Cumming, GA (8/9/2010) - Can
we really enjoy the Red Bud ATV MX National
without a little rain? In at least 7 of the
last 10 years it’s rained at some point
during the race weekend at Red Bud. Why would
2010 be any different? After perfect conditions
for Friday’s practice, racers woke up
to a wet, slick and muddy race track for Saturday
morning’s motos. Luckily the soil at what
many consider to be the best MX track in the
U.S. is mostly sand and can handle more rain
than most storms can dish out.
So a once muddy track soon turned into a perfect
combination of dirt and moisture. Team MMS/Media
Allstars has shown all season long that weather
has little effect on their ability to put in
an impressive ride. Red Bud was no different.
And although the team as a whole still seems
to be carrying on a friendly feud with Lady
Luck, we’ll take what we can get!
Speaking of that dirty little 4 letter word
(luck), Team Captain Chase Cunningham #419 can’t
seem to have any. Chase had to miss practice
on Friday and scramble to get to the track in
time for racing action on Saturday after taking
ill Thursday night. With only a couple of muddy
practice laps the #419 machine went out for
the 2nd moto of the day in the 25+ class and
brought home a hard earned and filthy 2nd place.
Sunday’s moto 2 saw Chase shoot out of
the gate in 3rd (thanks to his Idol Speed Holeshot
device) only to have his kill cord come out
a ½ lap into the race putting him in
20th. As he’s been accustomed to doing
all year Chase put his head down and picked
riders off one by one and finished a respectable
8th, taking a 6th overall.
The Open A class saw the Morehead, KY rider
put in an impressive ride passing for the lead
once but finishing just short of the top spot
with a 2nd place moto finish. Moto 2 didn’t
quite go as well though, as Chase was left getting
untangled in a first turn pileup and finished
up 14th earning 6th overall. In his 3rd class
of the weekend Cunningham put in solid 4-7 moto
scores in 4-stroke A to take a 7th overall.
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#419
Chase Cunningham |
#33
Calen McGinty |
A rider that has had nothing but fist fights
with Lady Luck all season is Calen McGinty #33.
Red Bud was at least slightly better than normal.
Calen avoided all those intent on ruining his
fun and finished with 4-7 scores and a 6th overall
and his best finish of the year in the Open
B class. Kyle Schonert #489 was back in action
at Red Bud. Kyle had to take a break from the
Nationals to let his broken wrist heal. Even
without feeling 100% Schonert raced round 10
and was all smiles after going 8-13 for 14th
in Open B. We look for big things out of Kyle
as he heals up and we head into the 2011 season.
Speaking of the lost and found…..Jake
Brattain #104 came out of MX retirement at Red
Bud. Jake knew he was in for a battle in Open
C class but put up a good fight until his motor
locked up. Jake had an impressive 3rd in moto
1 and combined with his 17 in moto 2 was good
enough for 12th overall. One Rider that has
been a true team warrior race in and race out
is Ryan Wheeler #52. Ryan has managed to find
his way to every race this season. Not only
has he made it to the track, he’s owned
most of them. Ryan once again showed why he’s
one of the fastest C class racers in the country
by earning a 2nd overall in both 450C and 4-stroke
C. At this point in the season Ryan has 2nd
in both classes signed, sealed and delivered.
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#104
Jake Brattain |
#83
Jake McGraw |
Our Dynamic B class duo of Jake McGraw #83
and Josh West #5, have yet to disappoint this
season. Jake used a great start in 4-stroke
B moto 1 to earn a run away win. Combine that
with the hard charge he put on in moto 2 and
you get moto scores of 1-2 for 2nd overall.
McGraw also put in a solid ride in Production
B with scores of 3-7 for 6th overall. Josh’s
Production B moto 1 saw him running up front
with a 2nd place finish, but a bad case of wrong
place wrong time sent him back to 11th in moto
2 and earned the Roopville, GA rider 8th overall.
450 B class went a little smoother for West
as he scored a 5-2 finish (which included a
moto 2 holeshot) to grab the last spot on the
podium and 3rd overall. It’s always nice
when you win a championship early. That’s
exactly what Devin Stenftenagel #8 did at Red
Bud. Devin has been running up front in the
Open C class all season and his 1-2 moto finishes
for 2nd overall at round 10 were enough to clinch
his first ATVA National MX Championship.
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#5
Josh West |
#8
Devin Stenftenagel |
Stenftenagel also rode solid in the Production
C class going 3-6 for 6th overall. With one
of his class Championships wrapped up already
Jordan Digby #88 decided to try his hand at
racing and actually shifting gears for the first
time. Moto scores of 4-13 and 11th overall in
the 90 production 8-15 class show that this
young gun will be terrorizing the youth ranks
for at least another 7 years!
From one end of the spectrum to the other,
30+A/B rider Mark Batson rode to an impressive
6th place finish in moto 1 but some bad luck
caused this super consistent vet rider to settle
for a 15th in moto 2 and 13th overall.
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#636
Mark Batson |
#665
Ronnie Higgerson |
Our lone Pro-Am rider Ronnie Higgerson #665
struggled to find his groove at Red Bud. Hard
to believe you consider it struggling when a
rider earns a 10th place overall in the Pro-Am
production class. But given the speed Higgerson
has shown this season it’s strange to
not see his name near the top of the results
page.
With just 1 final round of racing left in the
2010 season you know it’s not just going
to be hot at Loretta Lynn’s but the racing
action is going to be off the hook! Many Championships
and season podiums are still up for grabs and
as usual it’s all coming down to the season’s
final round to decide who gets bragging rights
come 5:00 p.m. on November 6th (banquet).
Team Media Allstars already has 2 championships
wrapped up for 2010 and could add to that total
next weekend. Guess we’ll just have to
wait and see.
Red Bud ATV Racing Results Totals:
Podiums: 5
Top 5's: 5
Top 10's: 13
Moto Wins: 3
Moto Podiums: 14
Team
Moorehead Motorsports/Media All Stars
Red Bud Video |
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About the Media
Allstars
Established in 2004, the Media Allstars Amateur
ATV MX Team has racked up an impressive Ten
National Champi-onships, 91 Overall Wins, 211
Moto Wins, & 390 Podium Finishes. The Team’s
unique business model which focuses on presence,
and sponsor representation, while grooming future
champions has kept them out front since the
Team’s inception. The UTV Team was created
in 2008 with three drivers; Josh Starrett, Dustin
Shuler, and Jorge Cuartas, all three are ex-Motocrossers,
and fathers. Year one has yielded two Championships,
not to mention Countless Wins, Ex-perience,
Memories and Fun. Bring on 2009.