2008 AMA ATV Motocross Nationals #4 - Birch Creek - Amatuer Coverage

[Pappy]

First off, exactly how many of there were you!! WOW!!! It has been almost a year since I had the oppertunity to cover the ATVA MX Series and I must say, I was pretty dang excited to see so many attending this event!

I love doing the "Amatuer" coverage (I kind of hate calling it that, but they might get really ticked at me if I call it "The riders who pay for all this crap themselves" race coverage!!!:devil: ) I get to be myself, ham it up with the coverage and talk about some of you that I know personally while showing some photographs of you guys doing what you do!!

[Pappy]

And with so many entries and classes and moto after moto of killer action, doing a play by play would be almost immpossible. So please, enjoy the thread and if I get something wrong feel free to post up a correction!

[Pappy]

For those of you who dont know me, thats cool. They have had me covering all the XC racing but I love shooting MX and you will see me at more races this season and other events around the country....so please say hello or roost me or something so i know who ya are!

When I arrived at the Birch Creek facility saturday morning, I could tell the days work was going to be done in some serious heat but I could work on my tan so life was good:p catching the youth riders in action is always a priority for me as these guys and gals are the future of our sport!

[Pappy]

Catching these "mini" riders in action is a thrill, and seeing how far the machines and talent has progressed over the years is awesome! I cant imagine what it would have been like when I was 9 or 10 to get to do this!!

[Pappy]

Not everyone made it through the weekend without testing just how hard the track was, but thankfully he bounced back on his feet and was back in the action in no time!

[Pappy]

The best thing about covering these events is getting to see first hand how it indeed is a community and how much family involvement there is.

[Pappy]

The fun for me really begins when the pressure is off from covering the Pro's and I can just enjoy the race and snap a few shots of the going on's

[Pappy]

Now I usually am a stalker:huh meaning that I love candid shots when people have no idea they are having their picture taken:p Unfortunatley, the past week wasn;t kind to me and i was feeling pretty bad so I did not get around the pits like I had wanted, but you can bet next time I will have a few hundred shots of the "unexpected":devil:


I need one of them there hats!!

[Pappy]

For those that veiw these racing threads, and have never been to an event, GO!!!! The machines will blow your mind wether they be on the pro gate or the mini quads in the youth ranks!

[Pappy]

I di dfocus n a few riders that really stood out this wekend, and one was Cody Gibson.

[Pappy]

Gibson won (1-1) Pro AM Unlimited, and took second in Pro AM Production at this weekends event.

[Pappy]

The Birch Creek track looked like alot of fun, but it did appear rough as all get out thanks to the rain.

[Pappy]

The natural terrain layout offered plenty of elevation changes to keep all the riders on their toes!

[Pappy]

The cool thing about covering MX is that there is always action waiting on the next gate. No matter which class, there can be hard fought battles for first or 15th place!

[Pappy]

With um-teen million classes available, LCQ's, mains and what not, there is a place for everyone

[Pappy]

I know as a racer, waiting in staging can be murder. As for me, it equals non stop racing action for my lens to be focused on as class after class takes to the track

[Pappy]

Randy Hurst rode to a 2-1 victory in Vet 30+ A

[Pappy]

Paul Gregg took 3rd in Vet 30+ A after dealing with a tweaked front end from an earlier moto get together.

[Pappy]

The last time I saw Jeff Thompson he was sitting on top of a table top with a broken leg! It was great seeing him back out there as he took 2nd in Vet 30+ A!

[Pappy]

That sun was cooking everything, and shade was a precious commodity

[Pappy]

Moving from spot to spot kept the action in front of me fresh as riders gracefully handled what ever the track had in store for them

[Pappy]

The engines drown out the loudspeaker as the races run almost non-stop all day, leaving me at a total loss on which class is which at times:p

[Pappy]

I do believe I did the most laps of anyone there as I continually circled the facility:p

[Pappy]

Ant Burke gets ready for his turn at the track. Ant took 3rd in his 1st moto of 4 Stoke B, then 11th in moto 2 to give him 6th on the weekend.

[Pappy]

Mario Diangelo wasn't ready for this round and only at the last minute decided to attend. He will be ready to go for the next round now that his schedule has been worked out!

[Pappy]

Nicholas Moser was another rider that I followed this event, and even though he is running 450C, his skills are fast developing and his name will become familiar as he rises through the ranks.

Nicholas grabbed the holeshot in moto 2 and rode to the checkered flag winning moto 2!

[Pappy]

The Womens class ran on saturday, and it was Heather Byrd out front with the lead

[Pappy]

Michelle Natalie was in 2nd and the pair seperated from teh rest of the class.

[Pappy]

Adrienne Cooper running in 3rd

[Pappy]

Susan Parker was in competition this round, finishing 5th in moto 1

[Pappy]

Jamie Jones rode to a 6th place finish

[Pappy]

In moto 2, Natalie got out front but Byrd wasn't going to settle for second place

[Pappy]

Susan Parker was running a bit better in the second moto, finihsing 4th

[Pappy]

When the checkered flag came out, it was Byrd, Natalie and Cooper on the podium in that finishing order. Great racing ladies!

[Pappy]

The racin continued throughout the day and I caught as much of it as I could. The rain indeed held off on sunday, however that putrid grey sky made for poor lighting:p

[Pappy]

The action remained constant and other then a few hiccups, the event seemed to flow pretty well.

[Pappy]

Pro AM Production rider Clay Holmes took a 1-1 and will be one to watch when he finally takes the next step to the Pro class

[Pappy]

Randy Lehr suffered some mechanical issus, but rode a solid race taking 3rd on the weekend in Pro AM

[Pappy]

Cody Gibson not only won Pro AM Production, he scooted around the Birch Creek track in Pro AM taking 2nd!

[Pappy]

Mark Baldwin giving Josh Williams some trackside support

[Pappy]

As the day grew late, the racing never faltered as many classes were wrapping up.

[Pappy]

That kind of says it all:p

[Pappy]

The elevator jump in the back section looked like a blast!

[Pappy]

That's about it folks, not a ton but about all I can throw down after a long weekend.

Everyone be safe and I hope to see you all soon!

[JRP]

hey ken, any pics of #11 cole henry on a black can-am? Won 450B? Thanks