This story was written in June of 2008, finally decided to share it.
"It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt"
How true that statement can be and although the majority of us may have heard this from our parents it never really held much weight until now for me. I don’t have to tell anyone that the world we live in is a dangerous place. Every single day people lose that roll of the dice with fate and well crap happens...to paraphrase another well known cliché.
In racing the possibility of injury is a way of life, it really isn’t a question of if but rather when and how bad. When bad things happen the family of the sport really shines through as without fail your friends and people whom you may not know any more about than the number on their jersey pitch in and help. I recently helped a young girl who was at an open practice load her boyfriend’s bike as he was being loaded up for transport. As I pushed the bike over to his truck the folks pitted around them who immediately knew something had happened, came over and like a swarm of bees had everything loaded up. I went to give her the keys but she couldn’t drive with the stick-shift so we decide that parking it by the track office would make him feel good and then she could ride with him to the ER. As we drove over she remarked that she didn’t spend much time with him at the track and was surprised at how everybody came over and was so nice to her, asking how she was and helping out. I explained to her that it was just how it was with racers and their families, we all know it sucks to crash and we also know that someday it will be our turn in the barrel. How soon I would get a chance to be right about that one, as not too long after that practice day our barrel rolled in.
It was just another typical race day for us at Winchester Speedpark as we got ready to go for round 4 of the series, it rained the night before but beautiful blue skies greeted us in the morning so it looked like practice would be muddy but the track would shape up to be mint for racing. Jake gated up for his heat race feeling good about the day, he had run a solid fourth in his first outing on the 2008 SX layout and expected to do well again. The gate dropped and he reacted well off the line coming off the start running top five, as the pack rounded turn two Jake had only a handful of guys ahead perfectly set up for the double that would separate the pack a bit allowing him to run smooth laps to work his lines and get a great gate pick for the main....except that didn’t happen.
As soon as Jake left the face of the jump I knew something was wrong because he kicked his left leg out and twisted at the top of the bike. When he came down it looked like he flat landed then bounce-rolled over the next jump off the side of the track and went down. I didn’t really think it was going to be too serious as Jake would most likely get up any time now and remount to finish his heat, pissed at himself for not doing better.....except that didn’t happen either.
As I walked to the corner of the mechanics area to get a better look I saw a track ref pulling Jake’s bike up off him and kneeling down but instead of helping Jake stand up he began vigorously waving for the EMT’s to come over and I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach. At this point everything took on that surreal quality that life sometimes has as it got real quiet for me, I couldn’t really hear the bikes still racing around the track anymore but I was suddenly aware of the wind from the trees behind me. I watched them racing to Jakes side flags waving all over the section as multiple riders had gone down. I stood tensed at the edge of the rope separating me from the track waiting to see how Jake was when I noticed the red flag was now also waving and my stomach found a new low as I knew this meant someone wasn’t getting up, turned out it was my someone.
After the track was cleared I was waved over and I sprinted across the track as fast as I could which was really no match for the way my mind was racing. It was scary to see Jake at the center of a full on exam, head and neck being supported as they prepared to put him on a back board. I knelt down and told Jake I was there for him as he occasionally cried out in pain and the medics did their job. The scariest moment for me was as they ran through the standard various questions to see if he was OK and asked “Jake can you move your foot?” and he said “No” I can’t begin to describe to you all how I felt at that point and even as I write this it is going to make me cry again, I just couldn’t believe I heard him say that.
Then he said “Something is under it.” One of the medical bags had been put down just below his boot and his foot ended up resting against it. At which point the EMT said “Just wiggle your toes, can you wiggle your toes?” And he said “Yes” I almost laughed in relief at that point as that is just so Jake, no matter what he has to give the correct answers to the exact question. Well they back-boarded Jake and we headed for the ambulance as they got me up to speed on what was going to happen, we would be going to the local ER and from there would decide what Jake needed. Once Jake was secured I took off to get the truck to follow behind the ambulance at no point during any of this did I see Jakes bike or any of the gear they took off him but as I ran back to the pits our family descended. “We’ll take care of your stuff just go” and go I did without a second thought knowing Jake and I would be well taken care of in the hands of our extended family and that the folks who loved the sport we loved would be thinking about us and feeling our pain.
As we sped along the highway my eyes grimly focused on the twin back windows of the ambulance in front of me, pulsing lights almost hypnotic after a few miles and I began to play the blame game in my head.
“I shouldn’t have told him to be aggressive on that jump, he could have waited a lap....it’s all my fault.”
What if he has permanent damage? What if he needs surgery?....it’s all my fault”
“What the hell was I thinking even getting him into this.....it’s all my fault”
Sing along with me if you know the words.
At that point I had what some folks describe as a moment of clarity and a line from some old western movie whose name escapes me just popped into my head pushing all of the other scattered worries away.
”Sometimes you just have to roll with what life throws you”
So I just sort of told myself to stop and began to focus on the things that I knew lay ahead now that life had thrown us this little curve. Thankfully I can say that everything ended pretty well for Jake that day after a full round of testing, pokes, prods and scans he was determined to have fractured his L-1 vertebrae but there was no nerve damage or complications. It was definitely going to hurt for a bit but he would recover and be back to race another day.
Am I scared about what will happen?
Hell yeah; but that is a part of life and no matter what we do there is no way to keep the bad things in life at bay. When you grab hold of life and shake it for all it is worth sometimes things happen that you don’t expect. I believe it really is the testing of our mettle that shows us how strong we are, even when we would rather not see it.
After all is said and done it isn’t about how hard you fall but how hard you try to get back up that matters the most.
And so the games begin again......
Showing posts with label Winchester Speedpark. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winchester Speedpark. Show all posts
9/8/08
Wrap up on the 2008 New England Regional Championship for this Motoplayground online report (click here for video link)
Winchester Speedpark puts on New England’s race of the year once again.
photo courtesy www.buckleyphotos.com
The Labor Day weekend has come to be known in New England amateur motocross racing as a time to watch for riders stepping up their game in search of glory and all the rewards that come with it. The 4th annual New England Regional Championship presented by Factory Connection/Amsoil/Honda/Dunlop and Planet Fitness was the stage and Winchester Speedpark was the place to catch all the action.
Leading the charge for the new guard was Factory Connection/Amsoil Honda’s boy wonder Justin Barcia and wow is this kid exciting to watch, he just rings every ounce of speed out of the track. Barcia routinely ripped the fastest lap of the day on his way to the lead in his races but suffered from some mistakes and mechanical issues that sidelined him in a few motos.
Jimmy Decotis rode his DCS Financial Group machine solidly never finishing outside the top 5 all weekend and bringing home the Youth A title. Kawasaki mounted Ryan Blizzard sometimes found himself mired in the pack in the Lites and Motocross classes showing flashes of brilliance throughout the weekend but redeemed himself by riding to the top spot in the Open A.
Fresh off a pair of podiums down at Loretta Lynn’s Team Green/No Fear standout AJ Catanzaro grabbed the Lites B title in a field stacked with Jersey boys Frankie Lettieri and Nick Desederio as well as fast New England local Matt Fisk. The Coastline Motorsports backed Catanzaro followed that with a runner up finish to DeCotis in the Youth A.
Don’t feel too bad for Fisk though he managed a title of his own in the Open B and spent plenty of time of the podium. Lettieri grabbed himself plenty of glory as well taking his American Suzuki ride to the championship in the School Boy, MX and Youth B classes, not bad for his rookie outing on the track.
The Regional has come to be known for much more than just the stellar racing and the 2008 event was no different. With 1,000 race entries and beautiful weather smiling down on us that lasted the whole weekend the folks at Dunlop kicked off the festivities sponsoring the supercross pit bike races as well as returning as sponsor of hugely popular Family Fun night. I spoke with Dunlop’s vice-president Mike Buckley on hand for the event who told me that it was exactly that family atmosphere that made them want to be involved After two days of racing everybody got to relax with team challenge obstacle courses, games for the little ones and free Ben and Jerry’s ice cream sundaes some scooped up by 2008 East Coast Lites champ Trey Canard who was on hand signing autographs and as night fell the fireworks show commenced, perfectly capping the day.
Domination was the order of the 3 day event on the mini’s with David Milana sweeping the 50cc 7-8 on his Cobra while KTM rider Brian Borghesani stacked his hand full of aces in the 50cc 4-6. On the other hand; the vet classes are looking like the usual suspects with Planet Fitness teammates Keith Johnson and Mike Treadwell chasing each other along with Vitamin Water’s Pat Barton and the re-emergence of Wally Silva. Johnson swept his motos in the 30 A and 35 + classes and you can expect to see him on the Vet class podiums for some time to come, the guy is fit, serious and lethal on the track.
This brings us to John Dowd..... Legend? I think so, heck what can you say about the guy that hasn’t already been said? Every cliché is true though, the guy is a machine, probably the most determined rider on the gate in any given race and he seems to be able to just find lines where there aren’t any. Doesn’t just take the 40 + A but snags the MX A class title as well against the fastest of any age. Not to mention the fact that he brought a two-stroke RM250 to the line for the Lites A class.
The second Lites A moto has the makings of a bench racing classic, Barcia and Dowd took off on an epic battle for the race win and neither rider would back down the throttle. Dowd would get the run on Barcia through some of the tighter sections and then Barcia would blaze back with corner speed to maintain the gap on the expansive Winchester Speedpark course. The pace out front was absolutely insane and Dowd just kept positioning his Keene Motorsports ride inside Barcia in turn after turn as the two riders spent all but the final lap of the race within 1.5 seconds of each other but Barcia refused to crack under pressure and eventually rode away with the race win and the Lites title. It was one of those races that folks will be talking about until next years Regional.
4/23/08
Chilly season opener doesn’t cool the pace on the track
Manchester Sports Center rider Mike Hacia powers straight up the center for the holeshot.
Photo courtesy Paul Buckley http://www.buckleyphotos.com/
The racing season has kicked off here in New England and the cold, wet morning that greeted round one’s riders didn’t seem to dampen their spirits lining up to get some fast laps in.
For the young guns coming up through the ranks in the amateur classes there is nothing like finally getting to battle it out with one of the established fast guys to make you feel like you’ve arrived. John Dowd has been racing for a little bit longer than some of those guys have been walking and it must have been pretty wild for 17yr old Mike Hacia to find himself out at the front of a pack that included the affable Dowd. Grabbing the holeshot on his Manchester Sports Center ride and setting a blazing pace early in the moto Hacia pulled out a 2 second lead and held on for the duration while Spectro/Moose Racings Dowd keep the pressure steadily on.
New Hampshire’s own Cory Eaton put on a great ride to hang for a steady third. Going into moto 2 with a second place finish meant that Dowd had to put his Factory Connection ride into the top spot to bring home the overall but it was Honda mounted Eaton stealing away with the holeshot in moto 2. Before too long the honeymoon was over as Dowd put his Pirelli driven ride into first and that is right where he stayed maintaining a comfortable gap over Hacia who played follow the leader getting around Eaton into the second spot. Mike Sottile stepped up the pace on his Kawasaki securing himself the final spot on the overall podium.
Proving that there is no shortage of talent rising to the top the racing action just got better when the Open Amateur riders took the gate. Keene Motorsports backed Chris Sharra took it to the hole and came away with the early lead in moto 1 with Red-Rider Kenny Carr on his back tire and Yamaha mounted Jake Abbott chasing the pair. Carr whittled Sharra’s lead down to just over a second near the end of the moto but was unable to find a way around.
As they took the gate for the second Open Am moto the day turned a bit colder and the Winchester course developed its characteristic multiple lines and rutted surface setting the stage perfectly for the battle to come. Abbott grabbed the holeshot but was quickly dropped to second by Sharra and then found himself down to third as Carr put on the charge and got by on lap 4 but the pair continued to swap positions in every corner. The frantic battle for second allowed Sharra to get a little breathing room but that buffer was soon erased as Abbott and Carr pushed each other to within a half second of Sharra by the white flag. Smooth line choice allowed Sharra to pick through the lapped traffic a little quicker and he held on to take the checkers with Abbott in the second position and Carr not far behind in third.
Complete results for 4/13/2008
2/1/08
DVD Review - Velocity 2
Velocity II
Released by RS Films
-5 Stars-
Velocity; \və-ˈlä-sə-tē, -ˈläs-tē\
Function: noun
Meaning: quickness of motion : speed
The release of Velocity II by young Filmmaker Robb Swiatek may have gotten by you if you are not lucky enough to be around the New England MX scene. One thing is for sure, miss out on picking up this excellent study of a season in the life of some of the northeast’s best riders and you will be the one who is left behind. From the opening scenes of frosty winter weather sending the serious riders southward in search of softer dirt till the ending sequences, back in the dead of winter at the Boo Koo US Open of Arenacross Velocity II brings home the heart and soul of why Motocross gets in your blood.
The release of Velocity II by young Filmmaker Robb Swiatek may have gotten by you if you are not lucky enough to be around the New England MX scene. One thing is for sure, miss out on picking up this excellent study of a season in the life of some of the northeast’s best riders and you will be the one who is left behind. From the opening scenes of frosty winter weather sending the serious riders southward in search of softer dirt till the ending sequences, back in the dead of winter at the Boo Koo US Open of Arenacross Velocity II brings home the heart and soul of why Motocross gets in your blood.
Swiatek, or “Robo Robb” as he has been referred to during his tenure as one of the tireless shooters for last seasons Racer X Motocross.com shows spreads the focus wide on this release. Shifting through the gears at local NESC races to sessions with veteran riders like John Dowd and Tony Lorusso, showcasing the pressure cooker of the New England Regional Championship and the craziness of the Transworld MX Masters of Mini events. What really shines through in this film is the grassroots of families that have raced for generations and riders who do it just for the love of the sport.
So what separates this film from the myriad of other offerings cropping up now that everyone has a video camera and a computer editing program?
The film is beautifully shot throughout, paired with an excellent but unobtrusive soundtrack and it really brings out the dedication that both the riders and filmmaker have for their craft. There is a balanced mix of riding and interviews that paces the film well and keeps the viewer interested and engaged throughout the entire 80 minutes.
I think what I like best is the films ability to show the human side of the riders, the work, dedication and effort it takes along with the silliness and fun without ever declining into the “Jackass on wheels” format that so many new films have a tendency to.
Superbly shot and edited with the focus squarely on the subject at hand Velocity II puts RS Film and Robb Swiatek firmly into the same realm of industry standards like Troy Adamitis and gets a Five out of Five stars on my scale.
Velocity II is available for sale online, purchase and preview clips at;
http://www.videoxsports.com/velocityii.html
For more info on RS Films and additional trailers
12/20/07
New England Regional Championship 2007
Third Annual Factory Connection/ Dirt Wurx
New England Regional Championship.
September 1st-3rd 2007, Winchester NH
New England Regional Championship.
September 1st-3rd 2007, Winchester NH
All images of the 2007 New England Regional Championship are courtesy Buckley Photos. http://www.buckleyphotos.com/
If you are into motocross in New England and don’t know about the New England Regional Championship I have one question. What kind of rock is it that you’ve been under?
For the third year now motocross racers from New England and points beyond descended on the rich loamy soil of Winchester Speedpark to throw down everything they have in the hopes of walking away with a championship. Track owners Dave and Suzanne Boisvert gave this year’s riders a new challenge with a freshly added sand whoop section along with throwing plenty of power robbing wood chips into the mix for the 3 day, 3 moto formats. This year saw special guests Ashley Fiolek and Travis Preston doing a little exhibition riding and signing autographs while Leticia Cline flew in to cameo on the 30 second board as well as hand out some huge trophies.
Kicking off the festivities as the sun set on Friday was an evening of pitbike racing on Winchesters challenging Supercross track, no holds barred racing with some of the usual mini-madness. The folks from Tucker Rocky broke out the T-Shirt gun…..a great time was had by all. Saturday morning dawned and it was back to business, racing fired off with the 125 Expert class and they did not disappoint the crowd lining the fences. Craig Dube got off the gate quickly, carved the inside line through the start and came away out front on his way to the win. Moto 2 was a typical strong showing for the Suzuki of Dowd taking the early lead and running the table from start to finish. The stage was set going into the final moto with Dube and Dowd having both posted a win only this time it Marshall coming out with the holeshot. Dowd was charging hard to overtake Marshall going into the sand whoop section on lap 3 when the unthinkable happened; Dowd’s left hand lost the bars sending him down hard and out of the race. From that point on all Dube had to do was run a smart second and he brought home the 125 Expert championship.
John Dowd holds off the attack of Robbie Marshall.
Craig Dube carving smooth lines.
One of the bigger classes of the weekend was the 125 amateur with heat races on the first 2 days and only the 40 best getting to run day three. Great thing about that is you can have 2 riders coming into the final moto with a perfect 1-1 and all the confidence in the world. Michael Hacia had returned for day 3 after a bone-jarring crash on day 2 in another class left him briefly out cold. While Drew Torrance pushed his Team Green ride out front briefly at the start by the time they completed the first lap Hacia had worked his Manchester Sportscenter Honda into the lead pulling away for the final win and the 125 B title.
New Englands own AJ Catanzaro and Jimmy DeCotis had a rude awakening for Rockstar Suzuki’s Nick Desiderio who made the trip down from his Jersey home. These three young riders spent the weekend in close quarters racing at the front of the pack in the 85-A, Supermini 12-15 and the Schoolboy 2-stroke classes. Catanzaro just couldn’t seem to find his groove on the starts and Desiderio had his share of bad luck in the Schoolboy class with moto 2 ending after his engine grenaded. It was DeCotis who was the picture of consistency guiding his Yamaha to a near perfect 8 wins out of 9 motos on his way to all three titles.
Jimmy DeCotis ran his #3 Yamaha at the top of the podium all weekend.
It seems like every year at the Regional we have seen at least one rider lay down an epic ride; there is just something about this level of competition that brings it out. This year it happened on day two for the Open A/B class. Justin Rando was on the gas into the first turn when he got collected in a small tangle up and found himself last. While people were still talking about the crash Rando had gotten on the gas and came across on lap 1 already running 16th. When he came around for lap 2 in 6th I thought that the trackside system must be wrong……but it wasn’t and Rando just kept charging. Heading into lap 5 there was Justin Rando cruising the 90 left hander over the finish line out in front on the way to the win after starting the race on the ground dead last. There is just something about this race that makes a rider raise the bar even within themselves, all for the wonderful but fleeting feeling of being the first one to see that checkered flag.
Photos by;
For the finest in Motocross Photography and more.
http://www.buckleyphotos.com/
http://www.buckleyphotos.com/
9/6/06
All about the pride.
Labor day weekend 2006...The second annual New England Regional Championship series.
I knew before I even stepped foot on the property at Winchester Speedpark that the 2006 New England Regional Championship was going to be something incredible. You might ask yourself how I was able to ascertain this information; could I possibly have psychic powers? Nope it was when we rounded the final bend in Route 10 and looked down the road at an incredibly long line of vehicles waiting to make entrance to the park well in advance of the scheduled gate opening. That was a 2 and a half long mile of RV’s, trucks and trailers loaded down with bikes, equipment and eager racers to be exact. After sorting out my employment status with the fine representative of Winchester New Hampshire’s law enforcement community we squeezed into line on pit road and made our way in to survey the scene.
I wrote that last years Regional was like driving into the pit area at any pro national and this year was even bigger not to mention the fact that it already looked to me like the pits were as full as the previous year and there was still that pesky massive line of people awaiting entry. We staked our claim to a parking space as our base of operations for the weekend and got busy checking out how awesome the place looked and who had come to throw down for the weekend. It was pretty much a who’s who of New England racing from the perennial crafty veterans John Dowd, Pat Barton and Mike Treadwell to some of the fastest up and coming young guns like Mike Sottile, Matt Fisk and Honda’s newest poster boy Justin Barcia. Making the trip to the New Hampshire hills for the first time were Pennsylvania’s Ronnie Stewart along with New Jersey’s Nick Desiderio and Ryan Blizzard. Stowe Mass’s Robby Marshall was supposed to be off running the Outdoor Nationals but had some issues with his race bike so he loaded his practice ride into the pick-up and came out to play too.
The racing kicked off with the 125 Youth A class and it was New Hampshire’s own Cory Eaton who came away with the holeshot as Marshall struggled from a near last place start managing to salvage an impressive third while Ronnie Stewart went on to take the moto win. The rest of the weekend belonged to Marshall though as he took wins in moto’s two and three to snap up the class championship.
The first day of the weekend went off without a hitch but as night fell Mother Nature decided to make things a little interesting for day two and poured what felt like a foot of rain down on the assembled racers. To say that the second day’s motos were a whole different type of racing would be an understatement but incredibly the competition was just as fierce as any sunny day. Marshall had his podium hopes dashed in the 125 expert with a DNF in the muck even the Junk Yard Dog struggled a bit in the 250 class moto and had to settle for third that day. Dowd was pursued all weekend long by another young standout, Litchfield New Hampshire’s Chad Charbonneau but Chad couldn’t seem to get around Dowdy most of the weekend although not for lack of trying. Don’t feel too bad for John though he swept every other moto win for the weekend in the 250, 30+, 40+ and 125 classes in some cases against those same kids who weren’t even walking when Dowdy started racing. By the end of the race order on Sunday the track had deteriorated into a rutted swampy mess but still the racers took their gate drops and slugged it out as best they could. As my son Jake rolled off at the conclusion of his moto which was 31 out of 33 that day he summed it up best, after he spit out a mouthful of mud he muttered “that was NOT fun Dad”.
As day three dawned the sun actually peeked out in the morning and we were greeted by an impossibly good looking track. The crew from Winchester working alongside the men from Dirtwurx had indeed pulled a rabbit out of their hat and brought the track back into fine form. Possibly the most competitive class of the weekend was the 125 Amateur having had so many riders entered that there had to be 3 divisions to qualify for a spot on the 40 rider gate for the final day. Going into that gate drop you had Ryan Blizzard, Mike Sottile and Connecticut native Josh Clark bring in 1/1 scores and hoping to bring forth a holeshot on the way to a trifecta for the class. Rocketing off the gate to the first turn and spoiling everyone’s plan however was local favorite Greg Davis who put on possibly his best ride of the weekend in that moto and snagged a second place finish. It was Sottile however who worked his way into the lead by lap 2 and never looked back while Clark took a respectable 4th and Blizzard struggled to recover from a bad start having to settle for a 7th place finish.
In the Supermini classes Matt Fisk took advantage of Justin Barcia’s only stumble of the weekend on lap 3 of the final moto in the 12-15 class to win after both entered day three with 1/1 scores from their division races. Meanwhile in the Supermini 7-11 Nick Desiderio battled fellow Jersey boy Luke Renzland all weekend to come away with the top spot on the box.
I could really go on and on about the fantastic racing we were treated to during the 2006 Regional weekend but there were a few stand out moments that really sum it all up. For me the word that best describes why everyone showed up to put it all on the line is pride.
Pushing it as far as they could and in some cases pushing it too far for no other reason then to say that they gave their all. In the Four Stroke Open class it was Mike Correa pushing it so hard into the finish turn midway through moto 3 that he overshot the turn, climbed the side of the finish line jump slamming into the post holding up the finish banner and knocking the crossbar bolts off which brought the bar crashing down. Correa ended up on the side of the hill facing the wrong direction, promptly jumped back on his bike and took off to finish his race. Then you had Robby Marshall who with no hope of a championship after DNF’ing his second moto of the 125 class due to the mud still put it all out on the track trying to dive under the Junkyard Dog in the final turn before the finish. Marshall flew into the inside line of that final turn at an impossible speed showing Dowdy a wheel but couldn’t hold it and put himself on the ground. Robby picked it up and finished 2nd but his pride wouldn’t let him just settle for it so he rolled the dice hard trying for that win. The best example for my money though also came in the final moto for the 125 expert class. Billy Ainsworth wasn’t having his best weekend and going into the first turn it got even worse as he got held up behind some riders who tangled, crossing the finish line on lap 1 he was running 22nd. Pride had to have kicked in hard because Ainsworth proceeded to blaze through lap 2 laying down the fastest lap of the weekend, an insane 1:38 which was a full 12 seconds faster than Dowd who was leading the moto. When Billy crossed the finish line on lap 2 he had moved from 22nd to 8th, passing 14 of the fastest riders in New England on one lap…..pride is the only explanation for that kind of drive. It isn’t about the trophies or the contingency; it is all about looking yourself in the eye and knowing you have done your best. So what will the 2007 Regional Championship bring? I don’t know but I do know that I will be proud to be a part of it and wouldn’t miss it for the world.
I knew before I even stepped foot on the property at Winchester Speedpark that the 2006 New England Regional Championship was going to be something incredible. You might ask yourself how I was able to ascertain this information; could I possibly have psychic powers? Nope it was when we rounded the final bend in Route 10 and looked down the road at an incredibly long line of vehicles waiting to make entrance to the park well in advance of the scheduled gate opening. That was a 2 and a half long mile of RV’s, trucks and trailers loaded down with bikes, equipment and eager racers to be exact. After sorting out my employment status with the fine representative of Winchester New Hampshire’s law enforcement community we squeezed into line on pit road and made our way in to survey the scene.
I wrote that last years Regional was like driving into the pit area at any pro national and this year was even bigger not to mention the fact that it already looked to me like the pits were as full as the previous year and there was still that pesky massive line of people awaiting entry. We staked our claim to a parking space as our base of operations for the weekend and got busy checking out how awesome the place looked and who had come to throw down for the weekend. It was pretty much a who’s who of New England racing from the perennial crafty veterans John Dowd, Pat Barton and Mike Treadwell to some of the fastest up and coming young guns like Mike Sottile, Matt Fisk and Honda’s newest poster boy Justin Barcia. Making the trip to the New Hampshire hills for the first time were Pennsylvania’s Ronnie Stewart along with New Jersey’s Nick Desiderio and Ryan Blizzard. Stowe Mass’s Robby Marshall was supposed to be off running the Outdoor Nationals but had some issues with his race bike so he loaded his practice ride into the pick-up and came out to play too.
The racing kicked off with the 125 Youth A class and it was New Hampshire’s own Cory Eaton who came away with the holeshot as Marshall struggled from a near last place start managing to salvage an impressive third while Ronnie Stewart went on to take the moto win. The rest of the weekend belonged to Marshall though as he took wins in moto’s two and three to snap up the class championship.
Robbie Marshall carves a tight off-camber turn.
Image courtesy http://www.buckleyphotos.com/ do not reproduce.
The first day of the weekend went off without a hitch but as night fell Mother Nature decided to make things a little interesting for day two and poured what felt like a foot of rain down on the assembled racers. To say that the second day’s motos were a whole different type of racing would be an understatement but incredibly the competition was just as fierce as any sunny day. Marshall had his podium hopes dashed in the 125 expert with a DNF in the muck even the Junk Yard Dog struggled a bit in the 250 class moto and had to settle for third that day. Dowd was pursued all weekend long by another young standout, Litchfield New Hampshire’s Chad Charbonneau but Chad couldn’t seem to get around Dowdy most of the weekend although not for lack of trying. Don’t feel too bad for John though he swept every other moto win for the weekend in the 250, 30+, 40+ and 125 classes in some cases against those same kids who weren’t even walking when Dowdy started racing. By the end of the race order on Sunday the track had deteriorated into a rutted swampy mess but still the racers took their gate drops and slugged it out as best they could. As my son Jake rolled off at the conclusion of his moto which was 31 out of 33 that day he summed it up best, after he spit out a mouthful of mud he muttered “that was NOT fun Dad”.
As day three dawned the sun actually peeked out in the morning and we were greeted by an impossibly good looking track. The crew from Winchester working alongside the men from Dirtwurx had indeed pulled a rabbit out of their hat and brought the track back into fine form. Possibly the most competitive class of the weekend was the 125 Amateur having had so many riders entered that there had to be 3 divisions to qualify for a spot on the 40 rider gate for the final day. Going into that gate drop you had Ryan Blizzard, Mike Sottile and Connecticut native Josh Clark bring in 1/1 scores and hoping to bring forth a holeshot on the way to a trifecta for the class. Rocketing off the gate to the first turn and spoiling everyone’s plan however was local favorite Greg Davis who put on possibly his best ride of the weekend in that moto and snagged a second place finish. It was Sottile however who worked his way into the lead by lap 2 and never looked back while Clark took a respectable 4th and Blizzard struggled to recover from a bad start having to settle for a 7th place finish.
Justin Barcia airs it out on his Honda ride.
In the Supermini classes Matt Fisk took advantage of Justin Barcia’s only stumble of the weekend on lap 3 of the final moto in the 12-15 class to win after both entered day three with 1/1 scores from their division races. Meanwhile in the Supermini 7-11 Nick Desiderio battled fellow Jersey boy Luke Renzland all weekend to come away with the top spot on the box.
I could really go on and on about the fantastic racing we were treated to during the 2006 Regional weekend but there were a few stand out moments that really sum it all up. For me the word that best describes why everyone showed up to put it all on the line is pride.
Pushing it as far as they could and in some cases pushing it too far for no other reason then to say that they gave their all. In the Four Stroke Open class it was Mike Correa pushing it so hard into the finish turn midway through moto 3 that he overshot the turn, climbed the side of the finish line jump slamming into the post holding up the finish banner and knocking the crossbar bolts off which brought the bar crashing down. Correa ended up on the side of the hill facing the wrong direction, promptly jumped back on his bike and took off to finish his race. Then you had Robby Marshall who with no hope of a championship after DNF’ing his second moto of the 125 class due to the mud still put it all out on the track trying to dive under the Junkyard Dog in the final turn before the finish. Marshall flew into the inside line of that final turn at an impossible speed showing Dowdy a wheel but couldn’t hold it and put himself on the ground. Robby picked it up and finished 2nd but his pride wouldn’t let him just settle for it so he rolled the dice hard trying for that win. The best example for my money though also came in the final moto for the 125 expert class. Billy Ainsworth wasn’t having his best weekend and going into the first turn it got even worse as he got held up behind some riders who tangled, crossing the finish line on lap 1 he was running 22nd. Pride had to have kicked in hard because Ainsworth proceeded to blaze through lap 2 laying down the fastest lap of the weekend, an insane 1:38 which was a full 12 seconds faster than Dowd who was leading the moto. When Billy crossed the finish line on lap 2 he had moved from 22nd to 8th, passing 14 of the fastest riders in New England on one lap…..pride is the only explanation for that kind of drive. It isn’t about the trophies or the contingency; it is all about looking yourself in the eye and knowing you have done your best. So what will the 2007 Regional Championship bring? I don’t know but I do know that I will be proud to be a part of it and wouldn’t miss it for the world.
12/14/05
First annual New England Regional Championships showcases area’s best racing talent
The first annual NE Regional Championship has come and gone but the bench racing and reminiscing will definitely go on all year. The idea for this series was born out of years of talk between racing friends Ricky Zielfelder from Factory Connection and Dave Boisvert co-owner of Winchester Speedpark. Why is it that New England is the second largest center for MX racing in the country but had no way to decide who the fastest racers were from the multiple organizations racing there? The Labor Day weekend of 2005 was marked as the date and the Winchester Speedpark Motocross track was the spot. Owners Suzanne and Dave Boisvert had everything in order and the weather could not have been more perfect. Rolling into the pits on Saturday morning I was amazed at how the Winchester Speedpark track had transformed from the one I am so accustomed to seeing week in and week out to one that looked like the home of a national. Cruising along the vendor row I was just blown away at how much it felt like walking through the pits/ vendor areas for our annual trip to “The Wick”, it was flat out awesome.
The format for the 3 day weekends race was a single moto for each class each day, 3 motos to determine the overall in each class. The first gate drop for the weekend was the 125 Expert Class and it was to be an indicator of how the racing would go for the entire weekend. The lead changed 3 times in the first 2 laps and the battles ran deep throughout the class. Chad Charbonneau has been running up in the Canadian national series and posting some very good results and he continued to show his skills throughout the weekend. The Litchfield New Hampshire native ran his Cernics.com/Factory Connection Hondas around like he was on rails smooth and scary fast going 1/1/1 in both the 125 and 250 expert classes. You can definitely expect to hear big things from Chad Charbonneau in the very near future, think Factory big and you can quote me on that.
Taking the top spot on the podium in the 125 Youth A class was Maine’s Craig Dube although in the final moto of the weekend it almost slipped away when hard charging Justin Rando pushed the issue crowding his Yamaha in through a very tight inside line with room for just one sending Dube to the ground and almost knocking him off the top of the podium. Dube remounted to take third giving him a 1/1/3 for the overall win with Rando running 2/2/2 for the second spot. Wareham Cycle Center/American Suzuki rider Mike Picone put together a 3/3/1 to snag the final podium spot. I lost count of the number of times I saw racers pushing it hard in the final turn before the checkered flag to move up one more spot but undoubtedly the best one of the weekend had to go to Michael Sottile. An unfortunate mechanical DNF in moto 1 took him out of the running for a title but in the second moto of the 3 the Kawasaki mounted Sottile was relentless sticking a wheel in at the very last turn and taking the win by .006 seconds. It was a smooth and consistent weekend from the Keene Motorsports backed Kawasaki of Matt Fisk who took the overall win in the 85 A 10-14 with a 1/2/3.
Fresh off of winning 2 85cc titles at Loretta Lynn’s and looking just as sharp was Monroe New York’s Justin Barcia. With a perfect record for holeshots and 1/1/1 finishes in both the 85 A 7-13 and Supermini 7-13 the FMF/Honda backed Barcia was unstoppable. Now lest we forget that Amateur motocross is more than just the 125 young guns and Mini classes I have to mention a New England motocross road warrior who richly deserves the attention. 39 year old Pat Barton can be found on any given weekend mixing it up on the MX tracks of New England, from Maine to New York racing for longer than some of those new “phenoms” in the minis have been alive. The Troy Lee Designs backed Barton swept all 3 motos in the 25+ and 35+ classes then took 5th overall in the Four-Stroke Open class. For good measure Barton was on track for a podium in the 250 Expert with a 3/5 going into the final day but got tangled with another rider at the start of the moto, fighting back to finish 14th gave him a 6th overall. That’s 4 classes with 2 sweeps and top 10 finishes in the rest, can you say competitive?
So you get my point? There was so much going on over the 3 day holiday weekend that you would have needed a full week to take it all in. Oddly enough, for me the whole New England Regional experience was summed up during the sight lap practice on the foggy Monday morning of the final day. Although the weather during the race days was perfect, clear blue skies breezy and warm, during practice on Sunday it was a little foggy but it burned off quickly and practice was accented by a low layer of fog that the bikes rolled through like a rock and roll stage set. Monday was a different story as the fog hung low and late, almost as if Mother Nature was reluctant to let the weekend come to an end. As the riders lined up for the sight lap practice and started off I was struck by what a perfect metaphor that was for the sport of Motocross, the truly solitary nature of racing. All the factory rigs and RV’s in the pits, fans and families lining the fences and the bright banners of the starting area were left behind. One by one the riders made their way out onto the track and heading out towards the back section they disappeared into the mist all alone. Soon enough they would wisp back into view only to promptly turn and disappear again. Faint glimpses of rider and bike through the heavy morning air like the mythical ghost riders. All on their own plunging headlong through the unknown until they reemerged to roll off the exit gate coated in mud and none the worse for the wear. Then again maybe I think too much
How long is it until the next New England Regional? Only 360 more days, I know I’ll be there.
The format for the 3 day weekends race was a single moto for each class each day, 3 motos to determine the overall in each class. The first gate drop for the weekend was the 125 Expert Class and it was to be an indicator of how the racing would go for the entire weekend. The lead changed 3 times in the first 2 laps and the battles ran deep throughout the class. Chad Charbonneau has been running up in the Canadian national series and posting some very good results and he continued to show his skills throughout the weekend. The Litchfield New Hampshire native ran his Cernics.com/Factory Connection Hondas around like he was on rails smooth and scary fast going 1/1/1 in both the 125 and 250 expert classes. You can definitely expect to hear big things from Chad Charbonneau in the very near future, think Factory big and you can quote me on that.
Taking the top spot on the podium in the 125 Youth A class was Maine’s Craig Dube although in the final moto of the weekend it almost slipped away when hard charging Justin Rando pushed the issue crowding his Yamaha in through a very tight inside line with room for just one sending Dube to the ground and almost knocking him off the top of the podium. Dube remounted to take third giving him a 1/1/3 for the overall win with Rando running 2/2/2 for the second spot. Wareham Cycle Center/American Suzuki rider Mike Picone put together a 3/3/1 to snag the final podium spot. I lost count of the number of times I saw racers pushing it hard in the final turn before the checkered flag to move up one more spot but undoubtedly the best one of the weekend had to go to Michael Sottile. An unfortunate mechanical DNF in moto 1 took him out of the running for a title but in the second moto of the 3 the Kawasaki mounted Sottile was relentless sticking a wheel in at the very last turn and taking the win by .006 seconds. It was a smooth and consistent weekend from the Keene Motorsports backed Kawasaki of Matt Fisk who took the overall win in the 85 A 10-14 with a 1/2/3.
Fresh off of winning 2 85cc titles at Loretta Lynn’s and looking just as sharp was Monroe New York’s Justin Barcia. With a perfect record for holeshots and 1/1/1 finishes in both the 85 A 7-13 and Supermini 7-13 the FMF/Honda backed Barcia was unstoppable. Now lest we forget that Amateur motocross is more than just the 125 young guns and Mini classes I have to mention a New England motocross road warrior who richly deserves the attention. 39 year old Pat Barton can be found on any given weekend mixing it up on the MX tracks of New England, from Maine to New York racing for longer than some of those new “phenoms” in the minis have been alive. The Troy Lee Designs backed Barton swept all 3 motos in the 25+ and 35+ classes then took 5th overall in the Four-Stroke Open class. For good measure Barton was on track for a podium in the 250 Expert with a 3/5 going into the final day but got tangled with another rider at the start of the moto, fighting back to finish 14th gave him a 6th overall. That’s 4 classes with 2 sweeps and top 10 finishes in the rest, can you say competitive?
So you get my point? There was so much going on over the 3 day holiday weekend that you would have needed a full week to take it all in. Oddly enough, for me the whole New England Regional experience was summed up during the sight lap practice on the foggy Monday morning of the final day. Although the weather during the race days was perfect, clear blue skies breezy and warm, during practice on Sunday it was a little foggy but it burned off quickly and practice was accented by a low layer of fog that the bikes rolled through like a rock and roll stage set. Monday was a different story as the fog hung low and late, almost as if Mother Nature was reluctant to let the weekend come to an end. As the riders lined up for the sight lap practice and started off I was struck by what a perfect metaphor that was for the sport of Motocross, the truly solitary nature of racing. All the factory rigs and RV’s in the pits, fans and families lining the fences and the bright banners of the starting area were left behind. One by one the riders made their way out onto the track and heading out towards the back section they disappeared into the mist all alone. Soon enough they would wisp back into view only to promptly turn and disappear again. Faint glimpses of rider and bike through the heavy morning air like the mythical ghost riders. All on their own plunging headlong through the unknown until they reemerged to roll off the exit gate coated in mud and none the worse for the wear. Then again maybe I think too much
How long is it until the next New England Regional? Only 360 more days, I know I’ll be there.
8/6/05
New Cycle News story links.
This is a race report from Round 10 of the Winchester Speedpark Spring series.
http://www.cyclenews.com/events/ShowStory.asp?HeadlineID=535
Race report from Round 5 of the Winchester Speedpark Spring series.
http://www.cyclenews.com/events/ShowStory.asp?HeadlineID=290
http://www.cyclenews.com/events/ShowStory.asp?HeadlineID=535
Race report from Round 5 of the Winchester Speedpark Spring series.
http://www.cyclenews.com/events/ShowStory.asp?HeadlineID=290
8/3/05
How it all began
Originally published in Moto Sports magazine issue 163 March 2005.
New Hampshire’s Route 10 winds along up and down the countryside, two-lane blacktop passing through towns and colonial era villages eventually opening to reveal Winchester Speedpark. But the road to bring David and Suzanne Boisvert’s dream of opening their own track to life was filled with as many obstacles as their Dirtwurx built Supercross track.
Suzanne describes herself and Dave as “high-school sweethearts” and although David didn’t grow up racing (his parents weren’t too keen on it) by the time they met his love for the sport was already well established. Racing from 1986 on with District 34, NESC and NEMA as well as putting in some national qualifying efforts gave them a solid sense of the fun, excitement and family that Motocross provided. As with many racers David dreamed of someday owning his own track and in 1998 he and Suzanne began the odyssey that would eventually lead them to Winchester.
Living in Townsend Mass at the time they found a piece of land that they thought would be the place to bring their dream of a motocross track to life. They met with lawyers and engineers, drew up plans and began the process of getting it approved by the town. Suzanne and David went to town meetings, made up T-shirts, signs, brought in some friends from NEMA and the AMA to help and really campaigned even speaking to the local TV cameras. Because the original plan called for an MX track and skateboard park it was very controversial and after a year of putting heart, soul and thousands of dollars of savings into it they were shot down. After spending time recovering from that they decided to try again and so they started looking at pieces of land all over Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Then fate finally began to lend a hand.
So how did you end up getting the Winchester track open?
Suzanne: Well the good news about all of those unsuccessful efforts that we had made, being in the papers and being so vocal and really trying hard was recognized by the people that owned Winchester Speedpark. At the time they were an oval Sprint car track and they were having a little trouble with his business so they called us and asked us about coming in as partners. We went up and looked the track over and thought they were very nice but we weren’t really looking to have partners. Instead we decided to spend some time building a new house and just taking care of some other things. In January of 2002 we get this call from them again and they were on the brink of losing the whole place, they needed someone to come in.
David: They had like a month before the town was just going to come in and take it all.
Suzanne: So it was like April 2002 that we closed papers and then it was just a whirlwind to get the place open. (to David) I don’t know how you did it.
David: That was probably the hardest I ever worked in my life there was so much junk on the property it was unbelievable. There were at least 25 junk cars, animals everywhere, 2 mobile trailers and trees all over, just trash everywhere.
Suzanne: There was an abandoned horse barn with this much manure in it. (indicating her hip) So there we are working to clean the place up and build up the name again and meanwhile we don’t have any software, computers, really anything and we don’t know how we are going to run the sign ups, there was just so much. Luckily we had so many friends in the racing community that came in and helped us out.
David: It was a scary thing but at least we had friends and people in the sport that we could go to. I mean as far as the racing aspect I wasn’t worried but the business aspect you forget about so much. I mean my dream was always to be up on the dozer grooming the track, to me that was owning a track and there is just so much more.
Suzanne: The best part about this was that when we went to the town of Winchester told them we had bought the track and that we were planning on doing motocross racing they just stood up and clapped. It was like night and day compared to all of the town boards that we had been in front of. The town of Winchester has been amazingly supportive we are so pleased to be there.
The SX track was the first open, why did you go with that format?
David: Basically we were just making the best use of the space that we had at the time.
How was it that you came to get involved with Dirtwurx?
Suzanne: Well Dave was like “we should try Dirtwurx” and I was thinking what are you kidding me.
David: In my mind I just figured that we would try the best and if they said no then we would work out something else. So I called Rich and it took him 2 or 3 weeks to get back to us but when they called us and Rich says “This is Dirtwurx”.
Suzanne: I remember answering the phone and we were just “Oh my god, he‘s really on the phone” and Rich is the nicest, most down to earth person you’ll ever meet. So we told him what we wanted to do, sent him some dimensions and we set this date that he would be coming in March to Winchester.
David: Luckily that year we had a good winter so he told us what he needed for equipment and that he needed at least 100 loads of dirt and it’s got to be this particular type of dirt, I mean you think dirt is dirt.
Was building the MX track something that you had planned from the start?
Suzanne: No, how that happened was just a miracle.
David: When we were building the Supercross track we had a bunch of people bringing us dirt to check out, all these 5 gallon buckets of dirt and the last guy to come in is Gary Beaman, and he is this 300 pound bear of a guy. He comes in and he is like come on with me, so we get in his truck and go down his gravel pit and shows me this dirt which is great and asks me “do you like it?” So I tell him that we need 100 truckloads in like a week and he tells me I’ll have every single truckload for you by Friday” and sure enough he had 100 loads piled up at the end of the pits by Friday.
Suzanne: So we establish this great relationship with him, he just had so much respect for the amount of work that David was doing and it turns out that he owns the land across the street.
David: We had asked him a couple years ago, just sort of dreaming about things if he was ever interested in selling the land and he had other plans for it so that was that. Then last year we asked him again and he agreed to sell, I mean right across the street how perfect can you get.
When you started building the MX track did you consciously design it to be “old school?
David: I had the idea to build a motocross track and so I called Rich from Dirtwurx and asked him to come out and walk a track with me. So he came out with his four-wheeler, we laid it all out and we both had the same thing in mind, to build a real motocross track. I mean we could have done a wicked Motocross/Supercross style track over there but we wanted to keep it a more natural terrain. I guess some people disagree with that and think it could be more exciting but I’ll tell you every single day that we have a race and the ambulance company tells us they haven’t had to leave all day I’m happy.
Suzanne: That’s the most important thing.
David: I check out the track all day long and I look to see the different lines and how people are passing so if I see a spot where I only see one or two lines I start to try and think of little changes I can make. Bottom line is the rider has got to be creative and use their head that’s what motocross is.
Take us through a typical week getting ready for a race.
David: Usually on Sunday when the race finishes, or even before if I can, I jump on the backhoe and start doing trash. Then I’ll go there on Monday finish up the trash, survey the damage and see what needs to be done. Tuesdays we will cleanup, sweep out the insides of the track and do the food order, sometimes take a half-day off. Then on Wednesday and Thursday we start grooming the tracks and on Friday start watering.
Suzanne: Luckily my mother does the concession stand and hopefully she’ll be back to do that in 2005. We have a good crew of flaggers and we try to support the teenagers in town. I just have a great crew of people that show up and do what they are supposed to do and we try to make it fun and pay them well.
David: A big thing for us last year was getting Tom Lyons as our Head Referee and then families like the Stacy’s who have helped us so much.
What is the hardest track position to fill?
David: I think there all hard jobs. I mean you have to have good referees someone who is fair, with the right attitude that loves racing. Flaggers need to be good, the starters have to know what is going on, the finish flaggers keep things running on the track and the scorers have to be accurate. I mean you lose one and you lose the link….it’s a whole team, you take one piece out of that and it can screw the whole thing up
What do you feel you offer racers at WSP that separates you from other tracks?
Suzanne: I think it is our professionalism and our attitude, plus we really try to gear towards families.
David: I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I’m a racer so I have kind of seen all the aspects of it and then I just put it my way. Then when people come up to me and say “hey what about this?”…I know how they feel. It’s not like I just want your money and don’t care, I want everything to go right. We listen and we try to treat everyone equal.
Suzanne: We want to strive to always be better, we want it to be a nice facility. Because we went with David as a family when he was racing and it gets tough being out in the middle of nowhere in the dirt. I think it’s appealing to me as a woman that we have real toilets. (laughs) Plus there are so many siblings that come who don’t race, we want it to be a place for everyone.
David: We want it to be like your weekend vacation.
Do you think that the special event stuff that you do is a boost for turnout or just a bonus you like to offer the racers that are coming anyway?
Suzanne: To be honest with you we could care less if we gain one more person, we just want to do it better for the riders/families and make sure they all have more fun.
How do you balance the safety and challenge aspects of planning a track?
Suzanne: Honestly that is why we hired Dirtwurx, that is why we spent the money to get a professional. I don’t think it’s safe or wise to just decide your going to build a track. I mean it has to do with so many factors, where are you going to land off a jump and how that works into the next section.
David: You ask Rich from Dirtwurx any question with regard to that and he has got an answer. People are always saying to me “You know how to do the track why don’t you just do it?”
Suzanne: What if someone got hurt because of something we tried to do to save money? It’s just not worth it.
Do you feel a sense of responsibility to the racers?
Suzanne: Oh yes, they’re like our families I feel close to everybody that we have come to know. I mean they are our customers so you want to make them happy but it is more than that. We know how expensive it is because we have done it, I mean all the time that you take to get the bikes ready, all the practice time that is invested and all the traveling. It’s a huge investment of time and money so we want to give them what they want.
David: We try to always give them our best.
Lets talk about some of the stuff you have coming up for 2005.
David: We have some really exciting things coming up for 2005, a couple of the things we are planning start before you even get to the track. We understand that not everyone in the family comes out to the track to race so we want to offer something for all of them as well. We are planning on putting in a volleyball court, clearing off some land along the river as a beach area for swimming or fishing.
Suzanne: And a bathhouse….with showers.
The Grand Prix format race is something that seems to very well received can you tell us a little about that?
Suzanne: We are looking at it as a way to change things up and we will see what the reaction is.
David: We look at people that will be racing our tracks week in and week out and try to give them something different, it should be a fun event. It will be a different kind of start; I can maybe add a loop in the field or something to make it a little interesting. Some people might love it, some might not so you have to just wait and see if that is something people want.
The New England Regional series September 3rd, 4th and 5th looks to be fun. What format will be used for that weekend?
Suzanne: That will be a three-moto format kind of like the Mini-O’s. The first day will be more practice and qualifiers.
David: Everything will be on a time schedule, first day all the classes will have a long practice and then after that we start the qualifiers. We are only running the primary bike classes for this, no open class and the idea is that the winner of each class is the best in New England.
How would you like to see this series grow?
David: I would like to see this be an annual event and have it be the biggest amateur event in New England.
Suzanne: This event is really the brainchild of Rick Zielfelder and David together. Rick is seeing all of these big events that Factory Connection is involved in and seeing that they are not here. We have a lot of great racing and organizations but we have to travel so far to be in the bigger events and he just feels like why not here.
David: We need to bring something great here. We have all these great organizations going, all these fast guys racing in different places, let’s put them all together and see who really is fast.
Suzanne: Plus it will groom these next generation riders you’ll get to see these little diamonds coming out and the competition is great to hone that. We can’t say right now who it is but we are planning to have a well-known national rider come for this event also.
(authors note; they are referring to a certain Factory Connection Honda pilot, #5 I believe…but you didn’t get that from me)
Who will you have riding for the Winchester Speedpark/Keene Motorsports team this year?
David: Eric Soucy will be back with us, we have Kip Komosa on the team this year. We will also have Youth rider Matt Fisk and professional snocrosser Matt Boron rounding out the team this year.
At the end of the race day when your laying your head down on the pillow, what is that one thought that will just nag at you?
Suzanne: Injury..absolutely.
David: Definitely injury or if someone is not happy, something we couldn’t fix.
At the end of the race day when your laying your head down on the pillow what is that one thought that makes you smile?
Suzanne: We did it again! Just that we had a good event and everyone was happy, good connections with people.
David: I watch all the races so seeing people have a good race day is great but we aren’t kidding; when the ambulance doesn’t leave we’re happy. We’ll go up to the ambulance company and say “glad you didn’t have to do your job today”. We take it very personally.
David and Suzanne would like to thank all of their sponsors: Keene Motorsports, Factory Connection, Tucker Rocky with Answer gear, Kendra Tires, Troy Lee Design, Spectro Oil, Tri-Star Racing, TSS Graphics and HRP Sports. We would also like to thank all of the wonderful families that have raced with us, we look forward to seeing you all for another great season.
For more information about Moto Sports magazine publisher
Paul Buckley check out his web site.
http://www.buckleyphotos.com
New Hampshire’s Route 10 winds along up and down the countryside, two-lane blacktop passing through towns and colonial era villages eventually opening to reveal Winchester Speedpark. But the road to bring David and Suzanne Boisvert’s dream of opening their own track to life was filled with as many obstacles as their Dirtwurx built Supercross track.
Suzanne describes herself and Dave as “high-school sweethearts” and although David didn’t grow up racing (his parents weren’t too keen on it) by the time they met his love for the sport was already well established. Racing from 1986 on with District 34, NESC and NEMA as well as putting in some national qualifying efforts gave them a solid sense of the fun, excitement and family that Motocross provided. As with many racers David dreamed of someday owning his own track and in 1998 he and Suzanne began the odyssey that would eventually lead them to Winchester.
Living in Townsend Mass at the time they found a piece of land that they thought would be the place to bring their dream of a motocross track to life. They met with lawyers and engineers, drew up plans and began the process of getting it approved by the town. Suzanne and David went to town meetings, made up T-shirts, signs, brought in some friends from NEMA and the AMA to help and really campaigned even speaking to the local TV cameras. Because the original plan called for an MX track and skateboard park it was very controversial and after a year of putting heart, soul and thousands of dollars of savings into it they were shot down. After spending time recovering from that they decided to try again and so they started looking at pieces of land all over Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Then fate finally began to lend a hand.
So how did you end up getting the Winchester track open?
Suzanne: Well the good news about all of those unsuccessful efforts that we had made, being in the papers and being so vocal and really trying hard was recognized by the people that owned Winchester Speedpark. At the time they were an oval Sprint car track and they were having a little trouble with his business so they called us and asked us about coming in as partners. We went up and looked the track over and thought they were very nice but we weren’t really looking to have partners. Instead we decided to spend some time building a new house and just taking care of some other things. In January of 2002 we get this call from them again and they were on the brink of losing the whole place, they needed someone to come in.
David: They had like a month before the town was just going to come in and take it all.
Suzanne: So it was like April 2002 that we closed papers and then it was just a whirlwind to get the place open. (to David) I don’t know how you did it.
David: That was probably the hardest I ever worked in my life there was so much junk on the property it was unbelievable. There were at least 25 junk cars, animals everywhere, 2 mobile trailers and trees all over, just trash everywhere.
Suzanne: There was an abandoned horse barn with this much manure in it. (indicating her hip) So there we are working to clean the place up and build up the name again and meanwhile we don’t have any software, computers, really anything and we don’t know how we are going to run the sign ups, there was just so much. Luckily we had so many friends in the racing community that came in and helped us out.
David: It was a scary thing but at least we had friends and people in the sport that we could go to. I mean as far as the racing aspect I wasn’t worried but the business aspect you forget about so much. I mean my dream was always to be up on the dozer grooming the track, to me that was owning a track and there is just so much more.
Suzanne: The best part about this was that when we went to the town of Winchester told them we had bought the track and that we were planning on doing motocross racing they just stood up and clapped. It was like night and day compared to all of the town boards that we had been in front of. The town of Winchester has been amazingly supportive we are so pleased to be there.
The SX track was the first open, why did you go with that format?
David: Basically we were just making the best use of the space that we had at the time.
How was it that you came to get involved with Dirtwurx?
Suzanne: Well Dave was like “we should try Dirtwurx” and I was thinking what are you kidding me.
David: In my mind I just figured that we would try the best and if they said no then we would work out something else. So I called Rich and it took him 2 or 3 weeks to get back to us but when they called us and Rich says “This is Dirtwurx”.
Suzanne: I remember answering the phone and we were just “Oh my god, he‘s really on the phone” and Rich is the nicest, most down to earth person you’ll ever meet. So we told him what we wanted to do, sent him some dimensions and we set this date that he would be coming in March to Winchester.
David: Luckily that year we had a good winter so he told us what he needed for equipment and that he needed at least 100 loads of dirt and it’s got to be this particular type of dirt, I mean you think dirt is dirt.
Was building the MX track something that you had planned from the start?
Suzanne: No, how that happened was just a miracle.
David: When we were building the Supercross track we had a bunch of people bringing us dirt to check out, all these 5 gallon buckets of dirt and the last guy to come in is Gary Beaman, and he is this 300 pound bear of a guy. He comes in and he is like come on with me, so we get in his truck and go down his gravel pit and shows me this dirt which is great and asks me “do you like it?” So I tell him that we need 100 truckloads in like a week and he tells me I’ll have every single truckload for you by Friday” and sure enough he had 100 loads piled up at the end of the pits by Friday.
Suzanne: So we establish this great relationship with him, he just had so much respect for the amount of work that David was doing and it turns out that he owns the land across the street.
David: We had asked him a couple years ago, just sort of dreaming about things if he was ever interested in selling the land and he had other plans for it so that was that. Then last year we asked him again and he agreed to sell, I mean right across the street how perfect can you get.
When you started building the MX track did you consciously design it to be “old school?
David: I had the idea to build a motocross track and so I called Rich from Dirtwurx and asked him to come out and walk a track with me. So he came out with his four-wheeler, we laid it all out and we both had the same thing in mind, to build a real motocross track. I mean we could have done a wicked Motocross/Supercross style track over there but we wanted to keep it a more natural terrain. I guess some people disagree with that and think it could be more exciting but I’ll tell you every single day that we have a race and the ambulance company tells us they haven’t had to leave all day I’m happy.
Suzanne: That’s the most important thing.
David: I check out the track all day long and I look to see the different lines and how people are passing so if I see a spot where I only see one or two lines I start to try and think of little changes I can make. Bottom line is the rider has got to be creative and use their head that’s what motocross is.
Take us through a typical week getting ready for a race.
David: Usually on Sunday when the race finishes, or even before if I can, I jump on the backhoe and start doing trash. Then I’ll go there on Monday finish up the trash, survey the damage and see what needs to be done. Tuesdays we will cleanup, sweep out the insides of the track and do the food order, sometimes take a half-day off. Then on Wednesday and Thursday we start grooming the tracks and on Friday start watering.
Suzanne: Luckily my mother does the concession stand and hopefully she’ll be back to do that in 2005. We have a good crew of flaggers and we try to support the teenagers in town. I just have a great crew of people that show up and do what they are supposed to do and we try to make it fun and pay them well.
David: A big thing for us last year was getting Tom Lyons as our Head Referee and then families like the Stacy’s who have helped us so much.
What is the hardest track position to fill?
David: I think there all hard jobs. I mean you have to have good referees someone who is fair, with the right attitude that loves racing. Flaggers need to be good, the starters have to know what is going on, the finish flaggers keep things running on the track and the scorers have to be accurate. I mean you lose one and you lose the link….it’s a whole team, you take one piece out of that and it can screw the whole thing up
What do you feel you offer racers at WSP that separates you from other tracks?
Suzanne: I think it is our professionalism and our attitude, plus we really try to gear towards families.
David: I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I’m a racer so I have kind of seen all the aspects of it and then I just put it my way. Then when people come up to me and say “hey what about this?”…I know how they feel. It’s not like I just want your money and don’t care, I want everything to go right. We listen and we try to treat everyone equal.
Suzanne: We want to strive to always be better, we want it to be a nice facility. Because we went with David as a family when he was racing and it gets tough being out in the middle of nowhere in the dirt. I think it’s appealing to me as a woman that we have real toilets. (laughs) Plus there are so many siblings that come who don’t race, we want it to be a place for everyone.
David: We want it to be like your weekend vacation.
Do you think that the special event stuff that you do is a boost for turnout or just a bonus you like to offer the racers that are coming anyway?
Suzanne: To be honest with you we could care less if we gain one more person, we just want to do it better for the riders/families and make sure they all have more fun.
How do you balance the safety and challenge aspects of planning a track?
Suzanne: Honestly that is why we hired Dirtwurx, that is why we spent the money to get a professional. I don’t think it’s safe or wise to just decide your going to build a track. I mean it has to do with so many factors, where are you going to land off a jump and how that works into the next section.
David: You ask Rich from Dirtwurx any question with regard to that and he has got an answer. People are always saying to me “You know how to do the track why don’t you just do it?”
Suzanne: What if someone got hurt because of something we tried to do to save money? It’s just not worth it.
Do you feel a sense of responsibility to the racers?
Suzanne: Oh yes, they’re like our families I feel close to everybody that we have come to know. I mean they are our customers so you want to make them happy but it is more than that. We know how expensive it is because we have done it, I mean all the time that you take to get the bikes ready, all the practice time that is invested and all the traveling. It’s a huge investment of time and money so we want to give them what they want.
David: We try to always give them our best.
Lets talk about some of the stuff you have coming up for 2005.
David: We have some really exciting things coming up for 2005, a couple of the things we are planning start before you even get to the track. We understand that not everyone in the family comes out to the track to race so we want to offer something for all of them as well. We are planning on putting in a volleyball court, clearing off some land along the river as a beach area for swimming or fishing.
Suzanne: And a bathhouse….with showers.
The Grand Prix format race is something that seems to very well received can you tell us a little about that?
Suzanne: We are looking at it as a way to change things up and we will see what the reaction is.
David: We look at people that will be racing our tracks week in and week out and try to give them something different, it should be a fun event. It will be a different kind of start; I can maybe add a loop in the field or something to make it a little interesting. Some people might love it, some might not so you have to just wait and see if that is something people want.
The New England Regional series September 3rd, 4th and 5th looks to be fun. What format will be used for that weekend?
Suzanne: That will be a three-moto format kind of like the Mini-O’s. The first day will be more practice and qualifiers.
David: Everything will be on a time schedule, first day all the classes will have a long practice and then after that we start the qualifiers. We are only running the primary bike classes for this, no open class and the idea is that the winner of each class is the best in New England.
How would you like to see this series grow?
David: I would like to see this be an annual event and have it be the biggest amateur event in New England.
Suzanne: This event is really the brainchild of Rick Zielfelder and David together. Rick is seeing all of these big events that Factory Connection is involved in and seeing that they are not here. We have a lot of great racing and organizations but we have to travel so far to be in the bigger events and he just feels like why not here.
David: We need to bring something great here. We have all these great organizations going, all these fast guys racing in different places, let’s put them all together and see who really is fast.
Suzanne: Plus it will groom these next generation riders you’ll get to see these little diamonds coming out and the competition is great to hone that. We can’t say right now who it is but we are planning to have a well-known national rider come for this event also.
(authors note; they are referring to a certain Factory Connection Honda pilot, #5 I believe…but you didn’t get that from me)
Who will you have riding for the Winchester Speedpark/Keene Motorsports team this year?
David: Eric Soucy will be back with us, we have Kip Komosa on the team this year. We will also have Youth rider Matt Fisk and professional snocrosser Matt Boron rounding out the team this year.
At the end of the race day when your laying your head down on the pillow, what is that one thought that will just nag at you?
Suzanne: Injury..absolutely.
David: Definitely injury or if someone is not happy, something we couldn’t fix.
At the end of the race day when your laying your head down on the pillow what is that one thought that makes you smile?
Suzanne: We did it again! Just that we had a good event and everyone was happy, good connections with people.
David: I watch all the races so seeing people have a good race day is great but we aren’t kidding; when the ambulance doesn’t leave we’re happy. We’ll go up to the ambulance company and say “glad you didn’t have to do your job today”. We take it very personally.
David and Suzanne would like to thank all of their sponsors: Keene Motorsports, Factory Connection, Tucker Rocky with Answer gear, Kendra Tires, Troy Lee Design, Spectro Oil, Tri-Star Racing, TSS Graphics and HRP Sports. We would also like to thank all of the wonderful families that have raced with us, we look forward to seeing you all for another great season.
For more information about Moto Sports magazine publisher
Paul Buckley check out his web site.
http://www.buckleyphotos.com
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.
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.
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