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NO RACE EVENTS SCHEDULED DMSports "We Put You First!" 2001
WOMEN'S WORLD SERIES MX CHAMPIONSHIPS Round 1 of the DM
Sports Women’s World Series MX Championships in Ocala, Florida By 6: 00 AM race
morning, the winds kicked up and blew in a torrential storm, and with it,
slim hopes of getting the races underway.
As the rain continued to pound the ground, many of the male riders
gave up and headed home. The
women riders however, had traveled great distances from as far away as
Canada, California, Ohio and Wisconsin to run the opening round of the
Championships, and no one was leaving. The track promoters, recognizing the determination of the women riders, braved the conditions and opened up practice. Many portions of the track were closed, as they were impassable. The rain
continued its onslaught, determined to send the riders and spectators
packing. With no let up in
the heavy rain, riders negotiated the track, with mini riders As the gate dropped for
moto 1,Tiffany Reed-OH (MC Gear, WSMX, Scott, Maxima, Shoei, Motion
Pro, Cti, Boyesen, Ohio Motorsports, Brad Wood Suspension, EVS) holeshot
the moto, but not before colliding with Raemish as they hit the
first jump. Tiffany,
never raced in the mud before, and was leading some of the worlds best.
Kirsten Raemisch-WI coming off a recent knee surgery was a
half bike behind with Angie Keuntjes-FL/WI transplant hot on her
heels in third. Fourth was
held by April Hodges of West Palm Beach, with Leah Cantrell-GA
(Fox, SYD, Oakley, Suzuki, Swaney Desgns) sliding her way into the top 5. Raemish and Keuntjes
made quick work of Reed’s inexperience in the muddy conditions
and took over the top two positions.
Reed held her composure in third, quickly learning the
tricks of the trade to keep pace with the leaders.
Raemisch was a little skittish the day before the event,
concerned about the readiness of her knee.
Raemish showed no such concerns during the moto as she
distanced herself from Keuntjes and Reed. Hodges (Powersports
of Palm Beach, WMR, Scott, Engine Ice, Carbon Tech, One Ind.) stole third
from Reed and closed up on the leaders.
Reed still held a safe distance over Patty Whitehouse
on the Palmetto,Fox, GB Works, So Cal, No Toil, Engine Ice Suzuki in
fifth. Whitehouse held
no such luxury as she was being heavily pressured by a fast charging Leah
Cantrell. Jennifer
Veltre was also entrenched in the battle along with Danni Russell riding
for FEW racing, Lana Karnow and Kimberly Kocher. Cantrell
wouldn’t be denied and slithered her way past Reed into fourth.
Cantrell consistently held some of the fastest laps aboard
the Suzuki, suffering only from a poor gate. Raemish and Keuntjes
continued to hammer the track and each other oblivious of the battle
raging behind. Cantrell now
had Hodges in her sights, but the moto was winding down.
Cantrell pulled out all the stops swapping through the
slime in a desperate attempt to nip Hodges at the flag.
It was not to be. With
Cantrell climbing up Hodges exhaust as the two hit the final
table, double, double, Cantrell made a small error giving Hodges
the breathing room she needed to nail third.
Reed, slipped back to fifth after getting cross rutted on
the final lap, followed by Whitehouse, Veltre, Karnow and Russell
who settled their battle in the waning moments of the race with Kocher
rounding out the top 10. With no let up in the
downpour, Moto 2 became a question of survival.
By now the track was a virtual sea of mud.
Riders sloshed their way around a track with two feet of watered
down mud in a continual downpour. Raemish
holeshot the moto with Keuntjes running tandem.
Reed was running third with Hodges fourth and Russell
rounding out the top five. The conditions were so
bad, goggles were tossed and motors sucked so much water that they barely
finished or quit all together. Cantrell was one such victim.
Cantrell racing in both the mini and amateur divisions had
just about all the poor luck and great riding she could handle.
Coming off another dismal start was Cantrell with Whitehouse,
Veltre, Karnow and Kocher in tow.
Little passing was attempted as the primary goal was to finish.
Cantrell despite a very sick motor caught and passed Russell
for fifth at the halfway point, while Karnow dropped Veltre
a notch the following lap. The
finish order remained the same with Raemisch taking the checkered
over Keuntjes, Reed, Hodges and Cantrell.
Raemisch was beaming following the race.
“I won today, because my left knee is screwed up, but the track
today was pretty much all right turns” joked Raemisch who took
the overall in the Amateur division.
“Once I get strong enough, I hope to ride pro, but for now, this
gives me a big confidence boost.”
Keuntjes, by virtue of her runner up finishes, took the
pro class win over Reed and Veltre.
Said Keuntjes, “ I just wanted to ride smart and safe in
these conditions. I could
have passed Kirsten, but it would have been really risky.” In the 60-105 class April
Hodges took the holeshot with Kimberly Kocher following.
Still reeling from nearly watering out the first moto, Cantrell,
missed the start of the moto in a big way and started off nearly a quarter
of the track behind. While Hodges
pulled out a big lead over Kocher, Cantrell was riding the wheels
(and motor) off her RM 80. By
lap three, riding with wild abandon, Cantrell closed to the back
wheel of Kocher. Kocher held
her ground , making Cantrell ride off line.
Cantrell kicked in the burners and rebounded past Kocher in
the following table, double, double section to claim the second spot.
Cantrell was unable to make up the distance on the fast
starting Hodges at the flag. Moto 2 of the 60-105
class held a surprise holeshot by Kocher.
Kocher used her monstrous holeshot to her advantage over Hodges
in second, followed by Cantrell.
With back-to-back motos, Cantrell’s bike, which sucked
water in the previous amateur moto, was barely running.
Hodges, pushed and probed Kocher but found little to
go on. Cantrell was
pinning the RM for all it was worth in an effort to keep it running long
enough to finish the moto. Kocher,
had it all together the final moto and romped to the win wire to wire over
Hodges and Cantrell. As
the riders pulled off the track following the moto, Amateur and Pro riders
tackled Cantrell dropping her into the muddy goo in a show if
support for her valiant efforts. The
somber Cantrell broke out into a smile and tossed some mud of her
own towards her comrades. The Series, with heavy industry backing, continues to boast the largest total cash, prize and contingency payout in the history of Women's racing, ($ 75,000) and has been home to some of the best women's racing ever showcased. DM SPORTS
WOMEN'S WORLD SERIES MX CHAMPIONSHIPS With just 2
rounds of the series completed, the battle lines for the championship are With a $1,000 series bonus to the winner from Title sponsor Maxima, and an additional $1,000 bonus from Motion Pro divided among the top 3, points are all important in this the richest series in the history of women’s motocross. $75,000 is up for grabs donated by Series Sponsors: Maxima, Motion Pro, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Honda, Engine Ice, VP, FMF, Mothers, Answer, Boyesen, Uni Filter, Excell, Wiseco, Alpinestars, Ceet, RK Chain, BRP, Oneal, CTI, Scott USA, White Brothers, Dirt Kids and Sprocket Specialists. April Hodges,
continued her winning ways in TX, capping off a perfect day in the mini
ranks, while Brandi Davis made her presence felt in a big way,
scoring impressive back to back moto wins in the Amateur division. As the gate dropped for
the first Pro moto, it was Jessica Patterson showing the As the Amateurs took
off for Moto 1 it was an all out brawl headed into turn one.
The 60-105 class featured several riders from the Amateur class, offering a chance for redemption. Tayler Lacey holeshot the moto, but it was Hodges who came out on top of lap one. Hodges, livid from her first Amateur moto woes, put her head down and buried the competition. Lacey battled with Loire for second, with Kocher joining the battle. At the halfway point Hodges had amassed a 30 second lead. The race for second tightened up between Lacey, Loire and Kocher, with a separate battle for fifth between Lindsay Myers and Sheree Schultz. At the flag it was the untouchable Hodges, with Lacey taking a hard earned second followed by Kocher, Loire, Schultz and Myers. Moto 2 in the Pro
class start was a replay of a patented Patterson holeshot, but not
without some added drama. Patterson
crashed in her Open A/B moto with the men, blowing the seat of her
pants wide open and shaking up the champ.
As her concerned Patterson pulled away out front with Wood moving past Boham into second. A serious battle emerged between Myers and Hudson for fourth. Myers was flying, riding with new confidence and speed for 2001. Hudson seemed disturbed by Myers new found speed and confidence was clearly a little off in the moto, riding hard, but making mistakes, while Myers was having the race of her life. Boham was also pressing Hudson, not giving her time to regroup her thoughts. Hudson snatched third from Myers in the back high speed straightaway. Myers put the hammer down in the rough back section and set up Hudson for a inside pass. Before Myers could slam the door her bike swapped treating her to a very nasty windmill get off in the whoops proceeding the corner. Myers slapped down hard, with Boham clinging to the fender of Hudson. Boham repassed Hudson a few corners later when Hudson crashed. Hudson got up, shook off the gremlins and took off after Boham. Hudson caught and passed Boham in the Magnificent Seven whoop section in the final lap. Patterson took the uncontested win over Wood, who looked right at home on the four stroke, in one of her first major competitions since retiring in 1998. Third was Hudson fending off all challengers, with the impressive rookie Boham in fourth, followed by Erica Cook, Tarrah Johnson and an ailing Myers in seventh. As the Amateurs streaked off the line in moto 2, it was Brandi Davis with the holeshot. Hot on her heels was Stephens with Raemisch, Hodges, Whitehouse and Russell in tow. Hodges crashed in the Magnificent Seven, dropping herself to the back of the pack. Davis started to pull away from the pack early, anxious to distance herself from Raemisch. Stephens was running a strong third with Whitehouse in fourth. As Davis checked out to a seven second lead, a heated battle for second developed between Raemisch, Hodges, Stephens and Whitehouse. A few seconds back was another very intense battle between Russell, Kocher, Loire, Schultz, Pickett, Myers and Squire. Stephens battled her way past Raemisch only to have Raemisch jump past her in the whoops when she nosed into the last bump. Stephens was all over Raemisch looking for a way past the Suzuki rider. Raemisch used every inch of the track to fend off the attack. Stephens, again put her bike into second, but Raemish used her jumping ability over the downhill double to retake the second position over Stephens on the XC KTM machine. Fourth was Whitehouse over Hodges who just couldn’t quite make it past the RM pilot. The battle for sixth would not be decided until the final corner. Russell was clinging to a very precarious lead over the rest of the pack. Loire and Kocher tried to push Russell outside in the final turn, but Russell held her line and fended off the challenge. Loire, Kocher, Schultz, Pickett all crossed the line within inches of each other, with Squire and Myers rounding out the class. In the final moto of the 60-105’s, Kimberly Kocher holeshot the moto over Hodges, Lacey, Loire and Schultz. Halfway into the first lap Hodges took over the point position and began to put a cushion between herself and the pack. Clustered behind Hodges was a good battle between Kocher and Lacey. Lacey was applying heavy pressure to Kocher, while under attack from Loire, with Schultz and Myers a few paces behind. Lacey made a sweet outside/inside move on Kocher and started to pull away. Loire, seeing the vulnerability of Kocher closed the gap. Kocher’s moto had started brilliantly but was rapidly falling apart. Kocher, feeling the pressure, bobbled allowing Loire to pass and then crashed in the whoops handing over another position to Schultz on the final lap. A determined and fuming Kocher remounted the bike and set after Schultz. With a few corners left, Kocher caught Schultz and pressed hard. The two came over the finish virtually side by side, but Kocher would have to settle for fifth behind Schultz. Myers rounded out the top 6. 125cc Pro: 1. Jessica Patterson 1/1(Kaw), 2. Dee Wood 3/2 (Yam), 3. Jacki Hudson 2/3 (Hon), 4. Ashley Boham 5/4 (Hon), 5. Erica Cook 6/5 (Yam), 6. Kristi Myers 4/7 (Kaw), 7. Tarrah Johnson 7/6 (KTM) 8. Angie Keuntjes (DNS) Amateur: 1. Brandi Davis 1/1 (Yam), 2. Kirsten Raemisch 2/2 (Suz), 3. Sherri Stephens 5/3 (KTM), 4. Patty Whitehouse 4/4 (Suz), 5. April Hodges 3/5 (Kaw), 6. Danni Russell 6/6 (Yam), 7. Cherrissa Loire 7/7 (Kaw), 8. Kimberly Kocher 8/9 (Kaw), 9. Sheree Schultz 10/8 (Hon), 10. Amber Pickett 9/10 (Hon), 11. Jennifer Squire 11/11 (Suz), 12. Lindsay Myers 12/12 (KTM), 13. Tayler Lacey DNS (Kaw) 60-105 (7-15): 1. April Hodges 1/1 (Kaw), 2. Tayler Lacey 2/2 (Kaw), 3. Cherissa Loire 4/3 (Kaw), 4. Kimberly Kocher 3/5 (Kaw), 5. Sheree Schultz 5/4 (Hon), 6. Lindsay Myers 6/6 (KTM) Round
3-DM Sports Women's World Series MX Championships Badlands
marked the halfway point of the Women’s World MX Championship Series
presented by Maxima. The
event produced the third consecutive set of Plano
Honda’s Jacki Hudson of nearby Bastrop, TX, came to Badlands on a
mission, overcoming adversity to score the win in the pro class.
Fellow Texan, Amber Drake dominated the Amateur class, with
Ohio’s Kimberly Kocher entrenching herself firmly into the points
lead in the 60-105 class with her win. As
the gate dropped for the Pro class, Jacki
Hudson
(Plano Honda, MSR, Pro Circuit, Tusbaki, Just Racing, UFO, Wiseco, Dunlop,
Pro Taper, Scott, Shoei, DHMA, Superfast Fuels, Factory Effex, Bailey
Construction Racing, Pro Honda Oils, Renthal) grabbed the holeshot
entering turn one, but exited too wide, opening a hole underneath for Kirsten
Raemisch
to squirt through and steal the holeshot money exiting turn one. Stunned,
Hudson,
screamed back into second followed by Kristi
Myers
(Thor, LCS, Scott, N Style, Altex Electronics, GSMS, Bel Ray, EVS) and Sherri
Stephens. Hudson
made quick work of Raemisch
(Lake
Country Motorsports, Torque Center, Two Fast Racing, Steve Young-All
Season Sports, Bell Helmets, Max Power Cylinders),
as did Myers, with Stephens chasing in fourth.
Hudson
quickly
pulled out a slight gap on the battle brewing between Myers
and Raemisch,
while Stephens,
the TCCRA Cross Country Champion ran a consistent fourth. Hudson
established a seven second lead over the pack while Raemisch
pulled
to the back wheel of Myers
and the battle intensified.
Raemisch
gave it everything she When
the gate dropped for Moto 2, it was again Hudson
with the holeshot entering turn one.
Remembering the start from the first moto Hudson
held
a tight inside line determined to score the holeshot money.
Again, Hudson
was to be denied, as she broke too hard and skidded, allowing her nemesis Raemisch
to
steal the holeshot yet again, this time from the outside.
Raemisch
held the point position on the opening lap followed by Myers,
Hudson and Stephens.
On lap 2, Hudson
made a push to the inside of Myers
and then countered with an outside move in the following corner to
relegate Myers
to third. With a clean track
leading up to Raemisch,
Hudson
set her sights on the fleeing Suzuki rider and zeroed in.
Inch by inch, Hudson
closed the gap. By the
halfway mark, Hudson
had closed to the back wheel of Raemisch.
In the back sweeper leading to the finish Hudson
moved inside Raemisch
to take command of the moto. Hudson
extended her lead when Raemisch
made
a serious error casing the double leading to the whoops.
Raemisch
nearly
endoed and hit the whoops still out of control.
Somehow Raemisch
was able to remain on the bucking bronc and regain control as she exited
the whoops. The mistake would
prove costly, as Myers
sensing blood, closed in for the kill.
With the laps winding down, it became a battle of wills and time.
Raemisch
was clearly hanging on for dear life, while Myers
was an act of precision. Doubling
everything in site, Myers
put
in a last lap charge that had the entire pits watching the action.
Hudson
took the uncontested win, while the battle for second would go down to the
flag. Raemisch
narrowly defeated Myers
by
half a wheel at the checkers to take over the points lead for the series.
Stephens
would again claim fourth. In
Amateur action Patty
Whitehouse (FL)
entered the turn in first, only to have Texas local Amber
Drake
pull an inside/outside pass to take the holeshot money at the mark.
Drake
never looked back and rode a flawless race to the checkers.
Moto
2 was again all Drake
following a holeshot by Whitehouse.
Drake
doubled past Whitehouse
and
never looked back. Finishing
order was again Drake,
Whitehouse, Kocher, Myers and Boehrnsen. The 60-105cc class was dominated by Kocher who holeshot both motos and took wire-to-wire wins over a vastly improving Lindsay Myers.
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