|
enduro
news |
|
Jason Thomas |
 JASON
THOMAS-FMSQ ENDURO CHAMPION 2010!
Team Duroy Racing/KTM Canada/Lachapelle Racing Products/Monster Energy's Jason Thomas is the 2010 FMSQ Provincial Enduro Champion! After 2 tough days of racing in the picturesque Quebec town of La Tuque, Jason,who has been racing on a KTM250XC in the Canadian FMSQ series this year,as a guest of Team Duroy Racing, finally clinched the overall victory,& had this to say after the event. "Its been fantastic to have been able to come back up here to Canada & race the FMSQ series again this year,& im delighted with this win.I'd like to take this opportunity to thank most sincerely all those people who have helped & supported me along the way, especially Jef at Duroy, Andy at KTM Canada, Allan & Ann at Lachapelle Racing Products, the guys at Monster Energy, O'Neal Clothing, Maxxis Tires, Motovan, Forma Boots, Zox Helmets,& 'X' Brand Goggles." Following his win this weekend in La Tuque, Jason has had to cut short his stay in Canada in order to resume testing on a new machine with his Monster Energy/Fred Andrews Racing Team in Salem, Ohio. This means he may have to miss next weekend's FMSQ Enduro-Cross & Cross-Country events being held at Victoriaville, Quebec,in order to test the Fred Andrews bike under full racing conditions, in preparation for the forthcoming GNCC race at Unadilla,NY. 7th FMSQ victory for Jason Thomas Team Duroy Racing/ KTM Canada/ LRP/ Monster Energy's Jason Thomas has taken another win this weekend at round 7 of the Canadian FMSQ Cross-Country Championship. Racing on a KTM250XC as a guest of Team Duroy Racing, Jason had his share of difficulties to negotiate along the way at the tough & demanding Ormstown, Quebec circuit including a front-wheel puncture but he managed to overcome these setbacks & take the win, much to the delight of his growing group of supporters trackside. Jason would like to take this opportuity to thank everyone who lent him their support throughout this event,& he would also like to say a special thank you for all their help to Jef at Duroy Andy at KTM Canada, Allan & Ann at LRP, the team at Monster Energy, O'Neal Clothing, Maxxis Tires, Motovan, Forma Boots, Zox Helmets & 'X' Brand Goggles. Jason will be staying in Canada for the next fortnight,& will be back in FMSQ Championship action again over the weekend of 4th/5th September, with a double-header weekend at Victoriaville, Quebec, featuring an Enduro-Cross race on Saturday, followed by another Cross-Country event on Sunday.
JASON
THOMAS WINS FMSQ ROUND 5. The British racer,who has been competing in this season's FMSQ events as a guest of Team Duroy Racing,once again led the rest of the field from the off,& recorded the fastest laps of the day on the KTM250XC two-stroke machine. Jason, who has also won two FMSQ Extreme-Cross races
recently, finished Sunday's 3 hour event comfortably ahead of runner-up
Jeremy Daudelin,& 3rd place rider Zachari Sarrazin. DOUBLE WINS IN CANADA FOR JASON THOMAS. Team Duroy Racing/KTM Canada/LRP/Monster Energy's Jason Thomas produced another excellent performance this weekend in Ste-Veronique,Quebec,winning both Saturday's FMSQ Extreme Cross event,& Sunday's 3 hour FMSQ Cross-Country race. Riding a KTM250XC,he took control of both race's from the start,once again setting some very fast lap-times on the highly competitive 2 stroke machine.This is the 2nd FMSQ double-win this season for Jason,who is really enjoying being back racing with his friends in Canada.Special thanks for all their help with Jason's programme this year must go to Jef at Duroy,Andy at KTM Canada,Allan & Ann at LRP,O'Neal Clothing,Maxxis Tires,Motovan,Forma Boots,Zox Helmets & 'X' Brand Goggles. Jason remains in Canada this week,& will be taking part in round 5 of the FMSQ Cross-Country series next weekend,at St-Michel des Saints,Quebec. SNOWSHOE GNCC SECOND FOR JASON THOMAS. Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha's Jason Thomas has scored a superb 2nd place result in the XC2 PRO-LITES Class at the Motorcycle-USA.com Snowshoe GNCC in West Virginia this weekend. Racing the Fred Andrews YZ250 Two-Stroke,Jason improved on the position he scored in this event last year,by finishing in 4th place overall.Once again the GNCC Snowshoe event was extremely well attended,with an excellent prize-fund of over $50,000. The Snowshoe GNCC event is very special,as it utilises a Ski Resort complex,high in the Appalachian Mountains.The competitors & race fans stay in Hotels & Ski-Lodges,turning the resort into a festival theme-park of Off-Road entertainment for the entire weekend.The races themselves start from the main street of the complex,& the demanding track criss-crosses the mountainsides & Ski-Runs which surround Snowshoe itself. This event also marks the beginning of Summer Break for the GNCC racers,the next round of the series,the Can-Am Unadilla race in New Berlin,New York,doesn't take place until the weekend of September 11th-12th. There's no sign of a summer holiday for Jason just yet though,as he returns to Canada on Wednesday,for two weekends worth of back-to-back FMSQ Championship racing in Quebec. As the mid-point of the 2010 Season approaches,Jason is currently in 2nd place in the XC2 PRO-LITES Class at the U.S.GNCC's,& he holds 1st place in both the Canadian FMSQ Cross-Country,& Enduro-Cross Championships. JASON THOMAS WINS FMSQ ROUND THREE. Team Duroy Racing/KTM Canada/LRP/Monster Energy's Jason Thomas took his third straight victory in round three of the FMSQ Cross-Country Championship this weekend at Ferme Neuve, Quebec, Canada. Racing a KTM250XC,Jason had another great day, putting in some very fast laps during the three hour event, which was run over a tough mixed forest & grassland course, to the usual impeccable FMSQ standards. Following Jason home in second place was Husqvarna rider Guy Giroux, with Suzuki mounted Philippe Chaine also on the podium in third spot. Jason would like to say special thanks to Allan & Ann Lachapelle from LRP, Jef from Duroy, Andy from KTM, O'Neal Clothing, Maxxis Tires, Motovan, Forma Boots, Zox Helmets,& 'X'Brand Goggles. There's more International Cross-Country action for Jason in two weekends time, when he will be competing at the Snowshoe,West Virginia GNCC, followed by another trip to Quebec the following weekend, for round four of the FMSQ Championship, the Ste-Veronique event. GNCC THIRD PLACE FINISH FOR JASON THOMAS IN OHIO. Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha's Jason Thomas has scored another podium result with a 3rd place finish in the XC2 PRO-LITES Class at this weekend's Wiseco John Penton GNCC. Following torrential rain at the Millfield, Ohio circuit, GNCC organisers cut the event from the normal 3 hour format, to a 2 hour battle in the mud. Thomas, who was once again leading the entire field aboard the Fred Andrews YZ250 at the end of lap two, encountered problems with some back-markers who had become stuck on a steep hill during lap three of the four lap race. Attempting to go around the blockage, Thomas and his YZ250 ended up at the bottom of a ravine, from which it took him several minutes to escape: "I have to say ,this has been one of the toughest events i've ever done." said Jason afterwards, "It was like a cross between the 'Tough One' ,& a Hill-Climb i once did with Geraint Jones & some of his friends back in Wales. I thought i had it done, i knew i was going well, but it kind of bit me in the ass a little!! I was just really pleased to end up with 3rd,& i also got a 7th overall,which im delighted with." With one more round of this season's GNCC series to go before the Summer Break, the MotorcycleUSA.com event, which is being held at the awesome Snowshoe ski resort, high in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, over the weekend of June 26th-27th,looks set to be a fantastic finale to the first half of the GNCC year. There's no sign of a break in Jason's busy racing schedule prior to Snowshoe though,as next weekend he heads back to Canada to compete in round three of the 2010 FMSQ Series. THOMAS WINS AGAIN AT BEAUCE. Team Duroy Racing/KTM Canada/Lachapelle Racing Products/Monster Energy's Jason Thomas has won round two of the FMSQ Cross-Country race series at Beauce, Quebec, Canada. Riding a KTM 250 XC, Jason, who currently leads the Championship, found the tough, technical forest course much to his liking,& thoroughly enjoyed the event: "I've had another great weekend here as a guest of the Duroy Racing Team. The FMSQ organisers have set out a very challenging course which has been a lot of fun for us to race on,&,after my XC2 Class win last weekend at the GNCC's, its been awesome to come back here to Quebec & gain another victory. I'd like to thank Jef from Duroy, Andy from KTM,Allan form LRP, Monster Energy, O'Neil Clothing, Maxxis Tires, Motovan, Forma Boots, Zox Helmets & 'X'Brand Goggles." Jason will be returning to Canada for round three of the FMSQ Championship at Ferme Neuve in two weeks time, following next weekend's Wiseco John Penton GNCC at Millfield, Ohio. THOMAS WINS IN PENNSYLVANIA. Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha's Jason Thomas took his second GNCC XC2-PRO-LITES Class win of the 2010 season this weekend with an excellent performance in Pennsylvania at the Moose Mountain Ridge event. Thomas,riding Fred Andrews YZ250,was leading the entire field at the end of lap two,closely followed by KTM's Kailub Russell,the wet & slippery forest conditions suiting both riders.Tangling with back-markers during lap three slowed the battling pair down,but by the end of the fourth lap Thomas had opened up close on a minute's advantage over Russell,& was back up to fourth position overall.Thomas continued to extend his lead over the final two laps,ending the day two minutes ahead of Russell,taking fourth place overall,& winning the XC2-PRO-LITES Class.During his podium interview,Thomas made special mention of the behind-the-scenes preparation which goes into GNCC racing:"I really want to say a big thankyou today to my Mechanic,Joey Maurer,who has been such a great support to me over the last couple of seasons here at the GNCC's.This week we spent time testing some new stuff on the bike,& i feel its really made a big difference to the way i rode today.Thanks Joey,& thankyou also to Fred,Phil,Nancy,Big John,Dave,& Morgan for being such a great team." Jason returns to Canada next weekend for round two of the 2010 FMSQ Championship,& GNCC racing returns again in two week's time from Sunday Creek Raceway,Millfield,Ohio,with round seven of the series,the Wiseco John Penton event.
Britain's Jason Thomas made a spectacular return to the Off-Road racing scene in Quebec, Canada, this weekend, by winning both the Extreme-Cross race on Saturday,& Sunday's 3 hour Cross-Country event at the opening round of the 2010 FMSQ Championship, held at St-Alphonse de Granby. Fulfilling a promise he made in 2008 to return & compete again in the excellent FMSQ Series, Jason took up the offer of a guest appearance with Jef Dufour's Duroy Racing Team, riding a KTM 250 XC supplied by KTM Canada,& with further support from his old friends Allan & Ann Lachapelle of Lachapelle Racing Products, Monster Energy, O'Neal Clothing, Maxxis Tires, Motovan, Forma Boots, Zox Helmets & 'X' Brand Goggles. Speaking after the weekend's excitement, Jason had this to say: " Its really great to be back racing again here in Canada with all the good friends i made back in '08.I see one or two of them at the GNCC's from time to time, which is cool, but its just so much more fun to be riding up here with them all again at these brilliant FMSQ events. Im really grateful to Jeff from Duroy Racing,& Allan & Ann from LRP for putting this thing together for me,& also to Andy White from KTM Canada. Andy & i first talked about doing something again in Canada back in Las Vegas at the Enduro-Cross last fall,& its awesome that he,& the rest of the guys have made it happen. Back in '08 coming to Canada was really a turning point for me in my career,& i've never forgotten the support people here gave to me, so its really good to be able to come back, spend some time with them,& compete again in this series." Jason will now be returning to the United States for this coming weekends GNCC event, but he will be back in Canada again for the next FMSQ 3 hour race, which is being held on 30th May at Beauce, Quebec. Second spot for Jason in North Carolina. Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha's Jason Thomas clinched second place in the XC2 PRO-LITES Class at this weekend's Motorcycle USA.Com Yadkinville Stomp, round six of the 2010 GNCC Series. Returning to form after a series of early season injuries, the YZ250 rider fought hard during the second half of the race with KTM's Jesse Robinson, who has also been competing in this season's XC2 PRO-LITES Class on a 250 two-stroke. The battle between these two riders went down to the wire, with Jason finally nailing victory by less than a second,& snatching 8th place overall for his efforts. Thanks to this result, Jason remains in 2nd place in the 2010 XC2 PRO-LITES Championship,& moves up to 9th place in the GNCC Series overall. Next weekend he will be returning to Quebec, Canada, for the opening round of this season's FMSQ Cross-Country & Enduro-Cross Championship, two series which he won in 2008. GNCC racing continues over the weekend of May 22nd/23rd,with round seven of the Championship, the Moose Racing Mountain Ridge event, being held at the Mountain Ridge ATV Resort, in Somerset, Pennsylvania. Thomas takes 5th in Tennessee. Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha rider Jason Thomas held onto 5th place in the XC2 PRO-LITES Class at round 5 of this year's GNCC series, the Acerbis Loretta Lynns event, held at Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Riding the Fred Andrews YZ250,Thomas,who is still suffering from injuries sustained at the last round of the series, did very well for the first half of the race, running at the front of the field, before a trip into the trees damaged his rear brake & held him up for several minutes. Despite the muddy conditions, the field was close,& although several riders got by him during this time, he was able to regain some ground in the last hour,& get back up to 5th. Jason & the Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha team return for more GNCC action in two weeks time,with the Motorcycle USA.Com Yadkin Valley Stomp, coming from Yadkinville, North Carolina. Thomas Toughs it out on South Carolina Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha's Jason Thomas succeeded in holding onto 4th place in the XC2 PRO-LITES Class at this weekend's Pirelli "Big Buck" GNCC event, despite sustaining a suspected broken rib in a high speed crash on lap 2 of the 6 lap,3 hour race. Battling hard on the Fred Andrews YZ250,in the early stages of the hot, dry race, he had fought his way through the field after being involved in a 1st turn pile-up,& was actually leading the event by the start of the 2nd lap. Pushing his way forward, he suffered a big "off" in one of the high-speed open sections of the Union, South Carolina track close to the end of the 2nd lap. He took advantage of a hasty pit-stop,& then continued to ride in obvious discomfort to the chequered flag. It was very much a brave damage limitation exercise here for the tough Brit,but it certainly paid off because it enabled him to retain his 2nd spot overall in this year's GNCC XC2 PRO-LITES Class,& 7th place overall in the GNCC Championship. GNCC action returns in 2 weeks time,when the venue will be Hurricane Mills,Tennessee which will be playing host to the awesome Acerbis "Loretta Lynn's" event.
Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha's Jason Thomas has scored another 2nd place finish in the XC2 PRO-LITES Class, at this weekend's FMF Steele Creek GNCC. Round Three of this year's series, held at Morganton, North Carolina, had to be cut short due to torrential rain, which caused havoc in the picturesque Steele Creek valley. Jason, riding Fred Andrews YZ250,took advantage of the slippery conditions,& had actually moved up to 5th overall, with approximately 20 minutes to go,when the race was stopped. The GNCC organisers decided that final race positions would be as per the time check at the end of lap 5,which,in Jason's case, meant he ended up with 9th overall & 2nd in the XC2 PRO-LITES Class. As the GNCC series moves on to Union, South Carolina, for the Pirelli "Big Buck" round on April 10th & 11th,Jason remains true to his "UK7" number plate,& hangs on to 2nd place overall in his class,1 point adrift of Factory KTM rider Kailub Russell.
Monster Energy Andrew's Yamaha rider Jason Thomas has scored an impressive 2nd place finish in the XC2 PRO-LITES Class at round two of this years GNCC Series, the Maxxis General, held on Sunday, at the Aonia Pass Motocross facility near Washington, Georgia. Aboard the Fred Andrew's YZ250,Jason battled for the lead with the Factory KTM's of Kailub Russell & Jesse Robinson all afternoon, with Russell finally taking the win & Robinson claiming 3rd.Thomas,who sustained a wrist injury at round one of the Series last week in Florida, dug deep & fought the pain for the duration of the 3 hour race,& was delighted with his result. The change from the deep sand of Florida, to the hard-packed red clay of Georgia, suited the four-strokes, but the tight woods & creek crossings of round three, the FMF Steele Creek event, held over the weekend of March 20th-21st,should make things a little more even.
The two fine rides that he has had so far in the GNCC Championship this year,mean that Jason is currently 1st in the XC2 PRO-LITES Class,& 5th in the Series Overall.
Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha's Jason "UK7" Thomas took first blood in the XC2 PRO LITES Class at Tuesday's Parts Unlimited River Ranch GNCC,held at Lake Wales,Florida. The opening round of this season's series attracted a massive entry
of close on 1200 riders, from Eight Countries. Having finished in 7th place overall in last year's GNCC Series, Jason lived up to his new number by finishing in 7th place overall in this particular race. In the XC2 PRO-LITES class, Jason was followed home by KTM riders Jesse Robinson, in 2nd,& Kailub Russell in 3rd.There's more GNCC action for Jason this weekend, as the Series moves on to the round two event, the Maxxis General, being held at the fast & furious Washington race venue in Georgia. Thomas back on the GNCC Trail Its back to business Stateside this week for British Cross-Country racer, Jason Thomas,as he rejoins Fred Andrews & the Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha team in Salem, Ohio. Jason,who finished in 7th place overall in last season's GNCC Championship,& 3rd in the XC2 PRO-LITES Class, will be doing battle aboard a YZ250 2 Stroke machine in 2010,following a change in the GNCC rules which now permit 250cc 2 Strokes to compete against 250cc 4 Strokes in the XC2 PRO LITES Class. Joey Maurer will again be taking care of Jason's bikes,& his fellow team-mates will be Morgan Moss & David Snyder. The team heads off to Louisiana next week to continue their pre-season training in preparation for the opening round of the 2010 GNCC Championship in Florida at the end of February. This will be Jason's second full season with the Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha team.He first joined them as a satellite rider after spectacularly winning the XC2 PRO-LITES race at Yadkinville in June of 2008.During the 2009 GNCC season, he claimed another 2 victories in the Class, along with multiple podium placements.
Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha's Jason Thomas scored his 14th GNCC XC2 PRO-LITES Class Podium & wrapped up his 2009 GNCC Season with an overall 3rd place in XC2 PRO-LITES Championship at this weekend's Klotz Ironman event, held at Crawfordsville, Indiana. The British Cross-Country racer also clinched the GNCC number 7 plate for the 2010 season with his performance aboard the Fred Andrews WR250F. This was Jason's 4th visit to the Klotz Ironman event, a track he first competed on in 2005 as a guest of multiple World Champion Enduro rider Paul Edmondson. Describing his feelings after the race, Jason had this to say: "This is a dream come true for me & my Dad,J ezza. We wanted this so bad & have put so much effort into achieving this result, we are just over the Moon. I'm so glad Jezza was here to see me clinch 3rd overall in the Championship. I want to express my gratitude to my Sponsors & to all the people who have helped me this year,most especially to Fred Andrews & his Family,& Joey, My Mechanic, who has done the most awesome job on my bikes all season. We are a strong team & have become great friends,& this result is the product of our joint efforts. Thank you Guys!!" Jason is staying on in the United States to compete in the final round of the OMA Championship, The Moose Run, being held at Morrison, Illinois. He will then be returning to Ohio to begin testing in preparation for the 2010 GNCC Season. JASON TASTES GNCC VICTORY IN OHIO. Monster Energy Andrew's Yamaha's Jason Thomas has topped the XC2 PRO-LITES Class at this weekends ITP Power Line Park GNCC, held at St Clairsville, Ohio. The WR250F rider stormed to victory in the 7 lap,3 hour race,& actually finished the event in a personal best 4th place overall. With riders such as Taddy Blazusiak, Mike Brown & Kurt Caselli all on the start line, There could be no doubting the depth of talent on display at this particular GNCC,& Jason showed that he now has what it takes to compete alongside the greatest Off-Road racers in the World. Jason would like to dedicate his win to the memory of his Cousin, Jamie Thomas, who was tragically killed in a car accident last week on his 20th Birthday. Life is a precious gift. We owe it to ourselves to live it to the full. Rest in peace Jamie. THOMAS FIGHTS BACK IN YADKINVILLE. Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha's Jason Thomas Fought his way back to a solid 5th place finish in this Sunday's XC2 PRO-LITES GNCC race after another big 1st lap crash. The Moose Racing Yadkin Valley Stomp proved to be one of the toughest races of this year's GNCC programme. During the 1st lap of the three hour event, a group of XC2 PRO-LITES riders including Jason on the Fred Andrews Yamaha WR250F, became involved in a desperate battle for the class lead which actually put them all ahead of XC1 PRO class competitors overall for a while. Jason takes up the story: "Things are so close between Cory, Scotty & myself that we were really giving it everything we had at the beginning of this race. I managed to get the lead but we were all so close together & going flat out. About half ways around the course I hit a tree again & wrecked the front end of my bike. I got it back to the pits & my mechanic, Joey,did an awesome job of changing all the damaged bits. Joey got me going again in super quick time but I was 7 minutes down on Cory by the end of that 1st lap.I think I was down to around 63rd overall at that point. I just rode my balls off for the next two & a half hours & managed to work my way back up to 13th overall & 5th in my class. I was pleased to get some points back & I couldn't have done it without Joey, he's just awesome on the spanners, the best guy you could wish to have in your pit at a time like that. Thanks Joey!!!!" With two rounds of this year's GNCC Championship left,& all thirteen rounds to count, Jason is still in third place overall in the XC2 PRO-LITES class, fourteen points ahead of Scotty Watkins in fourth & fifteen points behind Cory Buttrick in second. The next GNCC event up is the ITP Powerline Park meeting, being held over this coming weekend at St.Clairsville, Ohio.
Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha's Jason Thomas has finished in 3rd place overall at round 9 of the OMA NATIONALS Off-Road series, the MAXXIS "MOONSHINE GP", held this weekend at Memphis, Missouri. Thomas, riding the Fred Andrews Yamaha WR250F,fought off a strong challenge from team Geico Kawasaki's Scotty Watkins on a KXF450.The race was won by Geico Kawasaki's Paul Whibley, with his team-mate Jimmy Jarrett taking 2nd spot,both also riding KXF450's. The Missouri track was once again very well laid out by the OMA Team,& a recent spell of wet weather meant the tougher more technical sections were made even more demanding. Following on from the Bedford, Indiana OMA two weekends ago,& last weekend's Unadilla GNCC,& With two back-to-back GNCC events coming up over the next two weekends, its a very busy time for Jason, his mechanic Joey & the rest of the Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha team. THOMAS TAKES THIRD SPOT AT THE CAN-AM. Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha's Jason Thomas has taken his 12th GNCC
XC2 PRO-LITES Podium with a solid 3rd place at this weekends CAN-AM
Sponsored round, held at the World famous Unadilla Motocross track in
Up-State New York. THOMAS TAKES A 2ND IN INDIANA OMA. Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha's Jason Thomas blasted his way to a fine 2nd place aboard his YZ250F,at round 8 of the OMA National Series this weekend.The "Johnny Signs XC" event,held on a new track at Bedford,Indiana,was hot,dry & very dusty,conditions in which the British rider often gives a great performance.The race,which was won by Kawasaki rider & GNCC series leader Paul Whibley,attracted plenty of East Coast Off-Road talent,including Kawasaki's Scotty Watkins,who finished 3rd,& Yamaha's Barry Hawk,who took 4th.Speaking after the event,Jason had this to say: "Its been great to come here today & get in some good racing with these Guys,the OMA tracks are always tough & very technical,& its never a forgone conclusion how the day will go.I've been back in the States for a month now,& have been doing some mid-week Motocross as well as local 3 hour races on a Sunday,to keep in good shape & earn a few Dollars along the way.It was great to go home to the U.K. for a few weeks,to see my family,& Geraint (Jones),from Yamaha Off-Road Experience,very kindly loaned me a WR250F so I was able to do a couple of races back there too.I had some tough decisions to make whilst I was back home,about other events outside of the United States which I could possibly compete in,but the fact is that this is where my career is,& so this is where I need to be.Coming along to a great event like this one,racing against these very talented riders,& putting a few more Bucks in my Bank account,confirms,in my mind,that I've made the right decisions,for me." Next up for Jason will be round 10 of the GNCC series,being held over the weekend of 12-13 September,at New Berlin,New York State.
British riders David Knight & Jason Thomas both made the climb to the top step of the GNCC podium at this weekend's motorcycleUSA.com event held at the breathtaking Snowshoe Ski resort in West Virginia. David won the XC1 PRO class aboard his 450F Kawasaki,whilst Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha rider Jason captured his second GNCC XC2 PRO-LITES win on the Fred Andrews Racing YZ250F. It was a bumper payday for both riders at this unique event,with Thousands of extra bonus Dollars being added to the regular GNCC prize fund by Industry Sponsors keen to get maximum publicity at this round of the World's premier Off-Road series.
The Snowshoe weekend marks the beginning of the Summer break for the GNCC racers,the next round of the Championship will be the Can-Am Unadilla event,held over the weekend of 12th-13th September,at the famous AMA Outdoor National Motocross Track near New Berlin,New York. Photos Matt Ware THOMAS NAILS HIS 10TH GNCC PODIUM!! Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha rider Jason Thomas has scored his 10th XC2 PRO-LITES GNCC Podium at this weekend's John Penton round, held at Millfield, Ohio. The 25 year old British racer, riding the Fred Andrews YZ250F,was once again up there at the front of the Overall GNCC field & took a very well deserved 3rd place. Jason's forthright approach & exciting performances are also earning him quite a following off the track amongst the GNCC fans & organizers. He had this to say after the race: " I'm really enjoying myself these days at the GNCC's. I've made a lot of friends here now & I think people are interested in finding out why I've come all this way to race & what goes on in my life away from the track. Recently, I've become really good friends with Thad Duvall & his family. Thad & I have been riding a lot together over the past couple of weeks down at his home in West Virginia,&,as we're both on Yamaha's,it makes sense for us to try & help each other in any way we can. It was great to have another good ride here today & I'd like to dedicate it to my Mechanic, Joey,& his partner Brooke,to celebrate the Birth of their Baby Daughter. Congratulation's Guys!!" Jason's result this weekend helps him to gain a few more points advantage in the battle for the overall GNCC XC2 PRO-LITES title. He is currently in 3rd position overall in the Championship. Next up is the motorcycleUSA.com round, being held at the ski resort of Snowshoe, high in the mountains of West Virginia. Photo Matt Ware RIO GRANDE DAY FOR JASON! Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha's Jason Thomas finished in 4th place overall at round three of the OMA National Off-Road series this weekend, aboard his YZ450F. The "Coal Miner XC" event, held at Rio Grande, Ohio, again attracted several top GNCC riders & was won by Paul Whibley on a Kawasaki. Fellow Kawasaki rider, Jimmy Jarrett, put in another excellent ride to take second, followed by Yamaha factory rider Thaddeus Duvall in third. Jason battled hard throughout the race with 5th placed Kawasaki rider, Scotty Watkins, who was also having another great ride. The points are close in the overall OMA Championship, Paul Whibley, the reigning Champion, leads the series from previous Champion, Jimmy Jarrett. Husaberg's Nick Fahringer is in 3rd spot,3 points ahead of Jason & Scotty Watkins, who are tied in 4th place. OMA Off-Road action continues again on 21st June with the "Wolverine XC" event, held in Mesick, Michigan. THOMAS TAKES 2ND IN PENNSYLVANIA. Photo by Krista Shaw There was rolling thunder in the hills of Somerset, Pennylvania, this weekend as the Mountain Ridge GNCC racers hit town. Once again Britain's Jason Thomas was a man on a mission as he sliced his way through the field after a bad start to take 2nd place in the XC2 PRO-LITES class on the Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha YZ250F. Splitting the factory KTM machines of Kailub Russell, who won the class,& Cory Buttrick, who took 3rd, Thomas put in six consistently fast laps during the 3 hour race, demonstrating once again that whatever the track conditions, sand, mud, rock or hard-packed, he has the skill to cope with them. This weekend's result puts Jason back up into 3rd place overall in the GNCC XC2 PRO-LITES class. With two more rounds of the championship before the Summer break & four after it, there's still a long way to go & plenty of points left to fight for. Making a welcome return to GNCC racing this weekend after dislocating his shoulder at Loretta Lynn's,Team Off-Camber Racing's Rudy Austin also had a good race aboard his YZ250F in the VET B+30 class, finishing in 4th place & still well in with a chance of a Championship top three overall come the end of the season. The GNCC racers continue with their battle on June 7th at Millfield, Ohio. THOMAS SCORES HIS 10TH GNCC TOP TEN OVERALL. Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha rider Jason Thomas has scored his 10th top Ten overall finish in the GNCC series, America's number one Off-Road Championship. Taking Fred Andrews YZ250F to a great 4th place in the XC2 PRO-LITES Class at Sunday's Weekend Warrior Titan event, held near Lafayette, Tennessee, Jason also claimed 10th overall in this, his 12th outing at the GNCC's since June last Year. Thomas actually led the whole field for the first Hour of the race, despite carrying an injury sustained during a mid-week practice session, he commented: "I got a good start, slid out in the mud in the 2nd turn, but got back to the front of my class before we entered the woods. I got some great lines out there & had a clear track in front of me, so I was good to go. My mechanic Joey, boarded me that I was in 1st place overall at the end of the 1st lap, I was just so pumped, I knew I had the speed & I was really happy in the conditions, which were very muddy, just like back home. Near the end of the 2nd lap I was physically up with the leading XC1 Riders, so I knew I was still leading the race overall.I was running behind Kurt Casselli on the track, he hit a wire fence & dragged some of it across the track. I didnt see it but it picked up on my back wheel & tangled around the hub & the chain, throwing me over the bars. It took me a while to get the wire out of everything,& I also banged my left arm, which I'd injured whilst practicing on Tuesday. By the time I got going again I was way down the leader board, but I managed to get back up to 4th in Class & 10th overall by the end of the race, which was cut short because of the bad weather. I'm gutted to have lost so much time, but I'm also delighted to have finally lead a race overall for the 1st time." By the end of the day the GNCC paddock looked like a First World War battlefield,& the organizers were kept busy all afternoon pulling vehicles out of the sea of mud. For Jason though, the excitement hadn't ended. "My Dad, Jezza, had paid me a surprise visit over the weekend & I was really pleased to see him. As usual, he came totally un-prepared for the conditions & was covered in mud by the end of the day. I wanted to ride back up to Fred's with him, so we headed off in his little rental car. Because we were so muddy & we didn't want to get the car all dirty, we took our jeans & shoes off & put them in the trunk. Jez had caught a dose of Swine Flu off of somebody on the plane over,& his eyes were like p**s holes in the snow by this time. He decided to pull off the Interstate & find a Motel for the night. He was really in some pain I guess because he was driving with his head out of the window trying to cool his flaming eyes down with the rain. He didn't realize how fast he was going but a waiting Traffic Cop did & on came the blue light. It was pitch dark by now & still raining heavily. The cop was taking no chances with Jez so on came the spot-light & out came the hand-gun. The Cop comes up to the drivers window real slow & Jez winds it down a little more,& there we are, two guys English guys riding along at 79 Miles per hour in a 55 limit, in a little White Rental car & wearing only their 'Y' Fronts. Jez says to the Cop: "Is there a problem Officer?" & the Cop says:" You better believe it. Get out of the vehicle & put your hands on the roof "I thought it was game over. Luckily, the Cop was cool & saw the funny side of the whole thing but it was a close shave for sure. I think the moral of the story is: if you want to drive at 20 Miles per hour above the speed limit here in America & get away with it, do it wearing just your pants!!!!" Stay tuned for more GNCC action from Somerset, Pennsylvania, in two weeks time. LORETTA LYNN'S BOX GETS THE MONSTER RAT! Photo By: Matt Ware Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha rider Jason Thomas made his 8th trip up onto the GNCC XC2 PRO-LITES Podium box at round 5 of the series this weekend. Aboard Fred Andrew's YZ250, Jason claimed a cracking 2nd place in Class & 6th place Overall at the Acerbis sponsored event in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Since his return to GNCC racing last Summer, Jason has scored 1 First, 3 Second & 4 Third place XC2 PRO-LITES finishes from the 11 races he has entered. He has also finished in the GNCC top 10 overall 9 times during the same period. Things are really hotting up in the chase for the Overall GNCC XC2 PRO-LITES Championship, as both of the leading KTM riders, Kailub Russell & Cory Buttrick were beaten at this round by Jason & Kawasaki mounted rider Scotty Watkins, who won the class. Kailub Russell claimed 3rd on the day,& maintains a healthy lead in the class, but the points are close for 2nd & 3rd overall between Cory, Jason & Scotty. With 9 rounds of the series still to go,& all rounds to count, its shaping up for a great Championship! Also in action at Loretta Lynn's this weekend was Team Off-Camber's YZ250F rider, Rudy Austin, who kept his VET B+30 Championship hopes alive with a well earned 2nd place in his class. The GNCC action remains in Tennessee in two weeks time, with the Weekend Warrior Titan round, held for the first time ever at Lafayette, which is located just to the South of the Tennessee/Kentucky State Line. So, go grab a can of Monster Energy & watch this space for all the latest news from Jason & the Andrews Yamaha GNCC Team!
Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha rider Jason Thomas took a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, this weekend to compete in round one of the OMA National Off-Road series,& came home with a fist full of Dollars & a Third place overall in the Pro class. The 25 year old from Machynlleth, in Mid-Wales, finished hot on the heals of Jimmy Jarrett ( Kawasaki), who took Second,& Paul Whibley (Kawasaki), who won the event. The Maxxis Hangman XC OMA event also marked Jason's YZ450F Debut. He will remain on Fred Andrews factory YZ250F for the GNCC series, but wants to use the OMA's to gain some experience on the larger capacity machine. Jason had this to say after the race: "Its been great to come down here to Tennessee & compete directly with Paul & Jimmy at an OMA. This series has helped me a great deal over the years & Its always good to race with these guys. Bill (Gussie) & his team know how to run a First-Class event & this one was no exception. I've been wanting to do some three hour events on the YZ450F for a while. Several of the top XC2 Pro-Lites riders practice on 450's between GNCC's, but I've only just been given this one,& have been practicing on a YZ250F since I got here in early January. Its been great to get a good result on the 450 today,& I loved racing it. Joey, my mechanic,& I fitted a large fuel tank & an 18" rear wheel during the week, but otherwise its pretty stock, except for the silencer. With the way the Industry is at the moment, its important to keep all You're options open & I want people to see that I can be competitive on a 450 as well as a 250." The OMA series dates are planned out so that they don't clash with the GNCC's,but run on alternate weekends. This means that Several regular GNCC riders take part in the series, notably Paul Whibley, who is the current OMA Champion, Jimmy Jarrett, who has won the OMA series several times, Shane Watts, Justin Williamson & Scotty Watkins. 
BIG BUCKS THE WAY FORWARD FOR MONSTER RAT. Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha rider Jason Thomas scored another GNCC Podium in the XC2 PRO-LITES class at this weekends Pirelli Big Buck event, held at Union, South Carolina. The YZ250F rider took 3rd place in his class & actually finished the race in 7th overall, which makes it his 3rd top ten overall finish from four starts so far this season. In actual fact four of the top ten overall finishers were XC2 riders, which is an indication of how ultra competitive this class is becoming. " I got a decent start for once" Said Jason, "We were all really flying,it was crazy fast in the woods!!then I took a wrong turn & lost some time.Cory ( Butterick) & Andrew ( Matusiek) got past me while i was working my way back onto the trail & by then we were all pretty split up, so it was just a question of going flat out for the rest of the race really. I finally caught & passed Andrew on the last lap". "I'm very happy with 3rd today, we're all going so fast, if you make any mistakes, its really game over. I'm pumped at a third top ten finish overall as well because it lets me know how i'm doing compared to the guys in the XC1 class." This weekends result also puts Jason in Third place overall in the battle for the XC2 PRO-LITES Championship. Next up on the GNCC trail is the Acerbis sponsored event held at the World famous Loretta Lynns race venue near Hurricane Mills,Tennessee.
Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha rider Jason Thomas had a tough time at round three of the 2009 GNCC series, held at Steele Creek, North Carolina. Aboard his YZ250F he fought his way up into 3rd place in the XC2 PRO-LITES class,& by the start of lap 5 of the 7 lap race, was riding well on the pace of the race leaders, but trouble was just around the corner: "I had to work real hard for 3rd place over the first couple of laps" said Jason: "I had won a local race in Ohio last weekend, so I knew my back was better & my bike was set-up was good for this type of going. I was pushing really hard, as usual,& was finding some good lines, then a rock deflected the guide & the chain came off, just like happened to me at the 'Tough One' last season. This time it did more damage, it took a chunk out of the engine casing & broke the gear selector shaft, so I was done. It was just real bad luck. It happens. I was happy that I was riding up at the front of the pack, so I'm looking forward to getting back to business again in two weeks time." Elsewhere in the event, which attracted more than 1500 riders over the weekend, Team Off-Camber's Rudy Austin kept his championship hopes alive in the VET B+30 class, with a very respectable 3rd place. Next up on the GNCC tour-Union, South Carolina. THOMAS BATTLES ON IN GEORGIA. Photo: Jason Hooper Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha rider Jason Thomas battled his way to a 5th place finish at last weekend's GNCC event, held in the red clay of Washington, Georgia. Aboard his YZ250F in the XC2 Pro Lites class, Jason suffered a big 'off ' on the first lap. He crashed heavily, but recovered & fought with a painful back injury for the remainder of the three hour event. Jason says: ' I got a bad start & was taking lots of risks passing people trying to get up to the front when i got crossed up in some ruts & went cartwheeling down the track! A bike hit me in the back & as soon as i got going again i knew i was in trouble. I just fought the pain & concentrated on trying to stick it out to the finish. On the 3rd lap i started to stiffen up & took another big tumble which hurt like hell. After that i just tried to stay upright till the end of the race. Fred got me back to Ohio straight away & i've had my back checked out now. Basically i've suffered some compression of the spine & lateral displacement of one of my discs. I've had some treatment now & my back does feel much better, but don't ask me to bend down & touch my toes just yet ok!' Jason, who is currently in 3rd place overall in the XC2 Pro-Lites class after the two opening GNCC rounds, is no stranger to spectacular crashes: ' I remember getting stretchered off to hospital with a broken collarbone after bending a TM125 in half in a KWS race at Donnington Park a few years ago. That was a big crash! I also tried to kill Jezza once at Wilden Lane by landing an RM125 on top of him! He was looking the other way, as usual! I'll be back on the bike by the end of this week & I'll be back in action at the next GNCC in North Carolina, no worries.' Elsewhere at Sunday's GNCC, fellow Brit, Rudy Austin, had a terrific ride in the Vet B+30 class, taking a very well deserved win. Again riding his YZ250F for team Off Camber Racing, Rudy worked his way to the front of his class,& is now leading the Vet B+30 group after two rounds of the series. GNCC racing continues in two weeks time at Steel Creek, North Carolina.
Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha rider Jason Thomas has opened his 2009 GNCC racing account with a very impressive 2nd place in the XC2 Pro-Lites class at the first round of this year's series, held at River Ranch, Florida. Aboard his YZ250F he held 2nd place from the start of the race, despite having a huge 'off ' during the 2nd lap. The season opener attracted a full entry of over 280 competitors, which meant that the leading riders were into the back-markers from very early on in the proceedings. Track conditions also added to the fun as the deep Florida sand quickly became fully 'wooped out' with so much traffic. Speaking after the race Jason had this to say: " Im really pleased with the way I rode today, this is just the start to the season that I & my Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha team were hoping for. We've been working really hard through the winter up in Ohio, Fred (Andrews) has hooked us up with a personal trainer & the work Josh & I have been doing in the gym really paid off here today. Joey ( Maurer) has got my race bike dialled in perfectly for how I like to ride,& im working with Pro-Circuit on both my engines & suspension now & Im really pleased with the way the whole Yamaha / Pro-Circuit package is coming together for me." Fellow Brit, Rudy Austin, also put on a determined display of skill at the opening GNCC. Aboard another YZ250F,Rudy finished an excellent 3rd in the Vet B +30 class. Rudy fought hard for the whole race after he also crashed heavily in the opening stages of the three hour event. The GNCC party now moves North to Washington, Georgia,for the second round of the series, which takes place this coming Sunday. JASON THOMAS BACK ON THE GNCC TRAIL Britain's Jason Thomas has returned to the U.S.A & rejoined the Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha team for another season of GNCC racing. Jason will once again be competing in the XC2 class of America's premier off-road series. He is all set to do battle with the World's finest for the full GNCC season, wearing the number 17 plate after having scored one win & four podiums from six starts in 2008. He will again be competing on a Yamaha YZ250F,under the expert guidance of multiple off-road champion, Fred Andrews. The bike will once again be expertly prepared for each event by top AMA motocross & supercross technition, Joey Maurer. The Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha team's full line-up of sponsors includes: O'Neal Clothing, Pro-Circuit Engines, Maxxis Tyres, Renthal Cycle Parts, Cycra Plastics, P.G. Graphics, E.V.S. Safety Accessories & Alpinestar Footwear. Jason will also again be racing on ELKA Tuned Suspension. JASON THOMAS BACK IN THE U.K. Jason Thomas has returned to the U.K.for the Winter break from the GNCC series. He was soon back in action,Taking a 1st race win at the Wilden Lane Motocross meeting held near Kidderminster on Sunday. Aboard an E.T.JAMES KTM250SXF,he grabbed the holeshot in the 2nd race before being involved in a multi-rider pile-up which took a lap to sort out. Happy to back back & mixing it with the Motocrossers,he had this to say after the event; "Yeah,its great to be back & Im really grateful to E.T.James for helping me out with a bike.I've known everyone there for many years,& they are a great family.Alan Bates was the 1st person to help me back when I did Schoolboy Motocross with the Dredgers club,& he has always taken an interest in my career.Its good to be working with him again." Talking about his plans for the Winter,Jason said;"I will be doing some Cross-Country races through to January,when I go back to America,but I will also be doing as much Motocross as I can to help me with my speed & aggresion early in the race.I've learnt a lot at the GNCC's this year,I know next year will be very tough & every race will be a battle.If I can find some extra speed in the 1st couple of laps,it will really help me.I certainly dont expect to win every Motocross race I enter here,thats why Im doing them really,I want to have to fight for the lead & thats why Im here at Wilden.There's always a good line-up with some very fast riders & even if your at the front,you have to use different lines to pass all the back-markers,& that helps you to focus on making the most of any opportunity you get to find that extra speed.I also need to ride in Sand,which I enjoy anyway.The 1st GNCC is in Florida,& its in the Sand.Many of the Guys I will be racing against at the GNCC's live in areas where they dont have access to Sand tracks,or its too cold to ride on them,so being able to ride at places like this,close to home,is an advantage for me.Advantages are what win races." THIRD GNCC PODIUM FOR MONSTER RAT! Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha teamster Jason Thomas has scored another GNCC podium, taking 3rd place in the XC2 Lites class at the Unadilla round of the series. The colourful Welshman is rapidly building himself something of a reputation aboard Fred Andrews YZ250F Stateside, & says he is delighted with the way things are working out for him over there. Thomas, who has never been far from controversy throughout his career, says his success is all down to team work - "Its been a long & hard journey, but I know I'm now working with people who really understand how important doing well in this sport is to me. Fred Andrews knows the game inside out & his Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha team is the best in the business. My mechanic, Joey,is totally awesome, the bike runs like clockwork & looks a million Dollars ! Elka have done a great job with my suspension & I' m finding loads of extra power from the Yam's Pro-Circuit engine. It feels good to prove all the people wrong who didn't help or believe in me." he said after the race. The next GNCC appearance for Jason will be in two weeks time at St.Clairsville, Ohio. ORMSTOWN CLEAN SWEEP FOR THOMAS. Jason Thomas has once again dominated this weekends FMSQ event held at Ormstown, Quebec, Canada. Aboard his ELKA-KTM XC250F he comfortably won both Saturday's Enduro-Cross & Sunday's Cross-Country Competitions. Conditions at the rocky, technical circuits were perfect, with the rain, which has characterized many rounds of the series, staying away. Also putting on a show for the crowd on a KTM XC250F was fellow Brit Mr Ricky Mair, who finished a very creditable 4th in both races! Speaking after the event, which was his last before the ISDE in Greece, Jason had this to say of his time in Canada: "This weekend has actually been very hard for me. It's Five Months since I came over to Canada from the U.K.,& I've been on my own here for most of that time. I don't think people back home really understand how difficult its been at times for me. My Race Reports make it sound like its really easy, but the reality is that its not. I left the U.K. because I didn't believe I had a great future there as a professional Cross-Country racer, & I don't think I was on my own. The difference with me was that I didn't just stay & Bitch about it, I got off my Backside & did something positive for myself. I didn't know anybody in Canada, I didn't have any real contacts here, I took a big chance really, but it's paid off, more than I could have dreamed of. But its only worked out so well because of the kindness & support given to me by genuine people, who saw how determined I was to make good, & did everything they could to help me. Its because of them that my efforts here have been rewarded with success, so my success is theirs also. This was my last Canadian race for a while. After 6 Days I will be finishing off the GNCC's in America, but I hope I can return to Canada & do some more racing next Year. I'm going to miss the life I've grown used to, & the Friends I've made. For me, Canada will always be the Country that gave me the support I needed at the time I needed it most. THANK YOU CANADA!!" SECOND CANADIAN DOUBLE FOR JASON THOMAS Jason Thomas was in top form again this weekend at the FMSQ Two-Day event held at Bois Franc, Quebec, Canada. The 24 year-old celebrated his selection for this years British 6 Days Trophy team by winning every special test in Saturday's time-card event. Once again aboard the ELKA-KTM XC250F,Jason found the tight technical conditions of the Canadian forests very much to his liking,& ideal preparation for September's trip to Greece. Sunday saw another dominating performance by the Nomadic Brit, this time in the 3 Hour Cross-Country event, which utilized parts of the Saturday circuit along with fresh areas of forest. Jason says he had a great time over the weekend,& he would like to say thank you to all those who made it possible, particularly Allan & Ann Lachapelle from LRP Racing, Patrick Beaule from KTM, Everyone at ELKA Suspension & all of the event organizers. Jason will be staying in Canada until the end of August to contest the remaining rounds of the FMSQ series in preparation for the 6 Days event in September, where he will be riding a KTM EXC250F, very kindly provided by his major British sponsor, Rudy Austin, in the E1 class. Following the 6 Days competition, he will be returning to do battle in the final 4 rounds of the GNCC series in America, as a member of the Monster Energy Andrews Yamaha Team. Ste VERONIQUE DOUBLE FOR JASON THOMAS. Jason Thomas again dominated the FMSQ Double-header event held last weekend at Ste Veronique, Quebec, Canada, taking a win in both the Time-Card Enduro, held on Saturday,& the 3 hour Cross-Country, held on Sunday. Riding his ELKA-KTM XC250F he pushed hard in both competitions, which were held over the same superbly prepared circuit near Montreal. The weekend saw a mixture of brilliant sunshine & torrential rain, especially on Sunday, which made riding conditions very testing for many of the 200+ Competitors. Jason would like to say thank you to Allan & Ann Lachapelle,for everything they did to to help him over the weekend,also to Patrick Beaule from KTM Canada, Everybody at ELKA Suspension, Any Lavoie & Fanny Germain, the whole team from FMSQ who staged the event,& a special thank you to Ricky Mair for playing a major role in all the cool things that have been happening recently! Stand by for a major announcement from Jason later this week! GNCC VICTORY FOR JASON THOMAS. Jason Thomas celebrated his return to GNCC Racing with an impressive win in the XC2 Lites class at Round 8 of the series. Competing against many of the Worlds fastest Off-Road riders on his ELKA-KTM XC250F, he finished 8th overall at the Elka Yadkin Valley Stomp,held in Yadkinville,North Carolina, U.S.A. The Rider was assisted in the Pits by the other half of 'BadBoys Inc', Mr Ricky 'Nightmair' Mair, who is currently in the United States helping Jason with his mental preparation for these grueling events. Later this week the pair will return to Canada, where Jason will be taking part in Round 3 of the Quebec Provincial Cross-Country Championships, being held near Montreal. Jason would like to say a big 'Thank you' to all the people who have been helping him since he returned to America, particularly Tim Taber at Funmart Cycle Center, Everyone at KTM & ELKA,&,of course, Ricky Mair, for being his bestest friend. 'He Who Dares Rodney'!! Results JOHNNY'S RACE. It has been two years now since Johnny Sochor left us on that foggy February morning on his way to work. John knew he wasn't going to make a living as a racer, he had other career ambitions. His Dad did some Road Racing back in the former Czechoslovakia before the family moved to the County of Barrhead in 1986.In the last couple of years Johnny rode casually whenever he had time between work, travel, having a house built & making wedding plans with Jill. It's hard to accept that it all had to end & that it ended in such an uncharacteristic way-we all miss him a lot. But, there are a lot of good memories to look back on. This race is dedicated to him. Jason lives in his camper van across the Railroad tracks on the Miners Memorial campground in Coalhurst, 8 miles West of Lethbridge. We had a 350 mile drive to This weekends race, which was round 3 of the CMRC Provincial series, being held at Barrys Ultra Motorsports Park, near Busby, 40 miles North of Edmonton, Alberta. We arrived in Busby late on Friday night. I read a road sign which said "5th Parallel Highway ", I don't know if it was, but it could have been. We were certainly a long way from home. Busby is a quiet country town, set in rolling, heavily forested countryside, not unlike the New Forest. Barrys Ultra Motorsports Park was exactly what it said, a superb off-road motorsports park covering several hundred acres & owned by the Barry family. From the vintage Bultaco on top of the entrance ticket booth, to the detached timber house being used exclusively for signing on & lap scoring, we could tell that these people were all about running this event to the highest standard. And so it proved to be. They even had the support & presence of the local Mayor for the entire weekend. How often do we see that in this sport? They really had made an inspired effort. Saturday was taken up with 2 hour cross-country races for the junior riders, everyone having a great time in the warm sunshine. In the evening there was to be a " Big Dog Harescramble " I wasn't too sure what this was all about. I had been watching the Barrys Labrador Dog digging huge holes on the track all day,& had assumed that he was just helping to make the racing a little more challenging, untill I saw him emerge from one hole with an unfortunate Gopher between his teeth. Maybe a " Big Dog Harescramble " was going to be something to do with this. I was way off the mark. It turned out to be a 2 hour race for Pit Bikes around the same track that the Junior riders had been using earlier,& it proved to be quite an event! It seems to stay light much later in the evening here in Canada,& after the Pit Bike race, there was still plenty of daylight left for everyone to enjoy gathering around barbecues & having a good time. It was very much a family weekend. The social side of the Canadian race scene is a big attraction to the sport for many of the competitors,& there are classes for everyone to race in. Its great to see so many guys my age still out there having fun, & the Ladies classes also attract a good entry,& an excellent level of competition. Sunday morning soon came & we were all up early for the riders meeting & signing on. There was to be an extra loop out into the thick Birch scrub for todays race, none of the riders, like Jason, who had been helping out as sweepers for the Juniors on Saturday, had seen these trails, but everyone was given a sighting lap so they could familiarize themselves with the course. It was to be a dead-engine, hands on head, shotgun start,& it was a real shotgun! at 12 o'clock the starter pulled the trigger & the race was on! Number 841, Frank Barry ( above Honda ), the son of the owners, got off to a great start, hotly pursued by number 807, Jason Paradise (Honda ) & number 48, Kevin Pelletier ( KTM ).Ratboy was charging hard as usual, on his trusty KTM200XC,& by the end of the 1st lap, which was 25 minutes long, he had opened up a 40 second lead. I decided to leave the pits for a while & watch the proceedings in the woods. I've lost track of the number of times I've watched old Ratty race, it's certainly been a good few, but I have to say, I've noticed a change in his style this year. He seems to combine a delicate poise with raw, ruthless aggression on the bike these days,&,even though he is my son, it is a joy to watch. I think he's certainly found the machine which enables him to give of his best with the KTM. Back in the pits there was a major panic when Avery Turner, the 14 year old son of our good friends Trevor & Renee Turner, came in with a siezed kickstarter, I was running around like a headless Chicken as usual, Trevor (right) was out in the race himself & Renee was doing the lapscoring, but Avery's 12 year old Sister, Shelby, saved the day by sprinting to her own bike & removing the kickstart, then sprinting back & fitting it to her Brothers machine! She was so cool, absolutely no panicking at all, an awesome performance! I immediately offered her the position of Ratboys Chief Mechanic! She actually has a great future as a rider herself, she finished 3rd overall in the Saturday race, this Girl is well fast! Back on the track Ratboy had opened up a 12 Minute lead by the time the last lap board went out at the 2 1/2 hour mark,& thats the way it stayed until the chequered flag. The final result was 1st, Jason Thomas,( KTM ) 2nd, Frank Barry, ( Honda ),& 3rd, Jason Paradise, (Honda ) with Kevin Pelletier, ( KTM ) only a few seconds behind him in 4th. It had been a superb & very memorable event, one of the best organized that I've been to for a long while, with a really good family atmosphere. We would like to congratulate & thank everyone who made the event happen, especially Wendy & Lawrence Barry for their warm hospitality. Thanks also to Trevor & Renee Turner, KTM North America,&, of course, Alf Gurr at Lethbridge KTM. We hope we did our best for You Johnny, Thankyou for letting us carry Your name to the Chequered Flag. THOMAS WINS ALBERTA ENDUROCROSS Jason was back in action again on Sunday at the second round of the Alberta Dirtriders Endurocross series, held at the specially built Corner Grass circuit near Compeer, on the border between Alberta & Saskatchewan, Canada. Jason reports that the track had been superbly prepared & some rain on Saturday just helped to make the tricky obstacles even more fun! Jason was once more riding his KTM200XC,which is proving to be the perfect machine for this type of event. He gained the victory after a great battle with Luke Firth in the qualifier,& then went on to take a comfortable win in the main race. He was followed home by the hard charging Jason Schrage (KTM) in 2nd & the very fast Luke Firth (YAMAHA) in 3rd. Jason would like to congratulate the organisers of the event on the very high standard of track they had achieved, & he would also like to say a big thank you to Nick & Jason Schrage & ,of course, Alf Gurr at Lethbridge KTM. Jason would also like to pass on his congratulations to Paul Bolton for his superb 3rd place at the Erzberg Extreme event, well done Paul! There will be more reports from Jason very soon.
Allez
Vite, Jason Thomas Following Jason's success at the recent Alberta Endurocross he was invited by KTM North America to take part in the gruelling 12 hour Endurance event held at La Tuque, 180 miles Northeast of Montreal,in Quebec, Canada. For Jason & me this was an opportunity we had both dreamed of since the days when we first used to throw his Puch Magnum in the back of my Skoda Estelle & head off in a cloud of smoke to the races. We decided this was something we just had to do together. Jason arrived in Montreal from Calgary on Wednesday 14th May & was met at Trudeau airport by Patrick Beaule, who would be his team-mate in the coming event. Together they visited KTM North America Headquarters at St-Bruno, where they collected the KTM250XC that Patrick had spent many hours preparing for this race, an event which he had also won in 2007. After a night at Patricks house & an opportunity to practice on the bike, they loaded all the gear into the van & headed up to La Tuque ready for the coming weekends activities. I set off from London Heathrow on Friday evening,&,after a 6 hour flight, arrived in Montreal still on Friday evening! Montreal is 5 hours behind the U.K. There was to be a tyre changing competition in La Tuque on the Friday night to decide grid positions for the LeMans style start the following day, followed by a big party in the town. I knew I wouldn't make the tyre changing but I was determined to get as far as I could that night, so through the darkness I followed the St-Lawrence river East to Trois-Rivieres & then headed Northwards for La Tuque, following the gorge of the St-Maurice river. I got as far as Riviere-aux-Rats, about 20 miles from La Tuque, & here I got my head down till the following morning. I awoke at 6am & was immediately stunned by the absolute beauty of the surrounding countryside, craggy mountain sides covered in Pine trees coming right down to the banks of a very wide, slow flowing, crystal clear river, just like you see in the movies! The river banks were still sparkling with frost & a light mist was drifting across the water, I wished I had brought my fishing rod with me because it looked like a perfect spot for an Atlantic Salmon! I would have loved to stay by the river for a while, but I had get a move on. I arrived in La Tuque at 7am.The town nestles in the valley beside the St-Maurice, it is about the same size as Newtown, Powys, & was originally established as a fur-trading post. The fur-traders were gradually replaced by lumberjacks & huge rafts of timber were gathered here for the river to transport downstream to the St-Lawrence. During the late 20th century the area became a centre for numerous Hydro-Electric power schemes & many of the construction workers made their homes in the town, & remain there to this day. There is also a huge factory here which produces wood pulp for the paper industry. I arrived at the event site & was amazed at the size & scale of what was happening there. The town get right behind this whole spectacle,& also support it financially. Everything was so well organized, two seperate tracks, one for the quads & one for the bikes, a helecopter service to take spectators out over the forests, a G.P. standard paddock, an awesome array of trade stands & refreshment services, flags flying & a full-facility sound system worthy of of a rock festival! Awesome! KTM were very well represented at the event & I soon found Jason & Patrick parked in the bike paddock. They told me that they had won the tyre changing competition, which had been held in the main street of La Tuque the previous evening in front of all the spectators, so their bike was 1st on the grid. The bike was now in the Parc Ferme so I went to have a look at it. Patrick had certainly done a great job of preparing the machine, which had its own graffics specially for the event provided by PG graffics Canada. Elka suspension, who were major sponsors of the event, had provided units for the bike which Jason & Patrick both said were superb. Accessories on the KTM had been supplied by LRP racing products. The team was running a stock tank & using a KTM quickfill in the pits. We then went for a walk around the Enduocross section of the track, which contained a large number of technical obsticles, including a 100 meter rock section, a van which competitors had to ride over, a section containing hundreds of split logs, lots of concrete drainage pipes & multiple log piles which everyone had to negotiate. Jason & Partick said there were also about 10 minutes of woods riding out in the surrounding forests & through several deep sandy sections, not unlike Matchams Park. The regulations surrounding the event were very strict, only one mechanic per rider, no working on the bike outside the pit area, no helping other riders or teams & no opportunity to do any work on the bike except during the race itself. There was a real buzz in the air as it drew closer to the start of the race, the 7000-8000 mostly French speaking spectators obviously having a great time in the warm sunshine. At 1pm there was a tremendous roar as the quad bikes set off for their 1st four hours of racing,& at 1.30 Patrick removed the KTM from the Parc Ferme & placed it on the start line ready for the bike race. Jason was going to do the 1st leg of the race,& I was to be his assistant, Patrick would be taking over after 2 hours & his girlfriend, Any Lavoie would be his helper. Any's Brother, Stephane, would be out in the woods for the whole race with the pitboard & walkie-talkie giving the riders feedback & updating the pit crew. As the starter gave the riders the 10 second warning, the crowds in the spectator stands all went silent, we were ready to race! When the flag dropped the competitors all ran for their machines, Jason got the KTM fired up 1st kick & leapt off the line for the hole-shot, closely followed by Michel Metcalfe with Dan Martineau in 3rd. Because Patrick had been a member of the winning team in 2007, our bike carried the number 1 plate. Michels team had the number 3 plate,& his team-mate would be Allan LaChapelle (pictured below with Patrick), Dans team were wearing number 5,& his team-mates would be Guillaume Pronovost & Dominic Cantin,up to 3 riders being allowed in a team. Jason pushed hard for 3 laps & had built up a 1 minute lead when disaster struck! The team had decided to use a heavy duty tube in the rear tyre instead of a moose to speed things up during the tyre changing competition & now Jason had a puncture! he got the bike into the pits & changed the wheel to one with a moose in it & handed the bike over to Patrick for his 1st stint on the track. Patrick got back into the race in 6th place & had managed to fight his way back up to 3rd over the next hour. After a quick rider change & re-fuelling, Jason took over again & rode the KTM hard, getting back to the front of the pack by the end of his 2 hour shift, then he came back into the pits for more fuel & to fit lights on the bike for the next 4 hour leg, which would be run entirely in the dark. Patrick finished off the last half hour of the 1st race & consolidated the teams lead, giving them a lap advantage over team 3 & a 2 lap advantage over team 5 by the chequered flag. We had made a good start but there was still a long way to go. The night race was something else. Watching the quads battling through the dust under the floodlights, with their headlamps blazing & the crowd cheering them on, whilst the sound-system filled the air with heavy rock, made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck! Then, just as Patrick brought the KTM to the line again, I saw the 1st drops of rain falling under the spotlights. This was at 10pm & we had 4 hours of racing to go! Suddenly I understood why everyone had said this event was going to be tough. The flag dropped & the riders sprinted for their machines again, Jason yanked another hole-shot & the KTM with its huge front headlight blazing disappeared into the forest. I said a silent thank you to Steve Ireland back in the U.K. for putting on those night events which have given us the opportunity to gain experience under conditions like these,& waited with fingers crossed to see who would get back to the arena 1st.I knew by the brightness of the light & the howl of the engine that it was Jason long before I saw him. The rain was falling steadily now but Jason had got the measure of the track & by the rider change & re-fuelling he had a 14 minute lead. Patrick took over & steered the KTM through the pits & up onto the track at the lap-scoring check,& I headed off to get Jason a burger, then another disaster! Patrick had been stopped by the clerk of the course because one of the team had roosted the lap scorers with mud! They were to receive an immediate 15 minute time penalty, Patrick wasn't going anywhere! I think that 15 minutes must have been the longest of Patricks life, we could do nothing to help him, we couldn't even go & talk to him, he just had to wait. The other teams came past, team 5 were now leading, team 3 in 2nd place, still Patrick had to wait. I could almost feel his frustration from the signing line. At last he got the ok & was off at full throttle, lights blazing into the trees. I think he will remember the way he rode that KTM through the next 2 hours for a long time to come.he really is a very good nightime rider,&,through the darkness & pouring rain, he pushed himself & the KTM to the limit. By the end of the race team KTM/ELKA were back in front & we all cheered him over the finish line. The time was after 2am, we were all tired, wet & hungry, it had been a very long day. Patrick's girlfriend, Any, comes from La Tuque & her Parents, Roger & Louise, had very kindly offered to put the team up at their lovely house for the night. They had also prepared a wonderful supper for us, which was exactly what we needed after the our days exertions. After our meal, sleep came quickly, but in no time at all it was morning again. Louise & Roger were up before us & had a superb breakfast ready on the table when we got up, which really set us up for the day ahead. Back at the track, after the riders meeting, we made ourselves ready for the final leg of this marathon event. Patrick had arranged for both riders to get a very reviving massage before the event began,& this was taken care of by another local girl, Fanny Germain. For some as yet unexplained reason, Jason's massage ,which took place in the back of Allan & Ann LaChapelles camper, lasted for over an hour. The rain had moved on & the weather looked set for a perfect riding day. The quads got away for their final race at 1pm,still going flat out as they had been all weekend. At 1.30,Patrick brought the KTM to the startline for the final time,& at 2pm the flag dropped for the start of the last race. Once again Jason got the Holeshot to give him his hat-trick of flying starts,& he soon settled into a routine of fast laps, pulling ahead of team 3 who were having a real battle with team 5 in 3rd place. As everyone was getting more familiar with the track, the lap times began to get faster & the teams would all have to fuel sooner. Jason signalled that the KTM had gone onto reserve after just over an hour & a halfs racing, so into the pits he came for a re-fuel & change of rider. We had to return the bike to its original condition before the end of the race, so we took this opportunity to take off the light & put back on the front number plate. Patrick put in another great ride before he too signalled that the bike had gone onto reserve, at which time he came into the pits for the final fuelling & rider change. Jason took the faithful KTM out for the last 3 laps of the race & took the chequered flag for the final time amidst scenes of great excitement amongst the crowd. Team 3 finally won the battle for 2nd,with team 5 hot on their heels in 3rd. After the race there was a prize giving ceremony for the competitors, with speeches by the officials & sponsors. Champagne corks popped & cameras flashes flashed,& we all agreed that we couldn't wait to do it again next year! Afterwards the team all went for a superb meal in La Tuque,& then it was time to say our goodbyes & head for our various destinations. It really had been an awesome event,& for Jason & me something that we were very grateful for having the opportunity to take part in,& something I'm sure we will both remember for a very long time to come. It wouldnt have been possible without the tremendous efforts of Patrick Beaule, to whom we are both deeply indebted. Thank you Patrick. Thank you also to Any, Stephane, Roger & Louise Lavoie, Allan & Ann LaChapelle, their team-mate in team 3, Michel Metcalfe, Alex Hetu, Fanny Germain,& also the guys from team 5, Dan Martineau, Guillaume Pronovost & Dominic Cantin. A special thank you for all their help to Andy White at KTM North America, Martin Lamoureux at Elka Suspension,& Alf Gurr at Lethbridge KTM. RATBOY DANCES WITH WOLVES! Jason Thomas thought practicing with the Schrage cousins in the Porcupine Hills, a few Kilometers Northwest of Fort Macleod, Alberta, would be a great idea, but when he saw the signs for 'Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump', he began to wonder quite what he had let himself in for! It turned out to be exactly what it said on the sign! At this World Heritage Site,5000 years ago, the native North American Blackfoot Indians used to round up vast herds of Buffalo & drive them over a cliff into a deep gorge, killing the unfortunate animals & providing the Indian Tribe with mountains of meat, hide, bone & blood from which they were basically able to completely sustain themselves until the next herd arrived! The site is so well preserved that even the white rocks which marked the way for the Indians as they drove the Buffalo to the cliff top are still there! Jason says they all had a marvellous day riding hard through the forests, streams & rock-strewn slopes of the Porcupine Hills which are actually a section of the Rocky Mountain foothills,& lead from Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump to the Frank Slide, on the Crowsnest trail. The Frank Slide is the site of a tragedy which took place on the 29th April 1903,when a huge slice of the Turtle Mountain broke away after heavy rains followed by a severe frost,& swept down the valley burying the coal-mining town of Frank & killing 70 of its inhabitants. Today, all that remains of the disaster are the enormous piles of rock scree, which are actually part of the mountain high above, but which now hang over the sides of the Crowsnest Pass Highway as it snakes its way along the valley floor. Jason will actually be taking part in a 3hour Cross-Country event over some of this area next weekend, which he is looking forward to very much as it will be his 1st opportunity to ride in the tough Canadian forests under racing conditions. He says his KTM200XC worked really well through everything he encountered this past weekend whilst practicing,so he is feeling confident for the coming event! He would like to say a big thankyou to Jason & Nick Schrage for letting him go practicing with them,& he would also like to pass on his congratulations to all those riders who took part the GBXC event at Monmouth. More news from Jason next week! TEMPLE HILLS MOTOCROSS With the Hare Scramble event at Sharples, in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, cancelled due to the depth of the winter snow still remaining in the valleys not exposed to the sun, Jason decided to try his hand at the Southern Alberta spring motocross at Temple Hills,Raymond. This is the event that was cancelled due to the freezing conditions last weekend. Jason cant believe how quickly the weather can change on the high Canadian plains, this week the sun has been shining & the temperature has been up in the high 20s Centigrade! The weekend was in two parts, Saturday being given over to practicing for all classes & Sunday being race day. Jasons KTM200XC is perfect for the woods, but not really the ideal bike for MX1 or MX2 Motocross. Alf Gurr,from Lethbridge KTM, was kind enough to provide Jason with a KTM450F for the MX1 class & a KTM250F for the MX2 race. The Temple Hills circuit had been very well prepared for the event, Jason said he found it similar to some of the Motocross tracks he has ridden in the U.S.,full of massive jumps & high speed whooped out sections, tough stuff! On Satuday he crashed heavily over one of the table-tops,knocking himself out briefly & giving himself a few cuts & bruises. He found it hard swapping from one bike to the other for the different groups, so decided to concentrate on the MX2 class on the 250F. He says Sunday was some of the hardest racing he's done for a long time,& certainly the fastest racing he's ever had to do on a 250F. Racing the Pro class, he was very happy to finish 3rd overall, Luke Firth taking the overall win on a Yamaha, followed by Jared Allison on a Kawasaki. Jasons friend, George De Graff, got 4th overall on his Yamaha. Jasons next event is a Hare Scramble in the Porcupine Hills in two weeks time. He is off to the mountains to practice this weekend with Jason & Nick Schrage. Watch this space for more news! JEZZA & RATBOY GO WEST Report & photos by Jeremy Thomas This is the story of how two wild & crazy guys left the old country & set out West. Why would we do this? well, we couldn't think of too many good reasons not to basically. Anyway, here goes Jezza with the tale of our journey. As the wheels of the plane left the wet tarmac of Manchester airport on the last day of March this year I was filled with my usual mix of feelings, looking forward to the challenge ahead, hoping that everyone at home was going to be o.k., wondering what this new country of Canada was going to be like. As director of Rat adventures its my job to do lots of the old leg work, plan the route, deal with all the legal stuff to make sure we do these trips properly,&,of course, keep Ratboys bank account in credit. For me, the opportunity to be a part of his often eventful & never dull career makes all of the sacrifices worth while. Its like being a roady for the sex pistols! I flew via Philadelphia where David Bowie played the tower theatre in 1974 then onwards via Chicago to Moline, Illinois, home of John Deere tractors & Funmart cycle centre. It was late evening by the time I arrived & collected my bags, the girl on the car rental desk must have realized I was a sex pistols roady cos she hooked me up with a brand new Mustang! ideal! As I pulled off the car lot I became Steve McQueen for a while & I do admit to burning some rubber off the tyres in his memory. That guy could race a bit as well. I met up with our great friend & supporter Tim Taber on the carpark at Funmart & we headed for a cool bar on the Mississippi. Tim is one of the hardest working guys I know, but he always has time for his friends. He has represented the U.S.A. at 6 days twice so as a racer himself he knows the score. After a few beers it was time for me to get some rest, I had some big days ahead! Next day I was at Funmart bright & early. Funmart is based in Moline, one of the quad cities, the others being Davenport, Rock Island & Bettendorf. The mighty Mississippi flows west between the cities & is joined there by its tributary, the Rock river. I had much to do. Ratboy had a brand new YZ250F stored at Funmart from 2007, his camper & trailer were also being looked after for us by another well known local racer, Don Raschke, just out of town at Geneseo. My 1st job was to put the Yamaha back to stock so we could exchange it for a KTM200XC from Tim. We didn't have much of an idea what the terrain would be like in Canada & , with a limited budget, we had decided that a 2stroke would be the best way forward. KTM offer the best range of off-road bikes & they have the back-up through their dealer network to keep you racing so they were our 1st choice. Ratboy loves the 200 because its fast & will cope with anything out there on the trail, so that's the bike we went for. Mike Delathouwer, Funmarts service manager, pulled two crates out of their warehouse & I set to work building the bikes up.We needed some items from the KTM hardparts range to make the bikes more suitable for the woods & Ashley Cady, Funmarts parts manager, soon had them sorted. With the bike job well in hand I took off in the Mustang to Dons to check on how the camper & trailer had faired through the cold Illinois winter. All was well, Don had carried out a service on the camper, the trailer needed a new tyre but that was about it.I hooked up the rig & set off for Farm & Fleet in Moline to sort out the tyre. Everything sorted it was time to meet up with Tim at the Captains Table restaurant beside the Mississippi for a superb meal & a few Coronas! Next morning was spent licencing & reinsuring everything ready for the roadtrip, Ashley & I cruising around town in the Mustang trying to make sure we got the holeshot at all the traffic lights, Jezza does love America! by early afternoon I was ready for the off, bikes loaded in the trailer & a full tank of gas. It was time to say goodbye to all my friends & the Mustang in Moline & hit the road. I had allowed 3 days for my journey, I figured I could drive around 600 miles a day & Ratboy wasn't due into Calgary until midday on the 6th April. Calgary looked about 1800 miles from Moline, but not having the benefit of sat nav to tell me exactly, it could have been further. Anyway, away, away! One of the best things for me about racing in America is travelling the country. This is the land of dreams. Hanging out with Ratboy has taken me all over the United States, from Daytona Beach on the east coast to Los Angeles on the west. from the Rocky Mountains of Idaho to the Panhandle of Texas. I've seen snow on the Great Salt Lake & tried to go the wrong way down a one way street in Manhattan. I've felt like I was following in the footsteps of Elvis & woken up in bed with Madonna. No matter what Ratboy & me have had to sacrifice & how much garbage we've had thrown at us, when we hit that road together its all been worth while. How else would I ever have had the opportunity to do all this if I hadn't been blessed with a kid who could ride a motorbike? I've always played Sal Paradise to his Dean Morriarty,& I guess I always will. From Moline, Illinois, I headed west into Iowa then north on 61 to Dubuque where I crossed the Mississippi into Wisconsin. Wisconsin is famous for its cheese. Americans love cheese & they have it on everything. Wisconsin is a beautiful state, rolling river bluffs,forests & quaint farmer towns. 61 took me up to Sparta where I crossed highway 90 & continued on to join highway 94 at the Black River Falls. I headed North for Minnesota, passing through Minneapolis & St.Paul on my way to Fargo, where I was planning to spend the night. The land round Fargo is flat like East Anglia but vast, plains as far as the eye can see. I had seen snowdrifts beside the road gradually getting bigger the further north I drove, but here it was the biting wind which made sleeping in the camper pretty cold. On the road I don't stop much, just for fuel & a Subway or Ruby Tuesdays, I usually spend the night at a rest area or on a Walmart carpark cos the guy, Sam, who founded the company, was big into R.V.ing so you're always welcome to park there. Next morning I woke early & took highway 29 north from Fargo through Grand Forks to the border crossing into Canada. Everything went smoothly through the port of entry at Pembina & there I was in a new country! The Canadian province of Manitoba was immediately different from the state of Minnesota, the towns I was passing through on my way towards Winnipeg had a different feel to them, more of a European flavour, the road signs were bilingual, reflecting both the British & French influence on the recent history of this country. At Winnipeg I took the TransCanadian Highway west towards Regina., it would be this road that I would remain on for the next couple of days. Driving in Canada was quite different to the U.S., gone were the sweeping right turns at the highway intersections, the junctions in Canada seemed to be entirely based on the crossroads system, with many of the more rural ones not even having any traffic lights, even on the main highway! As I headed west the ground was gradually rising through dense Birch woodland with rolling hills all around. By the time I reached Brandon I was feeling pretty tired again so I decided to stay over there. Whilst searching for somewhere to eat I was delighted to come across a 2nd world war Bristol Bolingbroke aircraft on a Mcdonalds carpark. The aircraft was a memorial to the many brave Canadian, British & New Zealand Airmen who recieved their training in this part of Canada before setting out to fight,& in many cases perish, for the Allied cause during the conflict. I was moved to think that without their sacrifices Ratboy & me would never have had the opportunity to live in this world as we do. My night in Brandon was the coldest I'd experienced for a long time. It was seriously freezing. Next morning I was on my way early again, I plannad to end the day near to Calgary so that I had plenty of time left to get parked & sorted at the airport before Ratboy arrived.I drove all day on the TransCanadian Highway, crossing into Saskatchewan from Manitoba,& passed by Regina, Moose Jaw & Swift Current. At Swift Current it was time to stop & do some laundry. Here I discovered that Loonies & Toonies were required to get the washing done. I also took on more fuel for the camper here, alarmed to find that it was around 40% more than in the U.S.!Late in the afternoon I crossed the border into Alberta, stopping for supper in an English-looking fish & chip bar in Medicine Hat. I could sense that I was entering the Wild West, the road had been climbing steadily for hundreds of miles & I was now on the High Plains, wonderful grain fields & cattle pasture, the people looked different too, big cowboy hats & pointy boots, nothing like Birmingham but ideal for the Bullring! I ended my day at Brooks, half way between Medicine Hat & Calgary. Next morning the sun was up early & it was a beautiful morning for driving. I was feeling on top of the world & looking forward to my 1st glimpse of the Canadian Rockies,& then suddenly, as I crested a low line of rolling hills, there they were! stretching across the horizon from north to south, crested in snow like a long, white, Toblerone bar, the most famous line of mountains on the planet. It was a perfect moment. As I drove on towards Calgary they grew in size & by the time I parked up at Calgary Airport,I knew Ratboy & me had to go & get a proper look at them. ENTER THE RAT. As I waited in Calgary airport for the arrival of Ratboy there was a power cut. It was like a message, a deliverance, the Rat had arrived. We wasted no time. To the hills! to the hills! Banff looked like the place to be but Lake Louise shares its name with my daughter, Louise, so that was where we headed. The drive through the mountains was awesome. A perfect blue sky with the sun glinting on the crisp, white snow slopes dotted with tall pine trees & surrounded by jagged rock outcrops & pinacles. We made for the piste. Everyone had gone home & the lifts were all shut. Perfect opportunity to test out the KTMs on the slopes! deciding discretion was the better part of valour, we headed for the frozen lake itself & set off across the ice to test our skating skills on the outdoor ice hockey rink. It was a world of dreams, a place you want to stay for ever, surrounded by the echoes of travellers from the past, winters filled with snow & log fires, a place away from reality. We stayed there the night & vowed to return. Next day we decided to take highway 93 through the Rockies to Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia. Driving through occasional snow storms in the mountains with no phone signal, we were glad to reach Radium & headed south for Cranbrook & the Crowsnest Pass. This was perfect riding country, small river flats edged by thick pine forests leading upwards to the rolling foothills & then the bare rock & snow slopes of the skyscraping moutains. Just before Cranbrook we turned east onto highway 3 for the Crowsnest Pass. This is one of the areas Ratboy will be racing in while he is here, so we wanted to take a good look at it. We drove through Fernie, Sparwood & onwards. The land looked perfect for cross country & enduro events, Ratboy was well impressed. Leaving the great landslide at Crowsnest Pass itself, we at last came out of the mountains to Pincher Creek. Our plan was to reach Lethbridge, where Ratboy will be based, by nightfall. With the pedal to the metal, we pressed on through Fort Macleod towards Lethbridge,still on highway 3. Lethbridge was a coal town which grew around the drift mines on the banks of the Oldman River. With the arrival at the start of the 20th century of the Canadian Pacific Railroad, the high quality coal produced by the miners found a more economical means of transport to the huge North American market. The town grew, up out of the river valley & onto the plains. As the world has changed, Lethbridge has found itself in a perfect location to offer many services to the local agricultural community, which is the basis of the surrounding economy. Ratboy & me rolled into town as dusk fell like Clint Eastwood & John Wayne, Packing our 200s & looking for action. Sometimes in life you have to roll the dice & take a chance. This was one of those times. Here we were in a town we had never been too, in a country we had never been too, not knowing anybody & 5000 miles from home. Nice. But the dice fell good. Very good Next morning we made our way to the local Motorcross store, Lethbridge KTM. Here we met Alf Gurr, who just happens to be the very best guy you could meet in such circumstances, a real gentleman who understood immediately what we were all about. In no time at all, Alf introduced us to Ryan Roth, a local racer who had also spent some time on a student exchange programme in New Zealand, so he knew all about being a long way from home. Alf pointed us in the direction of an excellent local motocross track just out of town at Raymond, & Ryan got us sorted with a mobile phone & directions out to the 1st event we would attend at Barons. People couldn't have been more friendly & helpful. We headed for the motocross track where we met another local rider, Don Lewis, who did a few laps with the Rat & helped us jet up the bikes properly. Lethbridge is at 3400 feet above sea level & its pretty cold right now, so settings were a lot different to back in Illinois. Once we had the KTMs working good, we headed back into Lethbridge to stock up with food from the local Walmart. Here we met another well known local rider & all round nice guy, George De Graaf, George (right) is one of the main motocross riders in Alberta,& a super guy for us to meet, he & Rat arranged to meet up to go practicing the next day. Things were going well. Next day, after another trip to the Temple Hills circuit at Raymond, we headed out to the venue for the race on Sunday at Barons. Here we were met & greeted by Trevor & Renee Turner, two of the nicest & most helpful people you could wish to meet. They were the organizers of the Endurocross race Ratboy was entered in for the Sunday,& it had been through Renees emails to us that we had 1st learned of this exciting series. Trevor was hard at work watering the track ready for the event. He had designed & built a superb course on his own land which contained some very challenging obstacles, logs, tyre walls, concrete pipes & rock piles, plus a very tight brush section, a motocross track, a creek crossing & an excellent special test section out in the cornfields. Perfect. The Turners hard work didn't just stop at the track though, they had the local T.V. company coming down to film the event & interview the riders,& they had the local radio station bring down an awesome P.A. through which they were going to do a live radio show at the event! These people were getting the job done! Race day dawned bright & sunny, signing on, noise testing & the riders meeting were over by 9am & we were racing for the 1st time in Canada! All groups got 3 laps to practice the track & everyone was having fun! the tyre wall & a long section of tyres proved to be the hardest obstacles on the course & there were bikes going everywhere for a while in some of the classes. After practice came the qualifiers for grid positions, top qualifiers would start the main race from behind one log, lower qualifiers would start from behind two. In Ratboys qualifier, he grabbed the holeshot, closely followed by Jason Schrage, Luke Firth & Nick Schrage. Ratboy ploughed into the tyre wall, allowing Jason Schrage past him, then crashing again, Luke Firth, another talented local motocrosser, got by him too. Luke took the lead but crashed out over a huge log letting both Jason & Ratboy go by. The race was on. Jason Schrage is an excellent rider & has represented Canada at 6 days, so he was going to take some beating. Ratboy got the bit between his teeth though & took 1st place at the flag. Alf & his wife, Joyce, came along to watch the main event & there was a definate buzz of excitement amongst the crowd as George De Graaf raised the start flag. Ratboy, swapping to the other side of the grid, got the holeshot & was off on a mission as they came out of the stubble field, followed by Jason Schrage, Shane Cuthbertson, Nick Schrage & Luke Firth. Returning to the fields from the bush section, Jason had passed Ratboy after a crash on the dreaded tyre wall again, but the Rat was on form & got past him again as they scorched around the special test. Thats the way they stayed for 3/4 of an hour to the chequered flag, with Luke Firth claiming 3rd spot by the races end. What a great day! Afterwards everyone gathered for the awards ceremony & an ice cold beer amongst new friends. My time in Canada was running short now. For Ratboy, it was still the start of his High Plains adventure, but for me it was time to head home. I said my goodbyes to everyone &,with Ratboy snoozing in the back,I headed off back to Calgary airport, where he took over the camper & headed back to Lethbridge,& I headed back to the wet tarmac of Ringway, via Phoenix & Philadelphia, just for fun!
|
Jason
Thomas takes a double win in Canada for Team Duroy Racing KTM Canada/Lachappelle
Racing Products
STEELE
CREEK 2ND FOR "UK7"!!
Second
spot for Jason at the General.
Florida
victory for Jason Thomas.
THOMAS
SCORES AGAIN IN MISSOURI OMA.
BRITISH
BLIZZARDS SWEEP SNOWSHOE!!!!
Both
Knight & Thomas led their respective classes from the start of the
race,& both ended the day comfortably ahead of their nearest
competition.The Snowshoe event was the first time David's U.S. fans have
seen him compete in a GNCC race this season, whereas Jason is a GNCC
regular now,& currently holds Third place overall in the XC2 PRO-LITES
Championship.
THOMAS
KEEPS IT COUNTRY IN NASHVILLE.
JASON'S
STEELE CREEK BLUES.
JASON
THOMAS OPENS HIS GNCC ACCOUNT.