WadeRaynor
Welcome back to the Vurb Roundup where each week or so I will bring you the latest in the Amateur Motocross world accompanied with content from social media.
This time of the year is always a very crucial time in Amateur Motocross. We have Loretta Lynn Area Qualifiers kicking off all around the country, Daytona RCSX wrapped up the first weekend in March, plus the Texas Two Step: The JS7 Freestone Spring Championship and Spring a Ding Ding at Underground MX. All major events in the Amateur Motocross world, which means this is a busy time for riders and families alike.
Last weekend, the first leg of the Texas Two Step went down, and camera god VurbWes was in attendance to shoot as much as humanly possible. If you have ever worked with Wes, you know he probably shot every single moto. Unlike Wes, I was at Red Bull Day in the Dirt Down South which is one of the most enjoyable events I have ever been to. I watched Randy Richardson get beat up by a group of small children in a mosh pit, then get up the next day and ride three motos back-to-back. It was impressive. But being at Day in the Dirt, does not mean I didn’t pay attention to what was happening at Freestone. Being able to multi-task like this is why I am moving up in the Vurbmoto Contributor Power Rankings. (Slaw note: He isn’t, but still ahead of Troy.)
Enough about me, let’s get to the Roundup.
Kelana Humphrey Joins the Troy Lee Designs Squad
While this is unrelated to Freestone, since Kelana was also at Day in the Dirt Down South and raced RCSX, this is still very relevant in the world of Amateur Motocross. Earlier this year, Kelena made the move to Troy Lee Designs gear from his family run gear company, State of Ethos. Luckily, Blake Keith has been spending a lot of time with Kelana while he was in Florida and came up with him for this epic piece about Kelana and why he is a perfect fit at TLD.
Mark Fineis Doubles Down in the Pro Class
Both A Classes at Freestone were stacked. There is no other way to put it. With the likes of Daxton Bennick, Ryder McNabb, Preston Boespflug, Avery Long, Crockett Myers, Bryce Shelly, Jett Reynolds, and many more we saw Mark Fineis come out with the number 1 plate in both 250 A Pro Sport and Open Pro Sport. Mark has been spending his time at ClubMX in South Carolina and it seems like it is paying off in a big way. These were Mark’s first AMA titles in the pro classes and this put him on the map as a serious contender for the remainder of the year. The GasGas rider is headed back to ClubMX to ride Supercross in preparation for Supercross Futures at Glendale.
Leum Oehlhof Goes for a Ride
Usually, this is not something I would typically post. I like to try and provide highlights in the Amateur Motocross world, unfortunately crashes are and will always be a part of motocross. One thing that separates those who ride motocross from everyone else, is the perseverance to overcome something like the crash Leum had at Freestone. While it did take him out of the JS7 Spring Championship at Freestone, Leum plans to bounce back for the second part of the Texas Two Step. This was truly a gnarly crash and I am glad he was able to walk away from it.
@Paydirtmedia captured an incredible sequence of the crash below.
Cochran Goes 3 for 3
Casey Cochran was not messing around at Freestone. Personally, winning one championship is an accomplishment in my book. To win three Championships in one event is mind blowing. As I mentioned in the Daytona Vurb Roundup, the B Classes have a lot of talent from top to bottom, so for Casey to come in and go 3 for 3 is something special. We have all known Cochran would be something special for a long time now and I am glad that we are starting to see that come to life on big bikes. I am super excited for this year in amateur racing and I believe this crop of B Class riders will be one to keep an eye on.
Wood’s World
Another group of riders that will be exciting to watch this year is the 125 classes. 125 B/C and Schoolboy 1 were both very competitive classes in Daytona, and it looks like that carried over to Freestone as well with Tiger Wood taking care of business in both 125 B/C and Schoolboy 1 while also securing a 3rd in the 125 All-Star class. Tiger rode very well at Daytona but was able to leave Freestone going 1-1 in both 125 B/C and Schoolboy 1.
Darren Pine Won How Many Championships?
If you have not heard of Darren Pine, I sure hope you have after last weekend. Winning almost every moto, Darren Pine won four Championships at Freestone. Yes, I said four. 85cc 9-12 Limited, 85cc 9-12, 85 9-12, and Mini Sr 1 all won by Darren Pine. As I said before, winning one Championship is a success in my book and Darren Pine won four. Darren did have some heat from heavy hitters like Carson Wood, Tayce Morgan, Wyatt Duff, Jonathan Getz, and more so this was no walk in the park. I look to see if Darren can keep the momentum going on the second leg of the Texas Two Step and beyond.
This will wrap up this edition of the Vurb Roundup. Stay tuned to Vurbmoto.com for the latest in Amateur Motocross. The Northeast is about to kick off with an Area Qualifier at Tomahawk MX the end of this month and we are wide open after that all the way to Loretta’s. Once my femur is back in completely back in one piece, I look forward to being able to bring you content I produce myself. I am going to work with Slaw Dog to see how we can better showcase the rising stars in amateur motocross and I look forward to getting started this year.
