Story & Photos: Brian Wilkinson

Coming off a 9th place overall finish at Glen Helen, Kyle Cunningham #58 has something to prove. We saw Cunningham have battles in his amateur days with riders such as Nico Izzi and Austin Stroupe, and last weekend he proved that he had the speed to be inside of the top 10. Kyle is looking to better his results this weekend, and we can, again, expect to see him inside the top 10.  With the 3rd fastest time in practice, we may see him do even better than that.

Trey Canard #48 didn't have the best of luck at Glen Helen. He went down in the first turn in moto 1, which set him way back. Canard is out for revenge, and wants to win. Canard was riding fast in practice, and said he feels good about this weekend. Expect big things from him tomorrow.

After round 1 of the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championships, Ryan Dungey #28 currently sits in 4th place in points. Dungey and Canard had quite the battle today in practice, and should both be inside the top 5. Dungey has what it takes to run up front, but he will need to stay consistent going into today's race.

Nico Izzi #341 didn't do as well as everyone thought he might do, but was most likely getting out his first race jitters. The top 10 guys in the Lites Class are all capable of winning races, and Izzi is one of these riders. With the class being so stacked, everyone will have to step up their game to pull off wins.

A lot of people doubted that Jason Lawrence #338 would shine in the outdoors. He proved those people wrong at Glen Helen last weekend, pulling off his very first outdoor motocross win and leaving with a 3rd overall. Lawrence is out to win, and he has showed us that he is capable of doing so.

Star Racing/Yamaha rider Matt Lemoine #52 had an impressive ride at Glen Helen.   After a less than successful and injury plagued supercross season, Matt came into the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championships with something to prove; he is a top guy.  With a 6-9 at Glen Helen, he left with a 7th overall, and is looking to continue his success this weekend at Hangtown.  Matt's main objective is showing that last weekend wasn't a fluke, and we think he's going to do just that.

Brett Metcalfe #123 is another rider that has the speed that it takes to win races. He came out swinging last weekend, with 3-4 for a 5th overall and is looking for the same success this weekend at Hangtown.

In the second moto last weekend at Glen Helen, Ryan Sipes #57 shot out of the gate running with Villopoto. He stayed fairly close to RV for the first few laps of the race, but then ran into some bike problems. He definitely showed that he has the speed to run up front.

Austin Stroupe #51 is coming off his first ever national win, and wants to do the same thing this weekend. He rode strong and smart at Glen Helen, and is sitting in the first place spot as we move into Hangtown tomorrow. We already know that Stroupe has the speed, confidence, and support to win races; now he just needs to stay consistent.

What more is there to say about Ryan Villopoto #51 besides the fact that this kid rips. He is running the number 1 plate for a reason. Ryan is always out to win, and he can do exactly that. Coming in with a second place from the opening round last weekend, all Ryan needs to do is ride his own race.

Broc Tickle #35 suffered a similar fate to Canard last weekend at Glen Helen; a first turn crash in the first moto left him in the far back, and he found himself charging with Trey through the whole moto.  He came back with a vengeance the second moto, and put himself well inside the top 10.  Even though Broc had to sit out the entire supercross season, it's apparent he hasn't lost much speed and is ready to put in a charge to put himself towards the front of the pack, which is no easy task.  We expect big things from this Star Racing Yamaha rider.

 Enter WMA--

The first round of the WMA series kicked off this weekend at the Hangtown Motocross National. We saw the return of Ashley Fiolek, who recently returned to the states from Europe. Also, the return of the rest of the women riders that we have not seen since Steel City last year.

Moto 1 took place today, and the returning champ Jessica Patterson #1 grabbed the holeshot. After sweeping into the first 180 degree turn, the rough terrain at Hangtown claimed a few riders. Tarah Geiger #68 was involved and couldn't get going right away due to bike problems. She was set back and had a hard moto ahead of her.  Ashley Fiolek also went down on the first lap, putting her in the back as well. Ashley rode strong and smart and was able to pick off riders every lap. As Fiolek was charging her way through the pack, Patterson held the lead. Patterson would eventually go down, allowing Tatum Sik #334 to take over the lead. Unfortunately, Tatum would also go down, and by that time, Fiolek was up in the front. From the very back of the pack, Ashley charged herself all the way into the number 1 spot. Behind Fiolek sat Sarah Whitmore #89 and Katie McGuire #98 in the second andthird spots, respectively. Fiolek went on to win the moto, while Whitmore and McGuire rounded out the top three.

There was plenty of crashing going on today in moto 1, most likely because they had to ride a brutal track that the pros left for them. Regardless, today the girls are looking to keep it on two wheels and gain some points.

We'll be back with Moto 2 results soon, stay tuned!!