Moto XXX Motocross Round 2 Race Report: Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania
After a tough start to the 2007 AMA Motocross Championships, team Moto XXX was looking forward to the second round of the series held at High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania. The soft dirt and deep ruts of the East coast welcomed the riders and made them feel more at home than the typically hard packed tracks of the West coast.
Saturday practice and qualifying went much better than the week before as all four riders qualified easily for the "fast-40." Josh Summey led the way with an 11th fastest time followed by team veteran Kyle Lewis in 19th and Yoshihide Fukudome in 22nd. In the Lites class, Mitch Dougherty was back to his usual fast self as he posted the fastest lap time in the first practice/qualifying session of the weekend.
With the new qualifying system, Sunday mornings have a lot more energy both on the track and in the pits as teams and riders prepare themselves to go wide-open right from the start. Josh Summey picked up where he left off as he rode to another 11th fastest lap time. Yoshihide Fukudome picked up the pace and moved up to 18th fastest and Kyle Lewis secured 22nd. The team's lone Lites rider, Mitch Dougherty, rode very well and posted an 18th fastest time.
Motocross Lites moto one got off on the right foot as Dougherty started close to the top 10. He rode smart the first lap, staying out of trouble, finishing lap one in 15th position. Knowing it was a long race, Mitch put in consistent laps and eventually finished 22nd, marking his best ever moto finish.
Motocross class moto one also started well with Summey sitting just outside the top 10 and Dome just inside the top 20. Unfortunately for Lewis, his day would end early on lap two as he went down hard in one of the tracks g-outs and would be forced to watch the races from the sidelines with bruised ribs. Out on the track, Summey and Dome continued to ride strong on the rutted course. Dome put together one of his most consistent rides ever in the states as he held on to 18th place, earning valuable championship points. With 10 minutes left in the moto, Mike Alessi began challenging Summey for the 10th position but Josh put up a strong fight and held Alessi off on his way to a 10th place finish. Motocross Lites moto two didn't start as well as the first moto but Dougherty put his head down and rode hard as the track began to dry out. Mitch continued to ride consistent and as the half-way mark came out he was sitting just outside the top 20. When the checkered flag flew, Dougherty crossed the line 24th ending the day 30th overall. Mitch's moto finishes and the way he rode all weekend were a drastic improvement over round one and a positive sign of good things to come.
Motocross class moto two did not start off well as Fukudome tangled with another rider right off the start. Dome got his leg caught in the back of another bike going up the hill and with a sore knee and calf would join Kyle Lewis on the sidelines for the rest of the day. Summey again got a good start and was looking strong sitting just outside of the top 10. Unfortunately the team's luck would worsen with 10 minutes left in the moto as Summey pulled to the side of the track with bike problems. At the end of the day, Summey's impressive first moto ride, combined with 34th in the second moto, would lead the team with a 16th place overall. Fukudome would end the weekend 30th place overall and Lewis 41st place overall.