By Danny Brault

While every supercross season has featured stacked classes in both the Supercross and Supercross Lites classes, this year seems tougher than ever. There are really only two options a rider has to get into a main event this year: number one: go really fast, like RC, Reed, Stewart or Millsaps fast; number two: get a start. Unfortunately, the Canadian contingent was unable to do either this weekend.

Lites

After setting lap times inside the top 15, Blackfoot Honda Fox Racing’s Dusty Klatt looked like a shoe-in for the main event, unfortunately, bad starts throughout day qualifiers and the night program held him back. After finishing tenth in his day qualifier, Klatt was forced to the consolation race. He managed to just skate through the consolation race to take second (the final transfer spot) behind Tucker Hibbert.

Things didn’t get any better for Klatt in the night program. After coming off the line with a miserable start in his heat race, Klatt began to make his way through the pack, but slid out in the corner before the sand section and finished 15^th. In the LCQ, Klatt was again buried in the pack; he was just behind a small pack which included Matt Walker, Tiger Lacey and Kelly Smith, all fighting for the fourth and final transfer position. It looked like the group might take each other out and hand the spot to Klatt, but they were able to keep it together. Klatt went on to finish tenth.

    “I felt good, but I just keep getting crappy starts,” says Klatt. “It’s tough. When you don’t get a good start, you’re stuck in the back, rolling jumps and the leaders just run away.”

Klatt’s teammate/ friend/ roommate, Mitch Cooke, has been suffering the same starting woes, but it was a crash in his day qualifier that kept him from making the night show.

    “I crashed in my day qualifier and couldn’t get my bike re-started,” says Cooke. “It was weird; I was nervous and riding tight. But in St. Louis, I didn’t feel that way at all. I don’t have any excuses though, I just didn’t ride well.”

    Cooke has been working with Gary Semics on starts, so that will be his main focus this week at GPF.

Richmond Kawasaki rider, Brady Sheren, suffered the same fate as Cooke, and was unable to qualify for the night program.

Supercross

Butler Brothers’ Honda’s Doug DeHaan finished sixth in his Supercross day qualifier, advancing him to the night show. In his semi, DeHaan was running in qualifying position, but an aggressive move late in the race forced him to the LCQ. 

    “I was in fourth, trying to go outside around [Damien] Plotts and then [Jeff] Dement stuffed me and [Tyler] Evans was down and I hit him right before the finish,” said DeHaan.

    After the crash, DeHaan’s bike began acting up and he rushed back to the pits for his mechanic to have a look.

    “My bike was acting funny, and we had a quick look at it before the LCQ. I got to the line, but just two corners in, it wasn’t working right, so I just pulled off,” said DeHaan.

    With only one Supercross main under his belt this season, it’s fair to say that DeHaan is becoming just a little frustrated.

    “I’m getting good starts and I have the speed, but I just need to get away from the pack early on,” says DeHaan. “When everyone is close together, things are going to happen and it seems like they’ve been happening to me. So I just need to get out front and get away clean.”

    DeHaan will be coming back to London, Ontario this week for a of couple days; hopefully a change of pace will help him reach the main event this weekend in Indianapolis.

The lone ranger, Ryan Lockhart, again qualified for the night show in Atlanta with a third in his consolation race. Unfortunately, the OTSFF Suzuki rider did not make the main event.