Meet your Instructors
Nick Ienatsch
Founder, Chief Instructor
Nick’s passion for exact riding instruction comes from his own experience: as a young motojournalist he saw that championship-winning racers approached the sport in a technical way. As Nick started racing, he was helped by timely advice from racers who had “been there, done that”; he founded the Yamaha Champions Riding School in 2008 after 12 years with the Freddie Spencer High Performance Riding School. His wall holds AMA #1 plates and he leads the school from the seat of a bike with two main priorities: Safety and Customer Service.
Chris Peris
Lead Instructor, President
Chris Peris came to the Freddie Spencer School at 14 years old and never left. Showing that persistence always pays off, Chris is now the company president. As a professional racer, Chris had success in World Supersport, AMA Supersport, AMA Superbike, and AMA Superstock with multiple wins and podiums. Chris is currently a 9-time WERA Endurance Champion with the Army of Darkness Endurance team on a Yamaha YZF-R1. Chris lives in Tucson, AZ with his wife and three kids.
Freddie Spencer
World Champion
Freddie Spencer is a renowned American motorcycle racer. He gained fame for his exceptional skills and achievements in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, winning three world championships in 1983 (250cc) and 1985 (250cc and 500cc). Spencer’s unique racing style and strategic prowess earned him the nickname “Fast Freddie.” After retiring from racing, he transitioned into a successful career as a racing commentator and mentor, sharing his insights and experiences by creating the Freddie Spencer High Performance Riding School. The Yamaha Champions Riding School is successor to that school.
Kyle Wyman
Lead Instructor
2021 King of the Baggers. 2019 Daytona 200 winner. 7 national road race victories in various classes, and multiple podium finishes in MotoAmerica Superbike… Kyle is fast on everything he rides. Apart from his racing accomplishments, he is also known for his advocacy for rider safety and development, aiming to enhance the overall safety standards in motorcycle racing.
Cody Wyman
Lead Instructor
A MotoAmerica National Champion, Cody also has two Endurance National Championships under his belt and is currently a Factory-supported rider in the MotoAmerica Super Hooligans series. When not being fast on two wheels, Cody also teaches high-performance driving at the Corvette Owners School outside of Las Vegas. As a Lead Instructor for YCRS, Cody has been instrumental in teaching an entire generation of riders how to be safer, faster.
Eziah Davis
Lead Instructor
Eziah “EZ” Davis was born to ride a motorcycle. Eziah started riding at the tender age of three and started road racing at twelve years old. With multiple WERA Middleweight Endurance Championships under his belt, EZ is at his best when the grip is down or the pace is up. Eziah is currently traveling the country, living out of a suitcase working year-round around teaching, racing, wrenching, riding, and working with motorcycles.
Michael Henao
Senior Instructor
Michael “Hey Now!” Henao is the ultimate free spirit. Traveling the globe and riding motorcycle exceptionally well, Michael has many top-10 finishes in MotoAmerica and he owns the 750cc Superbike Lap Record at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. He is also a Baja 1000 finisher. When Michael is not racing, he runs our ChampMini Program from his home in Colorado.
Stefano Mesa
Senior Instructor
Holding 19 current lap records at facilities all over the country, Stefano is one of the fastest riders we know. More importantly, he can explain exactly what he is doing that allows him to set those records. Always at the edge, Stefano has been riding electric motorcycles alongside his internal-combustion machines, assisting the entire industry’s R&D efforts in that arena.
Hunter Dunham
Senior Instructor
A MotoAmerica Stock 1000 racer and Heavyweight National Endurance Champion, Hunter is a motorcycle fanatic. When not racing, Hunter is either training in the dirt or teaching others.
Ryan Burke
Senior Instructor
Ryan Burke is one of the most decorated roadracers in Colorado MRA history, with six back-to-back #1 plates and dozens of class championships…and almost 20 lap records in the books.
Ryan is a journeyman electrician and builds race-bike wiring harnesses for teams all over the world. In his spare time, he puts his R1 into the top ten of MotoAmerica 1000 Superstock. He lives in Colorado with his wife and puppy dogs.
Robertino Pietri
Senior Instructor
The fastest Venezuelan we know,”Tino” spent years riding at the world level in World SuperSport and Moto2, as well as AMA Superbike, Superstock, and Daytona SportBike Championships. A fitness monster, Tino hosts underwater VO2MAX training in Florida when not providing Spanish commentary for MotoGP races.
Ben Walters
Senior Instructor
Ben Walters has been racing anything he can get his hands on since he was three years old. Ben started road racing 125s at 14 years old and went on to win multiple sprint and endurance championships with WERA, CCS, and AMA Pro. Ben is also a professional flat-track and off-road enduro racer. Ben is currently a 9-time national endurance champion with Army of Darkness on a Yamaha YZF-R1.
Chip Spalding
CEO, Instructor
Chip is a 20+ year motorcycle industry professional, former MotoAmerica Superbike team manager, and expert level road racer. In addition to working with ChampSchool, Chip also works with N2 Track Days, Millennium Technologies, and KWS Motorsports for marketing and sales strategies though his company Burning Star IV Marketing Services. Chip lives in Charleston, SC with his wife and two young children.
Keith Culver
Instructor, COO, CFO, Janitor, Travel Agent, Truck Driver, Mechanic
Keith is a former expert level road racer, avid street rider, and lifelong dirt bike rider and racer. Keith helped run a successful trackday program and coached kids moving up from minis through amateur racing and into the professional ranks when he met Josh Siegel. In 2014 Keith and Josh teamed up to bring the Yamaha Champions Riding School to New Jersey MotorSports Park where it began its second evolution and now operates in ten states. Keith currently resides in Paso Robles, CA with his wife Tischa and has one son, Erik – 25 who is a motorcycle technician.
Limore Shur
CMO, Partner
Limore Shur, instrumental in significant product launches such as Amazon’s Kindle, Echo/Alexa. Has guided industry stalwarts like Nike and Target. Timeless rebrands including PBS and HGTV. As a professional motorcycle coach and partner at YCRS Limore extends his expertise beyond the conventional.
As a single dad, Limore is all-in on safety while having fun. A daily street rider and track enthusiast, his passion is reflected in his 3 kids (5,9,11) who all love to ride!
Josh Siegel
Majority Shareholder, Senior Instructor
In addition to being owner and CEO to multiple companies, Josh is also a senior instructor at YCRS and major shareholder. His contributions and guidance were responsible for the re-start of YCRS in 2014. Josh is an expert level road racer with a Formula 40 National Championship.
Matt "Coop DeVille" Cooper
Creative Manager | Instructor
Coop is the owner of Legion Moto Trackdays and an expert motorcycle racer with a background as a former BRC instructor. As a talented videographer and editor, Cooper is the creative force not only behind our content, but also the N2 Endure series, which chronicles the N2 National Endurance series on YouTube. A former Army Ranger and experienced Project Manager, he also manages a race team and oversees a local regional racing series. When he’s not immersed in the motorcycle world, Cooper enjoys spending quality time with his two daughters and wife.
Mark Thompson
ChampMilitary Liaison, Instructor
Mark is a retired major in the USMC where he worked as a traffic safety expert. He became involved with YCRS in 2014 when he initiated a new motorcycle safety training program for the USMC. In addition to working with ChampSchool, Mark also instructs with N2 Track Days, and Military Track Days at Jennings GP. Mark recently purchased a Toyhauler and spends most of his time on the road.
Don Williams
Operations, Senior Instructor
Don “goat” Williams is a retired Marine Major who came into the YCRS program during the development of real-world speed motorcycle training for the Marine Corps, where he was the lead active duty instructor for that curriculum. Don currently runs the Demo Program in Washington and helps with operations. Don is an expert-level road racer with multiple class championships in Southern California and Washington State.
Scott Rybarik
Senior Instructor
Scott is an expert level road racer who, in addition to a strong interest in coaching and teaching, holds a Masters Degree in Education. With 20 years experience on track, and leading organizations that promote motorcycling, he brings enthusiasm to the sport for riders of all levels. Away from ChampSchool he is a professional desk wrangler who excels at contract negotiation. Scott lives in Minnesota with his patient wife and their twin boys, who are up and coming road racers.
Alex Hatfield
Senior Instructor
As a former Army sniper, Alex brings a unique perspective on the concepts of “degree of application” and “brilliance in the basics” that translates perfectly into the world of motorcycles. While his J.D. doesn’t translate to riding particularly well, Alex is excellent at diagnosing a problem and articulating the solution. As an avid street rider, Alex enjoys spirited rides in the canyons, especially if pie is involved. An expert-level road racer, Alex is also the Lead Instructor for the Utah Sport Bike Association.
Emerson Amaya
Instructor
Emerson lives motorcycles all day, every day. Emerson owns BobbleHeadMoto which prepares and rents race bikes as well as sells racing part. Emerson also helps run the N2 MotoAmerica Race team with his wife Shiloh who is the crew chief. Emerson currently races in the N2/WERA national endurance series and MotoAmerica 1000 SSKT series.
AJ Ciampa
3C Coordinator, Instructor
Coaching and instructing since 2015. Lead instructor for the Advanced Training Program (ATP) with N2 Track Days. USMCA Certified Coach. Owner/operator of GP Coach, providing premier performance riding coaching on the East coast. Works in the IT industry when not on two wheels. Based out of Manchester, MD.
Brian Smith
Senior Instructor
Like so many of us, Brian enjoys bikes from the saddle and in the garage. This builder and fabricator has been riding for over 40 years, with most of those miles on bikes considerably “not stock”. He dabbled in roadracing in his early 20s but quit racing to raise a family and help grow his family-owned business. After decades of street riding, Brian attended YCRS, began instructing for us, and rekindled his roadracing career with AHRMA on a pair of significantly-upgraded Ducatis; wins and podium finishes were the result. This guy likes four wheels too and was the Porsche Club of America chief driving instructor for a decade.
Steve Ritchey
Instructor
Steve is a military veteran and 25+ year Police Motorcycle Training Instructor formerly with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. In addition to working with ChampSchool, Steve is also a State Certified Motorcycle Safety Program Instructor and Riding Academy Manager for one of the Harley-Davidson dealerships in Southern Nevada. Steve lives in Las Vegas with his daughter.
Elena Meyers
Instructor
Elena’s motorcycle racing career spans over 13 years, with her most notable accomplishments being the only woman to win an AMA Professional Roadrace at age 16, the only woman to win a professional race at Daytona International Speedway at age 18, and a top-5 finish in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at age 21. Since retiring from racing in 2015, she has worked for McGraw Powersports as Operations Manager. She currently resides in Athens, Alabama with her husband, Dean, and two young children, Harlow and Harrison.