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Privateer Photo Gallery

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Jul 7 2009 - 11:56pm - James Lissimore
Privateer Photo Gallery

By James Lissimore

 

Now that we're at the half way point of the season I thought I'd take a look at the unsung heroes of the sport - The Privateers. Though the big rigs and fancy bikes are what everyone comes to drool over, these guys make up the heart and soul of motocross racing. Often not getting much coverage, they risk it all for the love of the sport and often are back at work Monday morning. Some are former factory racers who are enjoying being out from under the microscope, others are up and comers looking for their big break, and some are journeymen who just enjoy racing the nationals and the excitement it brings them. For these riders, we salute you....

Bryton Allison is the youngest of the three Allison brothers racing the nationals this season. The intermediate rider has been getting his feet wet during the western rounds.
American WORCS off road racer, Bobby Garrison, drove up to hit two rounds of the Canadian series at Kamloops and Edmonton. Being a hardcore off-roader, naturally he double classed it, riding both the 250 and 450.
Alberta's Brad Lechelt raced the first 3 rounds in the MX1 class.
Courtenay B.C.'s Colton McLean was looking to make his mark this season but unfortunately he packed it in after Calgary with a knee injury.
Cole Rath has raced all four of the west rounds under the Perform-X banner.
Long time privateer Dustin Hayes raced all the western rounds. His best finish was an 11th at Morden.
I'm not sure how old Dale Voldeng is but I've seen him racing the +40 class at local BC races. Age didn't stop him from scoring a 16th in the first moto at Kamloops.
Lethbridge, Alberta's George DeGraaf Jr.
Kamloops, BC's Greg Small is racing the entire MX1 series this season. He's got a good way to get to the races - He travels with his dad, Jim, who drives the Monster Energy/Leading Edge Kawasaki semi.
Julian Cerny has been around forever. He had a violent get off in Edmonton but anyone who knows Julian knows it won't keep him off the track for long.
Squamish, BC's Justin Patjas is racing his first season in the MX1 class. The 17 year old was strangely enough 21st overall at all 4 rounds.
Ontario Intermediate rider Jessie Pearce has had some good rides out west. His best was a 19th at Morden.
Team Faith's Josh Snider
One half of the South African duo, Kerim Fitz-Gerald has been racing the nationals for the RTR/Orange Motorsports KTM team. His best finish was a 6th at the opening round at Kamloops.
Team Faith's Kevin Johnson was expecting a lot more than 12th overall in the MX1 class after 4 rounds. Look for him to pick up the pace as the series moves east.
Abbotsford, BC's Kevin Lepp raced the first 3 rounds.
Kory Snelgrove is another Ontario privateer who's been doing the entire MX2 series. He's currently 21st in the series.
Liam O'Farrell is the second half of the South African contigent on the RTR/Orange Motorsports KTM team.
The man who's at the top of the privateer chain this season is Mitch Cooke. After a few seasons on factory backed teams, Mitch is back racing out of his motorhome and loving every moment of it. He's currently sixth in the MX1 class and just got picked for Canada's MXdN team.
Alberta's PJ Stratton is another rider doing the entire MX2 series.
Perform-X Yamaha's Shawn Maffenbeier has had some great rides in the MX1 class this year. Last weekend at Morden he ran top 3 for quite a while before dropping back.
Former Team KTM rider and National winner Tim Tremblay is back as a privateer this year. His best ride was an 11th at Calgary.
Tremblay's teammate is Yuri Alexandre, who's racing the MX2 class.
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