Hello everyone! What a fantastic weekend it was for the Arenacross series in my hometown, Reno, Nevada. This time of year is usually freezing with snow, but for some reason we had the most incredible warm weather! Everyone seemed like they were excited to be here and race on a large floor, with more room to move. The track was very technical and left plenty of room for mistakes! There was a ton of bar to bar and aggressive racing happening all weekend.

During practice there were a lot of guys falling down, Kody Molitor took a really hard fall; I thought he was going to be hurt. But he just got a little banged up, nothing too bad! Friday nights’ crowd was great! There was hardly an open seat in the house, and they were all really into the races. It was good to see everyone get pumped up. The Lites class was a different race than we have seen all year, the guys were really aggressive and making some unbelievable passes. Ryan Voit put in a great race, worked really hard and kept it clean to come out in 1 st. Ty Hames has been stepping it up quite a bit lately and he showed a lot of confidence however, he had to take 2 nd. Kody Molitor had been racing all night nonstop, he was not feeling very well either, but he was still able to take the 3 rd spot. But when Kody finished he got off his bike right away and held his side, he had the worst side cramp he has ever had. He said it was a combination of the crash he took in practice, the altitude and eating hamburger helper for dinner! So I bet it will be a while before he eats hamburger helper again!

The Areanacross class qualifiers were incredible, and all the racers qualified really close to each other. The track held up really well all night, when it was time for the Arenacross main event there were very few ruts and the whoops were still big! The gates dropped and they were all off to the first turn. There was a huge pile up in the first turn taking out Robbie Reynard and Chad Johnson as well as 4 other riders. Out in front was Kevin Johnson, after his win last week in Albany he was feeling really confident. Danny Smith and Brock Sellards were not too far behind; it was going to be a battle! Kevin was riding really well for the first half and for some reason he took an unfortunate fall and gave Danny Smith the room to take over. Once Danny got in front he didn’t look back and held on to the lead till the checkered flag came out! Brock was able to remain in 2 nd, and Kevin also picked himself up from his fall and came in 3 rd! It was a nonstop action packed race!

Having such a large track the riders were able to choose several options in the rhythm sections. There was a full S-curve where most of the passing took place all weekend. The track looked like a lot of fun, but also very scary! On Friday night Terry Russell one of our U.S. Air Force freestyle team guys over shot the landing by at least 12-15 feet and came down probably 20 feet from the air right on his left hip hard. He is doing ok but please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Saturday night we had a very special guest joining us during the race. It was the legend of Motocross, the first guy to ever really retire from Motocross, Bob Hannah! He is a really nice guy, I really thought it was neat that he wanted to come and watch Arenacross. He is really good friends with Danny Smith’s parents so he came along to watch, since Idaho is not too far away!

Saturday night’s races were a lot like Friday, but they were completely different. I know it makes no sense, but that is what is so great about Arenacross, and especially this ’07 season. There will not be one race exactly like another. There was still a lot of aggressive riding taking place, and there were a lot of riders down. The Lites class got a little scary, because there were riders down on every section of the course for the whole race. It was so intense! The battle was definitely between 1 st and 2 nd for the entire race. Gray Davenport was trailing behind Dennis Jonon putting a lot of pressure on his inside lines. It was a great race. Gray ended up passing Dennis and they swapped 1 st and 2 nd several times. Gray was able to get passed Dennis one last time to take the win! They all rode fantastic! Gray Davenport 1 st, Dennis Jonon 2 nd, and Beni Williams in 3 rd.

The Arenacross class was ready to go, and everyone was being cautious about the first turn. But Keith Johnson came out of the gates, took the holeshot and never looked back! He kept himself really clean and rode very smart the entire race. Behind him however, was the race to watch. Brock Sellards was battling with Cory Green, Justin Buckelew, and Danny Smith was not too far behind. Cory’s bike stalled and he lost his third place spot, narrowing it down to Brock, Justin, Danny and Chad Johnson. The approach into the whoops was becoming slick, and the whoops were getting a little worn down. Several riders went down in the whoops, making it more difficult to maneuver around them, and keep your line. It was lucky that Keith had such a big gap between his lead and the battle behind him, because he didn’t have to worry too much about all the riders down throwing him off. Danny was making some really smart decisions and slowly inching his way up towards the top. He is making really smart decisions and riding really clean. Brock battled for a while with Justin Buckelew, before finally taking the perfect pass and holding on to 2 nd. It didn’t last long though, because Danny was right on his back tire within half of a lap. Danny stayed back, watched and waited like usual making sure the pass was set up perfectly. Danny made the pass and Brock slipped to 3 rd. When Keith Johnson crossed the finish flag you could see his smile from ear to ear! “FINALLY!!,” he said. Champagne went spaying all over the track and Keith got drenched in it! He really needed that win; he was feeling sad because the night before a kid skipped him in the Autograph line…

Reno was a great weekend! We were fortunate to have a local freestyle rider and a really good friend of mine, Mike Mason, come to the event and do a back flip. It was the first time Reno, or Arenacross had seen a back flip performance. It was so clean and really intense to watch! Also two of our riders Daniel and Vince Blair have a band and they played at the after party at a night club here in town. Their band is called; The Main Event. Make sure you check them out on Myspace! I really enjoy their music! I really enjoyed being home and not having to stay in a hotel, drive my own car, but most of all I loved having my friends and family there to support me. It was like a reunion between a lot of old Arenacross riders and I! I have also been slowly taking on some announcing duties and I love it! I like to be a part of the show and tell you all what I see right down there on the track! It was just a fun and exciting weekend! But we are off until the 1 st of the year, so I want to wish you all safe and Happy Holidays! I can’t wait to eat everything in sight for Thanksgiving… Best of luck in the New Year! And remember to be safe and always keep your smile! See you in Charlotte!!

XOXO
Ashley