Spazztic Moto-X-Country Comes to Broome-Tioga

Spazztic Moto-X-Country Race
Broome-Tioga Sports Center

Story by Jim P. Sanderson
Photos by jimsandersonphoto.com
BINGHAMTON, NY, JUNE 30, 2012

Hurd Motorsports, promoters of the world-class Broome-Tioga Sports Center facility, and the Spazztic Clothing Company teamed up to create a new and unique racing event, the Spazztic Moto-X-Country Race. This new event was created to pit motocross racers against hare-scrambles racers in a new and unique racing format. Racers raced one moto on the motocross track, racing under AMA District 3 rules, and then raced a half-hour-plus-one-lap hare scrambles on the grass/hare-scrambles track, under the Western New York Off-Road Association rules.

The event featured racing on Saturday and included give-aways, pit-bike racing, slip ’n’ slides, and a horseshoe tournament. Saturday night’s postrace extravaganza rocked the facility with not one but two bands, Meanstreak and Dropclutch. There was free camping on Saturday night and open practice on Sunday for all racers.

Mother Nature provided a beautiful summer weekend of blue skies, hot and humid temperatures in the upper 80s, and a nice breeze that certainly helped racers as they tried to remain hydrated for this unique event.

When the gate dropped for the first moto of the combined gates of the Quad A, B, C, Schoolboy, Collegeboy, Over 25, Over 30 and Utility divisions, Brad Harrington and Marty Christopherson led the charge out of the switchback first turn, followed by Todd Burnett, Daniel Brown and Katelyn Osburn. Christopherson passed Harrington late on the opening lap to take the lead; Harrington was displaced to second. The top five running order at the start of lap three was Christopherson, Harrington, Tyler Short, Brown and Travis Zandt.

Christopherson was pulling away from Harrington and had a four-second lead at the start of lap four, and that increased to 11 seconds at the checkered flag. Harrington, Andrew Sper, Robert Sterling and Mike Parkhurst completed the top five. Dylan Clark, Chris Jacot, Brown, Corey Clark and Zandt rounded out the top 10.

When the green flag flew to signal the start of the Quad division’s 30-minute-plus-one-lap hare scrambles, Christopherson and Harrington led the charge into the first turn, followed by Corey Clark, Brandon Wyllie and Katelyn Osborne. Christopherson remained in the lead at the start of lap two but was now trailed by Andrew Sper in second; Harrington had been relegated to third. Clark and Osburn rounded out the top five.

Christopherson took the win. Dylan Clark took second. Mike Parkhurst, Harrington and Jacot closed out the top five.

When the gate dropped for the opening moto of the Open Expert division, Michael Sottile, Nick Batten, Brett Ward, Sunny Nighman and Mike Stryker led the pack out of the switchback first turn. Sottile continued to lead the pack at the start of lap two, with Stryker in second. Batten, Nighman and Ward rounded out the top five.

Sottile had begun to pull away from Stryker by the start of lap three. The third and fourth positions were unchanged. Jake Abbot passed Ward to take fifth; Ward was relegated to sixth. The top five began spreading out and remained unchanged at the start of lap five.

Sottile held on to take the win. Stryker, Batten, Abbot and Nighman completed the top five.

When the green flag flew for the start of the Open Expert hare scrambles, Stryker, Derek Holcomb and Jake Abbot led the pack. When the leaders finally appeared out of the final woods section at the conclusion of the opening lap, Stryker continued to lead, with Holcomb in close pursuit. Dallas Mica, Sottile and Ward rounded out the top five.

The top two remained unchanged at the start of lap three. Sottile passed Mica to take third; Mica was relegated to fourth, and Ward held fifth. Stryker had begun to pull away from Holcomb by the start of lap four. Micha passed Sottile back to reclaim third, which pushed Sottile back to fourth. Ward was all alone in fifth.

Stryker took the win. Holcomb, Micha, Sottile and Ward closed out the top five.

Stryker’s 2-1 finishes earned him the top tier of the Spazztic Moto-X-County Open Expert podium. Sottile took second with a 1-4 score, and Holcomb (6-2) completed the rostrum.

Broome-Tioga Sports Center
Binghamton, New York
Results: June 30, 2012

50 (4-6): 1. Gavin Mann (Hon).

50 (7-8): 1. Connor Coyne (KTM); 2. Bryson Vandunk (Cob); 3. Cadin Vandunk (Cob); 4. Ryan Hoyt (KTM); 5. Logan Mann (KTM).

65 (7-9): 1. Connor Coyne (Kaw); 2. Jeremy Conklin II (Kaw); 3. Bailey Pearch (Kaw).

65 (10-11): 1. Loghan Bechtel (KTM).

85 (9-11): 1. Ethan Bouasin (Kaw); 2. Kodey Dean (Hon).

85 (12-13): 1. Taylor Austen (Suz); 2. Quintin Haus (Kaw); 3. Michael Barber (KTM).

85 (14-15): 1. Kale Dean (Hon).

4-STROKE MINI B (7-15): 1. Gavin Anthony (Yam).

250 NOV: 1. Matthew Eaton (Yam); 2. Tim Law (Hon); 3. Jesse Wildman (Yam); 4. Jamie Kamrowski (Yam).

250 AM: 1. Sean Ballard (Hon); 2. Brandon McCall (KTM); 3. Roger Pendell (Hon); 4. Cody Short (Kaw).

250 EX: 1. James Dean (Kaw); 2. Marissa Markelon (Yam); 3. R.J. Reynolds (Hon).

OPEN AM: 1. Anthony Thomas (Kaw); 2. Mike Alesse (Hon); 3. John Roys (Kaw); 4. Brian O’Connor (Hon); 5. Sean Ballard (Hon).

OPEN EX: 1. Michael Stryker (KTM); 2. Michael Sottile (Hon); 3. Derek Holcomb (Kaw); 4. Dallas Micha (Kaw); 5. Sunny Nighman (Kaw).

WOMEN: 1. Hannah Heinecke (Hon).

SCHOOLBOY: 1. Adam Haddow (Suz); 2. Bri Patton (Hon).

30+ EX: 1. Rob Stilwell (Kaw); 2. C.J. Talarski (Kaw); 3. Josh Barnhart (Kaw).

30+ NOV: 1. Bill Rypkema (Yam); 2. Lawrence Vandunk (Yam).

40+ EX: 1. Richard Jayne (Hon); 2. Darryl Smith (Hon); 3. David McCall (Kaw).

40+ AM: 1. Rich Becher II (Hon); 2. Sean Coyne (Hon); 3. Doug Graham (Hon).

50+: 1. Eric Heinecke (Hon).

QUAD A: 1. Marty Christopherson (Hon); 2. Brad Harrington (Suz).

QUAD C: 1. Katelyn Osburn (Suz); 2. Travis Zandt (Kaw); 3. Mike Parkhurst (Hon); 4. James Robinson; 5. Justin Crowningshield (Hon).

QUAD SCHOOLBOY: 1. Dylan Clark (Yam); 2. Chris Jacot (Yam); 3. Tyler Short.

QUAD COLLEGEBOY: 1. Corey Clark (Yam).

QUAD 25+: 1. Daniel Brown (Can); 2. Todd Burnett; 3. Robert Sterling.

QUAD 30+: 1. Andrew Sper (Yam).

QUAD UTILITY: 1. Brandon Wyllie (Kaw).