Aug312009
National motocross races at Southwick
Filed under motorsport by andrew wolfe at 7:29 am
I’ve been crazy about motorcycles for many years now, but I hadn’t been to a motocross race until this past weekend. Did you even know that one of the premiere events in the sport takes place in western Massachusetts, about two hours drive from Nashua?
You would think it would merit at least passing mention in local media, but I only learned of the races at Southwick (11th race in a series of 12 for the national championships) from reading a motocross magazine to which Evan kindly gifted me a subscription.
I can’t claim to be much a fan, having just seen one race; I’m pretty ignorant, but I know a good time when I have one, and the races at Southwick 338 were a blast. I found myself whooping for riders I’d never heard of before (and actually, the race saw some new faces on the podium, I read afterward). It didn’t quite break the bank, either: Evan and I parked, got through the gate, picked up a program, t-shirts and fed ourselves for just about $150.
Motocross is a pretty visceral experience. It’s loud, fast and dirty. Accidents happen. The track had all sorts of different vantage points, and spectators were free to wander at will (excepting various VIP tents). We favored a rise overlooking a series of turns, the tightest of which was a deeply rutted bog where several well-known riders (Cheers to Austin Stroupe, Ashley Fiolek, Davi Millsaps) tasted mud pie.
We were rooting for Christophe Pourcel, the French rider who had been leading the 250cc class up to that point, but we didn’t help. He didn’t fare so well this time out. Chad Reed has the 450cc title wrapped up, I gather, and his performance in the first race showed why. He held a commanding lead, and made it look easy, as the best athletes always do.
As a novice spectator, I especially enjoyed the women’s class: it was easier to follow. Jessica Patterson rode with unmatched aggression, leaving Fiolek and Sherri Cruse to battle for second and third well behind her.
My only complaint would be the public address system, which was way too weak. We couldn’t hear what was going on most of the time, and I could have used help to understand what I was watching. Evan and I agreed to do it again next year, and we may even pry ourselves out of bed earlier, spring for a pit pass and angle for autographs… we were that smitten.
Also next year, I will try to remember to set my camera for speed once the racing starts. Check this link out for some professional pics and another race report.
Here’s Evan, with Chad Reed charging by:
I couldn’t even say what class this was, never mind identify any riders, but if that is #15 on the Kawi, then it must have been Tim Ferry?
There goes Jessica Patterson, with no one else in sight until she started lapping other riders:
And here’s Ashley Fiolek and Sherri Cruse. Fiolek made it round the bend this time, went splat on her next go-round, then battled back to catch Cruse:
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