What a great job Mark Ellis and all the volunteers did in the weeks leading up to rounds six and seven of the VIMX Spring Series on May 20-21.
The job the North Island Tri-Port club did was just amazing. A new cement start with a roof over it is just unheard of. Not sure, but I don’t think there is another club in B.C. that has one – but then again we are talking the north end of Vancouver Island where the weather can change from sun to rain or snow very fast.
The changes that were made to the track were great. The longer straightaway made for some great hole-shot speed leading into a corner, then the step up to another straightaway that you need to be careful on as it was very sandy. At 1.9 kilometres, the track is now one of the longest, if not the longest, on the Island. Some of the bikes were making it around in just less than two minutes.
Along with watching some fantastic motocross racing, the crowd was entertained with some fancy flying from three eagles. Two of the eagles locked talons and came down on the track during a race. Lucky for the eagles there were no bikes close to where they came down. Once they hit the ground they became unlocked, had a shake and flew away.
Campbell River rider Ryder Roth had a great time in the 50cc 4-6 class. He had a good morning moto Saturday as he took the checker flag ahead of Nanaimo’s Cole Wasmuth. But things were a little different in the afternoon.
Roth started out well but the sandy track conditions were a lot tougher in the afternoon and he went down a few times. But he never gave up and was fighting his way back to the lead but ran out of time and finished second. Roth finished the day in second place overall while Wasmuth took home first place.
Sunday, with a nice freshly groomed track, Roth roared out of the start gates and never looked back. He was roaring around the track and took the checker flag first once again. In the afternoon he was through the hole-shot first and building a lead each lap. Wasmuth had a little bad luck, taking home a sand sample as he went down early in the race. He finished second and took second overall while Roth took first overall.
Nanaimo Ladies class racer Camille Baker made the most of her trek up Island. She was ripping the track up and just flying over some of the new jumps. She took home first for both days while Campbell River rider Lindsey McLean posted two second-place finishes overall.
Parksville rider Jesse Jenkins also had a great weekend of racing. She did go down during her first moto on Saturday, was pinned under her bike and unable to get out from under it. Another rider came by and took the bike off her then resumed the race. Jenkins placed third overall both days.
It was home track advantage for Jason Abernethy of Port McNeill, who had some fantastic moto wins in the MX2 Junior class. In one moto he had to come from last place as he went down right after the hole shot. Chase Krompocker of Powell River was hot on his back wheel for most of the motos but even Krompocker had trouble in the sandy sections on the revamped track. He went down and had to restart the big Yamaha four-stroke. That took awhile, enabling others to get by.
Jason Abernethy took first overall on both days while on Saturday it was Graham Scott of Sidney taking second place and Dylan Hanson of Port Alberni third overall. On Sunday, Ladysmith rider Jeremiah Sims took second place while third went to Victoria rider Bryce Currie. Krompocker finished Saturday in seventh place while Sunday he finished fourth overall.
Abernethy also rode in the Junior GP class on Saturday and finished first overall while Jesse Ryan of Nanaimo rode his Honda to second overall. Third overall went to Krompocker. Abernethy sat the class out on Sunday. Currie took first overall while Ryan was second and Scott third.
Some of the best racing took place in the MX2 Intermediate class. The riders were just flying over the table top and dropping right into the step down in front of the grandstand. It was quiet a sight to see. Especially watching Cory Cardinal of Crofton when his bike stalled in mid-air and he came crashing to the ground. He was able to get up, dust off and restart the bike and continue to race.
And what a race he had, coming all the way back to finish second overall. Ryan Lalonde of Victoria took the win. These two went at it again in the afternoon with Lalonde once again taking the checker flag first while Cardinal took second place. Lalonde finished the day first overall while Cardinal was second and Connor Barnes of Shawnigan Lake finished third.
Cardinal and Lalonde were right back at it Sunday. This time it was Cardinal taking first overall with Lalonde second. Victoria rider Peter Swanwick was third overall for the day.
In the MX1 Intermediate class Saturday, Victoria rider Daniel Vanderbasch earned first place overall while Kyle Morlock of Nanaimo was second. More riders were on hand for the class on Sunday, making for some interesting riding.
A tough break for Vanderbasch during the warm-ups as he went down hard, broke his collar bone and will be out up to six weeks. Royce King of Port McNeill took first overall while Victoria rider Darcy Lalonde was second. Third overall went to Campbell River rider Corby McCartney.
Wyatt Weddell of Delta had a perfect weekend of racing, winning eight of eight races. He was riding in the Supermini class as well as the 85cc 12-16 class. The sandy conditions did not bother him as he was putting in some very impressive lap times. He took first overall both days in both classes. Joe Nikirk of Shawnigan Lake took second both days while Tanner Cardinal of Crofton was third both days in the 85cc 12-16 class.
Weddell and Nikirk took first and second respectively in the Supermini class while Harrison Bradley of Saltspring Island was third overall both days.
It was a great weekend of racing for Brandon Johnson of Saltspring Island in the 65cc class as he just powered his KTM through the sand and flew over the jumps on his way to four moto wins. Second overall also went to Saltspring Island as David Bradley took those honours both days.
Tanner Mayland had a great weekend as he grabbed a hand full of throttle and never let off till the weekend was over. He took home third place overall to Shawnigan Lake for both days.
Owen Addy of Parksville dominated the MX2 Beginner class. He was one of the only riders in the class able to keep the bike in the upright position for the entire moto on both days, earning him first place overall both days. Port Alice rider Dallas Bradshaw was second overall both days.
On Saturday Nathan Watt of Port McNeill finished third overall. On Sunday John Kretzschmar of Campbell River roared out of the start gates first but had trouble with the sandy track and brought home a sand sample as well as third place overall.
