THOR MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN RACE REPORT: Pearson, Thompson, Sjoberg, Cantrell, Nelson And Gretchen

On Jun 26, 2009

THOR’S MAMMOTH REPORT

TEAM RIDERS CAPTURE FOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Cole Thompson catches air en route to a pair of championships.ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Photo courtesy VurbMoto.com

The annual Ford Mammoth Mountain Motocross concluded this past weekend in California and Thor/Parts Unlimited backed riders took the mountain by storm, leaving with four championships. The 10-day event is the longest running motocross race in the U.S. and the youthful Thor amateur squad made it a memorable event for the brand.

Canadian born rider Cole Thompson made his inaugural foray to Mammoth Mountain from his hometown of Ontario. The 16 year old rider achieved tremendous success, leading the Thor/Parts Unlimited team with two titles in the 85/150 14-15 and 150 through 16 classes. The race proved to be a lot of fun for Thompson, who particularly enjoyed the uphill start, and helped prepare him for Loretta Lynn’s next month.

Female rider Alexah Pearson entered Mammoth apprehensive about what she would be able to accomplish, given that she had not lined up for a race since Lake Whitney back in March. However, she remained focused and let her riding take care of itself, capitalizing on a third place start out of the gates to pass leader Kasie Creson for the win in moto one. A blazing start in the final moto gave Pearson a considerable advantage over her competitors which worked in her favor at the end as her bike suffered engine problems and forced her to ride at a much slower pace. She still crossed the line 15 seconds ahead of her closest rival.

California native Tyler Sjoberg didn’t start of the Mammoth MX the way he had hoped. Bad starts in his 450 and 250 class races relegated him to fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively, but bounced back in his final moto of the week to reel in leader and trainer Timmy Weigand with just a half lap to go and steal the victory. “I am so stoked that I was able to put everything together and end the weekend on a good note with a championship,” said Sjoberg. “I knew that I had the speed to be up front but crashes and bad gate picks, which lead to bad starts kept me from where I should have been.”

The rest of the Thor/Parts Unlimited team was strong as well, adding to an already memorable week of action. Nine year old Sean Cantrell engaged in one of the most exciting battles of the event in the 65cc 9-11 Class. The young rider battled bar-to-bar with local riders Luke Purther and Michael Mosiman, coming up just short of the win with a runner-up finish.

Despite a broken scapula, Jessy Nelson still chose to compete in Mammoth with an admirable performance. Overcoming the pain, he rode strong throughout each race and managed to bring a second place finish in the Schoolboy Class.

Steve Gretchen was also looking for a championship of his own in the 85cc 9-11 Class. He posted moto results of second and third to take the runner-up spot overall.

While preparing for the Mammoth event, Cooper Webb suffered a hard fall in which he injured his shoulder. The North Carolina rider proved his determination and grit by enduring the pain in each of his races and bringing home an impressive third overall in the 150cc Class.

ÿ
About Thor Motocross
Thor is one of the originators of motocross apparel. When Torsten Hallman made his first U.S trip to race and promote motocross in 1966, he inadvertently started to develop Thor riding gear. Thor is a hardcore, grass roots company that understands what it takes to reach the top and more importantly, how to stay there. It is one of a few companies with over 40 years experience in the motocross marketplace. www.thormx.com