Hemonds GP

Rounds 8 and 9 of the Fox Racing J Day Off Road GP Series

VFORCE RACE REPORT

BROUGHT TO YOU BY MOTO TASSINARI

MOTO TASSINARI IS THE PREMIER MANUFACTURER OF PERFORMANCE ENHANCING REED VALVES

MARSHALL ON A MISSION IN MAINE

2021 J DAY Off Road PRO Champion Robby Marshall hasn’t raced since Round 1 but clearly made it his mission to return to competition and take on all rivals including the 2 time US National Super Cross Champion Cooper Webb. When the dust settled on Round 8 of the FOX Racing J Day Off Road Championship held on Hemond’s Farm in Minot Maine Marshall, the veteran racer from Massachusetts would stand at the top step of the Evans Coolant Podium. The racing in the second moto between Cooper Webb and Robby Marshall was intense and as Webb revealed on the podium he and Robby once trained together at South of the Border and he has tremendous respect for the skill Marshall possesses on a motorcycle. Marshall breezed in to Round 8 grabbed the Overall win with 1-2 moto finishes and was off to the beach Sunday morning after the smoke cleared from the Saturday evening festivities. Leaving Webb to battle the J Day faithful for top honors at Round 9 and Webb found out it is not easy and the J Day PRO Class riders are a fast bunch and deserving of respect.

The J Day race day always starts with the Kenda Pee Wee Challenge which is a one time 40 minute moto. Round 8 would see a new winner as Massachusetts rider Anthony Pacella joined J Day for the first time and rode his Husqvarna to victory. DJ Leblanc is getting stronger after returning from injury and claimed second and class favorite Tucker Aldrich brought it home in third.

Pee Wee Bantam division was all Sawyer Langenback, Squirt division went to Dylan Carlson, Trailrider division winner was Coleston Swift, Electric division went to Travis Steward and the Pee Wee girls division win went to Zoey White.

The Super Mini class belonged to Vermont native and 2nd generation racer Van Gosselin on his Trail Jesters KTM. He was followed by his teammate Jiggs Fustini in 2nd and Kyle Rougeau on the MotorBikes Plus KTM. 

Mini A class winner was Colton McQuarrie on his Freedom Cycle Yamaha, Mini B went to Christopher Artegian on his Husqvarna, Mini C winner was Ryder Wren on his Gas Gas and the Girls class win went to Mallory Pickard on a Kawasaki.

Trevor Zartan in his first J Day season claimed another Overall C Class trophy followed by Nate Cady, Collin Dumais, Andrew Regan and Cory Stolarski.

Not even a lost footpeg could keep Ruby Fustini from winning the Womens PRO class. Taylor Johnston was in fine form and continues to grow stronger throughout the season and battled with Fustini but had to settle for second on her Trail Jesters KTM. Hailey Bourdon would take her Husqvarna to the third step of the podium. Kaitlin Forgione would claim fourth over Destiny Artegian in fifth. The Womens PRO class has some very exciting racing and is a fun class to interview at days end on the Evans Coolant Podium. 

Womens Amateur class winner Melony Pickard was one of the fastest women on the course today and gets stronger at each event. She was followed home by Addie Harris and Kendyl Gaetani. The top 3 all on KTM motorcycles.

Super Senior win again went to the Vermont Speedster  Nate Martel, Masters class was won by former NETRA Champ Pete Leonard, C Vet win went to Eder Goncalves and C Senior was all Paul Gallagher with a double moto win.

Justin Cokinos on his Factory Connection / Hutch Motorsports ride came out on top of a fierce battle with New York’s Dominic Morse on his Precision Off Road Husqvarna in the PRO 125 Class. They traded moto wins with Cokinos winning the most important second moto. Third on the day was Chase Gosselin followed by Nick Kordana and Anthony Federico.

Youth A winner Van Gosselin was mixing it up with the PRO riders and finished 7th overall, an incredible feat that he has accomplished most of this season and shows his potential for a bright future in the sport.

Patrick Callahan won the B 200 class, Travis Murphy won the B 250 class and Joshua Cormier rode his Husqvarna to victory in the B Open class.

Great racing is always found in the A Vet class and the Kawboy Clint Angwin battled Ryan Bliven for the win and would come out on top with a 2-1 moto tally. Bliven would finish second at 1-2 and the stories were endless at days end and some of the funniest. These guys really enjoy the sport and being competitive with each other.

A Senior win went to Angwin’s good buddy and fellow Vermontster Chad Lever on a MotorBikes KTM. B Vet was won by Julio Lubiana again and B Senior was won by Fabio Andrade and B Junior was dominated by Ryan Amancio after a 6 week layoff with two broken arms that put him on the shelf. He looked good and his speed continues to build with every lap.

Robert Langenback was victorious in the PRO Vet class over Will Hopkins on the Plaistow Power Sports Yamaha and Bobby Santheson on the Pilgrim Power Sports / Moto Photo 29 Kawasaki.

A Class winners were Daniel Desmarais in 200, brother Jake Desmarais in Open and Dylan Moriarty in 250 and all three rode Yamahas to victory.

The FOX Racing J Day Off Road Championship has been host to many famous racers in the past from several different countries and in 2022 we have been fortunate that the list includes both 2021 GNCC Champs Ben Kelley and Johnny Giroir as well as former US National MX Champion Zach Osborne. For Round 8 and 9 at the FMF GP we welcomed 2 time US National Super Cross Champion Cooper Webb. Webb rode a KTM supplied by a man who has been a behind the scenes friend to Moto Cross and Off Road racing for many years and it is his love for the sport that keeps him willing to help when he is needed. Mike Grondahl is a former NESC Amateur Champion and father to Eric who has competed regularly on the US National MX circuit and with their personal Mechanic Keith Clickstein formed a program to bring Cooper Webb to Hemond’s where Webb would win two out of the 4 motos he entered. However an Overall J Day win eluded the KTM Factory star on this weekend. 

As I have said on many an ocassion “ This is J Day Off Road and Anything Can Happen “ and sure enough it did again at Round 8. I was shocked to see the reigning champ Robby Marshall come around in the lead on lap one of the first moto as I did not even know he was entered for the race. Robby would prove to be fast on the day and continue to lead right to the checkered flag and claim his first moto win of 2022. Championship points leader Simon Johnson would bring his Trail Jesters KTM home in 2nd for the moto and retain his lead.  Cooper Webb on the other hand had a horrible start and would complete the first lap in 10th after being as far back as 20th. He would find the competition to be tough and battled with the J Day faithful and moved to third by motos end and gain some new found respect for his competition here in the North East. Cody Williams would ride the Bullit Racing / Factory Connection / FOX Racing KTM to 4th in moto one and Nick Kordana would take the Edelman’s KTM to 5th.

Moto 2 would see Robby Marshall rip the holeshot and collect the check and lead the first two laps. Cooper Webb would get a much better start this time and run second on the first two laps. Then a battle like we have not seen in a long time ensued between the two former practice partners. The lead would change hands several times in the next three laps with Webb leading at the finish line on lap 3, Marshall leading on lap 4 and finally Webb passing late on lap 5 to wrestle the lead away from Marshall to take the moto win. Pride was the only thing at stake from lap 3 on as the two front runners distanced themselves from the rest of the pack and Marshall knew he did not have to beat Webb to be the Overall winner. When you have a chance to beat a factory sponsored two time Super Cross champ I guess you really don’t need any more motivation than that and Robby darn near pulled it off. The battle had this announcer on his feet and excitedly calling the action in wonderment, my voice ringing off the hills that form the valley of Hemond’s Farm. Webb and Marshall were very complimentary of each other on the Evans Coolant Podium at days end as they relished in the glory of the war they had been a part of and knowing they had given all they had for the die hard J Day fans. Marshall commented on the podium he could not hear his two stroke or even more so Webb’s booming four stroke in sections of the track due to the high decibel level of the crowd….. Now that’s loud and a true testament to the support the great fans of J Day give to the racers and show their appreciation for the effort all the racers put forth.

Justin Cokinos would put in a tremendous individual effort in moto 2 to bring his 125cc KTM all the way to 3rd from 6th on the first lap. By far the smallest displacement bike in the PRO class but definitely the biggest heart. The kid from Massachusetts is amazing to watch and a joy to have on our circuit. Unfortunately he had a terrible first moto and would not factor in the days overall finish.

Simon Johnson would cruise to 4th in moto 2 and third Overall at Round 8 and keep his Championship Points lead. Cody Williams would go 4-5 for fourth Overall and prove he has a legitimate chance for this championship and he is not going away. Fifth overall on the day was Nick Kordana with 5-6 scores and completed a KTM rout of the top 5 positions in the PRO class. Sixth went to Cole Daniel, Seventh was Gavin Simon on the Edelman’sHusqvarna, 8th overall was Anthony Fedrico, 9th was Luke Renzland and tenth overall was Alex Higley with all three riders on MotorBikes Plus equipment. 

Great to be back at the beautifully picturesque Hemonds. The track was awesome and the racing exciting, the weather beautiful and the crowd was huge…. over 800 riders and 4,000 spectators. Can’t forget the home grown food right from the farm…… Delicious !!!

Until next time this is JJ saying “ See You at the Next J DAY “

BROUGHT TO YOU BY MOTO TASSINARI

MOTO TASSINARI IS THE PREMIER MANUFACTURER OF PERFORMANCE ENHANCING REED VALVES

PREMIER PRO WIN FOR WILLIAMS

Cody Williams has enjoyed a storied professional motorcycle racing career for more than half his life and has had success in moto cross and off road racing but never in a million years did he think going into Round 9 of the FOX Racing J Day Off Road Championship he would be able to lay claim to the statement “ I Beat Cooper Webb “ ! On a day made special due to the fact after several years of trying Pizza Willy finally broke through with his first ever J Day Overall win the victory was even sweeter winning over the 2 time US National Super Cross Champion. Williams ran two smart and consistent motos finishing 2nd both times out on his Factory Connection / FOX Racing / MotorBikes Plus / Bullit Racing KTM to secure the win and show he is a serious contender for the 2022 FOX Racing J Day Championship. Cody gave Cooper all he could handle in the final moto of the day but wisely realized that he didn’t need to beat Webb in the moto to secure his premier PRO class win and backed it down to preserve the most important placing in the points paying structure of the championship…. First Overall. Even though there are two motos, points are not awarded for moto finishes but instead the precious championship points are awarded for the overall finishes at days end of the racers. Williams would stay in contention for the 2022 championship by winning the overall and pulling to within 20 points of Simon Johnson who would finish 5th at Round 9.

 

8 o’clock Sunday morning and the Kenda Pee Wee Challenge jetted to the first turn and when the dust settled it was Massachusetts rider Anthony Pacella taking his Husky to his second overall victory in as many tries on the weekend. Rounding out the top 5 positions overall were Tucker Aldrich, Trentin Hurley, Colby Gelinas and DJ Leblanc. Bantam division winner Sawyer Langenback finished 6th overall, Dylan Carlson scored another Squirt division win, Nicholas Bello rode his Kawasaki to victory in the Trailrider division and Zoey White cruised to a double day win on the weekend in the Pee Wee Girls division.

 

9 o’clock and the Super Mini class gets the FOX Flag Drop and Ryan Amancio lead the moto from start to finish but it was Van Gosselin taking the overall victory by besting Amancio in moto 2. Both second generation riders have such a bright future in off road racing and it is a story of one of the Fathers I’d like to share with you all. Ryan Amancio’s dad is Alex Silva a very well respected Vet rider now on the shelf due to an injury but still totally committed to his sons racing effort and there at every race to support him. On Saturday Trevor Ford sure was thankful that Alex Silva was at Hemonds because Ford pretty much lost all his personal belongings that morning and Silva not only found everything but made certain that Ford got it all back. Just goes to show you that the J Day crowd is a tight knit community and even though Ford and Silva don’t know each other it didn’t alter the fact that Silva made sure the right thing was done and Ford was found and his most personal belongings returned and the stress that Ford must have been feeling all but gone. Good on ya mate to Alex Silva for caring.

 

Jiggs Fustini filled out the podium in Super Mini with Kyle Rougeau 4th and Ryder Sigerty fifth. Colton McQuarrie continues to dominate the Mini A class, Mini B was won by Grant Meacham with Vincent Mastrangelo second and Kason Bouribon having a successful jump to the B class by finishing third today and also winning his first ever B class moto on Saturday in his first ever B race. Unfortunately his overall finish was marred by a second moto DNF but after his solid finishes Sunday he has shown he will do well with the promotion. The Mini C class that Bouribon just left was wide open for a new winner and it was Brayden Edmonds a second generation racer from New Hampshire and Mallory Pickard took home the Girls class win on her Kawasaki.

 

C class overall again went to Trevor Zartan who really is enjoying his battles with second place Nate Cady and the camraderie he shares with his fellow J Day racers in his first season. Collin Dumais was third overall, Ethan Benoit fourth and Nate True fifth overall as well as the Open class winner.

 

Womens PRO class was all Ruby Fustini again while Haley Bourdon took her Husqvarna to second overall and Taylor Johnston was smiling all the way to third as she enjoys the competition and continues to get stronger every race. The Womens PRO Podium at days end is always a fun time with lots of positivity and a great celebration with the crowd. 

 

Womens Amateur winner Melony Pickard was pursued by Kendyl Gaetani and Jasmine Hopkins. Super Senior and the race overall was won by Nate Martel while Ross Douglas took his Kawisaki to the C Vet win, Steve Scotia rode a Beta to the C Senior win and Sean Bohan topped Mike Dowling in the Masters.

 

Justin Cokinos took his Factory Connection KTM to a convincing double moto win in the PRO 125 class with Nick Kordana finishing second and Anthony Federico third. The big surprise is the Trail Jesters rider of the future Junior A class winner Van Gosselin who finished fourth in both PRO motos and continues to blend maturity and speed at such a young age. Keep an eye on my buddy Van the Man. JD Mele took his Cliff’s Cycle KTM to 5th overall.

 

Patrick Callahan again won B 200, Travis Murphy was the B 250 winner and Zach Circosta took home top honors in the B Open.

 

The Green Mountain Boys Angwin and Lever would take home the spoils of victory in the A Vet and A Senior class though Grant Carter’s 2nd moto win was an inspiration to Pizza Willy, B Vet went to Taylor Harvey, B Senior was the domain of  Honda rider Dave O’ Brien and the Junior B class was won by Ryan Amancio who is quickly returning to race readiness.

 

Pro Vet had some great racing between its two most dedicated riders and it was Bobby Santheson going 2-1 to take the overall from Robert Langenback.

 

Jacob Cady took home the top honors for the A class and the 250 division while the Desmarais brothers Dan and Jake continued there winning ways in  A 200 and A Open.

 

Bubz Tasha on his Tely Energy KTM returned to J Day action and absconded with the lead in moto 1 and would lead all challengers to the checkered flag. Cody Williams would run a strong second the entire moto but couldn’t match Tasha’s speed and wisely settled for second setting himself up for a good overall finish. Cooper Webb got a bad start and moved to fifth by lap 3 but then on lap 4 got a flat rear tire and his race was done and any chance of a good overall finish went with it. Gavin Simon had a great battle with Simon Johnson all moto and the two Vermonsters would entertain the huge crowd throughout. Johnson would make a mistake on the last lap and Simon would take advantage and garner 3rd while Johnson picked his bike up quick and scored 4th for the moto followed in by Anthony Federico.

The last moto of the long weekend was much anticipated and the racing did not disappoint and as one long time off road racing fan exclaimed it was the best race they had ever seen. It was definitely a moto that will not be soon forgotten and be remembered first by the holeshot pulled by Cody Williams and the lead he opened up over Cooper Webb who got a much better start. Williams would continue to build his lead and hold it until the fourth lap when he finally succumbed to the continued advances of the 2 time Super Cross Champ. It was a race for the ages as Williams would not give up the fight and kept Webb close right to the checkered flag and the crowd played a large part in inspiring both riders. On the last lap Williams did defer to his vast experience and realize he did not have to beat Webb for the overall and backed it down a little but charged again on the last half lap because when do you have a chance to beat a National Champion straight up but the charge was thwarted by Webb who would win his second moto of the weekend. Williams would cross the finish line in second and his jubilation apparent as he knew this was his first J Day overall win and the celebration continued onto the podium. Everyone was happy for the likeable veteran and proud that another Massachusetts boy would defend the honor of the J Day faithful against all competitors including the National Champion Cooper Webb. Third in the moto and second overall was Bubz Tasha while Gavin Simon would stand on the third step of the podium and keep his Championship hopes alive with six rounds left in the 2022 season. Justin Cokinos would again ride the wheels off his 125 KTM for 4th in the moto and 4th Overall. Simon Johnson would savage what to him was a tough day and finish 5th Overall and leave again with the points lead.

Nick Casey would score 6th overall with Anthony Federico 7th, Nick Kordana was 8th , Ryan Ames had his best PRO class finish in his young career at 9th Overall and Jacob Cady would finish 10th. 

 

A great weekend of racing at a beautiful facility and an inspiring win by the veteran Cody Williams….it doesn’t get much better !!

Until next time this is JJ saying ” See You at the Next J DAY “