Photos by John Parkinson & Ryne Swanberg

Threats of rain toppled the pits of the 2009 Thor/Parts Unlimited Lake Whitney Spring Classic today, but as has been the case so many times in the past, Mother Nature stepped in a provided an almost perfect track for practice. Overcast skies gave photographers and videographers fits all day, but offered riders a rare opportunity to stay cool. While rain still plagues the forecast for the remainder of the week, we’ll continue to take it day by day and hope for a miracle.

Practice at an amateur national is no joke. All eyes are on the lap time sheets as riders in each class battle for confidence and bragging rights heading into qualifiers. Set the fastest lap in your class and you’ve already won half the battle, but find yourself outside the top ten and, well, you’ve got your work cut out for you. Tenths of seconds separated the top names on the rutted Lake Whitney soil today and we’ve got the breakdown for all you Fantasy players out there.

Please note that practice lap times may be inaccurate do to uncontrollable circumstances associated with practice.

250 A/Pro Sport
After an extremely successful run through the Mini O’s, Christian Craig set the early fast lap in the first practice of the morning.

250 B Stock/Mod
Michael Leib made a great comeback after breaking his femur last summer at Ponca, but we’re sad to report that after laying down the fastest lap time in the 250 B Stock/Mod practice, he is now out with a broken foot.

85 (12-13) Stock/Mod
Thomas Covington has been rumored to be the next big thing coming through the amateur ranks, and with lap times in the low 2:20’s today, it appears as if those rumors may be justified. He’ll be the young gun in the 12-13 class, but don’t let that fool you, this kid’s got skills.

85 (9-11) Stock/Mod
Benny Blose may have been relatively unknown coming into this week, but by the looks of thing he wants to leave as an amateur superstar.

25+ Am/Vet 35+ Am/Vet 45+ Am/Women A/Expert
After spending much of last year recovering from injury, James Evans is officially back! Hailing from the Northeast, he has only ridden a few times heading into this weeks event but looks to be getting back to his old self much earlier than anticipated. Props go out to Jessica Patterson in this practice as well. Not only did she post the fastest Women’s A/Expert time, but she also put down the fourth fastest time of anyone on the gate.

Collegeboy (14-24)
A broken arm tragically took Ian Trettel out of contention at Mini O’s in November, but a relentless training regimen and undying will to return to the spotlight is what has put him back on the track. And back on the track he is! Look for IT to make himself a regular on the podium this week.

250 C Stock/Mod
With a fast lap time nearly two seconds faster than his closest competitor’s, it looks as if Brad Allison will be the man to watch in the C class this week.

Supermini 2 (14-16)
It’s never a surprise to see AC’s name atop the lap time sheet. This kid is one bad dude!

51 (7-8) Stock AMA Class 2
With a fast lap nearly three seconds faster than the rest of the field, Jordan Bailey better make some room on his mantle for a few more title trophies.

51 (4-6) Stock AMA Class 1
Ethan Mann managed his way through ruts bigger than he and his bike put together this afternoon to set the fastest 4-6 lap time of the day with a 2:56.856.

450 A/450 Open
Ryan Hughes is making his return to the amateur national scene to show these spring chickens how it’s done. Ryno just might be the gnarliest rider on the planet, and he laid down the fastest lap of the day with a 2:11.024, proving it’s not always necessary to teach an old dog new tricks.

65 (10-11) Stock/Mod
Greer Marshall was on a rail Monday morning in the 65 10-11 practice. Keep an eye on the 69 of Marshall this week. Good things could be on the horizon for him.

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Schoolboy 1 (12-15) B/C
Brad Frace is looking to get the monkey off his back this week and take home a much deserved title. He got things going early by setting the fastest Schoolboy 12-15 lap time with a 2:17.280.

Vet 30+/40+/50+
Earl “The Pearl” May looks to be up to his old tricks again this week.

Women 14+
If these lap times are legit, then Shelbie Brittain has put together one heck of an off season program. Only time will tell.

65 (7-9) Stock/Mod
As we stated in the intro, certain lap times may be incorrect due to uncontrollable circumstances in practice. If, however, this 2:13.685 lap time by Cantrell is justifiable, then it’s going to be a long week for the competition.

450 B Stock/Mod
Paluzzi put things together nicely in the 17th practice of the day. The track had grown extremely rough by this point and Paluzzi was still able to put himself in the upper echelon of lap times. This might be his week.

Supermini 2 (14-16)
California’s Dillan Epstein was on a rail today in the Supermini class. He was aggressive and looked poised to take home a title. Will this west coast wonder be able to deal with the Whitney ruts once the rain hits? While that remains to be determined, one thing is for sure, he’s got as good a chance as anyone.

Jr. Mini (9-11)
If you’ve never heard of Benny Blose, now’s the time to listen up. With a fast lap of 2:33.255 Blose was able to edge out Steven Gretchen’s 2:33.508. If these two get together on race day it’s going to be one for the record books.

51 (4-6) Stock Oil Inj
Stilez Robertson set a lap so fast that he could have hung with some of the 65 riders in Monday’s practice session. We aren’t sure if this time is legit, but if that proves to be the case this kid should be running the pro class in a few short years… on an 85!

Girls (9-13)/(11-15)
Keep your lids peeled for Taylor Higgins this week. She impressed late in the day on a shortened but extremely beat up Whitney track with a 2:12.397 and should be one of the front runners in the Girls class this week.

Four Stroke/450 A/Pro Sport
Terren Odell seems to be taking to his new Rock River Yamaha’s nicely, but with only a second separating the top five lap times in the 450 A/Prosport class, it looks to be anybody’s game.

450 C Stock/Mod
Tyler Enticknap has been tearing up the novice class throughout the ’08-’09 season, and judging by his lap times he’ll be looking to carry his momentum into Whitney.

Schoolboy 2 (14-15) B/C
As predicted, Jason Anderson put it to the Schoolboy 2 class Monday afternoon. The KTM hot shoe has been untouchable throughout the 2008 and 2009 seasons and doesn’t show any signs of slowing up now. If he chooses to turn pro and race Unadilla following Loretta’s this may be the last time we see Anderson throw down at Whitney and we have a feeling it might just be his most successful run yet. Being knocked out of the event with an injury last year has left the young New Mexican yearning for more, and if Monday’s lap times are any indication, he’s going to feed his hunger.

250 A/250 Open
Kyle Regal is known for getting faster as the track gets rougher and he proved it again today when he set the second fastest lap of the afternoon – and the first fastest of his practice – in the final practice of the day with a 2:11.305.

65 Open
If you’re comparing lap times and you think that Kade Walker’s 2:11.923 is comparable to Ryan Hughes 2:11.024, think again. While Walker is fast, we have a feeling his 65 may be a bit underpowered next to Ryno’s 450. Given the class structure of the 65 Open class, the giant uphill is removed from the layout and the riders race on an abbreviated version of the original. Sorry Kade, but you’ll just have to wait to take on Hughes. Don’t worry though, we’re pretty sure he’ll still be racing when you turn pro, so at least you’ll get your shot.