Record Megacross Turnout as Martin Wins Two Epic Mains

 Tri County Fairgrounds, Mendota, IL

May 12^th, 2007 - Round 3 of 11

By Nikki Dixon

 Megacross packed the Tri-County Fairgrounds for round three of the Megacross Shootout Series, tallying a record turnout of 400 entries. Team Megacross executed the night flawlessly, firing off the motos and getting through the program as quickly as possible with the large turnout.  Riders and fans in attendance were also treated to some awesome races, including an epic 250A main that people in the pits and on the message boards referred to as one of the best races they have ever seen.  A few other quotes included “simply awesome”, “those last few corners were unreal”, and “good clean racing”.  Having three different leaders in the last few turns of a seven lap main is electrifying, as is hearing the crowd yelling and screaming over 20 loud thumpers. 

 So here is how it went down.  Ryan Poulter grabbed the holeshot in the 19-rider 250A class, with Ross Martin, Derek Whitney, and Kevin Markwardt in the hunt.  Martin, who dominated Megacross in 2006, passed Poulter for the lead on the first lap, while Markwardt moved around Whitney for third.  Poulter, Markwardt, and Whitney stayed right with Martin, patiently planning their moves.  Mid-race, Poulter charged into the lead after the whoops, but Martin took it right back over the next tabletop.  Poulter made another charge right before the white flag, as he launched a tabletop to the land on the step-up, and pulled side-by-side with Martin, but again Martin closed the door, with Markwardt and Whitney ready to strike.  With one lap to go in the seven lap main, and the top four running inches from each other, it was go time!  They flew over the 80 foot triple and through the rhythm section, then Poulter hammered down in the long straight, and moved into the lead as he took Martin high in the bowl turn, and the crowd lining the pit fence went nuts.  Then it looked like Markwardt hit the nitrous button as they raced through the small whoops section, as he blitzed the inside, and became the new leader.  But Martin dipped inside in the turn before the tabletop triple, passing Markwardt over the jump, and then “threading the needle” through the final turn for the win.  Markwardt, Poulter, and Whitney crossed the finish inches behind, and Justin Baker held off Justin Kelly for fifth.  What a race!

 With 20 riders in 125A, everyone wanted the holeshot, but several riders jumped the gun and were stuck in the gate.  Poulter timed it just right, and led around the first turn, chased by Markwardt, Martin, Whitney, and Derik Kostellic.  Poulter bobbled in the second turn, and several riders slid sideways, while Markwardt kept on the gas and was the leader as they went over the 80 foot triple, with Martin, Whitney, Kostellic, and Poulter in tow.  Markwardt rode strong on his new Kawasakis, as he held off Martin for several laps.  The two were running side-by-side mid race, while Poulter reeled in Kostellic and Whitney for third.  Martin passed into the lead in the rutted turn before the new tabletop, but Markwardt took it back in the small whoops.  They traded the lead a few more times, as Markwardt made Martin work for it, while Poulter was closing in on the leaders.  Martin led as they received the white flag, and it was a three-way dogfight for the win, as Poulter closed the door on Markwardt last lap in the powdery off-camber.  Then Martin bobbled entering the rhythm section, and was all over as he jumped through, while Poulter closed the gap.  Martin held on to take the win by inches, despite Poulter’s attack from the outside as they approached the finish line jump.  Markwardt carded third, followed by Whitney and Cameron Lansing.

 With the ATV Nationals racing in nearby Red Bud, and Taylorville, the Megacross Quad turnout was on the low side, but the racing was still intense in the Quad B main.  Steve Brookhouse had the early lead, followed by Charlie Snow, heat-race winner Derick Skaggs, and Shawn Long.  As they completed the first lap, Skaggs and Long tangled in the bowl turn after the long straight while dicing for third.  Snow passed Brookhouse for the lead mid-race, and pulled away for the win.  Brookhouse held off a late charge from Todd Adamson to secure second, while Jaden Landwehr and Skaggs completed the top five. 

Colton Krska picked up the holeshot in 50 Junior, trailed by Nick Harris and Mason Halsey.  The top three had a close race, with Halsey moving into the lead with a lap to go.  Krska held off Harris for second, while Brody Ivey edged out Shawn Thompson in a tight race for the fourth position. 

Krska led from wire-to-wire in the 50cc 4-8 injected class.  Thor Rick held down second the whole race, while Everett Dahlberg and Shawn Thompson battled to the finish, with Thompson getting the nod for third.  Dahlberg and Blaze Schacht rounded out the top five.

In Supermini, Kody Kamm led heat-race winner Kyle Mierzejewski, Brandon Pope, Alex Emery, and the rest of the pack around the first turn.  Pope passed into second on the opening lap, but Mierzejewski stayed right with him.  Mierzejewski gave everything trying to regain his position for Pope, but his charge came to an end on lap four, when he high-sided and hit the ground in a powdery off-camber turn.  Kamm sprinted to the checkers, followed by Pope and Mierzejewski.  Thomas Garrett edged out Emery and Nick Neys in a tight battle for fourth.

 Kamm started out front again in the 24-rider 85 Senior class, with Mierzejewski, Pope, Erik Utech, Cory Catalini, and Garrett in the hunt.  As they completed the first lap, Mierzejewski pulled next to the leader Kamm, then heat-race winner Pope almost passed them both, but ended up going off the track.  Mierzejewski emerged the leader on the second lap, but Kamm quickly regained the lead.  Mierzejewski bobbled mid-race, dropping back, while Pope turned up the heat on Kamm.  Pope then slid out in a turn, opening up the door for Kamm to cruise to the win, with Mierzejewski, Pope, Utech, and Neys wrapping up the top five.  However tempers flared after the race, resulting in Pope being disqualified. 

In 65 Junior, Chase Sexton grabbed the holeshot, followed by Nick Wallace, Chad Saultz, Jordan Cram, and Jacob Wehn.  Sexton held down the lead, while Wallace and Saultz had a several lap battle for second.  Saultz made his move just before the white flag, as he jumped past Wallace in the small whoops section.  Sexton picked up the win, trailed by Saultz, Nick Wallace, Cram, and Anthony Wallace.

 Sexton also topped the 17-rider 50 Senior class, leading from start to finish.  Austin Kukla, Anthony Wallace, Wehn, and Dylan Boyd completed the top five.

Bailey Stefka led 65 Senior on the opening lap, followed by Brady Neys, Jacob Wever, Logan Skaggs, and Sam Shamie.  As they completed lap two, second place Neys ran into trouble, and had to push his bike off of the track.  Stefka stayed out front to the checkers, followed closely by Wever and Skaggs.  Shamie and Trent Poska rounded out the top five. 

The vet classed had big turnouts, with Greg Braet dominating 25+ A and 30+ A.  In 25+ A, Braet led the 14-rider class in the start, followed by James Abbott, Denny Hacker, Everett Dahlberg, and Burton Lavens.  Sean Kincaid moved into the top five on the opening lap.  Second place Abbott stalled in a turn on lap two, advancing Kincaid and Hacker into the top three.  Lavens was on the move, as he mixed it up with Hacker for third.  Braet launched the 80 foot triple and soared over the quad through the rhythm section as he pulled away for the win.  Second place Kincaid ran into problems with a lap to go, losing several positions, as Lavens, Hacker, Dahlberg, and Bob Gardner completed the top five.  Braet also topped 30+ A, over Abbott, Lavens, Hacker, and David Hayes.

 Jesse Keith picked up a hard earned win in 25+ B.  Joe Kopecky started out front, followed by Matt Entwistle, Todd Schmollinger, Troy Quest, and Zeno Molteni.  As they completed the first lap, Entwistle cut inside on Kopecky, and they went bar-to-bar over the tabletop triple, with Koepcky closing the door.  Keith was on the move, advancing into the top three after two laps.  Entwistle and Keith diced for a lap, with Keith passing into second through a set of turns on lap four.  With two laps remaining, Keith reeled in Kopecky, and dipped inside after the small whoops section to secure the lead with two turns to go.  Keith carded the victory, followed by Kopecky, Entwistle, Molteni, and Schmollinger. 

Daniel Sanders, Molteni, and Nick Manning avoided the first turn crash in 250B. By the second lap, Sanders had distanced from the pack, but the race for second was up for grabs as the rest of the field was equally matched and in a bunch, with Molteni, Manning, Michael Welter, and Denny Morsch leading the way.  Manning moved into second, but his motor grenaded in the rhythm section.  Molteni, Morsch, Welter, and Keith then moved into the top five.  Welter went down in an off-camber turn on the last lap, as Reese Miller advanced into the top three after a bad start.  Sanders collected a big win, trailed by Morsch, Miller, Molteni, and Keith. 

With 34 riders signed up, 125B was divided into two points paying races.  In the first race, Sanders led the opening lap, trailed by Chris Antolak and Mike Chrisos.  Antolak stayed right with Sanders the whole main, but Sanders rode flawlessly and collected the win over Antolak.  Chrisos edged out Reese Miller and Vaughn Mays in a close race for third.

 Kyle Entwistle grabbed the holeshot in the second 125B race, with Steven Stocklen and heat-race winner Jordan VanDeWyngaerde in tow.  Stocklen and VanDeWyngaerde tangeled on the first lap, while Gordon Kaskin, Scott Holmes, Broc Pagni, and Logan Schmidt moved into the top five behind Entwistle.  Pagni caught up to second place Kaskin, and the two went bar-to-bar for several laps.  Entwistle carded the win, while Kaskin held off Pagni for second.  VanDeWyngaerde charged up to fourth after the first lap mishap, and Matt Hahn edged out Holmes for fifth.  

Every gate was full in the 20-rider 250C class, with Adam Fusinetti and Brandon Mennie starting out front, over Brett Miller, Kevin Kelleher, and Alex Zimmerman.  Mennie passed Fusinetti for the lead, while Zimmerman quickly worked into the top three.  Zimmerman hammered down and became the new leader on lap three.  Zimmer held off Mennie’s pressure to finish, while Mennie, Fusinetti, Nathan Tornow, and Miller wrapped up the top five. 

In 125C Division 1, Cody VanBurskirk picked up the holeshot, chased by Zimmerman and Nathan Jennings.  Tanner Robinson crashed in the start, after putting in a third place ride in the heat race.  VanBurskirk stayed out front to the finish, while Zimmerman and Michael Goetz diced for second the whole race, with Zimmerman getting the nod.  Mitch Swanson and Michael Monn completed the top five.

 Adam Smith led 125C Division 2 in the start, followed by Jake Chadina, Blake Couch, Neil Johnson, and Cole Johns.  Couch emerged the leader as they raced through the rhythm section, with Johns and Johnson in tow.  Heat-race winner Jody Walker played catch-up after a bad start, moving into third on the second lap, behind Couch and Johnson.  Chadina retaliated by passing Walker back for third, but couldn’t make it stick, as Walker went by again and set his sights on the leaders.  With a lap to go, Walker was the new leader, and carded the win, over Johnson, Chadina, Couch, and Johns.

 With three rounds in the books, it has been the start of an exciting season.  Record turnouts, a fun track, and a great program have made Megacross a Saturday night hit.  Plus the race action has been phenomenal for the spectators and riders alike.  Hats off to the riders for keeping the racing clean, many comments were heard at the races and on the message boards about how much respect the A-riders gave each other on the track, despite bar-to-bar racing and blazing fast speeds.  The same clean racing seemed to flow down through most all of the classes, after it was a discussion topic at the riders meeting.  Also, give it up for Team Megacross crew for putting together such as awesome show.  If you haven’t made it out to the Mendota Tri-County Fairgrounds to experience Megacross first hand, what are you waiting for?