Gopher Dunes: Through the Team Manager's Eyes

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Photos by James Lissimore. Thanks to Chris Pomeroy for his contributions for this report.

Andy White: KTM. Riders- Eric Nye, Ryan Millar, Kornel Nemeth and Kyle McGlynn

Gopher Dunes is always the toughest round in the series. This track will separate the strong from the weak. KTM Canada had a great weekend in the sand with 5 KTM 250 SX-F’s finishing in the top 6. Jeremy Medaglia and Kaven Benoit really stepped it up for the sand track. I was really happy with all the KTM’s running up in the top ten.

The MX1 class started off really well with Kornel finishing in 3rd until we were told that he and 3 other riders passed on a Red Cross flag somewhere on the track. This happens every year at Gopher dunes due to the extreme roughness of the track. Ryan Millar had a really good moto 1 and seems to be feeling stronger now that he had a few weeks off to strengthen his shoulder.  . Moto 2 went well for Kornel as he was able to finish in 3rd once again gaining some points in the championship.

Overall the team did really well; we are looking forward to racing at St Julie this weekend. Mike Brown is coming up to compete on the new 2011 350 SX-F for the Royal Distributing /Thor/Dragon Fuels KTM team.

One of these guys walks around with a wooden leg and the other manages team KTM.

Adam Robinson:  OTSFF Suzuki. Riders- Bobby Kiniry and Freddie Karrle

To start off, I have to say that the Schuster Family did an amazing job on everything, the pits were great, the track was clearly marked, definitely the best facility so far in 2010.  The tough track certainly separates the riders, that’s for sure.  Some guys love the sand and some guys hate it!

 From our team’s perspective, I was happy with the day.  Bobby really isn’t a sand rider, but he never gave up and his 5-5 doesn’t really do justice to how hard he rode.  We did a lot of testing beforehand and I was happy with how are bikes worked, we were certainly prepared for the tough conditions.

 As far as Freddy goes, he had a tough day on Sunday.  He was involved in an incident in the 1^st moto, now I didn’t see it but I sure heard a lot about it.  No one is out there to take other riders out, that’s for sure.  I know Freddy was really tired at that stage of the moto and was doing his best to just finish, I don‘t believe there was any malice in his riding.  There is no room in Motocross for that and no room on the OTSFF Team for that, so I know Freddy wouldn’t do anything intentionally.

  With Gopher over now, we have mostly hard pack tracks left, we just have to keep putting ourselves in the position we have been.  We still have 8 motos left and as everyone has seen so far in this series, anything can happen.

Dean Thompson:  Blackfoot Yamaha. Riders- Colton Facciotti, Dusty Klatt and Tyler Medaglia

 It was good that everyone got some time off the last few weeks so they could prepare for a race like Gopher Dunes, the track, the heat and the humidity make it tough on everyone, tough on equipment also.  Our guys took some time off and recharged their batteries so they could come back strong for the last 5 rounds.

 We were obviously really happy with the results on Sunday, Colton, Tyler and Dusty all had a great day.  Colton is still not quite 100% but he knows it, so on the track he is just riding hard enough to get the job done.  He got the points lead back, so that was one of our goals heading into Sunday, from here on out he just has to ride within himself.

Here's Dean with a bunch of his friends. Just kidding Dean-o!

 As far as Dusty goes, he rode great also.  He came from way back in moto 2 and put on a great charge, he left it all on the track, that’s for sure.  He is sitting third in points right now and I know he is looking to improve on that, he really likes the next few tracks so look for Dusty to come on strong.

 What can you say about Tyler Medaglia?  He just rode amazing on Sunday, he came back from mediocre starts to win the overall.  The kid just never quits and just believes in himself, he loves the Eastern tracks also, so he will be hard to beat in the next few weeks.

Billy Whitley:  Cernics Kawasaki. Riders- Josh Demuth and Troy Adams

Well, I know I usually say that I am just happy to be at the races, but this past weekend really tested our Team’s resolve.  I have seen a lot in my life in racing and I can handle most anything, but the situation we ran into with a lapped rider on Sunday, that resulted in Josh not finishing both motos, stuff like that just has no place in racing.  Having said that, Josh is going to be alright, he is one of the toughest guys I have ever met.  We are going to take him riding on Friday to see how he feels, and if its good news than you will see him in Ste Julie.

 The good news out of Sunday was the riding of Troy, that guy is so talented and when he feels comfortable, like he did on Sunday, he can run with anybody.  Obviously being from Florida he was right at home in the sand, but I think also both our guys can ride in the heat so we are in good shape in the East.  For instance, in Texas right now, you can’t even ride in during the day, Josh has to go riding early in the day.  Heck, I’m standing outside right now and I’m sweating just talking to you. 

  We are also bringing Jack Carpenter up this weekend to ride and hang out so that should fun.  All the remaining tracks are great, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

Team Keast should've went 2-2 but had some issues with the spark plug not working properly once the fuel ran out.

John Nelson: Machine Racing. Rider- Kyle Keast

All I got to say is that 3 guys showed up ready to race MX1 and one ran out of gas in the first moto.  I got so confused at the pace of the second moto , again except for 3 guys , thought  I was at an enduro so we had a gas pit stop , to make sure we could make to the checkered flag . Great track , blah , blah, blah, go team go,  in the end it still was a pretty good day for Kyle .

p. s. for the record , I don’t need a bigger tank , we did top up after the hot lap , and for sure I don’t need anyone else to ask , e-mail ect… lol  

Tina Wieringa: Orange Motorsports. Rider- Jeremy Medaglia, Nathan Bles and Richard Grey

The first East Round at Gopher Dunes proved to be even more of a success for Orange Motorsports team.

The sun was out, and there was a pile of sand ready to play in. We were just missing the water.  Oh wait – this is motocross! We just like to play in the sand, get dirty, and then use our  pressure washers for a refreshing sprinkle- forget the ocean.

 In moto 1, Jeremy Medaglia #17 prepped his gate and was ready to get some sand between his toes. He pulled off a mid pack start but worked his way up to 5th at the 15 minute mark.  Once there, it was just a matter of time and his recognized ability to remain consistent and strong which would allow him move into 4^th position. 

Jer-Bear ended the day in second overall.

Second moto proved even better for the Orange Motorsports/KTM rider– Jeremy  started beside the box and was ready to put his ktm out front.  He managed to round the first corner in about 3^rd position and worked up to 2^nd quickly in the race.  Jeremy rode a solid second throughout the moto with only milliseconds separating him from first.

Overall for the day, Orange Motorsports/KTM rider Jeremy Medaglia #17 found himself on the podium in 2^nd! Orange Motorsports/KTM team is now a solid 3^rd in points.  Congratulations!!!

Jeremy also had some company under the tent for the first eastern rounds. Orange Motorsports sponsored intermediate riders, Richard Grey #194 and Nathan Bles #29 (129) showed what they had to offer the sport of motorcross and its fans.  They lined up against all the factory riders and were as calm as could be.  Richard Grey #194 started the first moto in top 5 and Nathan #29 (129) inside top 10.  Richard kept pace with the top riders and rode consistent and smooth to finish an amazing 5^th! Nathan #29 (129) also rode consistently and strong for an inspirational 7^th place finish.

In the second moto, Richard got around the first corner in 2^nd and held this position for around 4 laps.  Richard was able to keep himself inside the top five for 20 minutes of the moto; however, in the last few minutes, the sand caught him -as it sometimes does at the Dunes – and he lost a few positions. Being the collected person he is, Richard shook it off and rode over the finish line with an exceptional display of skill and ability. 

Nathan also had a solid start and was able to finish 10^th with an overall of 6^th – Pretty impressive for a pro debut.

Orange Motorsports can’t thank its 2010 team sponsors, riders, mechanics, and team support enough for its success. Without the sponsors, the Canadian Motocross fans would not be able to enjoy a day full of exciting racing. See you next weekend.