NIGHT-ONE REPORT IS BELOW!
NIGHT-TWO IS NOW UP!!
NIGHT-TWO IS NOW UP!!
LET’S GET THIS SHOW
ON THE ROAD!!
It’s been a while, and I’m not making excuses for my
absence. I needed time to de-stress and work on my health, my family, and my
return to a comfortable old career.
I won’t hide the fact that one of the turning points
in the path this site has taken came when I simply gave up for a while. Another
year presented us with another opportunity to put the sport on the path that
would have both promoters and participants shaking hands and slapping backs
when discussions were over. Instead, we had less than lukewarm participation,
poorly presented discussion points, and misunderstanding and misinterpretation
before we even left the room.
I am, again, disappointed with the way things turned
out, but I neither race or bear the burden of promoting races. I can only
observe. I can only experience the emotions I do as a closely-related outsider
looking in. I have invested over three decades in this sport, and I’ve earned
the right to sulk. We’ll talk about that over the next few weeks.
FOR NOW…
Nicole Murphy photo (Facebook)
We are on our way back to the epicenter of motocross
in Atlantic Canada. If Sackville was willing to part with us, NOTHING could be
better than Springhill standing by to extend open arms. Only the oldest, most
wrinkled, wisest (?) were around when the iron-men on off-road motorcycles
seemed to have a common denominator, and that was the historic little community
in Springhill, Nova Scotia.
We are taking our show to the birthplace of motocross in Atlantic Canada. We are going home to show the folks how we’ve grown and matured. We’re taking the sport back to its roots and I think they know we’re coming.
I have no camera. I will not tell you how shitty these people are until I give them one more chance to prove themselves. It won’t happen this weekend. I’ll be stealing pics wherever possible.
Continue down the page as the weekend progresses. It’s the easiest way to keep everything accessible. I’m hoping there is a wi-fi connection at the arena. It will allow us to keep in touch as the weekend unfolds.
Wish I had more time to fill in some blanks, but, tomorrow is another workin’ day. I’ll sweet-talk my way into a 2pm quittin’ time and pour on the coals (pardon the pun) straight for Springhill. Somehow…when there's MX in your blood, it’s just like going home.
Nichole Murphy Photo
Night One
Friday, April 13, 2012
I sincerely apologize for my lack of a camera, many
thanks to the manufacturer who somehow sees “customer support” as being two
totally separate concepts which should never be combined. I’ll try to steal
something from someone once the weekend is settled. It’s just not the same
without the pics.
Working for a living means I missed all but the Pro
practice, such as it was. While I was denied the the enjoyment of what I’m told
was a Gong Show featuring the Juniors, I did get to closely watch how the best
of this region dealt with a quickly disintegrating track surface.
The channels carved through the whoops and particularly
nasty “cupping” on jump faces through the main rhythm section caused fits for
everyone, even the buttery smooth Mitchell Cooke. The luscious new Springhill
soil was pretty well saturated and had the feel underfoot of modeling clay.
That meant grip that made encouraging rear wheelspin more than a challenge, and
bikes slow to respond to throttle off the tight 180 degree turns. It was a
set-up guaranteed to put passing at a premium and insure that the way around
was often going to involve attempting to “go through” the rider-obstacle just
ahead.
I should point out that, as the evening went on, the more the soil was torn at and worked by the track grooming equipment, the more it offered up promise that Saturday night’s track with be a totally different animal. It will be interesting to see if those predictions come to fruition.
With very little time before we’re heading back down the road to the Dr. Carson and Marion Murray Community Centre, an outstanding facility with, unfortunately, no wi-fi to speak of, we’ll give you a very brief rundown on Friday night’s action and CTI award winners.
50cc
It’s unfortunate that more of the tiny terrors failed to show up for this one, as the track was reasonably comfortable for the little bikes, except if you were a slow roller in the very demanding whoops.
It was, as we have become accustomed, Damon Burbine’s chance to shine once again, as the #77 was in a league of his own, beginning to lap the rear of the pack by lap #4. Luke Penney did a great job keeping the “Turbine” in sight, but that was as close as it got. When the plates were handed out, it was:
1).
Damon Burbine
2).
Luke Penney
3).
Colby Beaulieu
65cc
A handful of somewhat unfamiliar names rode back to
the podium at the end of the 65cc final, following a dominant performance by
Zac Taylor and challenging rides by Daryn Fournier and Connor Drysdale. When
they came home to roost, the Estabrooks Orthopedic/CTI Braces awards were handed
out as follows;
1). Zac
Taylor
2).
Daryn Fournier
3).
Connor Drysdale
85cc 7-12
Graduates from the smaller class were the order of the evening for the younger of the two 85cc groups. The class quickly fell into a rolling order with very little drama as the riders got the feel for their new rides indoors and focused on simply finishing with their first 85cc class awards. In the end, number plates were hoisted skyward by;
1).
Hayden Dennis
2).
Brendon Clark
3).
Miguel Auffrey
85cc 13-16
Brett Young and Jordan Melanson are both on new mounts this year, and both are still learning the quirks of their new rides. The opening laps had “The Bee” looking just a touch awkward on his new CRF150 four-stroke and, momentarily at least, it appeared the combination of Jordy M and the KTM just might slip away and hide from the field. Then, a couple of bobbles by Melanson and Young finding his comfort zone while taking advantage of the four-strokes bark off slower turns, turned it into a sensational see-saw battle all the way to the wire. At the checkers, night-one looked like this;
1).
Brett Young
2).
Jordan Melanson
3).
Alex Affleck
Nichole Murphy Photo
Schoolboy
The “up to 16” super GP class saw some new names immortalized as the first top-3 in Schoolboy at the new Springhill venue. Brett Alexander was determined to end the main in the saddle, unlike the MX2 moto that saw hoorays turned into heartbreak as Alexander ended up leaving the track on foot. This one saw three very determined kids dialing up the concentration all the way to the checkers. In the end, the CTI Braces number plates for night-one were in the hands of;
1).
Brett Alexander
2).
Brandon Frenette
3).
Mackenzie Mazerolle
Youth
With 8 in the gate, the wild GP that is the Youth class guaranteed plenty of action at the front and all the way back through the field. The main event did not disappoint. The scramble for bragging rights in behind the lead pack was every bit as entertaining as anything offered up by the usual suspects from the Pro class at the front of the field. Davey Fraser wanted to prove that the exotic TM had arrived on scene ready to win. He did not disappoint. When they rolled to the podium at the end of the main, it looked like this;
1).
Davey Fraser
2).
Brad Lockhart
3).
David Strang
MX2 “B” Juniors
The practice and qualifiers gave the indication that the Juniors were in for a struggle with the soft, sticky, slightly off-time Springhill circuit. That indication proved prophetic. While it looked like Brett Alexander was on his way to a big #1 plate, it all came unraveled with the white flag in the air and gave a few fresh faces the opportunity to smile for the Springhill faithful. When the checkers dropped, the outcome was;
1). Sam
Gray
2).
Trevor Esau
3).
Owen Hennigar
MX2 “A” Juniors
While he failed to get off the gate in the Youth main, Michel Ouelette proved just the opposite in his Junior moto, leading into turn-1 and not looking back all the way to the wire. In behind, it was a battle of back and forth while dodging victims of the Springhill whoops. Survival of the fittest determined who would and wouldn’t wave CTI Braces numberplates when all was said and done;
1).
Michel Ouelette
2).
Jason Hickey
3).
Brandon Frenette
MX2 Intermediate
Telling the story of the most frantic class battles of the night would take an entire website all by itself. A see-saw war between Jason Gray and Shane Gallant raged throughout the moto with Devin MacPherson, Dawson Hood, and Jake McEvoy banging bars in behind. It all came to a head, bringing the crowd to its feet, in the final turn of the last lap, as Gallant ran it in deep (too deep) on Jason Gray, sending Gray to the ground and Gallant on to apparent victory. When the dust settled, our intrepid referee ruled the pass by Gallant overly aggressive and illegal resulting in a DQ. Gray, who got assistance picking up his Honda from it’s downslope was docked positions, and the podium was like a surreal game of musical chairs. After official intervention, there were stunned looks all around and the finish results looked like;
1).
Devin MacPherson
2).
Jake McEvoy
3).
Dawson Hood
MX1 Intermediate
A short field could easily have led to a boring freight-train in the big bike Intermediates, but, in arenacross, nothing is written in stone. While rookie Intermediate Brandon Carter appeared to be on a path to dominate, a ride off that path and an unbelievable rodeo recovery had the Springhill crowd roaring as a moderately wounded Carter salvaged his first Intermediate moto while the Dunbar boys in behind made the entire main a true crowd-pleaser. At the flag, it was;
1).
Brandon Carter
2).
Randy Dunbar
3).
Jonny Dunbar
Pro Quads
The Kyle Ledwidge built track was tough enough on the
two-wheeled set, but for the four-wheelers, it was a passing nightmare. As
expected, Demon Damon Baker jumped to the front and left the remainder of the
gate to fight over what remained. Daniel Looke and Joey Lowthers made repeated
attempts at swapping spots, and both struggled mightily in the moguls (whoops)
and when they came back to earth at the final flag, the outcome was;
1).
Damon Baker
2).
Joey Lowthers
3).
Daniel Looke
Pros
Qualifiers were hotly contested, but the top two gate picks eventually went to former arch-rivals Ryan Lockhart, racing for the first time in front of a hometown crowd, and Mitch Cooke, who had the track’s timing as dialed as any rider on the day. Winner of last year’s second night, Quebec’s Karl Normand, was also stout in qualifying and looking like a threat for the main.
The difficulty in passing, and troublesome traffic would play a huge role in the outcome for the Pros. Normand quickly found his way to the front, in spite of the all-out efforts of Davey Fraser, and traffic on the tight track would eventually determine the order at the checkers. It was a constant battle to the end, especially for the B.C. transplant, Lockhart, who was determined to cash in that long trip home with a podium finish and was forced to fight all the way to the end to get it. When the CTI Braces/Estabrooks Orthopedic plates were dealt at the end of night one, it was;
1).
Karl Normand
2).
Davey Fraser
3).
Ryan Lockhart
I’ll stick my neck out and predict a much different track for tonight’s second night at the Josh Damery Memorial, and, with the ice broken, we can also expect closer, harder, faster racing inside the Dr. Carson and Marion Murray Centre and outcomes that may be vastly different from night one.
I’ll also predict a crowd pleasing, electrifying
evening for everyone who chooses to join us.
Night-Two
Saturday,
April 14, 2012
Magic. M-A-G-I-C. I’m not sure there’s
another word that even comes close to describing night #2 of the season’s
one-and-only arenacross East of the Quebec border. While Friday’s incredible
response from the Springhill crowd was the most amazing since Richard Strang started
this annual ritual, it failed to prepare us for the bulging bleachers that lay
in front of us on Saturday, and the Pro class result that couldn’t have been a
greater story if it had been scripted by Walt Disney.
As cliché as it sounds, the crowd was loud and proud and they were there for the moto. We even had Springhill’s mayor converted to “moto-mayor” for the night as he took the time to welcome everyone, particularly the racers and their families, then shared the floor with us as we awarded the 2012 Josh Damery Memorial Trophy. It was great to have both Gary and Shelley in the house, with Shelley joining Richard Strang on the floor to award the coveted Damery trophy to the “get-to-the-race-whatever-it-takes”, “Determined” Devin MacPherson.
As cliché as it sounds, the crowd was loud and proud and they were there for the moto. We even had Springhill’s mayor converted to “moto-mayor” for the night as he took the time to welcome everyone, particularly the racers and their families, then shared the floor with us as we awarded the 2012 Josh Damery Memorial Trophy. It was great to have both Gary and Shelley in the house, with Shelley joining Richard Strang on the floor to award the coveted Damery trophy to the “get-to-the-race-whatever-it-takes”, “Determined” Devin MacPherson.
While the soil was significantly better than the previous night’s offering, and will prove to be pure brown gold in years to come, it was still subject to deep and nasty grooving under the assault of the Pros. That led the organizing team to modify the program, moving the Pro qualifiers to a position behind all the small-wheel bikes. That little concession meant the 50s and 65s no longer had to battle peg-scraping ruts, particularly through the whoops.
Nichole Murphy Photo
50cc
The cream really does always rise to the top, and the proof is as close as the results of the second night for the 50s. Even fighting an evil virus (stomach bug), and barfing his brains out throughout the day, Damon Burbine knew his mission. In fact, the same cream rose to the top of the podium in the same order as our first night. CTI Braces number plaques were waiting at the flag for;
1).
Damon Burbine
2).
Luke Penney
3).
Colby Beaulieu
65cc
Morgan Dealy was fully prepared to make his mark when the 65s went to the gate for night #2, and, briefly, it looked pretty promising. Morgan got a jump out of the gate and looked ready to hold the point, right up until Zac Taylor summoned up his momentum from the night before and claimed his rightful spot at the front. Connor Drysdale became the evening’s odd man out based on his Friday night performance, replaced by the aforementioned Dealy, with the podium shaping up like this;
1). Zac
Taylor
2).
Morgan Dealy
3).
Daryn Fournier
85cc 7-11
Morgan Dealy also performed the quick turnaround by going to the gate in the biggest of the small-wheel classes. This moto actually ran 2nd in the program, then, Dealy returned to the line to race the 65s, as just discussed. While he never looked truly comfortable on a new ride, indoors, Hayden Dennis was certainly comfortable enough to scoop the CTI Braces #1 plaque for a second night in a row. Brendon Clark brought a little “more” for Saturday night, but the best he could manage was a strong “also-ran” to Hayden’s holeshot and hold performances. Night two saw Miguel Auffrey drop off the podium, replaced by the double-classing Dealy, who got his second podium of the night. Here’s how they looked at the flag;
1).
Hayden Dennis
2).
Brendon Clark
3).
Morgan Dealy
85cc 12-16
Redemption night for Jordan Melanson turned in to anything but. With two of the bowl-shaped 180s slightly resculpted, giving the 2-stroke KTM a greater opportunity to fully use its cornering speed, it was the infield rhythm section that determined Jordan’s night. His “moments” were scary. His recoveries were scarier! Yet, while Melanson was selling his soul to salvage a 2nd, it was the ever-persistent Brett Young running away at the front, for the second night, on a Honda 4-stroke. My personal observation is that “The Bee” did not look as smooth or comfortable on the Honda on the second night, but I attribute that to the fact that he wasn’t being pushed by the struggling Jordy, and he rode much better Friday once the pressure was on. When the awards were handed out, the result was;
1).
Brett Young
2).
Jordan Melanson
3).
Jacob Drysdale
Schoolboy
Just a couple of additional entries could have easily turned the Schoolboy class into one of those main events where the action was fast and furious from front to rear. Instead, the podium pack found they could settle in early and stay fast and safe to the end. Ryan MacKay had transmission issues that saw him wisely remove himself from competition Friday night, but his chance in the spotlight came as he double-classed both Schoolboy and MX2 Intermediate in back-to-back motos on night-2. With stout performances again by Brett Alexander and Brandon Frenette, when the Estabrooks Orthopedic/CTI Braces number plates were distributed, it looked like;
1).
Ryan MacKay
2).
Brett Alexander
3).
Brandon Frenette
Youth
The class that Davey owns lived up to its billing again on Saturday night, as Canada’s king of Youth moto gated along with a hungry herd that included a pack of potential winners including hometown hero Brad Lockhart and the newest Colleen Millsaps understudy, David Strang. Six contenders hammered in behind Fraser’s Italian-built TM, but when the dust had cleared, the best we could do was to replicate Friday’s finish.
1).
Davey Fraser
2).
Brad Lockhart
3).
David Strang
Beginners
While it is my belief that the terms “Beginners” and “Arenacross” should be mutually exclusive and never contained within the same paragraph, let alone the same sentence, we had enough of the uninitiated to constitute a gate, so we loaded ‘em in the cannon and pulled the trigger. It was anything but a parade, so the fans got a show, and the players got a lesson in why arenacross is not a silly game just because it’s inside an arena. When they wobbled to the flag, CTI Braces number plates were waiting for;
1).
Trevor Esau
2).
Jake Molloy
3).
Vern MacNeill
Junior
The red and white plates were combined as an open displacement GP type class for Saturday night, and a full gate plus one made for a crowded and sometimes comical class with surprises thrown in for good measure. Possibly the greatest eye-openers came in the form of the failure to make the victory circle for both Brett Alexander and Brandon Frenette, who had performed very well over the weekend, right up until this class was launched. The moto was entertaining for the packed house in Springhill, but less entertaining for the six riders who were not named;
1).
Jordon Hickey
2).
Jaret Defazio
3).
Andrew Beale
Nichole Murphy Photo
MX2 Intermediate
Packed with the best of the rising talent on Canada’s East coast, the Intermediate tiddlers somewhat resembled a face-to-face brawl with baseball bats. From gate-drop to the final flag, the black & yellow plate group demonstrated every possible element of indoor racing, from bar banging “do or die” determination, to errors of both the forced and unforced variety.
When the flag flew to call it a night, it was newly minted Josh Damery Memorial Award recipient Devin MacPherson finally finding the top step, followed home by a much better behaved Shane Gallant, and, redeeming his Friday absence, Toys for Big Boys rider Ryan MacKay.
1).
Devin MacPherson
2).
Shane Gallant
3).
Ryan MacKay
MX1 Intermediate
The Dunbar Division, better known as the big-bore Intermediates, gave Moncton’s Brandon Carter an opportunity to go for another win Saturday night, without the drama of his rodeo to recovery performance of the previous evening. After insuring that his mother was properly sedated for the occasion, Brando left the Dunbar boys to hammer away at one another to decide the runner up positions, while KTM mounted Carter got his season off to a perfect start. As they lined up for CTI Awards, it was;
1).
Brandon Carter
2).
Randy Dunbar
3).
Jonny Dunbar
Pro Quad
Suffice it to say, qualifying did not go Damon Baker’s way. The kid who would normally take the top step left Saturday night’s gate with the handicap of a second row start, which, on that particular track, pretty much meant running over the competition in order to pull off a pass. Damon was rattlesnake ready when the gate dropped, and he was the model of controlled aggression into turn-1, stealing the inside line and 2nd place as they headed into the whoops. Try as he might, short of chrome-horning the leader into the bleachers, there was little the Demon could do with Quebec’s Dave Pelletier. It was a nice reward for all that travel, as the quad-squad headed to the podium in the order they had run the majority of the moto;
1).
Dave Pelletier
2).
Damon Baker
3).
Daniel Looke
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Adam Turner Photo
Pro
I felt bad…that I may have blind-sided my good friend
Ryan Lockhart as we introduced him to the Springhill faithful. It’s important
to remember that anything you say, in front of a bloodsucker like myself, just
might be repeated somewhere along the line. In this case, a conversation Newf
and I had in the pits Saturday afternoon, would find its way into rider
introductions.
When an icon in our sport tells you he will “call it a day” as a Pro racer if he can win the main at his hometown arenacross, you just have to pin him down on it in front of the capacity crowd. Ryan’s response had the room roaring. How could we have known?
Qualifiers were a show unto themselves and, it seemed, the crowd was taking notes. Afternoon qualifiers had set the stage with night-1 winner, Karl Normand becoming “the kid nobody wanted to play with” with his very sketchy take on “playing around” in practice. Even the cool-tempered Lockhart (Ryan) had to confront the jovial Quebec kid and try to remind him that he wasn’t willing to end up over the bars in practice. The session came to an end with Montes and Fraser yelling into each other’s helmets.
The drama didn’t stop there, with a lot of “promises” made in the pits and a lot of expectations depending on rider geography when the gate dropped.
To be sincere, the rest was a blur. I followed and shouted and was overcome with emotion, but all I can remember at the end is…#59 to the flag first and I could only imagine the emotion inside that rider’s helmet. Yes, I followed and exercised my lungs to their fullest as Karl Normand began closing the gap over the last four laps of the moto, but I can only claim being totally breathless as Ryan Lockhart came face-to-face with a career promise as a checkered flag tore through the air in an arena in quaint Springhill, Nova Scotia.
A story with all those elements usually ends – “and they all lived happily everafter”. After this past weekend…none of that would surprise me. The results are overshadowed by the drama;
1). Ryan Lockhart
2). Karl Normand
3). Davey Fraser
Jessica Longname Photo
Congratulations to all. Thank you to all. Guess we’ll
see you all next year! (According to the "Moto-Mayor", they'd like to have us back.
