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First Pemberton motocross draws a crowd

Large field of riders, spectators for successful event boosts profile of club
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Two years after the Green River Riding Club finally secured tenure for its track outside of Pemberton, the club at last realized one of its goals and held their first sanctioned motocross event on Sunday, Oct. 3. It was the second event on the Canadian Motorcycle Association’s Golden Harvest Series calendar, and attracted some of the biggest names in the province and Canada, including 16-year-old Surrey rider Kyle Beaton.

By all measures it was a success, attracting more than 150 riders, including some of the top Canadians in the sport. The event also attracted more than 500 spectators, with cars spilling out onto both shoulders of the highway.

The races were also successful, with riders from all over the province praising the layout and the amount of work that had been done to get the track into shape. Some even said it was one of the best tracks in the province at 1.7 kilometres long with a good mix of jumps, tight corners and strong technical sections like the "whoops" to keep riders on their toes.

"That’s just the best compliment you could ever get," said Chad Breitenstein, who founded the club and helped with much of its construction. "To hear somebody tell you that this track is one of the best they’ve ridden, and to know they know what they’re talking about, it makes it all worth it for us. The people who didn’t show up are going to hear about it from their friends, and I think we’re going to see more events in Pemberton in the future. This event couldn’t have gone better."

Lincoln Ferguson, the owner and operator of Vision Motorsports in Pemberton, believes the event will put the track on the map, while bringing more local riders into the scene.

"I don’t think half the spectators knew that the track existed, but they do now," he said. "We’ve been putting money into the track to get it going, so it’s great to see it all come to fruition. The guy who should get a round of applause is Chad and all the people who put it together and stuck behind it for three years in a row. It’s a great thing for all the riders out there, and I think we’re going to see more people getting into the sport."

Kyle Beaton was undeniably the biggest attraction of the day, winning both races while lapping the entire field at least once over 20 minutes of competition. He hit the hole shot in every race and was so aggressive over the jumps and in the corners that he had usually caught up to the back of the field by the third or fourth lap.

Locals also did well against riders from around the province.

"I didn’t even consider racing until this event came up," said Pemberton’s Mark Hamilton, who finished third in the ‘C’ Class and fifth in the Novice 250cc category. "I’ve never started a race, never been at a gate before.

"I didn’t have a lot of strategy, just point and shoot. It was crazy to be in such a big pack of guys heading out to the first turn. After the first lap it opened up a lot, but the first laps was tough, I never knew what the (other) riders were going to do.

"My only strategy I guess was don’t fall and it didn’t work, I fell in every moto I had today. I do ride a lot so I felt okay when it came to fitness, I wasn’t running out of breath and my arms weren’t getting tired of all the jumps. Sometimes your arms get tired and it can get pretty sketchy, but that didn’t happen to me today."

Whistler’s Shaun Greenaway also had a good day, finishing second in A division and first in the Intermediate 125cc class.

Greenaway started riding as a junior and competed in motocross from 1980 to 1986, when he broke his back. He got into mountain bike racing shortly afterwards, and kept up with that until two years ago when he decided to give motocross another chance. He ended up qualifying for the nationals in Ontario his first year back, but shattered his right leg.

He returned with a vengeance this season, and placed second in the CMRC nationals in Ontario in the 30-Plus age category, and won races in Washington state.

With the help of MSR Helmets and Pacific Yamaha he’s been entering more events, and training three to four times a week.

Greenaway says motocross is physically demanding but is really a mental challenge.

"Mentally you have to be mentally focused 100 per cent on what you’re doing," he said. "There are 60, 80 and 100 foot gaps to clear, so you can’t have anything else on your mind, not your job, your girlfriend – which is one thing I really like about the sport. In a 15 or 20 minute motocross, all you can think about is the next 15 feet, but in mountain biking you’d be out there for two hours thinking about everything."

Racing on his home track has its advantages, says Greenaway, including a growing number of riders to train with and compete against.

"One of my goals was to be the fastest local in the race, and you know what, there was some stiff competition out there. There are a lot of guys who ride as much or even more than I do, and they did great today…. It was also great to see all the novice riders, girls and juniors that were local, many of them first-timers, really pushed themselves hard."

Justin Patjas, who recently moved from Whistler to Squamish, finished second to Greenaway in the Intermediate category. After winning the novice category for the province earlier this year he moved up into the 125cc intermediate class, despite the fact he is still a year too young at just 12 years old. He was given special permission by the CMA to move up to a higher category, however, and did well in his first intermediate appearance.

Results:

Plus 25

1. Todd Greenan, Chilliwack

2. Denis Mulder, Abbotsford

3. Mike Sullivan, Abbotsford

Plus 30

1. Dean Brandt, Port Moody

2. Jon Ridder, Abbotsford

3. Scott Simpson, Abbotsford

4. Aaron Brown, Squamish

Plus 40

1. Curtis Lawrence, Mount Currie

2. Rueben Springman, Abbotsford

3. Mike Boyce, Burnaby

Plus 50

1. Craig Tindal, Bradner

125cc Expert/Pro

1. Kyle Beaton, Surrey

125cc Intermediate

1. Shaun Greenaway, Whistler

2. Justin Patjas, Whistler-Squamish

3. Ian Tindal, Bradner

4. Etienne Tremblay, Whistler

5. Karl Dempsey, Squamish

125cc Novice

1. Taylor Hunt, Sechelt

2. Kevin Burkinshaw, Whistler

3. Mike DeCotiis, Kamloops

6. Gord Ryall, Squamish

7. Jordan Taylor, Pemberton

8. Quinn Sadler, Pemberton

250cc Expert/Pro

1. Brad Mclean, White Rock

2. Adam Robarts, Burnaby

3. John Verdonk, Rosedale

250cc Intermediate

1. Jody Dean, Whistler

2. Oliver Kolouch, D’Arcy

3. Justin Andiel, Whistler

4. Jason McGaw, Whistler

250cc Novice

1. Aaron Brell, Garibaldi Highlands

2. Dustin Barkley, Burnaby

3. Sean Holmes, Whistler

5. Mark Hamilton, Whistler

8. Steve Armitage, Whistler

Youth 85cc

1. James Moran, Surrey

2. Shane Weib, Abbotsford

3. Clinton Wall, Surrey

9. Christopher Fraser, Pemberton

Youth 65cc

1. Jaxon Abrams, Abbotsford

2. Kyle Springman, Abbotsford

3. Dalton Steele, Maple Ridge

5. Jason Fraser, Pemberton

Women

1. Melissa Hackett, Chilliwack

2. Sylvie Allen, Whistler

3. Rachel Springman, Abbotsford

4. Holly McLeod, Pemberton

5. Kristi Thomas, Pemberton

7. Katy Aekerman, Whistler

8. Tara O’Grady, Whistler

Youth 50cc A

1. Montana Steele, Maple Ridge

2. Nicholas Uzick, Chilliwack

3. Eddy Genge

Youth 50cc B

1. Grayden Northey, Chilliwack

2. Wyatt Uzick, Chilliwack

3. Dawson Amann, Garibaldi Highlands