.

2015 SEASON STANDINGS

• Big Bikes*: 1. Austin Serpa, 2. Dan Capparelli, 3. Kyle Townsend, 4. Nathan Wright, 5. Josh Wilson, 6. Adam Thissen, 7. Corey Fletcher, 8. Jacob Kinkel, 9. Steve Garnett, 10. Titan McKibben, 11. Wyatt Brittner, 12. Austin Wilson, 13. Ed Sellers Jr., 14. Chris Maas, 15. Reece Honea, 16. Alan Cameron, 17. Brody Honea, 18. Stephen Tichenor, 19. Matthew McKimmy, 20 Sean Jones.

* – Riders will carry their ranking number, with a blue background, on their bikes for the 2016 season.

Overall Sunday Class Champions:

Women: Beth Legenbauer

Over 60: Pete Prichard

Over 50: Jeff Shepard

Over 40: Titan McKibben

Over 30: Adam Thissen

Open: Wyatt Brittner

4-Stroke: Dan Capparelli

250cc: Austin Serpa

200cc: Chris Mass

Overall points Champion: Austin Serpa

Overall Saturday Champions:

6 and Under: Wyatt Rankin

7 & Up: Jordan Maas

4-Stroke Pee Wee: Genevieve Miller

65cc: Lawson Williams

100cc: Alek Simone

Women: Chrystal Ponsock

Special MRANN Awards:

Most Improved Mini Bike Rider: Ryder Thomaselli

Most Improved Big Bike Rider: Jake Kinkel

Hard Luck Rider of the Year: Chris Sutherland

Family of the Year: Legenbauers

Race of the Year: Purgatory Peak – Tankslappers

Sportsman of the Year: Tina Bodden