Printable View
With the sun high in the sky and temps in the 90’s, 4 Stroke A rider, Mark Notman used his umbrella to keep the sun from beating down on him while waiting for the start of the race. Many of those riders that didn’t bring umbrellas to the start headed to the sidelines to relax in the shade of the pine trees.
Mark’s brother, Brian Notman wasn’t concerned about staying cool before the start of the race, but instead, he was looking to take the opportunity to display a forsale sign on his 400EX. With Mark currently 5th in points in the A Class and Brian back in 23rd, I would guess he has plans on getting himself a 450R.
Dan Kiehl finished 2nd Overall last year at the Wisp in the Morning on his Stock Yamaha, but this year, he has decided to move up to the A Class in the Afternoon.
Vet Class, Blaine Shick, remains loyal to his 250R as he is one of very few riders that remain on the 2 stroke machines, but it seems to be working for Blaine because he has finished in 3rd place the last two races.
Jeff Brest has yet to win a race in the Vet Class this season, but he has been consistent enough to move himself into the top 3 behind Steve Zapfe and Ken Tincher.
It might appear that Jeff has been on a 450R all season by taking a quick glance at his machine, but actually he has been racing Service Honda’s Hybrid 250R which are available for $8,999 for a complete quad or $4,999 for a 250R kit with a 2001 CR250 Engine.
For the Wisp, Jeff actually was on his 450R, but I expect to see him back on the Service Honda 250R at the next round.
Michael Hyen made the long trip from Jacksonville, FL to compete in his fist race of the season in the 4 Stroke B Class, and the long trip must have had him feeling stiff because he utilized some extreme maneuvers to stretch his muscles on the line.
With 236 riders on the starting line, Ricky Towery stairs at it his watch waiting for the precise moment to give the 10 second signal to the Pro Riders.
Ricky waves the green flag, and the start of the afternoon racing action was underway with #1 Bill Ballance, Factory Yamaha, grabbing the Holeshot once again aboard his YFZ with #3 Chris Borich, and #2 William Yokley in chase.
With Ballance and Borich out front, #2 William Yokley, #9 Brandon Ballance, #16 Santo Derisi, and #4 Matt Smiley all battled for position heading through the second turn.
For Santo Derisi this was best start he has had in several rounds of racing, and after string of bad luck this start was exactly what he needed to get himself back into the groove.
By the third turn, a dust cloud blinded the riders as they headed through a narrow section of barrels.