2010 Smack Around The Pits Monday 3-8-10

When venturing down vendor row, the first thing regulars on the amateur motocross scene will notice at Lake Whitney is a new name in Traxxas.  Not only has the radio control giant signed on as an associate sponsor with Kawasaki Team Green, they’re also one of the presenting sponsors for the 2010 Thor Lake Whitney Spring Classic.  They showed up in full force too, complete with an 18-wheeler and RC car demo track.

When the rains hit last March during the opening days of the Spring Classic, the RPM track crew was thinking on their feet when they ordered in a steamroller to seal up the dirt.  Anticipating the rain once again this year, the track has already been rolled, and as such now the pits actually appear to be in worse condition than the track itself!

Another new name on vendor row is Vance & Hines.  The performance motorcycle exhaust company with a long and illustrious history in road racing chose Lake Whitney as their very first amateur motocross national to attend.  With his bike pictured here, team rider Preston Tilford will headline the new squad in 2010.

Today also marked the first time the new Xtreme Rockstar Suzuki amateur team opened up their semi since changing over from Kawasaki following Loretta’s last summer.  Look for team leader Ian Trettel to be a force in the A classes, meanwhile Landon Currier will not be racing due to injury.  However the latest news is a third and final member of the team – Minnesota’s Jeremy Martin.

This is where it all begins…the doghouse right in the middle of Lake Whitney’s concrete starting gate.  46 different classes will take off the gate over the course of the week, some running multiple divisions in order to qualify down to one gate.  Lots of entries and stacked classes is just one of the many reasons why a championship at Lake Whitney means so much.

But those 46 classes will have to wait just one more day to hit the track here in Texas.  Practice is now slated to get started at 8am sharp tomorrow with 27 different rider groups heading out to survey the revamped Lake Whitney MX track.  A chance of rain on Wednesday is now the only blemish in a forecast that should see sunny skies and mid-60’s for the remainder of the week.

Event promoter Allen McWilliams said that he dissected the course following last year’s Spring Classic and made sure that every track change made for 2010 would only ensure better racing for everyone.  The result?  Numerous split-sections like this infield option pictured above.  It’s always bar-to-bar at Whitney, and this year should see some of the best racing yet.

Another exciting aspect of the Thor Lake Whitney Spring Classic is that all of the silly-season team changes have been ironed out and many riders are now making debut appearances for their new teams.  One such rider is Maryland’s Alexander Frye.  The 2x Loretta Lynn’s champion will not only be making his inaugural ride for the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Amateur team, but also in the 85 12-13 classes.

And here’s what riders will be looking forward to all week long – the finish line.  After a long off-season the lengthy motos and rough track conditions that characterize the Thor Lake Whitney Spring Classic can be a big wake-up call for riders of every skill level. 

With the A riders showing up on Wednesday, a lot of speculation is already surfacing as to who will assert themselves at the top of the class.  Seen last year, John Tomac (wearing a Jason Anderson edition Volcom shirt) watches son Eli off the start.  With both Tomac and Anderson in their farewell rides at Lake Whitney, here’s betting neither one of them wants to leave Texas as runner-up…. 

You can check out exclusive interviews with every one of the moto winners and champions from this year’s Thor Lake Whitney Spring Classic at www.motoplayground.com and for complete results you can log onto www.tracksideresults.com