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Record turnout for Pemberton Motocross

Greenaway regains series lead

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.