Monday, November 17, 2008

Nex Trax Arenacross Series Weekend Number Two


The team celebrates a successfull weekend.



Well, another weekend is in the books as the team was back in Chiliwack for Rounds 3 and 4 of the Nex-Trax Canadian Arenacross Series. Things went pretty well last weekend at the opening round but this weekend was even better. Teddy won every main event, though he was later docked 5 positions in Friday's Lites main which was unfortunate. Still he swept the rest and proved he was the fastest rider on the track.

Brock had a breakthrough weekend. He's long had the speed to run with the front runners but lacked the confidence to do it. Well that changed this weekend when he was all over Kyle Beaton in the first heat race and then won his Open qualifier. He backed that up with a second in Friday's Open main behind his teammate Maier. Brock still made a few mistakes that held him back from some more top positions but it's great to see his progress.

Kris also looked a lot better this weekend. With another weekend of racing under his belt you could see him getting more comfortable on his new Kawasaki. He even ended up on the podium on Friday when he got third in the Lites Main event(and was bumped to second with Teddy's penalty). Kris is so talented, you know that he'll be going even faster when the series resumes in January.

Here's a few photos from the weekend. The team now takes a break for a month before the series resumes in January.

James Lissimore Photos:



Teddy and Brock were a familiar podium sight on the weekend.


Teddy was the class of the field, winning all the main events with relative ease.


Missy Hackett was racing the Women's class for the team this weekend.


Brock and Teddy again on the podium.


Teddy gets the jump on the pack.


Kris gets some podium time.


Teddy signing autographs.


Teddy's Mechanic, Pat O'Connor, with his son Nick.


Teddy and Brock discuss lines.


Teddy.


Kris.


Teddy.


Brock.


Brock.


Brock.


The pit display looked impressive.


Kris making sure everything was in order before his race.


The bikes.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Chilliwack Arenacross Weekend One



Teddy won Friday night's Open main.



Well, the first weekend of the Nex-Trax Canadian Arenacross series is in the books and it was a pretty succesfull weekend for the team. Though a few more wins would have been nice, Teddy was pretty consistent with a win and 3 second place finishes. Brock's results didn't reflect how well he rode. His 4th on friday night and pair of 5ths on Saturday were still pretty good but he showed podium speed all weekend. Next weekend with some good starts he will be right in the mix.

The team had a great presence this weekend, we had the semi parked inside the Heritage Center with a full complement of team bikes out front. Alongside team riders Maier and Hoyer there was also Kris Foster, who was making a return to Kawasaki's after a season on KTM's and the team's new Ladies class rider Missy Hackett. Also, Kawasaki has put together a "Factory Rider for a Day" program for the arenacross series where a lucky rider is selected to pit with the team and ride a specially prepared 2009 Kawasaki motorcycle.

Now the team looks forward to next weekend, the series returns to Chilliwack for rounds 3 and 4 so everyone will be looking to build on this weekend and put more green bikes on the podium.

For more info and photos of the weekends racing action, check out James Lissimore's photo reports at http://jkliss.blogspot.com/


Here's a few shots from the weekend:


James Lissimore Photos




The team had a great presence with the rig and a full compliment of bikes out front.





Teddy was a front runner all weekend.



Hoyer rails a berm.


Teddy


Kris Foster made his return to the Leading Edge program this weekend. His best finish was a 5th on Friday.


After missing friday's action after a practice crash, Missy Hackett made her team debut on Saturday.


Hoyer battles with Ryan Lockhart


Teddy


Foster


Foster


The team riders do a hot lap with the Factory Rider for a Day recipients on Saturday night.


Teddy and Brock


Brock

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Walton - We're Finally at the End of the Line


Jason Hughes and Rod Runzer celebrate their rider, Teddy Maier's third place overall finish in the MX2 Championship.





Wow, we finally made it. Walton is in the books and the team had a pretty good season for a first year effort. Though things didn't go as well as the season opening 1-2 finish, Teddy still kept the team on the box with a second overall finish for the day and third overall for the season. Pretty amazing considering he didn't even race the Regina round and was nursing a hurt ankle through most of the season. The guy is definitely a champion, hopefully next year the cards will fall his way and he'll take the title.

Nick's bizzare season of bad luck continued with a flat front tire in the first moto and getting stuck after colliding with a downed rider in the second moto that knocked his gas cap off, dousing him with gas. I've never seen such horrible luck with a rider before. Everyone knows he's capable of winning, hopefully he can't get the hex off of him for next season and show everyone he belongs on top of the box.

If it wasn't for his opening round dnf, Brock would have been solidly in the top 10 for the season. After starting off slow he turned it on in the last half of the season, putting in a bunch of great rides. I'm sure with his first full season under his belt this year, he'll be fired up coming into the Canadian Arenacross series where he's always a threat. He's also racing the Montreal Supercross so he'll no doubt be looking for his first podium in the all Canadian MX2 class.

Well, everyone is back home in their respective provinces and states now. The team is extremely happy with their first season and can't wait for next year, look for things to be bigger and better. A huge thanks to everyone who helped the team out this year, you guys made this all possible. Hit them up at the links on the right and support the people who support us and are helping keep Canadian Motocross going.

Stay tuned for more news as things happen at Team Monster Energy/Thor/Leading Edge Kawasaki!

James Lissimore photos:


Your 2008 Leading Edge Kawasaki team.

























Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Sand Del Lee


Brock Hoyer fails on this attempt to rail a berm.



It's always nice when the weatherman is wrong....
Despite calls for thundershowers all day, Sunday ended up being a great day at Sand Del Lee and the boys at MX101 did a great job of scraping off the mud from Saturday's rain. Sand always makes things easier when it comes to dealing with the wet stuff. Teddy proved that it doesn't matter if it's sand or hardpack, wet or dry, he's going to be on the podium no matter what. It's really too bad that he got hurt and missed Regina because with his consistency he'd be right there for the title when the series heads to Walton next weekend for the last round. As it was, his third overall bumped him from 5th up to 3rd in the points standings.

Brock was on fire as well. In the first moto he got a great start and ran up near the front all moto, engaged in a three way battle for the 5th spot between Joey Leadbeater and Kaven Benoit. Unfortunately near the end of the race, Brock crashed into a bail and had to settle for 7th place, still his best moto finish of the year. His 8th overall was another step up the chain and it's great to see him showing improvement every weekend. Hopefully next weekend he can keep it going, you can definitely see he's got a top 5 in him.

Now we're off to Walton where the rig is already parked in preparation for the Walton Trans-Can Amatuer National Championships. Greg Small is flying the Leading Edge banner in the Intermediate classes so look for him on the number 317 KX250F.

James Lissimore Photos:


Brock was on it all day.


Teddy was solid as usual. If he gets a start he'll win another one of these.