| January 22, 2025
More than 800 flat track racers were at Florida’s Callahan Speedway on January 16-17 for the annual AMA Winter Throwdown, which was also points-paying rounds one and two for the 2025 Mission Foods CTR Flat Track Series.
Cruise Texter swept the both days of racing in the 50cc Air Cooled and 50cc Chain classes.
The following is a race recap provided by Cory Texter Promotions (CTR)…
Photos by Erin Fay
The growl of a Florida Panther can be intimidating, but every January in Callahan, a louder roar echoes through the ether. Flat Track Motorcycles erupt to life for the annual Mission Foods Cory Texter Promotions Winter Throwdown. Hosting north of 800 entries across the weekend, the event took on an added level of prestige this year. Already an AMA Major Event, in 2025 the Winter Throwdown would also kick off a new AMA Major Championship: the Mission Foods CTR Flat Track Series.
Racing began on Thursday night with the King of the Throwdown 1v1 Bracket Race in which three-time American Flat Track Singles Champion Kody Kopp took top honors over Chad Cose. The Mica, Washington, rider is set for a change of scenery in 2025, competing in the MotoAmerica Talent Cup, but Kopp showed he has not lost a step on the dirt.
Ryder Bitz-Hay went home as 250 Amateur Champion and 450 Amateur Champion.
With inclement weather looming Saturday, race and track officials made the decision to move the entire weekend of racing to Friday. Thus, the 16 hours of Callahan commenced.
Nicknamed “Shark Bait,” Cruise Texter morphed into the apex predator of the 50cc classes, sweeping the weekend in the 50cc Air Cooled and 50cc Chain classes. Not to be outdone, Bakersfield, California’s Jackson Joiner added a double sweep of his own in the 65cc and 85cc Classes. Several other riders would “break out the broom” and clean up at the Throwdown.
Davey Durelle collected 4 total wins in 50+ and 60+ Classes. Shawn Raggio was dominant on the Hooligan while William Cato (30+) and Greg Boyle (40+) also left Callahan Speedway with two race wins.
Chad Cose took home the top prizes in Premier Expert and Open Expert Main Event win, as well as the Premier Expert Weekend title.
Logan Higgins claimed a victory and the Overall Championship in the SuperMini Class but was bested by Cash Carter in the second main event of the weekend. Eli Block and Jackson Settle would split Open Novice wins with Block leaving as the overall winner.
After finding success in the first Vintage main event, Benjamin Miller went down in his heat race for the second program, opening the door for Alex Childs to take the race and weekend overall.
Braxton Ragan’s attempt to defend his 250 Amateur Throwdown title started strong, but a fifth-place in main event two allowed Ryder Bitz-Hay to claim that win his first of two overall championships on the weekend. After cruising from California to race, Bitz-Hay cruised to victory in the first 450 Amateur main event and the overall, even with Adam Costan’s triumph in main event two.
Jackson Joiner took the top step of the podium in both the 65cc and 85cc classes.
Aaden Savage and Ethan Salmon took home wins in the Open Amateur main events, but the consistency of Stockton, California’s Jaymes Arnaiz (2-4) secured him the Weekend Championship.
Chad Cose rebounded from his King of the Throwdown runner-up, to claim a Premier Expert and Open Expert Main Event win, as well as the Premier Expert Weekend title. Other Expert winners included Justin Jones and Jared Lowe, with Lowe the Weekend Champion for the Open Expert class.
The Mission Foods CTR Series will resume May 16-17, 2025 in Salem, Ohio at Western Reserve Motorcycle Club.
Mission Foods CTR Series Round 1 Results (Top 5)
50cc Air-Cooled: 1. Cruise Texter (Hon) 2. Jacob Howk (Hon) 3. William Cato Jr (Hon) 4. Maddox Wingard (Hon) 5. Brayden Batz (Yam). 60+: 1. Davey Durelle (Yam) 2. Dave Tyo (Hon) 3. Michael Vital (Hon) 4. Monty Klein (Hon) 5. Marcus Rickets (Hon). 85cc: 1. Jackson Joiner (KTM) 2. Cash Carter (GG) 3. Wesley Settle (KTM) 4. Lucy Heaton-New (Hon) 5. Jayden Nickens (GG). 50cc Chain: 1. Cruise Texter (Hon) 2. Rey Resendez (Cob) 3. Jonny Moore (KTM) 4. Maddox Wingard (KTM) 5. Caden Foutty (Cob). Open Novice: 1. Eli Block (Hon) 2. Ryan Barbour (Hon) 3. Beau Woodrick (Hon) 4. Jada Parker (Hon) 5. Kyle Riley (Hon). SuperMini: 1. Logan Higgins (KTM) 2. Jackson Joiner (GG) 3. Jackson Brown (KTM) 4. Wesley Settle (KTM) 5. Cash Carter (GG). 65cc: 1. Jackson Joiner (GG) 2. Ziegen Bock (Yam) 3. Odin Music (Hus) 4. Jaxon Leblanc (Hus) 5. Cruise Texter (GG). Vintage: 1. Benjamin Miller (RTX) 2. Shawn Glass (Yam) 3. Alex Childs (RTX) 4. Ray Steele (Yam) 5. Jonathan Kruppenbacker (OTH). 50+: 1. Davey Durelle (Yam) 2. Greg Boyle (Hon) 3. Daniel Peterson (KTM) 4. Dave Kilkenny (Hon) 5. Walter Bevens (Yam). 250 Amateur: 1. Braxton Ragan (KTM) 2. Brody Hanson (KTM) 3. Ryder Bitz-Hay (KTM) 4. Bayne Nantz (KTM) 5. Ethan Salmon (Yam). 450 Amateur: 1. Ryder Bitz-Hay (KTM) 2. Aaden Savage (Hus) 3. Coy Cummins (Hon) 4. Cayden Cox (Hon) 5. Charlie Jacques (Hon). 40+: 1. Greg Boyle (Hon) 2. Dave Kilkenny (Hon) 3. Walter Bevens (Yam) 4. Gary Boyle (Hon) 5. Juan Rodriquez (H-D). Premier Expert: 1. Chad Cose (Hus) 2. Trevor Brunner (Hon) 3. Bradon Pfanders (KTM) 4. Justin Jones (Yam) 5. Joe Kopp (Hon). Open Amateur: 1. Aaden Savage (Hus) 2. Jaymes Arniz (KTM) 3. Jack Brucks (Hus) 4. Brody Hanson (KTM) 5. Ryder Bitz-Hay (KTM). 30+: 1. William Cato (Hon) 2. Richard Kent (Hus) 3. Beau Woodrick (Hon) 4. Kyle Snyder (GG) 5. Alex Childs (RTX). Hooligan: 1. Shawn Raggio (H-D) 2. Jonathan Kruppenbacker (OTH) 3. Rowan Haughey (H-D) 4. Skye Adams (RYE) 5. Danny Williams (H-D). Open Expert: 1. Jared Lowe (Hon) 2. Trent Lowe (Hon) 3. Bradon Pfanders (KTM) 4. Chad Cose (Hus) 5. Jarod Vanderkooi (KTM).
Mission Foods CTR Series Round 2 Results (Top 5)
50cc Air-Cooled: 1. Cruise Texter (Hon) 2. Jacob Howk (Hon) 3. William Cato Jr (Hon) 4. Maddox Wingard (Hon) 5. Dawson Freitag (Hon). 60+: 1. Davey Durelle (Yam) 2. Daniel Peterson (KTM) 3. Dink Stevens (Yam) 4. Marcus Rickets (Hon) 5. Scott Larson (Hon). 85cc: 1. Jackson Joiner (KTM) 2. Lucy Heaton-New (Hus) 3. Logan Higgins (KTM) 4. Jackson Brown (KTM) 5. Jaxon Leblan (KTM). 50cc Chain: 1. Cruise Texter (Hon) 2. Rey Resendez (Cob) 3. Maddox Wingard (KTM) 4. Jonny Moore (KTM) 5. Dawson Freitag (KTM). Open Novice: 1. Jackson Settle (KTM) 2. Eli Block (Hon) 3. Ryan Barbour (Hon) 4. Camlin Durelle (Hus) 5. Audie Snelson (Hon). SuperMini: 1. Cash Carter (GG) 2. Wesley Settle (KTM) 3. Jackson Joiner (GG) 4. Logan Higgins (KTM) 5. Lucy Heaton-New (Hus). 65cc: 1. Jackson Joiner (GG) 2. Ziegen Bock (Yam) 3. Cruise Texter (GG) 4. Jaxon Leblanc (Hus) 5. Odin Music (Hus). Vintage: 1. Alex Childs (RTX) 2. Ray Steele (Yam) 3. Dink Stevens (Yam) 4. Ray Delacqueseaux (Hon) 5. Dan Sullivan (Bul). 50+: 1. Davey Durelle (Yam) 2. Greg Boyle (Hon) 3. Gary Boyle (Hon) 4. Walter Bevens (Yam) 5. Daniel Peterson (KTM). 250 Amateur: 1. Ryder Bitz-Hay (KTM) 2. Ethan Salmon (Yam) 3. Bayne Nantz (KTM) 4. Charles Jacques (KTM) 5. Jed Fyffe (KTM). 450 Amateur: 1. Adam Costan-Wood (KTM) 2. Eli Block (Hon) 3. Jaymes Arnaiz (KTM) 4. Aaden Savage (Hus) 5. Ryder Bitz-Hay (KTM). 40+: 1. Greg Boyle (Hon) 2. Scott Sheehan (Hon) 3. Richard Kent (Hus) 4. Jason Gocha (Hon) 5. Judson Linder (KTM). Premier Expert: 1. Justin Jones (Yam) 2. Bradon Pfanders (KTM) 3. Chad Cose (Hus) 4. Bronson Bauman (Hon) 5. Tyler Raggio (KTM). Open Amateur 1. Ethan Salmon (Yam) 2. Braxton Ragan (KTM) 3. Paxton Wenz (Yam) 4. Jaymes Arnaiz (KTM) 5. Adam Costan-Wood (KTM) 30+: 1. William Cato (Hon) 2. Kyle Snyder (GG) 3. William Harris (KTM) 4. Beau Woodrick (Hon) 5. Joao DaCosta (Hon). Hooligan: 1. Shawn Raggio (H-D) 2. Danny Williams (H-D) 3. Rowan Haughey (H-D) 4. Skye Adams (RYE) 5. Jonathan Kruppenbacker (OTH). Open Expert: 1. Chad Cose (Hus) 2. Bradon Pfanders (KTM) 3. Jared Lowe (Hon) 4. Trent Lowe (Hon) 5. Jarod Vanderkooi (KTM).
