Winchester Speedpark Spring 2005

I have been working as the announcer for Winchester Speedpark a family owned MX park in southern New Hampshire since the start of the 2005 racing season. WSP as it is known to the regular racers is a great spot offering 2 vastly different track layouts. One natural terrain MX track and the other a state of the art Dirt Wurx designed and built Supercross track.
This is a collection of small pieces written for the weekly race program provided to the riders and spectators.

Round 1
April 10, 2005

Well if you haven’t already heard it from all your MX pals let me be the one to say that if you missed Round 1, you missed an awesome day of racing. It was a sunny mild day, the MX track was moist and tacky in the morning and only seemed to get better as the day went on. It was a record day for entries with 667 racers registered and ready to race by the end of morning sign-up. Hats off to the crew working sign up that morning they did a great job taking care of the crush of last minute entries! On behalf of Suzanne and Dave a big thanks also goes out to all of the round 1 racers for your patience that day, it was a heck of a way to kick off the year.
Of course we all know what extra racers mean….qualifiers. The 65-C and 85-C each had 49 entries and 125-C class topped out with 52 riders. The race order was juggled a bit to run these heat and LCQ races then the day’s race schedule continued on without a hitch.
After all the dirt had settled and everyone went on their way home this is the way it shaped up for the top 3 overall in all classes. (results omitted)

Round 2
April 23, 2005

OK I guess we had to expect it, I mean it was sunny and perfect for round 1, let’s just say it wasn’t quite as perfect last Saturday. The move to the Motocross side was definitely the only way to go, the new SX track wouldn’t have held up as well to the combined wrath of Mother Nature and race tuned machines. The day started off wet but the track was in good shape, by the second half of the day it wasn’t so much racing as it was surviving. On the bright side it was a much shorter day and the races finished up early but I am sure it didn’t feel that way to the riders slogging it out on the track. The goggles were flying all day long so it was many a muddy face rolling off the track as the day went on. I think the distance record for the day on the goggle toss goes to Rod Norcross, almost hit the bleachers with one I believe. Eric Soucy had the most accurate toss of the day, practically a ringer on the mechanics fence. So it’s kudos to all that braved it and got muddy the 50 and 65 classes especially, as my grandmother used to say “it’s tough to race when your sunk up to the case”. So after all the mud was rinsed off and more than a few pairs of sneakers were thrown out, this is the way it stacked up. (results omitted)


Round 3
April 30, 2005

Well it turns out that this wrap up might be better called a “wipe up”, as good old mother nature once again brought a little more water than we wanted. After delaying using the SX track the previous week due to worse weather we finally debuted the new Supercross layout and it was unanimous, everyone loves the new design. As I was standing waiting for my sons first moto to stage I heard Joey King tell his dad that this years track was the “best ever”. I heard the same sentiment echoing from many other riders as they came off the track from practice. The start of the day went very well, the rain was just enough to make the track a little tacky and very rideable. The lower number of entries made for longer practice sessions for all rider classes and the mood was good around the track as the first half of the program got under way. The rain began to fall more steadily as we got into the lower part of the qualifying races so after a very brief intermission to shape the track, the main events got under way. The first few Youth class motos went off OK but by the time the 50cc Open race hit the track it was turning into a survival contest. After the slipping and crashing in the 65 C class main Dave and Suzanne wisely decided to call it a day. So if you weren’t able to read any numbers because of the mud or if you decided to just stay home last week this is the way it all stacked up after everything dried. (results omitted)

Round 4
May 7, 2005

Now I am not from the great state of New Hampshire so I have to ask, when does Spring start around these parts? The rain wasn’t very significant last week, just enough to keep the track moist but the cold made it feel just a little more raw than we would have liked. There were plenty of hardy souls who braved the elements & put on an extra layer under the riding gear and they enjoyed a track that was perfectly watered all day. Dave has made some more changes to the layout for the Motocross track and the result has been a more exciting start section and a revamped rhythm section that had many riders trying last ditch passes at the finish line. It seems like racing on the motocross side this year has had a different track every week. Round 4 was the first of 2 WSP vs. NEMX member challenge races and after all the points were counted it is NEMX in the lead. The second half of this challenge series will be Round 7 on May 28th, our fieldtrip to MX338 in Southwick. So spend the next couple of weeks tuning up your sand riding skills because as Suzanne has already said…..”Momma wants that cup!”

In 50cc 4-6 action it was Will Agnew going 2-1 for first, Matthew St Germain had a 5-2 second place effort and Kyle Bergmann went 3-4 for third.
The 50cc 7-8 class had Nathaniel Page laying down a solid 1-1 first; Lane Gagne had a 3-2 for second and third went to Justin Farnum with a 4-3 for the day.
50cc PW class racing was led by the 1-1 of Jesse Hults, Noah Hemenway in second with his 2-2 and Kyle Huckabone went 4-3 for the third spot.
Rounding off the 50cc class was the Open 4-8 and it was Justin Farnum going 2-1 for first, Michael Bradley 1-2 for second and Kyle Kleiner with a 4-3 for third.
In the 65 Open it was Zack Urbanowski slamming down a 1-1 first place effort, Nick Whiton had a solid 2-3 for second and it was Trevor Oski going 6-2 for third.
65 C class racing featured a full gate and it was Sean Reinhard who topped the podium with a 1-1, Johnathon Gonzales captured second with his 2-2 and Austin Willis put together a 3-4 for third.
The 65 B class had Trevor Oski’s 2-1 taking the first place honors, Nick Whiton put in a 1-2 effort for second and Eric Balben snagged third with his 4-3 performance.
In the 65 A class it was Zack Urbanowski, Ryan Malcolm and Tristan Solomon in that order for both moto’s and the day.
The 85 C class was led by a convincing 1-1 from Phil Kamm, Paul Deangelo followed with a 2-2 second and third spot went to the 5-3 effort of Zachary Clark.
The excitement continued with the 85 B race action and it was Greg Harris putting down a 2-1 for first, Shawn Macdonald fought to a 3-2 second and Travis Delnicki hung onto third with a 1-5.
85 A racing had Michael Atkins 2-1 for first, Charlie Smith with a 1-2 second and Kenny Carr putting in a 4-3 third place ride.
Supermini featured some of the most exciting last lap action of the day and it was Stevie Estabrook’s 2-1 taking the top spot, Charlie Smith grabbed second with a 5-2 run and Dana Stacy rounding out the podium at 3-4 for third.
In the 125 C it was Chris Sharra cruising to a 1-1 first, Douglas Pratt put together a 2-3 for second and it was Chris Gates going 4-5 to snag the final spot on the box.
125 B class had Greg Davis with a smooth 1-1, Joel Bugden with a 2-3 for second and Adam Lyman going 3-4 for third.
In the 125 A class it was Chad Charbonneau stomping down a convincing 1-1, Eric Soucy with a solid 2-2 second and Ryan Wood looking smooth at 5-3 for third.
125 Youth C had Doug Pratt running a strong 1-1, Peter Kitsakos rolled together a 2-2 for second and it was Cody O’brien pulling a 4-4 for third place overall.
While for the 125 Youth A&B class it was more diving passes at the finish and Scott Davis with a 1-2 to capture the top spot on the box, Jesse Schmidt going 4-1 for second and Brian Simeneau a solid 3-3 for third.
The 250 C class had Sean Mcewan 1-1 for first, Glen Gallacher with a 2-2 ride for second and Curt Boutwell who had problems right at the end of moto 1 but held onto a 5-3 for third.
For the 250 B class action it was Joel Bugden, Bobby Perez and Erik Ward First second and third in both motos and for the overall.
250 A racing was led by the 1-1 of Chad Charbonneau, Christopher Wisniewski had a 2-2 to grab the second place position and it was Ryan Wood going 4-4 to take the third place trophy.
In Open C racing it was Chris Sharra continuing his great day with a 1-1 for first, Peter Kitsakos going 3-2 for second and Greg Collier pulling out a 4-7 third place finish.
Open B had Greg Davis going 1-1 to take first, Brandon Peters followed up by putting down a 2-2 second and just to keep it consistent Ryan Wood snapped up third with his 3-3 for the day.
Open A class Christopher Wisniewski battled to a 1-1, John Ober was a strong 3-2 for second place and it was the 2-3 of Ryan Wood taking third.
The Women’s class racing action had Deanna Bartlett smoking through a 1-1 for first, Brittany Gagne put together a 3-2 to hold down the second spot and it was the 2-4 of Jessica Bielanski hanging onto the third place spot.
Last but certainly not least we have the 4 Stroke Open class and it was John Ober firmly taking the first place spot with a 1-1, Matt Boron put in a 3-2 to get the second place position and T J Gulla hung onto third with a 2-3 overall.

Round 5
May 14, 2005

At long last we had a beautiful day for racing on the Supercross track!! I was starting to get a little superstitious there after the run of drab weather we have been having. Of course having said that let’s hope your not sitting in the rain reading this. The sky was a bit dark at first but just after practice the clouds went elsewhere and the sun spent the rest of the day warming the track. There was excellent racing in every class and all the big boys of New England motocross seemed to be on hand laying it all down to grab the win. Numbers were about average because the weather scared some people away but there were still qualifiers and LCQ’s run for the 65-C and 85-C classes. The highlight of the day for me was watching Jacob Ryczek lose his seat at the start and then ride the whole race like he didn’t even miss it, nicely done Jacob.

Round 6: did not attend

Round 7
May 28, 2005

There has been an awful lot of motocross racing history made on the sandy soil of Southwick’s MX338 and some legendary riders have emerged to carve out their own place in MX history. What was supposed to be the second part of our Winchester Speedpark and NEMX membership challenge series has come to be called the MX version of the “Perfect Storm” resulting in the largest racer turnout ever in the long history of the track, 1,007 riders to be exact. The combined crews of WSP and NEMX did a bang up job, keeping an army of riders rolling on and off the start gate as well as scoring what must have seemed like a million bikes. Near the end of the second half mother nature won out and the last few motos had to be cancelled but that was a small wrinkle in a very well run day. Nothing completes a trip to “The Wick” like watching Doug Henry rail through the deep sand and when the 30+ A riders lined up there was a very familiar #19 YZ250 rolling up next to them. Now you might think that would intimidate some racers but apparently no one told Todd Richotte as he pulled off what even Carmichael has not been able to do, taking the holeshot from Doug Henry. If you missed it, you missed a historic day although from the turnout I have to think that everyone with an MX bike in New England was at that race. Here is who took the top 3 for the day just in case you didn’t make it. (results omitted)

Round 8
June 11, 2005

If I was going to use one word to sum up Round 8 it would have to be “Holy Crap it’s hot!” OK, OK that is more that one word but those of you who were here last weekend would have to agree that was the best way to describe it. Luckily the racing action was a little bit hotter and the cool waters of the adjoining river provided some respite for those who ventured in. Another whole new section has been added to the Motocross track and the opinion seems to be that it has only made the track better. The faster guys were running around a 1:50 lap time so there is certainly still plenty of ways to get around the track quickly. At about the mid point in the day the track EMT staff asked us to please advise the riders to pay attention to proper hydration and be sure to cool down in between moto’s. I know that I watched at least 2 races where it seemed the heat claimed victory over a rider before the person running behind them did. Speaking of hot, any of you that went to Southwick for the National and I know we saw at least 5 fellow racers, got treated to a blistering day of racing. Hats off to the JYD as John Dowd once again showed everyone how we do it in New England.

Round 9
June 18, 2005

It was sort of a strange day right from the start for last week’s race on the Supercross track. The weather was off and on with a couple short periods of rain followed by clear blue skies. A couple of quick downpours during the race day made for some interesting going in the 85 and 125 Novice class moto’s. Rider turnout was modest at about 250 which set up the days schedule with some combined classes and plenty of track time for the main event races. Round 9 marked the kick-off for this seasons Read 2 Race program and it was a rousing success. This year thanks to Mike Knuerr of MJ Airbrushing and the folks Keene Motorsports each of the Read 2 Race events will have a reader of the week. The reader of the week will receive a custom painted helmet for putting in the effort to make his or her book form the best. So a big thanks to MJ Airbrushing and Keene Motorsports for helping motivate our kids to read, learn and have fun. Last but not least, the strangest thing of all for the day? It was over before we even got to put the lights on! Now let’s take a look at how it all shook out for the top 3 from each class. (results omitted)

Round 10
June 26, 2005

Well it is hard to believe that we are already talking about the close of the Spring Series, and here it is the Fourth of July weekend already. Where has the time gone? The Grand Prix format was a real departure from what a lot of the racers are used to but seemed to be well received. I also know for certain that with temps climbing up as high as 102 degrees the 2 lap board was pretty well received as the day wore on. A lot of people took refuge in the cool waters of the Ashulot river adjoining the Motocross track as a way to beat the heat and there were fans, spray bottle and umbrellas working overtime for those who didn’t swim. As we close out the first half of the year there are some tight races for the top spots in more than a few classes, so be sure to watch for those battles.

Round 11 Spring & Round 1 Fall.
July 2&3, 2005

The Spring series has come to a close and for no fewer than 4 classes it was right down to the wire for the top spots overall. It was an excellent say for racing on the SX track and the track stayed in great shape throughout the day. A few spots got a little challenging as the main event races came around even coming up to bite a few riders as they pushed it hard to move up in the final Spring points race. There were more than a few big smiles at the sign up window as the riders came through to collect their trophy’s and a big congratulations goes out to our Spring series top 10 riders as well as everyone who came to race throughout the Spring. Now that the racing was done for the day it was time to move it across the street for the BBQ and Fireworks. Speaking for myself and everyone that I had conversation with the feast prepared by 4 Stars Catering was AWESOME! The food was fresh, tasty and cooked to perfection. It was a nice lazy summer afternoon that turned into the perfect backdrop for some rockets red glare. The fireworks show put on by Atlas Fireworks was surprisingly big for the small area we had and was a big hit with all of the families on hand.
Then on Sunday morning the fireworks got started all over again. It was a warm sunny day and as the riders made the walk around the MX track it was obvious that racing was going to be interesting. Due to the previous weeks abundant to torrential rains the track had gotten a little soupy. In order to bring the track back into more rideable shape Dave had spread a few hundred yards of sawdust over the track, OK maybe it was more like a thousand. As practice wore on the track surface started to come around and by midway through the day it was back to a dense loamy consistency that allowed the kind of fast, multiple line racing that we are used to seeing on the MX side. More than a few racers have moved up to the next level in their classes and had the first taste of that competition in round 1 on Sunday. Congratulations to all that moved up and have fun with your new rivals! Things seem to be working out with the new FM transmitter on the motocross track side, if you don’t know about this it is 94.6 on your fm dial. I will usually announce the races throughout the day but there will be some gaps in the coverage when I take my son down to the gate. I have been trying to play music during those times so you all don’t think I have gone off the air.
Don’t forget to get your entry forms turned in as early as possible if you are planning on racing with us for the New England Regional Championship event. 3 Days….3 motos….come find out who is the best rider in each class for New England MX. This event promises to be HUGE so don’t miss your chance to be a part of it. There will be a special appearance by Factory Connection/Amsoil Honda’s Mike LaRocco as well as over $5,000 in purse money and $35 K in Honda contingency for this special event so make sure your there to grab an autograph or your share of the cash. For this event we will be using transponders so if you have one of your own already bring it and if not don’t worry because Trackside will be scoring at this event as well as renting transponders for the weekend, the cost is $ 20.00 and requires a refundable deposit.
Since this has been a longer write up than usual what with the double weekend and all the info I had to get across I won’t be listing the top 5 finishers for round 1. You can go to www.winchesterspeedpark.com and click on the “Weekly Results” tab for current points and finish results throughout the season, these are updated following each round.