Ryan Hughes and Timmy Weigand, both aboard Honda CRF450R's, outpaced the field of Vet Pros during this year's Ford Mammoth Motocross Vet Weekend kickoff. The two riders truly raced on a different level than the rest of the class and kept each other honest while keeping fans and fellow vet-weekend racers on edge.
Saturday's Vet Pro moto wins both went to Hughes with Weigand in second both times. Hughes also rode away with Sunday's moto one win while Weigand nabbed a second moto victory on Sunday after Hughes made a "rookie mistake" and slid out in the back section of the famous Mammoth Mountain course.
With their intense speed and sometimes daring passes on each other, they made a great premier class show and vowed to return this weekend to surprise and "whoop up on some kids."
Speaking of whooping up on kids: Doug Dubach rode with perfect consistency scoring 3-3, 3-3 finishes on the weekend in the Vet Pro class. He's just a little bit older than the regular 30+ crowd.
Kawasaki mounted Billy Mercier used consistency as well, finishing 4-4 on the final day and holding off Dirt Rider super tester Ryan Orr who wrapped up 5th with, you guessed it, a 5-5.
Forty expert honors went to Ty Davis aboard his holeshot-loving Husky. I guess the speedy bike we tested at the Torture Test wasn't a fluke.
The most impressive and entertaining rides over the weekend came from all-around, good-at-everything guy Shaun Palmer. Palmer, entering the 40 expert class, rode his Honda CR250 two-stroke, easily the coolest sounding bike in the Sierras, like a man possessed. Even after becoming entangled in a nasty first-turn pile up, the Olympian managed to re-mount in last place and charge all the way back up to 8th. His speed was intense and his style was nothing short of sweet. His 3-8 performance earned him 5th overall.
"I entered the 40 class this year in hopes of avoiding injuries and staying safe for the upcoming Olympics but I still managed to get ran over out there," Palmer said from the final podium. "That's motocross."
Another winter Olympian made his mark at this year's Mammoth Motocross. Daron Rahlves, member of the U.S. Ski Team and all around smooth dude transferred to the Vet Intermediate main from the consolation/LCQ race on Saturday to nab a solid 4th place. More impressive was his 2nd place finish on Sunday. But most impressive was that his 4-2 tally on the weekend was exactly what he needed to take the overall win and a cool bear trophy home..
Congratulations to all the participants and thanks to the entire Ford Mammoth Motocross crew. This was truly one of, if not THE best run MX event I've ever been to. From the track crew handling watering duties to the professional flaggers to the parking crew, everyone knows what they're doing in Mammoth. I'll be back next year for sure. More photos coming soon.