MISSISSIPPI STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Author: Randy Rector	Features | Friday, 09 October 2009 12:43

’09 Mississippi MX State Championships

 

The Mississippi MX State Championships have been a motocross stable for Mississippi for decades and for the 3rd time in as many years the event was hosted at the highly coveted Golden Pine Raceway venue. Similar to years past this year’s event was jammed packed with a lot exciting elements. This year’s race was an AMA Pro-Am featuring a $5,000 purse and was the first event in the history of Mississippi to offer factory contingency from two manufacturers. Honda stepped up to the plate for this year’s event through a co-sanction with the Honda of Lafayette Winter Series while Kawasaki remained on board for the 2nd straight year through a co-sanction with the Gulf Coast Shootout. The combination of AMA pro advancement points, a big pro purse, an awe inspiring track, involvement from some excellent regional series and loads of contingency put this race on the map for most racers throughout the deep, south.

 

Saturday’s morning practice saw riders, mechanics and spectators crowding the fences to watch Mississippi’s Kevin Windham throw down some laps. His effortless style was a sight to see on the big, fast and hilly Golden Pine circuit. K-Dub’s riding clinic set the tone for the weekend and was definitely not the last time that the fences were lined 2 deep.

 

 

Saturday afternoon featured racing for a handful of classes and the most exciting showdown of the afternoon was in the 51cc Open class. Drew Drennan and Parker Mashburn both from Texas traded places out front and split moto wins. In the end Parker took the overall with a hard earned 2-1 moto tally.

 

Saturday evening featured the movie premier of ‘EPIC’. A big screen and projector were erected and loads of riders and families came down to get the first peek of the new film. The excellent photography, landscapes, and riding helped add a little more gas to the fire already getting hot from anticipation of Sunday’s racing action.

 

Sunday brought race fans in by the truck loads and a crop full of top amateur prospects. The 250A and 450A classes were the most anticipated and they didn’t disappoint. Jason Anderson (NM) had the hot hand early in the day by sweeping both of the 1st motos. However, a pile up in the 2nd 250A moto sidelined Jason for the rest of the day. Tevin Tapia (TX) grabbed the 2nd 250 A moto while Johnny Moore (MS) grabbed a win in the 2nd 450A moto as well as the overall. Lance Vincent (LA) was also on fire all day and took down the overall in the 250A class.

 

 

Some other stand-outs from the weekend were Jon-Murray Barr (MS) who nailed down 3 championships in the 85 & Supermini classes, Justin Summers (FL) who won 2 overalls in the 250B and Schoolboy classes, Heath Harrison (AL) who was unmatched in all of the 450 non-pro classes that he entered, and Austin Squires (TX) who should have been crowned ‘King of the Vets’. These are just a few of the brighter spots of the day, but in the end every class featured names that we will continue to hear for years to come.

 

 

The next knock-out at Golden Pine Raceway features most of the same venues as the past race and is sure to be a barn burner. On October 31 and November 1 Golden Pine Raceway will host the inaugural AMA District 19 Championships. There will be a $2,000 pro purse as well as Honda and Kawasaki contingency. This is also the 2nd annual Halloween race at GP. The event was a smash hit last year as families came out in force to trick or treat, put on their scariest costumes, and decorated their campers to the 9s in Halloween spirit. To add extra incentive to the festivities Golden Pine Raceway awards free racing on Sunday to the winner of the best costume and best decorated camper contest. Be sure to check the website for details on upcoming events as well as complete race results the AMA Mississippi State Championships: www.goldenpineraceway.com

 

Photos courtesy of Sherri Hudson with MX Track Photos

www.mxtrackphotos.com