This past weekend was part of the Fall Series for the Maine Motocross organization at Hemonds Motocross Park in Minot.

John and Scott from Photopix were, as always, at the event and sent us some great shots of the riders. Make sure to check them out!

This past weekend was part of the Fall Series for the Maine Motocross organization at Hemonds Motocross Park in Minot.

John and Scott from Photopix were, as always, at the event and sent us some great shots of the riders. Make sure to check them out!

continued from the NE Classic at Hemonds on 7.7.07

In the women's class Brittany Gagne and Katelyn Crowley were the women to beat with Brittany scoring 3 moto wins and Katelyn taking 3- 2nd place finishes. They both rode flawlessly in their motos and good luck to Katelyn who qualified for Loretta's Lynn's. Seth Taylor went home with a Gold cup in the 125 YA class plus he grabbed some of the prize money to boot so it was a good weekend for Seth also. Charbonneau and Lamb had moto wins in the 250 Pro but it was Robbie Marshall who took home the Gold Cup and the lions share of prize money, Robbie showed everyone it was consistency that paid off with a 3-2-3 finishes and no moto wins in the 250 Pro but in the 125 Pro class it was his time to score some moto wins and score he did with going 3-1-1 for the overall in that class. The pro racing was a lot of fun to watch seeing them turn 1:55 min lap times and berming up the freshly groomed track, there was some nice lines out there for the other classes that followed. In the 65A Class it was Jon "Chopper" Borrello of Dighton Mass who aced all 3 motos wins and Eric Grondahl of Madbury NH did the same in the Jr Mini. Eric and Chopper were back and fourth in their motos all weekend racing against each other with Eric coming out on the top in the motos that they raced together; we will be hearing a lot more about these riders in the future. Also in Supermini is was #3 Jimmy Decotis of Peabody Mass taking 3 motos wins, he really made that Yamaha turn some fast track times for a Supermini. So all in all as you will see by the results posted on Hemond's website that this race had plenty of riders from all over New England and they all walked away from the first New England Classic waiting for them to schedule the next one for next year, I believe that next year will be even better attended with all the good reviews that I heard. I must say that thanks go out to the people who helped out during the week getting the place ready and you all know who you are, so next year makes sure your calendar is clear for that weekend and plan accordingly, because you don't want to miss another!! -- John "Chooch" Raymond

Well all I can say to the people who missed this race this past weekend is boy did you miss something! Hemond's Moto X Park in Minot, Maine was the place for the 1st Annual Motocross Classic and, from my experience having attended all of the National Tracks in the US, this facility ranks right at the top with the best. Kudos goes out to the Hemond's Family for organizing this event. One thing I can say is that every time we go to Hemond's Moto X Park there is something new added to the facility. This place is ever-changing and evolving. When we arrived on Friday, the grounds and the track looked like we just pulled into a facility that was going to host a National with the track all bannered up and freshly groomed. Everyone who attended was treated to what will be talked about for years to come, especially the ones who received trophies, plaques and cash payouts. They walked away with a bit of Maine Motocross history that when we all will look back on they will be able to say, "Hey I raced that weekend they held the first Classic". With approximately 500 entries and names like Keller, Morrison, Charbonneau, Lamb, Treadwell, Dube, Taylor, and Marshall, everyone was treated to some fine racing in the 250 Pro and 125 Pro classes. Also with the 3 moto format no one went home feeling that they didn't get enough track time for their money, with the A classes and pros getting 20 minutes plus 2 and most of the other classes getting 10 to 12 laps per moto, lets just say that everyone slept well at night!

Now for the racing. Justin Cooper from Cold Spring Harbor New York was the big winner for the weekend, walking away with 3 yes I said 3 Gold cups. One in the 50 cc 7-9, one in the 65 cc 7-9, and one in the 50 open and not only did he win them classes but he won all 9 motos and that would be a feat for anyone to pull off. My photographer that I brought in to help me with photographing this event, Steve Page said that Justin #16 was going so fast and taking the best lines that he looked like he was on a rail for most of his motos! Maine's own Chris VanDerZee took home 2 cups one in the 250 B and one in the Open B and he got better after his first motos where he took 2nd place in each and then finished the weekend with moto wins in each of the 2nd and 3rd motos in each class. Smokin Joey Quirion of Skowhegan Maine won the 65 C class taking all 3 moto wins you could tell that Joey has been practicing and getting stronger all the time, good going Joey!

More story on Sunday's article!

Finally a great day of weather for motocross on Sunday this past weekend at Hemond's with a good showing of approximately 400 entries and very little work performed by the EMT, which is a good thing. The new race format that allowed the small bikes to race first and then move everything to the big track worked out pretty well for most everyone. They also allowed pit riding for a test this past weekend and for the most part it worked out pretty well but after talking to Mike Hemond at the board meeting following the race he had some issues with some Older Riders, so one word to everyone: if you want this to stay you better police it better or it might be back to pushing, and you don't want that to happen! On any given Sunday during the race year everyone has the chance to pull off an overall win, but that is not always the easiest thing to do. Winning one moto is a big accomplishment to most everyone, but to be able to do well for both motos and hold onto the overall win is something that comes to only a few. But, when it does, it is something to be proud of. This past weekend in the women's class Britny Therrien, John Therrien's daughter, did just that. I have watched Britny race for the past 3-4 years, always plugging away and trying to do her best. After getting 2nd place in the first moto, just behind Courtney Burnham, it was up to Britny to come out and beat out Courtney in the second moto and that is just what she did. I saw her getting more air than I have seen her do in the last 3-4 years; you could see that she wanted that first overall so congratulations to Britny and hopefully this is something of things to come.

Now for the rest of the weekend of racing. In the 50 7-9 class, Ried Lanpher took both motos for the overall in that class on his Cobra with Alex White on his Polini taking 2nd overall close behind. In the 65c class, "Smokin" Joey Quirion pulled off both moto wins on his KTM with Kyle Coolidge of Plymouth MA taking the 2nd overall. In the Vet open class, John McCann seems to be the guy to beat with winning both motos again. I think John doesn't have to wash his gear as much as the rest of that class seeing that he pretty much rides in the front of the pack where ever I see him racing…..kudos to John! True Bragg was able to win the Open B class by taking a 2nd in the first moto and a 1st in the second for the overall in that class.

Leslie Pepper, Randy Teixeira and David Bragg seem the be the guys to beat in the 40+ classes with Leslie taking both moto wins in the 40+C class, Randy going 1-2 for the overall in the 40+B class and David Bragg dominating the 40+A class with two 1st places. Getting to watch the 250AB motos was a treat, seeing Craig Dube flawlessly win both motos in the 250A and Craig Michaud take both moto wins in the B class. Casey Myrick was smoking in the 125YB while swapping moto wins with Chris Lunt for the overall win. Rob Salvatore of Hanover, MA went 1-2 for the overall in the 125C class… good to see some people from out of state racing our Maine Motocross Series. Well, we will be at Hemond's this week for NEMA, but we will see you all for the NEW ENGLAND CLASSIC the following weekend and good luck to all Maine riders at the Classic! -- John "Chooch" Raymond

Day two of NEMX at Hemond's Motocross Park. Check day one below for more photos and details!

Another rain-soaked weekend was predicted, but Saturday's weather made for probably the best day for racing this year. A little rain in the early morning made it a great day of racing at Hemond's. The Hemond's crew had the track ready and all groomed to everyone's liking. The rain in the morning only made it a non-dusty day and by day's end the sun had come out and dried the track up for some primo lines around the big track. The small bikes raced on the small track and the larger bikes on the new track. Oh, by the way, Mike Hemond has made some changes to the start on the new track, so you might want to check it out before the New England Classic - wouldn't want anyone making the wrong turn at the Classic. Sunday's races were a lot muddier because Saturday night dumped about 2 inches of rain. Mike worked over night and early morning to be ready for Sunday's race. Kudos to Mike.

Now for the racing. In the 65 B 10-11 class Blaze Best not only took both moto wins on Saturday but he did the same in the mud on Sunday. Also in that class, we saw David Gardner score 2-3rd places on both days for him also. Great racing guys! In the 50 Open and 50 7-8 Austin Cederquist ran away with the show, scoring overall wins in both classes on both days and finishing in 2nd place on Sunday in the 50 7-8 in the first moto; the rest of the weekend he placed 1st in each moto.

In the women's class, Brittany Gagne was on fire. She won both motos on Saturday and both on Sunday with a large lead in all 4 motos. I believe she could compete in the men's classes with no problem. Also Maine's own Courtney Burham finished a strong 4th on her 150 Honda and first-timer Nicole Chong Kam finished all of her 4 motos. Although in last place each time, she never gave up and did a good job for her first race!

Jack Pagano did a fine job in the 65c 7-9 class scoring overall wins in each of his motos. Troy Flagger also had a good weekend at Minot; he won both motos on Saturday in the 125 C class and took a 2nd overall on Sunday. In the 250 B class we got to see Spencer Burns and Jeremy Bigelow swapped motos wins with Spencer taking the overall on Sunday and Spencer taking both moto wins on Sunday. John Therrien of Minot, Maine made the podium in the 35+B class with a 3rd overall. Josh Beebe scored an overall in the 35+A class with 2 moto wins. Cameron Gortz walked away with 2 days of overall wins in the Supermini class, which I believe was the largest class for the weekend. Mike Scopa and Troy Flagg Jr. also swapped moto wins, with Mike taking the overall on Sunday and Troy taking the overall on Saturday.

There were over 450 entries on Saturday and around 425 for Sunday, which made for a weekend of great racing. I was impressed with both organizations and I believe that everyone had a great time and left the place just the way they found it, which makes it good for the promoters.

On a sour note, I want to send my condolences to the Petrin family. Over the weekend we lost a racer in the MMS series to an automobile accident. His name was Daryn Petrin and he raced the 250 B and Open B class in the Maine Series. His riding number was 531 and I know a lot of you all remember him. The motocross community is very saddened to learn this and we all wish the best for his family. Godspeed Daryn! -- John "Chooch" Raymond

Well it was the first round of the Maine Motocross Series and just like last year we are starting it out with a wet weekend. With approximately 350 entries for the day and no lack of mud the Hemond's crew did a great job of getting the sloppy stuff pushed off the track and racing started by late morning. Just to bring all of you up to date on the facility the Hemond's crew has built 2 more towers one for the announcer and one at the new track finish line, the new observation tower that was just built and will be part of the new Pro Shop that will be on-site in weeks to come. They expect to be operating the new track soon but were waiting to be able to get out there and do some grooming.

Now for the racing, all the Motos ran pretty much without any problems and the experts got to run a 15 minute plus 2 laps in the first half and the other classes were either 5-6 laps so everyone got to get some good track time in. Due to the later start than normal it was decided to cut the motos instead of just running one Moto. We finished around 6:30 for the last race.

Hunter Williams had a great day with 4 Moto wins, 2 in the 65 Open and 2 in the 65 B; I expect to see more of the same from Hunter. Bryant Federico started the year out good also with a holeshot in both 250 novice Motos scoring the win in the first Moto and looking like a win in the second Moto but had some problems and ended up in 5th for a 3 place overall, I see Bryant moving up soon to amateur status in the near future. Adam Zink won both of the 125-250 A classes and yes Adam I got your crash at the start, Adam told me to make sure I got his crash at the start and I did so check out Adam's crash (I just thought he was fooling with me) apparently not! Bubba Fick was another 4 Moto winner for the day, 2 Moto wins in the 85 expert and 2 Moto wins in the Supermini walking away with 4 Moto wins for the day. Eric Grondahl also had a great day winning both Motos in the Jr. Mini on his Honda 150 four Stroke pulling away from the pack. Craig Michaud also won both the 125 and 250 B classes; Craig looked pretty smooth in the mud I think that he likes to ride in the mud well at least that is what I thought it looked like he never slowed down for anything but the checkered flag.

Also one note was that I don't think there was any major injuries that needed a Ambulance ride which is good and hopefully we can keep it that way for the next race so I will see you all at MX-207 and let's keep our fingers crossed and the rain gods away for Sunday! - John "Chooch" Raymond