SEPTEMBER 1, 2005
--press release--
It was a bittersweet weekend for Team Honda Canada Blackfoot Fox Racing at the final round of the CMRC Canadian Motocross Championships at the Walton TransCan Grand National in Walton, Ontario. Flag penalties and chaos ruled the day, JSR was on the
sidelines, and Damon Huffman announced his retirement from motocross competition. At least the finicky weekend weather that threatened to turn Walton into a mud fest– like so many of the other nationals this year – gave way to near perfect racing conditions on Sunday.
While Saturday’s qualifiers were run in wet and muddy conditions, Sunday morning dawned under sunny skies and the highly demanding Walton track started drying out as the day progressed. Heavy rains on Thursday night and Friday afternoon had turned the
track into a quagmire. Only through the hard work of Chris Lee and his Walton crew, and track builder Chick Schumilas was the event able to proceed.
Although Jean Sebastien Roy rode his MX1 qualifier on Saturday afternoon, the rib injuries he sustained one week prior in Ste-Julie prevented him from participating in Sunday’s motos. Riding in extreme pain, JSR led the qualifier until the last corner before the finish line, when he stopped to allow his teammate Damon Huffman by to take the win so Huffy could get the maximum five points towards the championship. A tough decision was made by Roy and the team on Sunday morning not to compete.
“I was looking forward to racing in Walton and put on a good show for the fans but I was unable to do that. I tried to ride this morning for practice but I was too sore from the cracked ribs I got when I crashed last weekend,” said Roy. “It was an unfortunate way to end a
great season for me that allowed me to win my fifth championship. I’d like to thank everybody on Team Blackfoot, Honda Canada, Fox
and all our sponsors for their great awesome support.”
With JSR as a spectator, it was up to Huffman to try and keep Team Blackfoot’s winning streak of 17 consecutive overalls going. Any
chance of that happening ended when he was penalized for inadvertently jumping a step-up under a Red Cross flag along with
Craig Decker, Keith Johnson and Evan Laughridge. All four riders were docked five places for the infraction. Huffy was in second place
during the incident, chasing down leader of the pack Gavin Gracyk.
In the second moto, Huffman again rode a strong race which saw him running in second place all the way to the checkered. With 7-2 moto results the veteran motocross star carded third overall for the day behind double moto winner Gracyk. While on the podium for trophy
presentations an emotional Huffy surprised fans and the motocross community alike when he announced his retirement from the sport. The amicable Californian raced for 25 years, 14 of them professionally. His successful career took him all over the world: during his peak years he was a top U.S. factory rider. He twice finished runner up in Canada.
“Damon has contributed a lot to the team and has been a major component of it for the last three seasons. He will be missed by everyone at Blackfoot Racing and the motocross community in Canada, where he has built up a huge following,” said team co-owner/manager Jason Mitchell. “We wish Damon, his wife Heidi and the new addition to their family, Maxwell, all the best in the future.”
|
|
|
Damon Huffman's podium at Joliette | Photo by Brett Dailey |
The highly anticipated clash between MX2 East Champion Michael Willard and MX2 West Champion Dusty Klatt in the MX2 East/West Shootout unfortunately never materialized on paper. Honda Canada Blackfoot Fox Racing’s Klatt, like his teammate Damon Huffman, found himself the victim of a flag infraction that dramatically altered the results for the day. In the first moto, Klatt was chasing down Willard and in the heat of battling with his rival inadvertently passed him just as a yellow caution flag went up. Although Klatt slowed down to let Willard repass him, the KTM rider decided to stay behind Klatt instead and let the rulebook act on his behalf.
In the second moto, a highly agitated but focused Klatt took command of the lead by the second turn and put on a clinic that that was a sheer tour de force. He rode a perfect race, laying down a blistering pace neither Willard nor the rest of the field could match. He finished more than 45 seconds ahead of second place finisher Kyle Chisholm. With a third in moto two, Willard took the overall. Klatt, on the strength of 6-1 motos took to the podium in second overall. “I came out in the second moto to make a point and I think I made my point pretty clear,” said Klatt.
Klatt’s MX2 teammate Mitch Cooke – third place finisher in the MX2 East Championship – rode a solid first moto that saw him finish in fourth place. In moto two, he was involved in a first turn crash that saw him remount at the back of the pack. From what looked like a hopeless situation a determined Cooke charged his way to 10th place at the finish line. His results netted him a noteworthy sixth overall for the day. Third team rider Chad Charbonneau had an ignition problem in the first moto that saw him return to the paddock. In the
second moto he battled his way to a seventh place finish, taking 11th overall for the day.
“It seems like one of those black clouds from Friday and Saturday’s rain stayed with us on Sunday. We were all, needless to say, very disappointed with what transpired, first losing JSR, then the flag penalties. Neither Damon nor Dusty deliberately went against the flags but in a circumstance of mass confusion it happened,” said team coordinator Dean Thompson. “Damon’s final MX1 ranking would no doubt have been different, and Dusty proved he was the fastest rider in MX2. We had another great season with two more championships to
our credit and all the adversity of the final round doesn’t change that or spoil it for us.”
Honda Canada Blackfoot Fox Racing would like to congratulate JSR, Damon, Dusty, Mitch and Chad for their outstanding performance on the race track this season. They are racers with true heart and exemplify what the sport of motocross is about. We also would like to extend a huge thank you to our entire hard working support staff and our many quality sponsors for making a highly successful season possible for us.
