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New England ATV Motocross -- Round 9
Micheal Pilotte |
Middleboro, MA – Despite inclement weather
conditions and lots of mud that plagued round
nine of the NEATV-MX series, BCS Performance’s
Mike Pilotte came away with the Pro win while
Kawasaki’s Joe Haavisto claimed the number one
position in the Pro-am class.
Rain and mud was the name of the game at the
Capeway Rovers Motocross Park. Even though it
had been raining off and on all morning, there
were many racers that still showed up to
maintain, if not improve their points standings,
but at 9am, just as practice was about to get
underway, the skies opened up and heavy rain
began to fall. Track conditions deteriorated
quickly and became so poor due to all the water
that officials decided to move all of the youth
classes to the end of the day in hopes that
things would clear up a bit. Just as conditions
appeared to be improving, Mother Nature once
again let loose with a heavy down poor.
Conditions became so poor that officials decided
that the track would be impassable for the
smaller quads, and cancelled the kid’s races for
the day. Adult classes were also cut down to a
one moto, winner take all format.
With the massive amounts of mud flying
everywhere off the starting line, whoever took
the holeshot, and was able to keep their vision
somewhat clear, had a definite advantage over
those who were following. In the Pro class, Mike
Pilotte was the lucky one that took the holeshot,
with Joe Haavisto right behind him, while
several other riders got hung up in the first
turn due to the slick conditions.
The slippery track and poor visibility made
passing difficult if not close to impossible, so
the order that riders left the gate stayed
virtually the same throughout the entire moto.
The mud claimed several victims over the course
of the race with Myles Santaniello and Vincent
Mofford all taking DNF’s. “It was really slick
and visibility was poor. I ended up losing
traction off the line and didn’t get the start I
wanted. You definitely wanted to be the guy
getting the holeshot this round,” said
Kawasaki’s Joe Haavisto.
Out of the eight Pro’s on the starting line,
only five were able to finish the race. Of the
surviving racers, Pilotte was first to cross the
finish line, with Joe Haavisto in second, and
the Halo Suspension backed #40 Yamaha of Dave
Payne claimed the final podium position. Thomas
Mofford held on to take 4th place and BCS
Performance backed Justin Hoffler finished in
5th.
In the Pro-am class, it was Kawasaki’s Vincent
Mofford edging out Joe Haavisto for the holeshot
and the early lead, but it would take long for
Haavisto to make the pass to take over the lead
followed by Vincent Mofford and Mike Pilotte.
Just as in the Pro class, the order of the race
did not change much due to the inclement
conditions. Joe Haavisto rode away with the
Pro-am win with Vincent Mofford taking second
and Mike Pilotte taking the final podium
position. Thomas Mofford ran a solid race to
claim 4th, while Justin Hoffler, finished once
again in 5th place.
Even with massive amounts of mud, there was a
large turnout in the Women’s class with 12
riders lined up at the gate ready and waiting
for their chance to get down and dirty. Halo
Suspension’s Amy Thompson, who has been putting
on a solid performance all season on her #103
Yamaha, took the holeshot and the win. Thompson,
who had the advantage of clear sight, pulled
ahead and kept a comfortable lead all the way to
the finish line. Tiffany LaClair took an
impressive second place, while class points
leader Paige Whipple finished in a strong third
place.
In the 25+ class, #122 Yamaha of Matt Atkins
took the holeshot and the win, gaining some
points on current points leader, Chris Lane and
second in points, Casey Loring as both Chris and
Casey decided not to race because of the
conditions. In the Youth 200/300 class, Cody
Gould braved the elements to take the win with
Joshua Mondo in second and Mike Troiano taking
the final spot on the podium.
The 4-Stroke Expert A class was not without its
challenges as well with only four out of nine
racers crossing the finish line. Jonathan Hansen
was the first to reach the checkered flag, with
class points leader Ralle Rookey in a close
second. Jono Normandin found his way to the 3rd
spot on the podium and Anthony Pugliese rode in
at a solid fourth.
The next round of the NEATV-MX will be held at
MX207 in Lyman, Maine. Round 10 will be a
special event that is to include a fundraising
benefit for the American Cancer Society. The
benefit will begin at 4PM with games and prizes,
including a Guitar Hero contest. Luminary bas
will also be sold at the event with 100% of the
proceeds donated to the American Cancer Society.
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