Rescheduled Race Day

Sorry about the delay in getting these results and photos up. I’ve been quite busy with everything happening with the WEC and preparing for the Eastern rounds. I hope to see many of you ladies and gentlemen there; the western riders are fierce competition, but on home turf I’m sure Jake, Wojo, Guy and Chris will be able to pull up their socks and get the job done.

But, to the topic at hand: Vienna. The Vienna round of the CMA Hare Scramble series was originally scheduled for June 21, but due to rainy conditions and a new, unbeaten track, the race was cancelled. The rescheduled event took place last weekend, July 19, in Vienna on an entirely new course. The territory was virgin for both morning and afternoon riders, as the Intermediate, Vet Ex, Experts and Pros ran several sections of trail reserved specifically for them, with only a single or double set of tire treads from when the course was cut.
The loop was much shorter than the previous week’s event in Moorefield. The Ant Hill Classic, always a long loop, was somewhere in the 20+ kilometer range, while the Vienna loop was just short of 8 kilometers. This led to short lap times and lots of chance for the many spectators who gathered on the many elevation changes to catch a glimpse of their favorite riders, or for families stuck in the pits to cheer on their brothers, sons, friends and fathers.

In the morning, the youth classes ran a slightly s shorter version of the course. Mini Junior winner Miguel Renaud-Nolte, of Kitchener, Ontario, was the sole rider in his class, getting to the top spot after a second place in Moorefield. The #571 Honda is now in second place behind Jordan Fischer’s #566 Kawasaki.
Mini Senior, always the larger of the two classes, saw Connor Brogan do his father proud by adding another win notch to the bar pad. Connor has won every round except Burnt River, where he came in second to Port Perry’s Cody Curran. Following Brogan’s #598 KTM was Nathan Playford of Elmira, Ontario, who has been consistently improving his finishes since his debut at Burnt River. Finishing third, but standing second overall in the points standings, was Tyler Maenz, on the #594 Kawasaki hailing from Thorton, Ontario.
These tough mini riders will most likely be making the move to the Novice A class in 2010, looking to mimic the domination showed by Jesse Grummett, last year’s Youth Champion.

And what can be said about Mister Grummett, except that he is one fast kid! That #410 Yamaha flies through the woods with shades of Wojo written all over it. Jesse took home his fourth win in four races (he was absent at the previous round in Moorfield). This kid flies! By the end of the first lap, despite having taken off in the dead middle of the five lines, Grummett had worked his way into the Super Vets (who had taken off first).
Following Grummett on the podium was Jed Franko, of Caledon, Ontario and Andrew Powell of St. Catherines on a pair of KTMs. The #443 of Franko and the #398 of Powell offered a challenge for Grummett, but in the end Grummett proved to be more determined.
Representing her gender, Ainsley Farr was the only lady to who raced the Vienna loop. The tough as nails far has finished first on podium every round except Port Colborne where she fell to fifth place. She currently sits ahead of second place Kate Knight and is anticipating another #1 finish to go with the Championship plaque from 2008.
The Legends class raced again, with David Cockayne, of Kevin Cockayne relation, took home a third win and Brad Kitto, of Corunna, Ontario, took home second place.
Super Vet Brian Holloway took that #617 Suzuki right to the top of the podium at Veinna, roading past second place Greg Bradnam (Husaberg) and third place Frank Sutton (Husquavarna). For a bunch of old guys, the Super Vets are a class of gentlemen and fast riders, proving that blind stupidity and throttle twisting are nothing when compared to years of experience and a proven technique… Unless of course, you’re Bobby Prochnau (the WEC riders will understand the joke.)
Former Expert rider turned old man Lee Hill took home the top spot with the Veteran class. Retiring from the afternoon program, Hill found riding in the morning much more relaxing; a fresh, unbeaten course with fewer ruts, roots and crap to contend with. Following Hill’s freshly renumbered #970 KTM on the podium was the #911 of Jeff Stephens of Port Colborne in second and Jim Clayton in third. Clayton remains in first place overall in the points, over absentee Guido Kneiling.
Knieling is currently on vacation riding the wilds of Michigan but is expected back and better than ever for Oshweeken in August.
And that concludes the morning program.
The afternoon classes, as mentioned before, had a slightly different, but no longer, loop to run, which included to spectator accessible areas designed to encourage morning riders and their families to stay and cheer on their favorite Intermediate, Vet Ex, Expert and/or Pro.
The Intermediate class was missing several notable faces, including big brute Mark Koens and strong silent type Nick Barker. Koens was at the Gopher Dunes National, turning wrenches and changing tires, while Barker was prepping the Wilberforce loop for the newly reinstated last round. It was doubtful whether the Wilberforce round would happen, without a club or organization to back it and without adequate volunteers. OCMC stepped up, as did 20 year old Nick Barker.
Barker ran the 2008 OCMC club race at Wilberforce to great reviews and is a die hard, hard core off-road rider at heart. Much like Pro rider Chad Burford, Barker can be picked out a mile away by his vintage riding pants, and off color jersey. He proves you don’t have to match, or have a new bike, to go fast and be determined. Thank you, Nick, for making sure we get that last round in.
But, back to racing!

The Intermediate class was a battle between Dmitry Tsvetkov of Concord and Steven Bond of Kitchener. Greg Filer, who finished third overall and remains first in points, had a crash early off the start that caused him to start at the back of the field and forced him to work his way up. The short laps can be an advantage and a disadvantage in these cases. Filer had plenty of time and options to get into the more open sections of the otherwise tight course, but so did Tsvetkov and Bond.
Vet Expert was dominated, big surprise, by Roger Messier of Paris, Ontario. The black KTM flew through the short course, eating through the Expert class, passing back of the pack Pro riders and threatening the masculinity of all involved. Messier is one of only two riders to have five wins in five races this season. Last year no rider was able to have a perfect season; Messier, apparently, has taken it upon himself to correct this. Paul Andratis pushed his Husquavarna to a second place finish and Randy Zuest worked his to third.

The Expert race was another epic battle between Jonker and Milson. Despite a pretty brutal looking crash, Millson was able to bounce back (as did his front fender) to rip victory from the talons of second place. Jonker was forced to take another second place, though he traded scrapes with Millson on more than one occasion, switching back and forth for the lead. Finishing in third place was Bowmanville native Jason Griffeth on his #103 KTM. There’s got to be something about those double numbers; #77 and #88 are both on fire this season. Like Messier, Jonker and Millson fought their way into the back of the Pro ranks at Vienna.
And then there were the Pros…
At Moorefield many Pros, including front runners Brian Wojnarowski and Chris Van Hove, Mister Consistent Tyler Linton and Bryan “Swampy” Marshall, were absent, racing in Penticton at the fourth round of the World Enduro Canada CEC series. Wojo and Van Hove came back with something to prove, Linton came back with a hunger for the podium and Marshall came back with what he thought would be a new appreciation for Southern Ontario sand. But, there was no sand to speak of at Vienna, only dirt; moist, loamy, super tractiony dirt.

Without question, Aaron Wilkins proved, without a doubt, he is one of the best starters on the line, taking yet another hole shot. Mike Vandenhoek and Wojo were hot on his tail, coming through the first left hander side by side. Wilkins was gone, leaving Wojo and Mike to battle hard, until Mike went down and Wojo, rather than going down himself, was forced to rundown his fellow racer’s bike, going over the front tire. No stranger to bad luck, or unlucky circumstances, Mike knew he was done.
Vandenhoek wasn’t the only Pro to fall out of the race. Not long after Chris Van Hove, who was fighting back and forth for the lead with Wojo once they passed Wilkins, suffered a fateful and catastrophic crash. The #5 Husquavarna crashed hard and forced the break pedal into the engine case, puncturing it, thus crippling the machine and making it one very expensive piece of scrap for the time being. Van Hove had no choice but to abandon his bike against a tree while it did a Valdez and hoof it back. Upon hearing this, Vandenhoek the good Samaritan went out to get the other unlucky rider.
Further back in the pack, Tyler Linton fought hard against Kevin Cockayne for the last podium spot before finally getting in front of his old number to take the last podium position.
When the dust settled and the riders were hosed down Wojo had another victory under his belt, putting him into first place over all. Aaron Wilkins finished second, far enough in front of Linton that he couldn’t be caught, but far enough behind Wojo that he knew he wasn’t getting first. Aaron now sits in second overall for points, pushing Van Hove into third. While Tyler managed to pick up ten points and a third place trophy, while he was away Kevin Cockayne managed to usurp his position in the points standing. Tyler Linton now sits in fifth, behind Cockayne by a shy two points.
Even though he didn’t finish the race, Chris Van Hove gets the Juha Award. In 2007 our very own Kevin Cockayne was having issues getting his bike up a particularly steep section at the World Enduro Championship’s Parry Sound stop. Gio Sala took his bike and rode it up the incline. Van Hove repeated this stunt for a morning rider, getting an overheated KTM to the top, only to have the rider loose the bike at the top.

The next round is in Oshweeken, hosted by one of the oldest motorcycle clubs in Ontario, the Steel city Riders. Last year’s course was a mud hole of sludge and slime that pushed Jake Stapleton into a second place, and a black flag forced him back to sixth, effectively ruining his up-to-that-point perfect season. Anything can happen at Oshweeken, with Hungry Man banners buried deep in the woods and the unpredictable weather of Southern Ontario in the summer.
If anyone is interested in photos from this year, 2008 “yearbook” CDs or info on the 2010 CMA Hare Scramble calendar, please email me at showie@mail.com
As always, photos are available here. Please don't steal from me. I will do prints and CDs upon reqest.
See you in the woods!
- SuziQ

Updates

Due to rain, the Vienna round has been postponed until further notice. Sorry, ladies and gentlemen. Keep an eye on the Vienna Trail Rider's website for updates. I will also be updating here on my blog.
In another things, be sure to check out IMX for a preview of the WEC events happening in early July, as well as updates from my trip out west on the IMX Racer's Blog.
Also, I haven't received any nominations for 20 Questions, so perhaps I'll just have to pick someone.
Cheers,
- Suzie

Return of the King

This past Sunday the third round of the CMA Hare Scramble series was held at Burnt River. A place known for lots of rocks, logs and water, Connie and RJ had their work cut out for them controlling the beavers that kept damning culverts, flooding large sections of the track. The weather was much better than last year, with a cold snap killing some of the bugs and the rain holding off for the weekend.
Youth Junior was won by local racer Tyler Greenlaw. Yes, that’s Greenlaw as in Connie. Momma was proud to hand her son the first place trophy, that’s for sure. Points leader Jordan Fischer took home the second place spot and Braden Butcher of Barrie, Ontario finished the top three with ten points.
Youth Senior was a much bigger class, with Cody Curran of Port Perry taking home the top spot. Connor Brogan, son of injured Vet Expert Wayne Brogan, took home second, breaking his two race win streak. Mister consistant, Tyler Maenz, of Thorton, Ontario, took home his third third place trophy of the year.
Kate Knight took her first podium at Burnt River, with the top spot, none the less. She beat out Melissa Head, who finished second, and Ainsley Farr, for the honour.
Novice A saw Jesse Grummett doing more of the same, taking home his third first place finish of the year, extending his lead over Chris Culbert-Castelo to 23 points. Culbert-Castelo took home second and Jed Franko, of Caledon, Ontario, took home third place.
Jim Clayton was the top finishing Veteran, followed by the #928 bike of Guido Knieling, second fastest man in the morning at the Barrie round. Waclaw Palider, of Mississauga finished in third aboard his #935 Yamaha.
Super Vet was another slaughter by John Nelson. Bruce Moffat, of Caledon and Lance Matthews, of North Caledon, fought hard, but couldn’t keep up with Nelson’s speed. After two wins, Nelson has two points of Matthews, and eight over Moffat. Elmo Rutnik, last year’s champion, won at Port Colborne, but hasn’t scored a point since, and as such is sitting back in 7th place.
Roger Messier, of Paris, put that big, black KTM back in front for a third time in the Vet Expert class, followed by Dwayne Soper of London in second and Dave Nelson of Drumbo in third.
Another three for three, Greg Filer took home his third win aboard his #177 KTM. He pushed his way into the Expert class for his victory against fellow Milgrove native Eric Langford aboard the #155. Dmitry Tsvetkov, of Concord, Ontario, made it an all orange podium in the Intermediate class.
Expert rider, Michael Jonker, had a great start to the day. Having celebrated his 19th birthday on the Friday, Jonker held off celebrations until he took home a win. He led most of the race, but suffered a harsh crash, which allowed the #77 of Adam Millson to get out in front. Payton Gagnier, of Windsor, made his debuted in second place, with Jason Griffeth taking home third. When the dust settled, the birthday boy was back in forth, finishing just outside the podium.
Now, I called this update return of the King, and there’s a reason for that. Just before noon, as the morning riders were wrapping up, Jake Stapleton, the #1 rider from last year, who won all but two rounds of the ten round series, his bikes wrapped up. Confusing many with his #17 WEC plate, Stapleton went for a ride while Chris van Hove and Wojo battled it out for second place. The race started with an almost hole shot by Aaron Wilkins, the #6 bike falling just short of Wojo’s big, blue #2. Wojo led for a while, but by the time we caught back up with the Pros, Jake had taken over and Wojo was fighting with Van Hove for second place. When the mud dried, and believe me, there was plenty of mud, Jake took the top spot on the podium, Van Hove took second (and the points lead) and Wojo took the last podium spot.

Mike Vandenhoek finished out of points, but gets big style points for keeping those fresh white boots, just that, white. Riding with his feet up over the rad shrouds made not only for pretty white boots, but was a stunt enjoyed by those watching the water “crossing.” It takes a lot of skill to turn a bike in water over the hubs, with your feet up on the shrouds.

The next round, should the weather hold off, will happen next Sunday at Vienna. It is the last chance to see big name riders such as Wojo, Chris Van Hove and Tyler Linton before they head off to the WEC for two weeks. It’s also a brand new course. This is the first time they’re running this course, so come on out and have some fun in the mud.
If the course is rained out, perhaps you’d be interested in heading out to Gopher Dunes to watch Jake Stapleton take on some of the best Ontario has to offer through the CMRC Provincials.
As usual, photos are available here. If you want photo CDs drop me a line at showie@mail.com.
See you in the woods!
- Suzie

Two to Tango

Well, ladies and gentlemen, after a weekend off, the CMA Hare Scramble series is back in full swing with three back to back races. The first in the triple header was the OCMC fronted Barrie Round held at RJ’s Motorsports Park. Traditionally the largest race of the year, RJ’s the talent field was as deep and varied as the many ruts that developed in the tight woods.
Things started off good with a light rain; given the high sand content of the soil, a light rain was a welcome sight for many riders, even if it meant a very cold start to the morning. Massive numbers turned out for the Novice A and B classes, with first time riders and local OCMC racers making up a huge part of the non-regulars. The large numbers, especially in the morning class, meant that by the time the big boys in the afternoon took over the track, the ruts were deep and breaking and acceleration bumps were big enough to swallow a rear tire whole! Even so, there were still plenty of fast lines and wide open spaces, so much so that bikes were going through more than the regular amount of gas and more than one rider, including Pro Aaron Wilkins, ran out of gas.
As always, Barrie can be a confusing track, with up to three different sets of trail cut into the woods; riders were instructed to stay on the correct path by following the arrows, and not necessarily just following the tracks. Marshalls and club volunteers were out in droves to make sure that everyone played it honest and kept to the correct path.
With so many riders, the Youth class was split into Mini Junior and Mini Senior. Zachary Morgan, #534, rode four gruelling laps for the top spot in the Mini Junior class, followed by Kaleb Gray and Jordan Fisher who each finished three laps, taking home second and third respectively. Mini Senior saw Connor Brogan, son of 2008’s Vet Champ Wayne Brogan, take home the first place spot. Cody Curran took home second and Tyler Meanz took home third.
Special notice goes out to the Brogan family. Wayne suffered an accident at the Port Colborne round, and lost part of his baby toe, in his first afternoon race, no less! Everyone’s wishing you a fast recovery, Wayne!
Birthday girl Melissa Head took home another victory and the 1st place trophy at her home track. The freshly turned 16 year old doesn’t even have a driver’s licence yet, but that doesn’t seem to stop her from burning her way into the Novice A class! Following in her older sister’s tire tracks was Emily Head, who took home second. Ainsley Farr, the reigning champion, rounded out the podium.
Jesse Grummett is looking to prove himself a one trick pony in the Novice A class, and that trick is winning. He’s two for two in his rookie year in the Novice A, and looking forward to Burnt River to add another notch to his bar pad. Following Grummett was Rob Westenberg in second and Chris Culbert-Castelo took home third.
Guido Kneilling was second fastest rider, period, in the morning program, soundly taking the win for the +40 class, and battling with Super Vet John Nelson. Chasing the #928 bike was Todd Topper, in second, and Brian Zuest in third.
The old guys saw a new challenge moving back into the morning from the afternoon program. Last year, John Nelson rode several rounds in the Vet Expert class. Being old enough, he chose to run the morning class as a Super Vet, taking home the top spot soundly, and becoming the overall fastest rider in the morning program. Lance Matthews finished second behind Nelson, and Bruce Moffat took home the final podium spot in third.
The afternoon program, as per usual, ran a slightly modified version of the course. Track Marshalls and volunteers were also crawling all over the place, making sure riders kept honest and stuck to the correct trails.
Greg Filer kept his #177 KTM up front for four laps, taking home the win in Intermediate for the second time. It looks like Filer plans a repeat of last year, blasting his way through the muck and mud to stay up front in almost every race. Chasing Filer’s roost were Steven Shaw and “Baby” Birker, who finished second and third respectively.
Vet Expert was down two tough competitors this round, with John Nelson opting to ride with the rest of the really old guys, and Wayne Brogan out with an injury, it was Roger Messier on that mean, black KTM who took home the top spot. Paul Andratis took home the runner up trophy and Randy Zuest claimed the last podium position.
The Double Digit boys, Adam Millson, #77, and Michael Jonker, #88, battled it out once again in the Expert class, with Millson taking the win, forcing Jonker to take second. The #104 of Frank Cantin battled hard, but couldn’t break past third place.
And then we have the Pros...
Professionalism and drama aside, these men are here to race, and race they did. Aaron Wilkins shocked the audience by not only not getting the hole shot, but by being one of the last riders off the line. Wojo took the hole shot, but a very hungry Chris van Hove, sick of eating roost, was on his heels. Memories of last year’s #2 finishes are clearly fresh in both riders’ minds, and neither plans to be second best this year. Both riders know what it’s like to win, and both are capable of being a champion. We’re in for a great summer of racing between these two, but back to Barrie.
I’m going to start further back than just the top three, because there are a few people who I think deserve recognition who wouldn’t get it if I only cherry picked the top three. Bryan “Swampy” Marshall, the #9 Honda, had a rough start, but it can be forgiven, after all, he was the only Pro who also raced in the Youth Junior class, on a fifty! Bryan’s oldest son, Curtis, rode his first race with his Daddy behind him the entire way. Way to go, MiniMarshall!
Another rider trying something new was CMRC transplant Trevor Hall. The Pro Motocrosser rode his first hare scramble at Barrie, and after two and a half hours he was banged up, bloodied, disoriented, but more than willing to come back and do it all over again! Hall battled hard with the #3 rider, Tyler Linton, but crashed and stalled just enough to let Linton get some room on him. Linton, no slouch when it comes to moto, was able to hold the MXer off even on the mototrack before pulling away in the tight stuff. The pair ran fourth and fifth for most of the race. Hall finished fifth overall for the day.
Once he past Hall, Linton kept on the gas, his eyes set on the last podium spot. All that stood in front of him and a third place finish was the #7 KTM of Kevin Cockayne. The pair ripped around, but Linton was just too focussed. He passed Kevin and finished just in front of the Mission Cycle KTM rider for the final podium position.
Now, as for those two behemoths, van Hove and Wojnwaoski. They fought hard, back and forth trading for first and second for much of the first lap, until Wojo made a mistake and crashed and van Hove capitalized on Wojo’s bad luck and extended a lead that Brian, no matter how hard he pushed himself, just couldn’t catch.
Just as van Hove came back harder than ever after coming second at Port Colborne, there is no doubt Wojo will come back like a bat out of Hell itself at Burnt River. A man with strict determination, who blames no one but himself, Brian Wojnarowski will come to Round 3 with a point to make.
Burnt River takes place at the Burnt River Off-Road Facility this Sunday, June 14th. Come out and show your support for your favourite riders, because anyone who has been to Burnt River knows the kind of Hellish terrain that can be found in the back woods.
See you there!
As always, photos are available. Please don’t steal them. I will be selling photo CDs, if you’re interested, email me at showie@mail.com or 5thgearphotography@mail.com. Also, 2008 Photobooks will be available soon, pricing to be determined, on a preorder, first come first serve basis. If you’re interested, contact me via email, or find me at the races.
Also, many of you might have noticed that in the afternoon I wasn’t alone. My friend, Angela Poon, took some great shots. Check her stuff out here!
Thanks for all of your support. Cheers!

News

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,
I get asked from time to time if I can make higher resolution version of my photos available. The pictures that I post online are not the same as the ones that I have on my hard drive(s); they're lower resolution, and smaller. Well, I'm going to make better quality images available.
I will be offering photo CDs now, with varying prices dependending on the number of races and the number of riders on the CDs.
Basic pricing is $5 per rider/per race, and if you were interested in more riders/races, email me and we can work something out. I am also available to do custom prints, thank you plaques and posters.
I can be reached at 5thgearphotography@mail.com or at the races.
Next race is June 7th at RJ's Motorsports Park in Barrie.
Also, look for an update on off road coverage by yours truly in the next issue of Inside Motocross and Off-Road and make sure to check out the racer's blog too!
See you in the woods!
- SuziQ

Here we go again!

This past Sunday, May 24, the opening round of the CMA Hare Scramble series was held in Port Colborne, Ontario. Run backwards from the previous year, the course had many of the same difficult obstacles that made it fun and challenging last year, and one that made it a very dangerous event. The log hop from last year was still there, though a large divot had been worn into it by rear tires repeatedly spinning against it. The danger came from the dust; in spite of rain on Saturday and early Sunday morning, by the time the big boys in the afternoon took to the course, the open straightaways were treacherously dusty, as freshman Pro Chad Burford would unexpectedly find out. But we’ll get to that in a minute.
The Novice A class lost lots of top finishers from last year, including the series champion Greg Filer. Sunday showed a whole new crop of racers to compete in the fast young class of the morning. Jesse Grummet, #410 , who we all remember from last year as the strong finishing Youth rider, advanced to the Novice A class and took first place soundly, finishing in 2 hours, eight minutes and fifty-three seconds. Following Grummet in second place was Jeff Lee, #371, and Rob Westenberg, #420, in third.
There was upset in the Ladies’ class; with both Ainsley Farr, 2008 Champion, and Amanada Hutchinson, 2007 Champion, racing, but neither coming in at the top spot. New comer and OCMC member, Melissa Head rode her #501 KTM to a first place finish over Hutchinson, who took home second place on the #521 CRF. Head’s younger sister, Emily, #500, took home the third place, coming in less than 20 seconds after Hutchinson.
The Vet class saw promotion of last year’s champion, Wayne Brogan, to the afternoon to run with the Vet Experts, leaving the door open for a new champ. Jeff Hart, on the 939 bike, took the first win of the season, with Guido Knieling, on the 928 KTM, taking home the runner up spot. Third place belonged to Barry Billings, #905.
In Super Vet, there was an incredible sense of déjà vu, with the familiar #699 of Elmo Rutnik out front by almost five full minutes over second place, Rick Hon, #607. Brian Holloway, #617, had the final podium spot by just under a minute, coming in five minutes after Rutnik.
As already reported, the afternoon classes saw a huge swelling in their ranks, with many Novice A’s moving up to the Intermediate class. Greg Filer, last year’s Novice A champion, took home the first win of the season in his rookie race in the Intermediate class, aboard his #177 KTM. Welcome to the big leagues, Greg; you were the only Intermediate rider to complete six laps! Following Filer was Steven Shaw aboard the #200 bike, who finished just past the two hour mark, coming in at 2:00:01. Third place was right behind; coming in at 2:00:02 was #145, Peter Depagter for a tight third place. Other Novice riders who moved up to the afternoon class include Nick Barker, Patrick Plante and Mark Koens.
Vet Expert was won by Paris, Ontario native, #327, Roger Messier. #326, Paul Andratis, came in a minute later for a second place finish, with John Head, #358, taking the final podium spot, edging out #309 Randy Zuest by a matter of thirty-three seconds. Brogan, a fresh promotion from the morning class, had a less than ideal welcome to the afternoon, reportedly severing off a toe! We wish you good luck, and swift healing, Wayne!
The Expert class was down four notable names from 2008. Chad Burford and Frank Cantin were promoted to the Pro ranks, and it is expected that Torin Linton will join them when he recovers from an ankle injury. Lee Hill, a top finisher last year in spite of having many years of “experience” over the other riders, was also not present for the season opener; it is expected that he will return to Expert class.
In another surprise welcome, Michael Jonker, fresh promotion from the Intermediate class, took home an impressive second place in his first race of the year aboard his #88 KTM. Man, there’s gotta be something about those KTMs, because 2 out of 3 podium finishers rode the orange bikes. #103, Jason Griffeth, took home the third place trophy. First place went to #77, Adam Millson, of Ponty Pool, Ontario. Ponty Pool, as some of you might remember, is also home to Brian “Wojo” Wojnarowski. And yes, before you ask, the two came together and are good friends; no wonder Millson was able to keep over a full minute between himself and Jonker, even though he is an admitted moto-guy.
And, here we are, the main event. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you, the Pro class!
Jake Stapleton, the man from Oz who came to Canada after touring Europe and took home the #1 plate for his troubles, will be focussing his attentions on the World Enduro Canada CEC series, and as such, will not be defending his plate. With that in mind, Chris van Hove, the 2007 Champion, has redoubled his efforts, as has Wojo, and both are going to do their best to make sure it’s their bike that has that much sought after #1 on the front in 2010.
The race started, as most races do, with a hole shot from Aaron Wilkins, sporting the #6 on his Mission Cycle KTM. Wojo and Mike Vandenhoek were right on his rear fender. By the time the riders got out into the field section, Wojo and Vandenhoek had pulled in front of Wilkins. They spent the better part of the race battling it out, with Chris van Hove pushing his #5 Husquavarna past the #6 KTM eventually for third place.
Mike Vandenhoek must be Irish, because he certainly has the luck of the Irish. The bad luck that haunted him last year continued into 2009. After pulling in for an extended pit stop to try to fix a stuck clutch, Vandenhoek eventually had to pull out for the rest of the race. Hopefully he’ll have everything sorted out before Barrie on June 7.
But back to the racing...
Aaron Wilkins took third place when he was the first Pro to come in after the 2.5 hour mark, with only Wojo and Chris van Hove going for the eighth lap.
With Vandenhoek out, van Hove pushed that big, bad 450 into second place, closing in on Wojo’s hold on first. It came down to a matter of seconds; Wojo finished at a time of 2:49:24 and van Hove coming in at 2:49:29. It was an incredible last lap as the pair went over the log hop. Riders, spectators and family members cheered the only remaining riders on as they sped through to the finish.
At the finish, there were congratulations, hugs, handshakes and high fives, with everyone looking towards the future.
If Sunday was any indication of how the season is going to go, we’re in for a very exciting season of riding, with changes in all the classes.
The season will continue in two weeks at RJ’s Motorsports Park in Barrie, Ontario.

As usual, photos are available. Please don't steal my photos.

Wheatly Photos

I finally uploaded the Wheatly photos, sorry ladies and gentlemen.