LEXINGTON — Perry Lunsford had simple goals going into his motorcycle race Saturday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
“Come home in one piece .. both the machine and my body,” the 1994 Madison High School graduate said with a smile.
A couple of hours later, the 42-year-old Lunsford raced well past those goals, winning the 600cc Superstock Novice race during the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days events.
“It was awesome,” a now-tired Lunsford said back at his paddock. “I am so tired. I couldn’t hold on much longer.”
In reality, it was the field that couldn’t hold on as Lunsford rammed his 2014 Yamaha R-6 from the third row of his starting grid to top 17 other racers.
It was a far cry from his first race four years ago in Michigan. Nerves got to the first-time racer, despite the fact he has been a motorcycle rider since he was 19.
“That track was very difficult and I was scared to death,” Lunsford said. “I had just gotten my racing license and had never been there before. I was literally standing on my footpegs all around the track.”
That was certainly not the case at Mid-Ohio. A floor covering worker for Carpet One, Lunsford also works as a motorcycle instructor for the Mid-Ohio School.
It didn’t take him to cover the field on his home track, winning for the first time after posting two second-place finishes, a third and a fifth one year ago.
Perry’s wave in the novice race began after the Expert wave began. That meant Perry didn’t know for sure what place he was in when he crossed the finish line of the six-lap event on 2.4-mile permanent road course.
“I had no idea,” he said with a laugh. “I was just going for it. It was a good race. Everyone played pretty nice together out there.
The fact it was race with largely amateur drivers and expensive machines didn’t mean it was not a competitive race.
“I race every race hard, but you don’t want to hurt anyone,” Lunsford said. “When it comes to race mode, you don’t think too much. You just go.”
Lunsford and his wife, Tianne, 38, have a 2-year-old daughter, Mia. Being a dad means something to the motorcycle racer. Racing beyond the edge isn’t the same, anymore.
“(She) means a lot,” Lunsford said. “She is in my head quite a bit.”
Lunsford had a second race on Saturday later in the day and will be back at it again on Sunday.
“I am tired … but I am gonna go for it again,” he said.
JUNGE WINS: Ashland resident Mark Junge, the chief motorcycle instructor at the Mid-Ohio School, posted a win on Saturday in the V8 Superstock Expert Division, one of 16 races on the curving, hill Mid-Ohio Course on Saturday.
SUNDAY RACING: There will be 16 more races on Sunday. All will again be six laps in length. The first race begins at 10 a.m.
HUGE CROWDS: Mid-Ohio officials said the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days draws the second biggest crowd of the racing season, second only to the annual Indy Car event coming up at the end of July.
This is the 23rd consecutive year the event has visited Mid-Ohio. This must-do motorcycling extravaganza also serves as a fundraiser for the non-profit AMA Hall of Fame.
A single-day admission for Sunday is $35. Children 12 and under always receive free general admission at Mid-Ohio when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Garage paddock access is free during AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.
For more information, visit www.midohio.com.
