Rounds 9 and 10 of the AHRMA season took place May 16th and 17th at Motorsport Park Hastings; Hastings, NE, as part of the 2026 AHRMA National Roadracing Series, presented by VIB-ISO.
Sponsored by Roadracingworld.com, and NYC Norton (nycnorton.com), this year AHRMA’s 2026 Vintage Cup features the 250 Grand Prix class, which includes any fully GP-kitted 250cc OHV/OHC four-stroke; 250cc air-cooled single cylinder two stroke; 175cc liquid cooled single cylinder two-stroke; or 175cc air-cooled twin-cylinder two-stroke built before December 31, 1968. It’s a showdown of classic small displacement racing that relies heavily on corner-speed, momentum, and precise engineering, and certain to leave fans on the edge of their seats.
Typical AHRMA 250GP grids include a wide variety of motorcycles such as Aermacchi, Bultaco, Greeves, Montesa, Ducati, NSU, Ossa, and more.
Saturday’s Vintage Cup race began with Holly Varey, aboard her 1968 VanTech CS3, taking the holeshot and early lead. Close behind were Paul Germain on his 1967 Yamaha DT1RR and Craig Hirko on a 1967 Bridgestone TA1, followed by the rest of the field—including Jack Kainz on a 1972 Yamaha CS3 and Dave Roper riding his 1967 Harley-Davidson CRTT.
Germain passed Varey on lap one to take the lead. Hirko steadily closed the gap, overtaking Varey on lap three before battling Germain wheel-to-wheel. The pair swapped leads several times in a close fight until Hirko secured the advantage before the final turn and held on to win. Germain finished second, Varey third, Roper fourth, and Kainz fifth.
Sunday’s race started the same way, with Varey grabbing the holeshot and holding the lead through the first six laps, with Germain right behind her, followed by Kainz, Trevor Scales on his 1969 Honda CB160, and Roper. A mechanical issue then forced Varey to retire, handing the lead to Germain.
Scales moved up to second by passing Kainz. Germain went on to take the win, with Scales second, Kainz third, Varey fourth, and Roper fifth.
“AHRMA rolled into the fruited plains of Hastings, Nebraska, with a great amount of excitement building in our Vintage Cup”, said series sponsor Kenny Cummings of NYC Norton. “There has been some stand out racing before and during this weekend. Fellow New Yorker Craig Hirko came into the weekend in the points lead and managed to put in a solid win on Saturday. Roper, who watched it all from behind, called in a full race report after each day’s race, and claimed Hirko had a broken gearbox and was able to *just* nurse it across the line for his win and another 1000 points, but this meant the weekend was over for him. Sunday started with a clean slate, and Canadians Paul Germain and Holly Varey showed us again that our friends and neighbors from up north are quite poised to put on the big show. And what a nail-biter Sunday was! It seemed Holly had a slight advantage, but only just… Germain put the moves on her every corner he could, yet she’d take it right back. Both riders were going to school on each other and was just a matter who was going to put in the move on the last lap and make it stick. The entire crowd let out an audible moan when Vary pulled off in the 7th lap due to a mechanical. Fast Germain got it done cleanly on his spectacularly turned out DT1. Good stuff!
After talking with Roper, it’s clear the little, smaller displacement 2-strokes are tuned to the hilt, and the attrition is speaking loudly. Let’s hope everyone gets these beautiful little machines buttoned up as we head into Joliet in a few weeks for AHRMA’s first outing at Autobahn Country Club June 5-7th. Very much looking forward to that one!”
“When I looked at the entries for the weekend, I immediately wondered if one of the new names would disrupt the triple threat of Hirko, Germain and Varey”, shared AHRMA’s Road Race Director, Leasha Overturf. “They tried, but it was a no go. For each of Holly Varey’s hole shots, I just know she was smiling big under her helmet. The action was strong both days, but I have to say the race on Sunday had me holding my breath as I stood at the wall watching Germain and Varey go head to head. I was disappointed that Varey had a mechanical issue because the energy was firing in the paddock as we all watched the two swap places. I’m excited to see the action at our upcoming weekend at Autobahn in Joliet, IL.”
AHRMA first launched the Vintage Cup series during 2019 by spotlighting the 350 GP class. The series resumed during 2021 and highlighted the 500 Premier class. It was followed by Vintage Superbike Heavyweight in 2022 and Formula 750 in 2023. In 2024, the second rotation of featured classes was initiated with 350GP, followed by 500 Premier in 2025. 250GP was added to the series in 2026, the first year it has been featured.
Rounds eleven and twelve of the AHRMA National Road Race Series Presented by VIB-ISO will be June 6-7 at Autobahn, Joliet, IL.
The annual Vintage Cup spotlights one of AHRMA’s road racing classes with extra attention on competitors in the selected class during each race event. Enhanced awards for the Vintage Cup competitors are presented separately from other class trophies during the Saturday awards ceremony at each AHRMA National Road Race event. Highlights from each Vintage Cup race will be reported in RoadRacingWorld.com’s online edition. At the conclusion of each season, the perpetual Vintage Cup trophy will be engraved with the national champion winner’s name and presented to the winner at the National Awards Banquet to keep for one year.
2026 AHRMA Roadracing Series Presented by VIB-ISO, 250GP – Vintage Cup Results
Saturday, May 16, 2026
- 641 Craig Hirko, 1967 Bridgestone TA 1, Newark Valley, NY
- 61 Paul Germain, 1967 Yamaha DTIRR, Winnipeg, MB
- 50H Holly Varey, 1968 VanTech CS3, Brantford, ON
- 7 David Roper, 1967 Harley-Davidson CRTT, Hicksville, NY
- 35L Jack Kainz, 1972 Yamaha CS3, Helenville, WI
Sunday, May 17, 2026
- 61 Paul Germain, 1967 Yamaha DTIRR, Winnipeg, MB
- 779 Trevor Scales, 1969 Honda CB160, Graham, NC
- 35L Jack Kainz, 1972 Yamaha CS3, Helenville, WI
- 50H Holly Varey, 1968 VanTech CS3, Brantford, ON
- 7 David Roper, 1967 Harley-Davidson CRTT, Hicksville, NY
About AHRMA:
The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to competing on fantastic classic and true vintage along with a wide range of modern motorcycles. With over 3,000 members, AHRMA is the largest vintage racing group in North America and one of the biggest in the world. The association has grown steadily over the years, reflecting the increasing interest in classic bikes.
The post AHRMA: Hirko & Germain Split Vintage Cup Wins at Hastings appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.
