Katherine Prumm Wins 2006 Womens Motocross Nationals Round One - Dirt Rider Magazine

The first round of the Women's Motocross Nationals went off this weekend at Glen Helen in conjunction with the Primm Prequel Motocross. While many people may have come out to catch a glimpse of the upcoming AMA Motocross Championship series, it was truly the women's races that were the highlight of the day.The growth of women's motocross, and increasing level of competition has already made this year's AMA/WMA National Motocross Championship series very exciting. Top female riders from around the world came together for the first time at Glen Helen, some of them more accustomed to racing against men than women.17 year-old Katherine Prumm from Auckland, New Zealand just came to California after her recent win in the FIM Women's World Cup in Teutschenthal, Germany. Prumm was finally able to make her American debut last weekend, and with impressive results. She took the overall win after a hard-earned 1-1 for the day.

Another new foreign talent is Brazilian Mariana Balbi. She rounded out the podium behind Sarah Whitmore with a 2-6.When asked how the competition in the states compares to the competition in their home countries, both Prumm and Balbi explained that they usually race in men's classes. But they, and the fans and media on hand at Glen Helen, were no doubt taken aback by the speed and rough competition in the WMA.
WMA Moto 1In the first moto, Jessye Davis (245) grabbed the Sick Racing holeshot, but it was ZipTy Yamaha's Sherri Cruse (11) and last year's second place finisher Alisa Nix (2) who came out of the first turn side by side, with Nix giving Cruse a solid whack from the side (just in case she didn't already know she was there).From the middle of the pack heading into the second turn, Elizabeth Bash's #33 Kawasaki flipped up in the air in a spectacular and rather horrifying crash that left Bash lying face down in a motionless heap. Elizabeth was taken to a nearby hospital where she reportedly suffered a concussion, but is otherwise okay.Tarah Geiger (68) and Alisa Nix got out front in the early laps of the race where they raced side by side for the lead. A few seconds back, a four-way battle for second was brewing between Aubrianna Dunn (120), Jessye Davis, Katherine Prum (649) and Mariana Balbi (965). Out front, the bar banging between Geiger and Nix sent Nix to the ground, letting Geiger get away with the lead. She ran out front about 10 seconds ahead of the pack, which was turning into a five-way battle for second with Sarah Whitmore (4) closing in. But Geiger's lead didn't last long; she hit a rock and crashed on a hill, leaving the cluster behind her to now battle for the lead.Aubriana Dunn ran out front before being overtaken by Prumm and Balbi, who took first and second, respectively. Whitmore made an aggressive pass on Dunn on the last lap to take the final podium position. Dunn finished fourth ahead of Davis, Geiger and Jessica Patterson (1).Sherri Cruse had a top-ten finish in the first moto but was unfortunately disqualified. The motor on her YZ250F blew up just before the first moto, leaving the ZipTy team to do a last minute motor swap and rush her to the line. But without time to go through check before the start, Cruse was disqualified.Another DQ came for Kawasaki's Tania Satchwell (105). She was in the lead at the end of the first lap during the second moto, but crashed in a rutted turn. She was disqualified for receiving outside help after the crash.Moto 2In the second moto, it was once again Cruse and Nix out front, two of the youngest and smallest riders in the WMA (both 16 years old and barely tipping the scales at a buck-ten). This time it was Nix with the Sick Racing holeshot and she held the lead for the first few laps, followed by Katherine Prumm in a close second with defending WMA champion Jessica Patterson quickly closing on the two front-runners.Patterson got a little hairball descending Glen Helen's Yamaha hill, which was pretty choppy and rutted in the second moto. She kept it upright but blew through the turn, letting Nix and Prumm slip away a few more seconds. The field behind Patterson spaced out with Sarah Whitmore, Leah Cantrell (322) and Sherri Cruse following. Prumm eventually made a pass for the lead. Patterson charged hard, also eventually getting around Nix who by now, had a flat rear tire. But Nix held on for third followed by Cantrell, Whitmore and Balbi.The overall win went to the New Zealander with a perfect score for the day. Prumm's intention at Glen Helen was to "see how things went" before deciding whether or not to put together a full-season effort. After her impressive debut, something tells me Kawasaki (the title sponsor for the 2006 WMA Series) might be willing to help her out... Prumm is slated to race round two in Hangtown as well, and after that we'll see if she shows up at Thunder Valley aboard a green factory ride.Sarah Whitmore took second overall with a 3-5 finish. Although she was happy to podium, Whitmore was admittedly disappointed in her performance at round one. "I definitely wasn't on my game today," said Whitmore who explained she was coming off a separated shoulder three weeks earlier. The first moto wasn't too hard, but the choppy, rutted conditions of the second moto made it very difficult for her to even hang on. Able to pull off a second place finish even with a serious recent shoulder injury, we will no doubt see an impressive season from Whitmore. The former champ also admits that she needs to get more aggressive in her passes.With young talent coming up from the amateur ranks and girls from around the world coming to the states, the level of competition has definitely come up. It's a good time to be a WMA fan—we're looking forward to a great season!AMA/WMA National Motocross Championship Results
Round One - Glen Helen, CA1. Katherine Prumm (Kawasaki) 1-1
2. Sarah Whitmore (Yamaha) 3-5
3. Mariana Balbi (Honda) 2-6
4. Jessica Patterson (Honda) 7-2
5. Leah Cantrell (Suzuki) 8-4
6. Jessye Davis (Honda) 5-8
7. Aubriana Dunn (Honda) 4-9
8. Alisa Nix (Honda) 11-3
9. Tarah Gieger (Yamaha) 6-10
10. Ashley Boham (Honda) 10-11
11. Linsey Schelema (Kawasaki) 9-12
12. Kaide Garrett (Yamaha) 12-14
13. Alison Jones (Honda) 14-13
14. Penni Cyrus (Kawasaki) 13-15
15. April Zastrow (Honda) 15-17
16. Jolee Van Vugt (Suzuki) 19-16
17. Michele Collins (Kawasaki) 17-20
18. Bonnie Warch (Yamaha) 18-21
19. Christian Yellow Kidney (Yamaha) 22-18
20. Josephine Adlam (Yamaha) 21-22Points Standings1. Katherine Prumm 50
2. Mariana Balbi 37
3. Sarah Whitmore 36
4. Jessica Patterson 36
5. Leah Cantrell 31
6. Aubriana Dunn 30
7. Alisa Nix 30
8. Jessye Davis 29
9. Tarah Gieger 26
10. (tie) Ashley Boham 21
10. (tie)Lindsey Scheltema 21
12. Kaide Garrett 16
13. Alison Jones 15
14. Sherri Cruse 14
15. Penni Cyrus 14
16. April Zastrow 10
17. Jolee Van Vugt 7
18. Michele Collins 5
19. Tania Satchwell 5
20. Bonnie Warch 3For more on the Hitachi AMA/WMA National Motocross Championship presented by Kawasaki, visit the WMA website at www.womensmotocrossassociation.com.