Let the races begin! And Happy (belated) Canada Day everyone!

By Danny Brault 

Are you wondering how things are going at the inaugural Eastern Amateur National MX Championships at Sand Del Lee? Well, I’d say that they’re going pretty good. Sure old Mother Nature plagued us with heavy rains early this morning, forcing the MX101 crew to postpone racing until the track was rideable, but that only added to the suspense of this new event.

Racing got underway at three o’clock, thanks to the efforts of MX101, and the track was in decent condition considering how much rain came down. (Oh, and here’s a shout out to Ryan Gauld for pushing off some muck with a wee dozer! No wonder they call him “Golden.”) It was also a wise call to modify the schedule and move Youth and Vet Master to the front.  Rider entries are around 450, and I know that’s not what was expected, but when everyone leaves here Saturday night or Sunday morning, you can expect a bigger turnout in 2009. I’m sure the promoters don’t like to hear this, but I don’t mind less people at the races; it’s quieter, more relaxing, and you don’t have 14,000 pit bikes riding over your toes! (OMG, I sound like my dad!)

Anyways, let’s take a look on how things are shaping up in Munster, Ontario….
 

How annoying is it to hear raindrops falling on the trailer roof the night before a race? I didn’t hear them last night, as I was bunkering down at Jay Moore’s pad (it’s got AC), but Kyle Carruthers told me how much it sucked. The MX101 team decided it was in the best interests of everyone to wait for a bit. It was a good idea as it gave them more time to clean things up, push the mucky crap to the side, and for the sun to dry it out.
 

As you can see, it was still pretty sloppy when racing started at 3, but it got better … 

… as you can see here. Man, the whoops at Sand Del Lee are tough! They look simple: just sit back and giver, but no one has really impressed through here yet.  

Remember this guy? It’s Ithica, New York's Matt Eastman, he ran third in the first MX1 moto at Ste-Julie this June. Eastman holeshot the first Youth over Shawn Robinson (324) and Pete Raymer (36). Raymer’s testing out Trever Hall’s KTM 450 this week while Hall recuperates from a shoulder injury. Colton Facciotti rode this moto, too, but pulled off on the second turn. I was disappointed but, hey, if I were in his position I might not want to ride in that crap either. But Eastman, Robinson, and Ryan Lockhart did, and they finished 1-2-3.  

Second moto up was Vet Master. Ryan Gauld (81) and Kenny Clark (8) have been like Bob and Doug MacKenzie this week. The two are inseparable away from the track and they always seem to find each other on it. Gauldy holeshot moto one, but “Hammer” went for the rainbow over the first tabletop and took over the lead. The former national #10 rider led every lap until the one that counts; he slid out in the whoops on the final lap and watched painfully as Bob went flying by for the win.

On a side note, Gauldy and I made some bets on Wednesday night: $10 per holeshot between us in Plus 25, $10 on 5-1 odds that I’d lead him for a lap, and $20 that Gauldy won’t lead Facciotti for a lap. I’m now up $50 after Gauldy went down on lap one of Plus 25 and handed me second-place for a lap (and a half). 

Quebec’s Jason Benny (99) and Nathan Bles (210) had a good battle going in Schoolboy.   

Benny’s a pretty cool rider to watch on the track; he’s smooth, stylie and his KX125 sounds mint!

Jaywal Racing’s Jesse Pearce is a threat in the intermediate championships. Pearce holeshot the first MX2 Intermediate moto and hung on for a third behind Danny Riverin and Kaelin.  

This guy was a little crazy on his ATV. Then again, aren’t all guys on ATVs crazy? Send hate mail to matthes@racerxcanada.com.

Last year’s Gaerne Bronze Boot winner at the Walton TransCan, Dylan Kaelin, is on his way to winning another big award and some championships. Today, Kaelin finished sixth in Youth, second in MX2 Intermediate, and first in MX1 Intermediate. Kaelin almost lost it once though. On the final lap, in MX1, he had a comfortable lead and was giving me a wave when he nearly swapped into a haybale. Careful, Dylan!   

Lucas Oils' Tom Norris was pinned on his ... hmm, I want to say 1988 CR125?  

The Ladies class had a solid turnout. It’s hard to say who got the Royal Disbtributing Bucks for the holeshot, as Morgan Racing’s Casondra Greene and Jocelyn Killough (5) crossed pretty close together. Killough took the win over Greene and Kristan MacDonald. MXForum has sponsored $500 for the Hard Charger event at the EANMC. Hence the pink doghouse and pink results board.

“Don’t worry, Jocelyn, I’ll be back in 20 minutes.” Just kidding! These two kids are cute, though, aren’t they?

As Matthes would say, I just thought this picture is neat! 

A little love has to go out to Kevin Tyler. Check out his little baby, a YZ144. The man does it all; bulldozer, teacher, rider, father, hot dog vendor…. It's nice to see him out enjoying his baby after all of his hard work. See you tomorrow in Munster!