--press release--

Under sunny, rain-free skies – finally – Team Honda Canada Blackfoot Fox Racing continued with their winning ways in Joliette, QC on Sunday, July 24, 2005. The podium line-up, for the first time since Round 1, was without defending MX1 Champion and series points leader Jean Sebastien Roy. This time, it was Damon Huffman and Dusty Klatt who put the team in the winners circle, carding 1st and 2nd overall on the strength of 2-2 and 6-1 motos respectively. JSR, dealing with an old knee injury that was exacerbated by Circuit de Joliette’s brutal whoops section and dry dusty conditions, rode conservatively both motos to register 4-7 results. He finished the day in 4th overall.

"I knew I could not push too hard because my knee was bothering me and I wanted to make sure I didn’t re-injure it. This weekend was about riding for points and the championship not necessarily the win," said Roy. “It was good to see Damon and Dusty up on the podium in first and second. It shows the strength of our team and that we’re all capable of winning.”

Klatt, who in practice posted lap times that were four seconds faster than Saturday's qualifiers, was expected to be a threat on the Joliette track, and he didn’t disappoint. While Huffy got a great start in the first MX1 moto, Klatt registered a mid-pack start that was difficult to recover from. Because passing was extremely tricky on the narrow Joliette track, made even worse by atrocious dust conditions, he managed to get up to 6th place by the end of the moto. Huffman, meanwhile, battled up front with Gavin Gracyk, who won the moto.

The Suzuki rider crashed in Moto 2, taking him out of contention with a DNF. “I knew it would come down to the second moto so I decided not to push it too much in the first,” said Huffman. “It’s unfortunate that Gavin crashed in the second moto because I was looking forward to racing him for the top podium position.”

In the second moto, Huffy again found himself rounding turn one with the front runners, quickly settling into 2nd place, a position he would take to the finish line. This time Klatt also got the start he was looking for and there was no stopping him. He took control of the lead within a few laps, turned on the heat to set a blistering pace that saw him post a 20 second lead by the halfway mark. Klatt maintained his speed all the way to the checkered, where he clocked a 21 second deficit over teammate Huffman.

“Today you really needed to get a good start or you were in for an almost hopeless catch up race. Passing was really tough because of the dust. The first moto was frustrating for me but the second couldn’t have been better,” said Klatt.

Klatt’s and Huffman’s banner weekend, which translated into Team Honda Canada Blackfoot Fox Racing’s second consecutive 1-2 podium in MX1, both moved up dramatically in the points chase. Huffman, fifth in the rankings coming into Joliette, leapfrogged into second place – Klatt, who was in tenth, now holds down eighth.

In MX2 East action, Mitch Cooke was the lone Blackfoot rider on the track because his teammate Donnie McGourty was sidelined by the wrist injury he sustained at Gopher Dunes last week. Cooke charged his way to 3-2 moto results that saw him card 2nd overall, giving the team another podium for a near-perfect weekend.

“Thanks to Joe Skidd and the BRI Suspension for getting me through the whoops,” said Cooke who was on fire passing numerous riders at once through the most difficult section of the track. “The bike handled great, the suspension, the power, it was awesome!”

Like Huffman and Klatt in MX1, Cooke’s results in MX2 saw him move up nicely in the points chase. Cooke fast tracked his way from a sixth place ranking into second, just eight points behind current leader Kyle Chisholm, who won in Joliette with a clean sweep.

“It was another great weekend for us,” said team coordinator Dean Thompson. “Our guys did what they had to do and that was ride smart and consistent and ride for the championship. The whole team did their usual excellent job from setting up the bikes to keeping things on the light side. We still like to have fun, too.”