Martin and Sanders Score at Megacross

 

Megacross Shootout Series

Mendota, IL – July 8^th, 2006

By Nikki Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

 

ver 270 entrants filled the Megacross starting gate for stadium-style racing under the lights. The track crew worked and watered the track, keeping it tacky all night long, and making for excellent race conditions. Suzuki bikes and MSR and Answer gear was a common sight, as all three were paying race contingency. In fact, the top seven riders in 250A, and top six in 125A, were all Suzuki pilots!

 

Once again, Ross Martin was the top rider of the night, riding to victory in 125A, 250A, and Four-Stroke. To quote a caption from midwest-racing.com’s Merle Acord on a photo of Martin from the back, “Ride the A classes at Mendota, get used to it, this is what you see.” The quote couldn’t be more accurate. Even though Megacross fills the expert classes with Midwest’s top racers, Ross Martin seems nearly unstoppable when the gate drops. Martin, who is a Pro Snocross racer in the winter months, has won his last nine races that he has entered at Megacross this season, pretty impressive record!

 

 

Martin kept his win streak alive in 125A. Martin rocketed to the holeshot, with Cameron Lansing, David Oettel, and Justin Baker in tow. It’s clear that Martin has the Megacross track dialed, as he was pulling away after a few laps. Oettel worked on Lansing in the opening laps, but Lansing stayed steady and held his position. Justin Kelly and Kevin Markwardt moved through the pack and into the top five mid-race, until Kelly slid out in a bowl turn, and Markwardt hit his bike and went down too. Greg Hochmuth and Ryan Rogerson capitalized on the mishap to advance positions. At the finish, it was a sea of yellow, as the top six of Martin, Lansing, Oettel, Hochmuth, Rogerson, and Baker were all Suzuki mounted, cashing in on the race contingency.    

 

In 250A, Martin continued his dominance, leading from wire-to-wire. In the start, Hochmuth followed Martin around the first turn, and tried to run Martin’s pace and follow his lines. After a lap, Martin and Hochmuth had already inched away from the pack, which was lead by Oettel, Markwardt, Baker, Kelly, and Chad Westbrook. Markwardt and Kelly worked their way past Oettel, as Lansing moved up to challenge Baker. Martin pulled ahead, with Markwardt closing on second place Hochmuth in the closing laps. As they crossed the checkers, the top seven were Suzuki pilots of Martin, Hochmuth, Markwardt, Kelly, Oettel, Lansing, and Baker.

 

 

+25A was a fast class full of action, with Oettel taking top honors. Oettel had the holeshot, with Bob Gardner, Michael Hall, Tim Filippi, and David Hayes in pursuit. Burton Lavens, who finished second behind Oettel in the heat race, went down in the first turn. Oettel sprinted to the checkers, while James Abbott was coming through the pack, swapping plastic and trying to catch the leaders. As they approached the checkers, Gardner, Filippi, and Abbott were in a bunch, and Abbott jumped past Filippi on the triple. Oettel took the win, while Gardner and Abbott had a photo finish for second, with Gardner getting the nod.

 

 

Tyler Knowlton was the rider to beat in 250B. Wyatt Hall beat everyone to the first turn, with Knowlton, Aaron Hart, and Kris Bracken all hungry for the lead. You could throw a blanket over the first four riders in the opening laps, as they were that close, with a four-way battle for the lead. Knowlton made a strong run through the whoops on lap three to break away into the lead, and pulled a little room, as the other three were still banging bars. Hall then bobbled in a turn, and slid back to forth, leaving Hart and Bracken to duke it out for second, with Bracken coming out on top. Knowlton took the checkers, followed by Bracken, Hart, Hall, and Dennis Morsch.

 

 

In 125B, Jacob Kenyon led Brad Fabrizius, Kyle Entwistle, Broc Pagni, and the rest the pack around turn one. Kenyon turned up the gas to pull away, while Kyle White moved into second on lap three, with Fabrizius, Entwistle, and Pagni clustered behind and ready to strike. White then went wide on a jump, landed off the track, and slid out in a turn as he re-entered. Entwistle took advantage to move into second, with Fabrizius and Pagni running side-by-side for third. Kenyon cruised to the win, with Entwistle, Fabrizius, Pagni, and Mike Chrisos rounding out the top five.

 

 

Jordan Cram started with a holeshot in 50 Senior, trailed by Kai Devine, Tyler Scott, Jacob Wehn, and RJ Mackenzie. Wehn jumped past Scott on the step-up in the rhythm section to move into third. He then set his sights on Devine, but Devine protected his line and held his position to the checkers. Cram collected the win, followed by Devine and Wehn.

 

 

65 Beginner is a popular class for the new riders, with everyone mixing it up in the results and finishing differently in the heat race and main, except for winner Jordan Cram who went 1-1. Cram started out front, with Collin Thuer, Jake Seibert, and Kurt Harper in the hunt. Damon Quest and Bailey Fessler, who finished second and third in the heat race, were on the move to catch the leaders. At the finish, Cram carded the win, followed by Seibert, Harper, Fessler, and Quest.

 

 

Zachary Sawko, Logan Skaggs, and Nick Wallace lead 65 Junior around the first turn. Skaggs had a tough heat race, finishing last, but regrouped and stayed with Sawko in the opening laps. Behind them, Sam Shanie was pressuring Wallace for the third spot by racing next to him in several sections of track, but Wallace kept shutting the door. On the last lap, Shanie went down in the turn after the whoops, giving Wallace a rest. Sawko collected the win, with Skaggs and Wallace completing the top three.

 

 

In 65 Senior, Jacob Wever jumped out front, chased by Kyle Nelson, Conner Robinson, Jordan Mackiewicz, and Ray Lipe. Mid-race, Nelson gave up a position to Robinson, while Kelly Christman, Lipe, and Travis Ward were all racing for the fifth spot. Nelson gave it his all trying to get the second spot back from Robinson, but ran out of laps. Wever took the checkers, trailed by Robinson, Nelson, Mackiewicz, and Ward.

 

Twenty riders filled the gate in 85 Senior, with Daniel Sanders coming out on top. Maxx Malatia picked up the holeshot, with Steve Page, Sanders, and Robbie Hyson on his rear fender. Sanders moved past Page and started hunting down the leader. Malatia and Sanders were on the gas as they battled through lapped traffic, and Sanders passing into the lead in the small whoops section in traffic, on the way to the white flag. Then Malatia went down in the big whoop section on the last lap, and got back going right as third place Page came around. Page turned it up and muscled his way around Malatia through an off camber turn. Sanders, Page, Malatia, Zach Martino, and Hyson wrapped up the top five.

 

 

Sanders also topped the twenty rider field in 125C. Jarrett Kimball collected the holeshot, with Sanders, Jacob Weber, Neil Johnson, and Dallas Devinney in tow. Sanders quickly sprinted past Kimball and into the lead. Kimball then went down in the turn after the whoops, opening the door for Weber and Arick Abraham to move up positions. At the checkers, it was Sanders, followed by Weber, Abraham, Devinney, and Johnson.

 

Kevin Kline and Brian Goodin battled for the victory in 250C, with Kline coming out on top. Kline started in front, trailed by Goodin, Mark Carcia, Tyler Tornow, and Scott Holmes. Kline and Goodin were running a fast pace, and gapped the rest of the field as they ran side-by-side to the finish. Behind them, Holmes put pressure on Carcia for the third spot, with Holmes hitting Carcia in a turn and going down. Kline, Goodin, Carcia, Tornow, and Adam Therriault completed the top five.

 

 

April Roper started out front and ran away with the win in the sixteen-rider Women’s class. Behind her, there was lots of action. Lauren Hicks and Briann Stiles were fighting for the second spot, when Stiles tried to make a pass on the inside, but went down and couldn’t get the bike restarted. Whitney Miller charged through the pack after a bad start to finish third. Shelby Miller and Nikki Dixon worked past Theresa Lanute in the battle for fourth, with Shelby Miller then stalling her bike in a turn, handing over positions to Dixon and Lanute, who rounded out the top five.

 

 

Kyle White had the early lead in Quad C, with Richard Olson and Daniel Olson in tow. After completing a lap, leader White pulled to the side of the track to adjust his goggles, moving Richard Olson, Daniel Olson and Derick Skaggs into the top three. Richard Olson kept on the gas taking the win, while Jaden Landwehr and Jory Dalsanto came through the pack to round out the podium.