Daddy Can Still Do It: Retired father Texter wins Fritchie Classic for second time

Jul. 4—Cory Texter's five year old son, Cruise, is the motorcycle racer in the household these days.

Cory, 35, retired as a full-time professional racer after last season.

"So I put a lot of focus on him," Texter of Cruise, who has won a couple national amateur championships. "But daddy still needs to scratch that itch sometimes and just know that I can still do it."

Daddy did just fine when he temporarily came out of retirement for Tuesday's Barbara Fritchie Classic at the Frederick Fairgrounds.

Riding a Yamaha, Texter won his second Barbara Fritchie Classic main event by cruising to a wire-to-wire victory in the All Star Twins race.

Texter's other Fritchie Classic main event checkered flag came in 2018, and he was the last racer to win the event before Brandon Price won it three times in a row. Price, initially expected to defend his title on Tuesday, wasn't able to get a bike he felt comfortable racing.

Tuesday's main event held special significance for Texter because of the championship belt given to the winner. Looking like something awarded to WWE champs, the belt included pictures of two people with deep connections to the Barbara Fritchie Classic, the late Donnie Smith, a Frederick native who raced and was a longtime helper at the Fritchie, and the late Ryan Varnes, who competed in the Frederick race numerous times.

Texter said he was close friends with Varnes, who died at the age of 24 after being involved in an on-track incident shortly before last year's Fritchie Classic.

"This is for Ryan Varnes," Texter said. "Ian Riley [son of longtime race organizer Richard Riley] showed me that championship belt that they did, and I knew I wanted to win that thing. I was willing to take a little bit more risk for that belt. The money's nice, but that belt, it means a lot."

Cameron Smith (Honda) placed second, and Daniel Bromley (KTM) was third. Shawn Baer (BMW) was also in the mix before bike problems triggered a black flag that forced him to stop racing.

"Cory got off to a good start. He was pretty smooth," said Smith, who had competed in past Fritchie Classics, but never in Twins events. "I was battling with Shawn Baer there for a little bit, and I got past him, and kind of just set my own pace."

Baer was running third before bike problems, which eventually produced steam, surfaced.

"I don't know when I started putting some fluid out, but I did notice that the bike kind of seemed like it slowed down a little bit," said Baer, who saw Bromley point at his bike whenever he went by. "They black-flagged me with one lap to go, which was probably the right call."

After building a large lead early in the All Star Twins final, Texter was able to race more conservatively in later laps. He said the course, which is always challenging, was a little sketchy and had a hole near turn two on Tuesday.

"So I knew I would just do half the race like super hard, and I got a gap," Texter said. "I don't know if people saw, but I was kind of glancing around, just making sure nobody was near me. This is a track you have to respect, and I didn't want to take any unnecessary risks."

Texter also won the All Star Singles Final and Twins Dash for Cash on Tuesday, which marked the Fritchie Classic's 102nd year. The Lancaster, Pennsylvania resident's shot at a clean sweep was foiled by Quebec native and 2003 Fritchie champ Dominic Beaulac, who won the Singles Dash for Cash.

"He rode great and he beat me," Texter said. "But overall, it was a pretty solid for a guy that's retired."

For Texter, though, retirement didn't include taking it easy.

"I still ride a lot, I'm still training a lot," he said. "I train a bunch of pro riders and I feel pretty good on the bike."

One of the riders Texter trains, Evan Renshaw, had a big day on Tuesday, winning the 450 Amateur, Open Singles Amateur and Open Pro Am finals. Also, Texter rode Renshaw's 450cc Honda to victory in the All-Star Singles race.

Texter remains immersed in racing, just not as a competitor. He promotes races, he's a MotoAmerica Mini Cup series manager and does podcasts, among other race-related jobs. And every now and then, he races.

"This has always been a fun race for me, and it's not on a weekend," Texter said of the Barbara Fritchie Classic, which he has competed in numerous times. "So it's super-convenient where I can just come out and have some fun on a Tuesday and celebrate America and race motorcycles."

Other winners on Tuesday were: Rick Reed, Open Vintage; Baer, Hooligan; Richard Winsett Jr., 40+; and Ryder Reese, 250 Amateur.