With a punctured lung and head injury from an April 30 spill, motocross racer Shaun Greenaway still made it to Green River Riders Club regional race Sunday.
Held at the club’s MX park 10 km south of Pemberton, the Canadian Motocross Association-sanctioned race, part of a six-race provincial series held at three southern B.C. tracks, attracted 200 entries – the club’s largest draw ever.
"The amount of people we had out on the weekend was unbelievable, twice as many entries as we’d ever had," said Greenaway, 38, an organizer and board member who’s been racing since he was 11.
Fifteen volunteers from the 300-member club spread 25 loads of sand/clay material in the weeks leading up to the race to smooth out rocky portions of the track for the one-day event that included eight age/motor classes on the two-minute loop course.
"We knew the riders were coming and knew we had to build a better, bigger, safer track," Greenaway said. "It becomes more dangerous for a rider if you’re following or chasing somebody in a battle for first or second – the last thing you want to do is hit any rocks."
Normally divided into classes based on experience or age and motor size, Sunday’s races needed additional classes to accommodate the volume of riders.
Best local showing was Richard Blake of Pemberton, second in MX1 Novice. Pemberton’s Todd Schumlick and Bob Fawcett were fourth and 11 th in MX1 and MX2 Intermediate. Whistler’s Jody Dean was fifth in MX1 Intermediate. In the 40+ class, Doug MacFarlane of Pemberton was fifth.
With $30 entry fees and $5 gate fees, the race is the largest source of revenue for the club.
Green River Motocross Park is open Wednesday-Friday, 5 p.m. till dusk and 10 a.m. till dusk on weekends.
