Wildwood Motocross Track

October 1, 2006 Race

Kentwood, LA

Wildwood Motocross Race

Photos and Stories by Roy Jenkins

 Kentwood, LA – October 1, 2006

The Wildwood track continues to be the battleground between the fastest MS and LA riders. The fast, long, rough, hilly track with the giant jumps is popular with old schoolers and kids alike and is strategically placed near the MS/LA border in Kentwood, LA. Johnny Moore continues to dominate the B class, but Jake Lowry and Mitch Gourney are not too far behind. Moore (MS) got great starts each race on his Got Gear/HSMX/EBR Kawasaki, leaving no room for surprises. Gourney (LA) tailed him early in the first moto of the Intermediate class on his Calmes Suzuki, with Rob Lamunyon (MS), Jake Lowry (MS), Ronnie Stigler (LA), Mike Hebert (LA) and Casey Paulk (MS) following. Hebert took a tumble in front of the tower ending his shot at the podium. At the white flag Moore was in solid control out front, but behind him Lowry was reeling in Gourney by charging harder into the turns. Moore finished in first, with Gourney earning some breathing room to keep second from Lowry’s Cycle Service Plus Kawasaki.

Moore, Gourney and Lowry again got out on the Intermediate class in the second moto and narrowly missed the tumbling bikes of a first turn crash. By the next lap they were in the same order and evenly spaced a few seconds apart. Lowry pulled behind Gourney on the last lap, looking for an opening. A couple of tail whips over the big jumps later and they were together heading into the western corner. Lowry made the pass from the outside, but Gourney re-took his spot from the inside as they disappeared into the woods. Johnny Moore took the victory again for Got Gear in Jackson, MS. Lowry edged out Gourney at the finish line on his Kawasaki several seconds later. Mike Hebert and Ronnie Stigler rounded out the top five. 

The 85 Open class was loaded for  bear as perennial frontrunners Kirby Dodd (MS), Jude Patterson (LA), Damon Arceneaux (LA), Skylar Phillips (LA) and Jeremy Domingue (LA) got out front quickly on the chasers. Soon Domingue had his Honda of Lafayette in the lead with Patterson’s new CRF 150 in second, Dodd’s Champion Cycle third, Arceneaux’s D&G/Bardwell Yamaha, Jon-Murry Barr (MS), Sam Landry (LA) and Alex Lejeune (LA). Tanner McDaniel and Dustin Fooshee got tangled and went down. By the next lap Skylar Phillips had inserted his Bardwell Yamaha into third behind Domingue and Patterson. Mid-way through the moto Domingue began to put a straight-a-way gap on second place Phillips, who was putting some space on the Patterson/Arceneaux battle. Domingue took the victory, followed by Phillips a ways back. Arceneaux tried to put a pass on Patterson on the turn before the finish line, but Patterson closed the door to keep third. Dodd, Barr, Landry and Lejeune rounded out the top finishers.

Kirby Dodd got the holeshot in the second moto, while Skylar Phillips moved around different lines trying to take the lead, as Arceneaux and Domingue tried to get into position behind them. By the second lap it was Phillips, Domingue, Arceneaux, Dodd, Patterson, Landry and Barr. Domingue made the pass to take the lead from Phillips on the big double, with the other frontrunners in the same order. Domingue won on his Honda of Lafayette, with Phillips’ Bardwell Yamaha a relatively close second, Arceneaux’s D&G/Bardwell Yamaha third, with Dodd’s Champion Cycle KTM and Patterson’s new Honda thumper, Landry’s Suzuki, Barr’s KTM and Lejeune Suzuki rounding out the top finishers.

Mason Hume (MS) got his Yamaha out early on the 125 Novice class, followed by Ramsey Thornton (MS), Jared Broussard (LA), Devin Blair (LA), Cody Cornell (MS) and Vance Accardo (MS). At the end of the race Chip Cornell (MS) moved up into the frontrunners and Devin Blair moved past all riders to earn victory on his Bardwell Yamaha. Hume held on for second, followed by Chip Cornell, Thornton, Cody Cornell, Jared Broussard, Vance Accardo, Wyatt Junot (LA) and Jay Cox (LA) who went down in turn one and started a charge from last place.

Jon-Murry Barr (MS) was the lone 65 (10-11) class rider in a race with the (7-9) class riders. Hunter Hilton (LA) followed while leading the younger class. Cannon Shirah (LA), Scott McElroy (MS), T-Don Lerille (LA) and Sagan Guillory (LA) raced behind them. Barr and Hilton gapped the field, Barr on his Champion Cycle/VFM KTM and Hilton on his Hattiesburg Cycles KTM. Barr and Hilton won going away, and then repeated in the second moto for the sweep.

Leslie Poche (LA) came down hard and fast early on the Open Women’s class, but Jenna Schillage (LA) out-jumped her with a look-back on the giant ski jump. Poche re-took the lead for good on her Cycle World of Houma Honda, and Schillage kept second on her Yamaha, Kaitlyn Hayes (LA), Morgan Parker (LA), Brittany Infield (TN), Kyla Jo Infield (TN), Taylor Watts (LA) and Meredith Lamunyon (MS). At the finish line Poche led by ten seconds over Schillage and a longer distance to Hayes and Parker.

The biggest fast class of the day was the Big Bike Open class where the fastest and bravest non-pros raced. Johnny Moore (MS) continued his winning ways there getting out of the blocks first, with Jake Lowry, Bryce Landry (LA), Mike Hebert (LA), Mitch Gourney, Casey Paulk (MS), D.J. Cortez (LA) and the crowd of growling wolves. Moore, Lowry, Gourney, Landry, Cortez, Derek Strickland (MS). Trenton Suire (LA) and Ross Dimm (LA) were on the move after poor starts. But it was all Moore, Lowry and Gourney as they rose to the top and finished in that order.

Moore repeated his quick start performance in the second moto of the BBOpen class, with Lowry watching from the front row. Gourney led the rest of the pack a little ways back. They stayed in those positions all the way to the last lap, followed by Bryce Landry, Mike Hebert, Derek Strickland, Ross Dimm, Trenton Suire and Cortez. They finished in that order, except Moore kept his fast pace all the way to the finish line, while the other riders let off near the end.

Jon-Murry Barr (MS) and Alex Lejeune (LA) had quite the battle in the 65 Open class. class. Barr led the whole way, but Lejeune waited until late in the race to make his pass on the step-up jump behind the tower. He held on to take the victory on his Wildwood/Lejeune Body Works Suzuki. Barr would try to turn the tables on the second moto leading most of the race on his Champion Cycle/VFM KTM. Forest Smith and Dylan Probst, Mitchell Suire and Jordan Giambelluca rounded out the supporting cast. Lejeune made a pass stick on the last turn, even with a bobble to take the victory over Barr. Probst (MS) took his Honda into third.

The Senior +30 and +40 class gated together and as usually happens the older riders bested the younger ones, even with Hoot Parker leaving the gate after everyone was through the first turn. Randy Wales (LA), Wayne Simmons (LA), Larry Cain (LA), Brian McCann (LA), Tracy Lecompte (LA), Craig Connelly (LA), Hoot Parker (LA) and Randy Fairburn (LA) followed. At the flag it was Wales, Cain, Simmons, Parker Lecompte and Stephen Pershall.

Tracy Lecompte held off Hoot Parker for a while on his Honda, in front of Johnny Eisler who is making a comeback after a long lay-off. Wayne Simmons, Randy Wales, Randy Fairburn and Bryan McCann followed as fast as they could. Eventually Parker went into first to win the +30; Simmons won the +40 in second, Eisler third, followed by Cain who scored second in the +30.

With Chase Romero out with his season-ending injury, the jury is still out on who the fastest rider in LA is: Tyler Begue or Dustin Manuel. There’s no doubt who still sits on the throne for MS (besides Kevin Windham), and that’s the familiar #7 of Nathan Davenport. These riders plus Jason Manuel and Nick Phillips were on hand for the 125 Expert. Dustin Manuel, Davenport and Begue led early. Davenport made a mistake on the first lap, dropping back to fourth, while Dustin Manuel was holding off Champion Cycle teammate Tyler Begue out front. Soon Davenport had his Bardwell Yamaha up into third and climbing. Then Dustin Manuel washed out in the bottom turn behind the tower allowing Begue to take the lead for the first time on his KTM. By the time Dustin got his Suzuki re-started, his older brother had caught up, but the two Champion Cycle Suzuki riders were two straight-a-ways behind Begue and Davenport. When they reappeared from the woods it was Davenport with a sizable lead and Begue a distant second, and even further back to third. The “Fire Dog” went on to victory on his Bardwell Yamaha. Tyler “Bull” Begue took second, while Dustin “Sparky” held off Jason “Hollywood” Manuel for third.

In the second moto Davenport got off first, Begue second, Dustin Manuel third and Jason Manuel fourth early in the second moto. The “Fire Dog” swept the class on his Bardwell Yamaha. Begue took second on his Champion Cycle KTM.

T-Don Lerille won the 50 (7-8) class on his Polini, followed by J.J. Kepley’s KTM, Ashton Castjohn, Chandler Lebeouf, Mac Currie, Cannon Shirah, Hank Van and Blake Lagarde.

Klint Angelette and Jonathan Porter led early in the 85 (12-15) class, but Patterson went wide on turn two to take second. The two high-flyin’, tail-whipping’ Bardwell Yamahas of Skylar Phillips and Damon Arceneaux were cutting through the top ten by the time they made the western corner of the track. Patterson continued to lead on the CRF-150 he just won at the St. Jude Benefit race two weeks earlier. Phillips stayed right on him but could not find a chink in his armor and was getting out-pulled coming out of the turns. Finally “Super Fly” flew into the lead on the back double, leaving Patterson in a blue sandwich – Phillips in front and Arceneaux behind. Dodd, Landry and Angelette followed. The checkered flag saw Phillips first, Arceneaux second and Patterson third. Landry edged out Dodd for fourth at the finish line.

Phillips held the lead early in the second moto in front of Patterson, Arceneaux and a close Dodd/Landry battle for fourth with the two looking at each other over the big jumps. At the white flag it was “Superfly” Phillips, Arceneaux, Patterson and Landry, minus Kirby Dodd. Klint Angelette and Jonathan Porter rounded out the front-runners.

Jake Lowry (MS) took advantage of the absence of Johnny Moore in the 125 Intermediate class, jumping on the early lead. Behind him Mitch Gourney (LA), Rob Lamunyon (MS), Jeremy Domingue (LA), Bryce Landry (LA), D.J. Cortez (LA), Ronnie Stigler (LA), Trenton Suire (LA), Kyle Forrester (LA) and Ross Dimm (LA) negotiated squatters’ rights. The finish was exciting as Lowry took first looking back in the air at the race for second where Domingue tried to dive underneath Gourney on the inside line but washed out leaving Gourney second place. Lamunyon, Landry, Cortez and Suire hurriedly scooted past Domingue before he could get his Honda restarted and get over the finish line jump.

Lowry scored another holeshot with Gourney lashed tightly on his rear fender early in the second moto of the 125 Intermediate. Bryce Landry, Billy Wichers, Derek Strickland (MS), Carey Smith (MS) and Cortez rounded out the mix, with Domingue charging up from mid-pack. Lowry pushed his Cycle Service Plus Kawasaki to the checkered flag first to earn the sweep, with Gourney, Landry, Wichers and Strickland earning top five. Domingue could only get as high as ninth behind Smith, Cortez and Lamunyon.

Tyler Begue (LA) jumped out early in the first moto of the 250 Expert class with Zach Lawler (MS), Cody Wagoner (MS), Dustin Manuel (LA) and Nathan Davenport (MS) and the rest of the class in tow. By the end of the first lap it was Begue, Lawler, Manuel, then Davenport made the pass in turn two to approach the ski jump. Wagoner, Jason Manuel, Tyler Hancock, Josh Durr and Chase Melancon followed. Lawler began to tire on lap four and Davenport came by to chase Begue. At the finish line it was Tyler Begue edging out Nathan Davenport for the win on his Champion Cycle KTM. Fifteen seconds back it was Dustin Manuel, Zach Lawler on his Pro Flo Kawasaki and Cody Wagoner on his Lakeside Ford/Bardwell Honda.

Begue and Davenport got out early to spar in the second moto, with Dustin Manuel and Cody Wagoner third and fourth. Davenport rode his Bardwell Suzuki RMZ450 into the lead and Begue appeared to back off the pace and settle for second on his KTM. Wagoner waited until the last turn and stole third from Dustin Manuel on his Honda.

In the first moto of the Schoolboy class Trenton Suire (LA), Jeremy Domingue (LA), Kyle Wood (TX) and Hunter Stewart (MS). The next lap Suire was narrowly leading Domingue and Stewart had passed Wood into third, followed by Carey Smith, Brandon Huff and Devin Blair. Domingue made the pass into the lead and started pulling away on the last lap, with Suire still in second, Smith in third, Stewart fourth, Blair fifth. They passed the checkered flag in the same order.

In the second moto Hunter Stewart jumped his Bardwell Kawasaki out into the lead in front of teammate Devin Blair’s Yamaha. Both riders have trained and donated time to Mac Edmonston’s G2G Camp and HSMX program. Carrie Smith ran his Honda off the track and lost a spot, followed by Mason Hume, Gatlin Hawkins and Skylar Phillips on his under-powered mini-bike. As the race wore on, Smith made continued attempts to pass Blair and he kept second place from Smith at the checkered, while Stewart won the second moto.

Notes: Taylor Besson, the 85 rider that suffered a broken jaw in a crash was air-medded out.

Heavy D supplied the labor and ingredients to sell some great tasting gumbo to help offset the cost of the ambulance. The True Blue Deodorizer entrepreneur had his wife and brother on hand to cook hot dogs, burgers, and dispense drinks and chips.