The new layout was designed by former motocross great and current reveled track designer Mark Barnett. Also known as “The Bomber” the new uphill triple was aptly named the “Bomber Triple” or simply “The Bomber”. It made for a nice spectacle, as only a select few amateurs along with the pro classes were able to bring this jump to life and create an exciting element to the race.

You are certainly well aware of the all new intensity in the pro class with the shortened motos. It seems that it created yet another great atmosphere of battle. As exciting as it was on Saturday for the Pros the Pro Am class was once again a big highlight of the weekend with the amazing battles that took place.

There were some familiar faces on the podium on Sunday as Ronnie Higgerson took the win with Jeffrey Rastrelli landing a second in the class. It was the first time to podium for new Wienen Motorsports rider Nick Gennusa who seems to have adapted well to the new program. Amazingly the point standings are very interesting after two rounds in this class. It is as if the whole class is still in the hunt for the championship as most every rider finished the first two rounds from one end of the spectrum to the other. If they had poor results in round one then they turned it around at round two and vice versa.

A look at the points show that the young Cam Covil sits only two points out of first in the class standings after suffering a less than stellar ride at Muddy Creek. Covil finished 10^th overall at round two after the season opening win. The good news for Camster was that Higgerson who won had a bad round in Georgia and basically the top ten did a flip flop in results and he is still very much a threat. That has to give one confidence from both ends of the competition here. If you had a bad round 1 and good round 2 then you feel it was just an off weekend and again vice versa here. All signs in my opinion point to a rather exciting Pro Am season ahead.

Someone has to mention the outstanding rides that Root River Racing’s Dylan Tremellen has put out thus far this season. Tremellen has rode nearly flawlessly in the 450A class and this weekend swept Production A and 450A classes. I could tell something was clicking with this kid on Friday when I first saw him in the pits. He had a way about him that seemed to carry him around on and off the bike. He was also featured on the team video series and it made for the picture perfect weekend for him.

Another standout to me thus far this season has been the rides put forth by Logan Dusenberry in the 450 C class. He also sits third in the Production C class but has shown brightest in the 450C. Logan has impressed me with not only his speed but his patience. Logan won the overall both rounds and has finished second in each moto since the opening round in this class. He leads the points currently and he is already showing great skills with patience that generally it takes years to achieve. It looks like the time spent in the Youth Division has really helped this rider in his graduation to the bigger bikes.

The new threat in the Open B class is going to obviously be Ty Templeton. Templeton burst onto the scene last season in the novice classes and quickly made a mark in the nationals. Templeton has shown great speed but consistency has not followed in all classes but one. He has won motos in three different classes at each race but hasn’t backed it up but in the Open B class and even with less than par second motos he sits 2^nd place in both the 450B and Production B classes. Keep an eye out on the #55 this season in the B division; he could be one to watch.

Production C has a new star also in Vince Mirman. If for nothing else his name will keep me busy trying to come up with cool cliché’s to spout off during his motos. He has won the first two rounds and is quite a character on the podium also. Another fine young man from what seems like a great family also. Good luck Vince and I look forward to seeing you battle this season.

I also can’t go without mentioning Dane Heilman. I call him “Plane Dane or Airplane Dane” because this fellow flies. He runs both the Junior 25+ Class and Vet 30+ classes and has risen to the competition at both rounds this season. Dane works a lot with Jeremiah Jones and this may account for some of the speed Dane is acquiring.

Speaking of Jeremiah Jones, it seems there is a lot of attraction to his program as we have seen Cody Jansen spending time there as well as young Girls class racer Niamh Shaw, who has recently moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky to live and train near her mentor. It looks like in the results things are paying off and Shaw has posted some convincing wins thus far in the first two rounds.

Thanks Rodney,

What a weekend at Muddy Creek! That track has always been a favorite of mine to photograph for many years. The light in that area is usually top shelf, the track offers a ton of great angles and the racing is usually off the chain. This year was no different, and the new changes seemed to be well thought out although it did cost me one of my all time favorite spots to shoot. Hey, that's life, you give a little here, get a little there. 

The Pro race was once again exciting to watch with the battle between Natalie and Wienen keeping everyone bouncing from side to side of the infield to keep track of the battle. Then you had a 4 or 5 rider war going on just behind them that did not sort out until the race was almost over, providing the fans and the film crews some exceptional footage. This is exactly what we need to help hold everyone’s attention and it looks like the pre-season changes are having a positive impact.

Speaking of TV, the full MAVTV schedule is out and if you can help spread the word we would appreciate it. Using social media to help drive all of this will be the key to bringing new viewers in and hopefully keep them tuning in throughout the season and beyond. We need your help; it is a grassroots deal that depends on you clicking a few buttons so nothing to demanding of your time. To the Pro and Pro Am classes, this is especially important at your level. This is an opportunity for you to showcase what you do or will be doing in the coming seasons, don't waste the chance to promote yourself.

There are two other areas I would like to address relating to the filming. One is that of using more amateur footage. I too would like to see it but I also understand that time and funds only allow for a limited amount to be shown on TV. We have to give the crew behind all of that the chance to grow and flourish and then we can beat them up over giving us more! The second is the continued request for live coverage. Hey, I am 110% onboard with this but the answer falls back to the same root issue and that is funds. I am not involved in the RacerTV side of things so I speak from the same position as the majority of you, however common sense has to factor in. RacerTV is growing and will be the future and in my opinion will be the driving force for growth but we have to be patient, which is hard to do. Please keep sharing their videos, like their Facebook page and show them that while we are hungry for more we do appreciate all they are doing.

That's about all from me this week. I will be hitting the road as soon as I am done typing this. I will be heading to the GNCC in South Carolina where I will catch a few of you motocross racers in the tree's. With such a break between rounds, maybe check out the GNCC schedule and come see what all the fuss is about! We would love to have you! And didn't it feel good to have two in a row where we did not need a 4x4 to race! That bright orange ball in the sky was a welcome sight and I know we all hope and pray the good weather graces us this season!