By Andrew Mitchell
The Green River Motocross Track played host to a record 185
riders from around the province and Washington State on the weekend for the
Vision Motorsports 2006 Fall Classic — the fourth of six events on the
CMA provincial Harvest Series.
“There was one category that had one rider in it, but otherwise
the motos were stacked and there were a lot of good riders in the field,” said
Shaun Greenaway, a local rider who helps organize and promote local motocross
events.
The highlight was the appearance of Dan Moore, a top American
pro rider who lives in Washington and schooled the rest of the competition.
Stan Sloboda, once a top Canadian pro, also made a comeback appearance.
But while there was no shortage of pro talent, locals also held
their own at home.
Although he finished third in the Over 30 age category and
fourth in MX 1 Expert, Greenaway reclaimed the overall series lead in both
categories. He now has two points on Jon Ridder in Over 30 and 18 points in MX
1 Expert with two races remaining.
“Those are big races for me, after my injuries and troubles
early in the season it would be nice to finish with a title in this series,”
said Greenaway.
Greenaway crashed in training early in the year and broke his
sternum, several ribs, and collapsed a lung when the chin guard on his helmet
dug into his chest.
Locals were competitive in almost every category, from the
youth 50 cc races to the top MX1 Expert division.
In Over 30, Dan Moore placed first, Stan Sloboda second and
Greenaway third. Pemberton’s Robert Fawcett was sixth, Don Van Eesteren of
Garibaldi Highlands was seventh, Jody Dean of Whistler was ninth, Derek Burgen
of Squamish 10
th
, Richard Blacke of Pemberton 11
th
, Sean
Holmes of Whistler 17
th
, and Paul Rak of Squamish 18
th
.
In 50cc A Youth, Mitchell Burkett of D’Arcy placed first,
Dawson Amann of Garibaldi Highlands was third, and Pemberton’s and Alex Mckay
and Jack Fawcett were seventh and eighth.
In 50cc B Youth, Logan Van Eesteren and Nolan Rudkowsky of
Pemberton were third and fourth.
In 65cc Youth, Jonathan Dempsey of Squamish was sixth, Alex
Mckay 11
th
, and Whistler’s Malcolm Watson 14
th
.
In 85cc Youth, Kyle Shore of D’Arcy and Nicholas Barreau of
Squamish were 12
th
and 13
th
.
Squamish’s Justin Patjas placed second out of 13 riders in MX1
Intermediate, while Squamish riders Aaron Breu and Gareth Palmer were eighth
and ninth.
In MX2 Intermediate, Patjas was second again, while Pemberton’s
Robert Fawcett placed fourth and Derek Burgen of Squamish was seventh.
Greenaway was the only local rider in MX 1 Expert, placing
fourth behind Dan Moore, Oregon’s Rory Sullivan and Lee Coutts of Mission.
In MX1 Novice, which had 25 starters, Warren Barrow of
Pemberton placed second overall with a strong second race. Pemberton’s Pierre
Ringuette and Richard Blake were fourth and seventh, Whistler’s Joli Ricker was
10
th
, Karl Dempsey of Squamish was 14
th
, and Brannon
Roney of Whistler was 19th.
In the Veteran 39 and Over races Don Van Eesteren of Garibaldi
Highlands was third and Pemberton’s Doug Macfarlane fifth.
In the Plus 25 age category Gareth Palmer and Aaron Breu of
Squamish were third and fourth.
In MX 2 Novice, Pemberton’s Jordan Taylor was 13
th
,
Squamish’s Chris Haper 16
th
, Whistler’s Andrew Tacilauskas 19
th
,
and Paul Rak and Matyas Gabriel 21
st
and 23
rd
.
In MX 2 Novice B, Pemberton’s Chris Coghlan was eighth and Jane
Thompson and Chris Scarborough 10
th
and 12
th
respectively.
There were 10 entries in the women’s field, although a few
female athletes did compete in MX 2 Novice B.
Squamish rider Jane Thompson placed second in both races to
place second overall. Aly Dempsey of Squamish was seventh, and Mandy Kinzel of
Whistler eighth.
The Green River Motocross Track will be open to the public through the fall, usually until it starts to snow or the heavy rains swamp the track. For more information visit www.grrc.ca.