Independence Race

Wildwood Motocross Track

By: Roy Jenkins

Kentwood, LA – July 9, 2006

What would it be like to have a national caliber race in Louisiana? The closest we’ve come to it in this century happened in Kentwood on July 9^th. Riders and spectators were treated to the best Motocross racing in the central Gulf coast region in many years. Over 460 entrants from the surrounding states made this a race to remember. Why? First, and foremost to riders – it’s the track. The good news was, it was fast and rough. The bad news? It was fast and rough. Breaking bumps, acceleration bumps, deep ruts, long straights, big air and plenty room to pass made the old men forget their age as "Old School" memories came to mind. Many riders had to take a real close look, that is, a soil sample to remind them of the danger of high speed motocross. This championship style racing also sent a few riders to the hospital, not the least of which was the Bayou State’s fastest money rider – Chase Romero, with two broken legs.

The second factor that made this championship level racing was the competition. Once in a while the fastest riders from the western LA tracks meet up with the eastern and MS gulf coast riders. On this day top contenders, who were already qualified for the national championship next month at Loretta’s, put their reputations on the line to tune up once more before the big annual show in TN. Speaking of the Volunteer state, the Miller brothers from Fisherville, TN, were on hand to race. Branden Miller’s 3/1 finish edged out Kyle Gills’ 2/2 to win the 125 Intermediate class; while older brother Blair’s 3/1 score was topped by Dustin Gills’ 1/2 in the Open Money class. It was like that all day. Many a fast rider’s ego was deflated by the high level of competition. You know the old saying, "there’s always somebody faster?" Since RC, Bubba, KW and company weren’t present; there were no sure bets in any class. The closest sure thing was MS hot shoe Johnny Moore sweeping the 250 Intermediate and Open classes. But even he was challenged at one point by a determined Kyle Gills on the last two laps of the 125 Intermediate.

Track owner Lynn Lejeune talked about the event just before Sunday’s racing: "We’ve been out here getting’ the track ready for two weeks. There were a lot of volunteers; I’d hate to try to name them because I’d leave somebody out. But Potts Thomas was the inspiration behind this race. I wasn’t really gonna do it, but he kept sayin’ ‘the riders want it.’ So we got the big equipment out and moved some things around. The rain was a blessin’"

It rained for several days prior, and they kept the track sealed. Then the rain slacked, it turned partly cloudy and the track began to dry. Wildwood had a big day of practice on Saturday. On race day, the storms moved around the track, then visited for about 15 minutes during intermission. The clouds cancelled the broiling sun.  

Let’s look more closely at the racing:

In the 85 Open class Tyler Stewart from West Monroe, took his Suzuki to the front with 30 bikes behind him, led by Skylar Phillips from Baton Rouge. Phillips just had his cast removed from his arm a couple weeks ago, and was still sore; he persisted with this race. Damon Arceneaux joined his Bardwell Yamaha teammate in the chase. Soon "Superfly" Phillips snatched the lead from Stewart as the trio put three straight-a-ways on the rest of the pack. They crossed the finish line evenly spaced with a few seconds between them and a long wait back to fourth.

Tyler Stewart crashed out of the lead of the second moto. Brett Bourg’s Suzuki led for a while. But when Bourg almost looped out on the uphill jump, Arceneaux was there to capitalize and take the lead at the beginning of lap two. However, Bourg re-attacked from the other side down the main straight, re-taking the lead in front of the grandstands. Alex Lejeune handled third in front of Kade Breaux, Mason Hume and Ky Thames. Arceneaux took the victory and the overall with his 3/1 finish. Bourg edged out Lejeune to take second with his 6/2 over Lejeune’s 7/3. Phillips and Stewart DNFed along with a couple other riders.

Potts Thomas has been pulling holeshots on riders for over 30 years. He did it again on the Senior Sport rider’s class, but by the end of the race was pressured by Mike Alf. The two were heard yellin’ at each other as they got close to the finish line and Pott’s 450f pulled his big body out of the sandy bottom hard enough to clear the step-up before the finish line and ensure victory.

In the 50 Open class Cameron Breland scored the holeshot, but soon JJ Kepley took his Polini past for good. Another Polini was moving up through the pack, T-Don Lerille. Kepley edged out Lerille at the checkered to the obvious disappointment of Lerille. Chandler Lebeouf, and a quickly improving Cannon Shirah represented Champion Cycle KTM behind them.

In the second moto Peyton Whately got the best start, but succumbed to the speed of JJ Kepley and T-Don Lerille by the third turn. Kepley crashed out of contention allowing Lerille the victory with Lebeouf, Shirah and Whatley following.

Scotty Hubbard had his KTM cooking with gas in the Senior +30 class. Randy Wales, Cody Lecompte, Corey Romero and Patrick Meche made chase. Local Tucker Rocky rep, Dan Marino and longtime Kentwood rider Wayne Simmons were working up from a poor start. Hubbard hustled to the finish line first with Romero five seconds behind him, but in front of a fast-closing Marino and Simmons.

Larry Cain got his Yamaha out early in the second moto until Hubbard could get his wheels under him and charged to a sweep of the +30 class. Marino took second overall with his 3/4, Cain third with his 6/2. 

The crowd got their first look at Columbia, MS rider Johnny Moore in the 125/250 Open class. Moore, riding his Got Gear/EBR Kawasaki will be contesting the Pro Am in Pennsylvania in September with his High School MX team sponsor Mac Edmonston. Moore, a well-conditioned running back and track star at his high school put together some timely starts to keep Steven Boll and the other talent behind him. MS rider Josh Eure led LA’s Michael Wagner up to the front while TN’s Branden Miller was charging up through the field on his KTM. Former mini star Mitch Gourney was getting used to his new Suzuki thumper in the top five. Moore had the most at the finish line, while Boll, Miller, Eure and Gourney rounded out the top five.

Moore sprang to the front quickly in the second moto. Michael Haffner was second with Branden Miller and Michael Wagner closing quickly. Eure was moving quickly but crashed out of contention. Finally it was Moore with another 1/1, Miller with a 3/2 and Clayton Nance in third with a 6/4 – all KTMs.

In the first moto of the 85 12-15 class Jude Patterson had his O’Reilly’s Honda up front first before the Bardwell Yamahas of Arceneaux and Phillips. Tanner McDaniel cranked up his Kawasaki a few notches to settle into fourth. Phillips and Arceneaux slipped passed Patterson and resumed their high-speed battle for supremacy. With Patterson in tow they put 15 seconds on the pack after one lap. But Phillips did not reappear with the leaders from the woods, allowing Arceneaux the victory on his D&G/Bardwell/JM Yamaha. Patterson and McDaniel finished a healthy second and third, while Phillips cruised past holding an unhealthy arm in 23^rd place. Arceneaux won the overall with his 1/1, Patterson second with a 2/2, Ky Thames third with 4/3, followed by McDaniel’s 3/4.

LA High School MX team rider Ross Dimm survived the carnage of the 40 bike 125 Novice class and took the overall with his 3/1 finish over Justin Pittman’s 1/5, Jacob Heintze’s 5/2 and Jordan champagne’s 12/3. This class was littered with DNF’s as was many of the other classes.

Tyler Stewart nabbed the holeshot on his Suzuki in the 85 7-11 class with Thomas Covington and Alex Lejeune wrestling over second. Jordan Giambelluca led the rest of the pack in pursuit. By mid-race, handfuls of seconds separated Stewart, Lejeune and Covington with empty track behind them. At the checkers it was Stewart’s Suzuki with a comfortable lead, Lejeune’s Suzuki in second with seconds to spare over Covington’s Kawasaki in third.

Lejeune nabbed the lead early in the second moto on his Wildwood Suzuki. Covington started building steam in second with Edler struggling a little in third in front of Giambelluca and Breaux. Lejeune went on to win the overall with his 2/1, followed by Giambelluca’s 4/3, Edler’s 6/2, Covington’s 3/5 and Breaux’s 5/4.

Jason Manuel jumped the 125 Money class on his Performance Suzuki with Tyler Begue's on his fender. Begue moved his Champion Cycle KTM into the lead while Blair Miller took a quick soil sample and re-entered the fray. Begue earned a little breathing room on the second lap with the Manuel brothers in third and fourth. The hotspot of the race was back in fourth between Kawasaki mounted, Dustin Gills and Blair Miller. Dustin Manuel gave up second place because of a bobble, while older brother Jason was feeling the heat from the Gills/Miller war. Begue kept a fast, consistent pace out front while the Gills/Miller war cooled into the Miller/Gills chase and moved past Jason Manuel with one lap to go. Shawn Gunderson had worked his way up to pass the Manuel brothers into fourth, but Begue kept his lead from Blair Miller and Dustin Gills at the end.

Gills gathered in the lead in the second moto, closely followed by Begue and Miller. Miller uncorked a new gear on the class and surprised Begue with a move and a preferred line through the soft ruts in the gulley. Begue went around the other side to prove him wrong. But Miller finally made it stick back to the western corner of the track to draw his bead on Gills. He made a quick pass on Gills never to relinquish his lead and won with a 2/1 finish. Gills took second at the checkers, but third overall behind Begue’s 1/3 finish.

Johnny Moore and Michael Wagner raced away from the 250 Intermediate class. Nicholas Fisher recovered from a poor start and scratched his way up to fourth, but could never find the answer for Steven Boll who finished third behind Moore and Wagner.

Rob Lamunyon tried to hang onto to Moore’s quick start in the second moto, but Moore managed to slip his grasp on his way to a 1/1 sweep. Wagner was second fastest but went down and lost his spot. Boll scored second with his 3/2 in front of Nance’s 5/3, Fisher’s 4/4 and Wagner’s 2/6.

The 65 Open was a three man runaway with Thomas Covington, Stone Edler and Andrew Pierce, all on KTMs and in this order with room between them virtually the whole first moto. The three KTM pilots raced four motos later in the 65 (7-9) class, finishing in the same order, but with Stone Edler having to recover from a mistake to keep his spot in second from Pierce.

In the second moto of the 65 Open, Edler had to pass into second, Pierce went down hard on the step-up, was examined by the medic and remounted to keep his position! But Covington went on to sweep.

Pierce got the last laugh, however when he charged up to win the second moto of the 65 (7-9). Edler scored second and Covington third.

MS flier Kyle Gills took his Bardwell Yamaha to the front of the Schoolboy class with TX rider Mason Guin and LA’s Mitch Gourney in third. This class had to be restarted due to an injury on the track and Gills got top spot again with Gourney, Guin, and north LA stars Nicholas Fisher and John Moeller holding off western LA’s Caleb Bertrand. Gills put much track between himself and his competitors en route to victory.

Gills got ahead of the class again in the second moto and smoothly went on to victory with Gourney in second, Trenton Suire third, Fisher fourth and Bertrand fifth.

Chase Romero looked the fastest in the Open Money class on his Yamaha 450, but the young speedster from Baton Rouge, Tyler Begue kept pace and learned his lines. Coy Hobgood re-emerged onto the racing scene in third, with the Kawasaki’s of Blair Miller and Dustin Gills on the move through the pack behind him. Gills picked up his pace on lap two and began to close on the leaders. Hobgood led elder statesman Chris Craft in the chase for third by mid-race with Miller moving up for a pass. Romero began to open his lead while Gills passed Begue, with Miller leading Hobgood 10 seconds behind them. Chase Romero lost his lead somewhere on the back straight, allowing Gills to take the win, with Begue in second and Miller third.

The fun was over on the second-to-last race, the second moto of the Open Money. First Wendell Simmons landed with Chris Craft on the big second double of the back straight. Simmons remounted right away, but Craft was slow to rejoin the race. Romero went down hard on the back straight when he tried a strong inside line through some grass that hid a stump. His bike went end-over-end over the double while Romero smashed into the jump face. Unlike Romero, he didn’t move – he was knocked out cold. He awoke to a couple of broken legs, a bloody nose and a possible helicopter ride. Eventually he was taken to North Oaks Hospital in Hammond by ambulance. Gills went on to win the class with his 1/2 over Miller’s 3/1 and Begue’s 2/5.

Jenna Schillage found success on her KTM with a 2/1 over Staci Brown’s ½, Kaitlyn Hayes’s 4/3 and Meredith Lamunyon’s 5/4 in the Women’s class. Hoot Parker went unchallenged on his way to victory in the +40 class.

Thanks to Brand Scaffolding Company and Randy Fairburn for a really nice, high, covered tower to work from.        

Results:

50 OIL: 1. Max Currie (Yam); 2. Kayla Jo Craft (Hon); 3. Ray Mitchell (Yam); 4. McKarlee Ingram (Yam); 5. Chance Woodard (Kaw).

50 (4-6): 1. Chase Rock (KTM); 2. Ashton Castjohn (KTM); 3. Abby Cascio (Cob); 4. Troy Williamson (KTM); 5. Rylan Thayer (KTM).

50 (7-8): 1. Cannon Shirah (KTM); 2. T-Don Lerille (Pol); 3. Peyton Whatley (Cob); 4. Hank Van (KTM); 5. Brandon Williamson (KTM).

50 OPEN: 1. T-Don Lerille (Pol); 2. Chandler Lebeouf (KTM); 3. Cannon Shirah (KTM); 4. Peyton Whatley (Cob); 5. Brandon Williamson (KTM).

65 BEG: 1. Josh Ballard (KTM); 2. Chandler Lebeouf (KTM); 3. Tanner Leger (Kaw); 4. Colby Penn (KTM); 5. Kade Daniels (KTM).

65 (7-9): 1. Andrew Pierce (KTM); 2. Stone Edler (KTM); 3. Thomas Covington (KTM); 4. Shaw Guillotte (KTM); 5. T-Don Lerille (Suz).

65 (10-11): 1. Dylan McClendon (KTM); 2. James Waldrop (Kaw); 3. Kye Broom (Suz); 4. Nick Rideout (KTM); 5. Gatlin Hubbard (KTM).

65 OPEN: 1. Thomas Covington (KTM); 2. Stone Edler (KTM); 3. Andrew Pierce (KTM); 4. Dylan McClendon (KTM); 5. Cody Barnhill (KTM).

85 BEG: 1. Brandley Geinn (Hon); 2. Hayden Johnson (Yam); 3. Chase Brownfield (Hon); 4. Aaron Henry (Yam); 5. Blake Latiolais (Hon).

85 (7-11): 1. Alex Lejeune (Suz); 2. Jordan Giambelluca (Suz); 3. Stone Edler (KTM); 4. Thomas Covington (Kaw); 5. Kade Breaux (KTM).

85 (12-15): 1. Damon Arceneaux (Yam); 2. Jude Patterson (Hon); 3. Ky Thames (KTM); 4. Tanner McDaniel (Kaw); 5. Mason Hume (KTM).

85 OPEN: 1. Damon Arceneaux (Yam); 2. Brett Borg (Suz); 3. Alex Lejeune (Suz); 4. Mason Hume (KTM); 5. Ky Thames (KTM).

SCHLBY: 1. Kyle Gills (Yam); 2. Mitch Gourney (Suz); 3. Nicholas Fisher (Hon); 4. Caleb Bertrand (Yam); 5. John Moeller (Yam).

125 BEG: 1. Nick Pigott (Hon); 2. Garrett Airhart (Yam); 3. Eli Chunn (Yam); 4. Christian Sullivan (Yam); 5. Justin Lyons (Yam).

125 NOV: 1. Ross Dimm (Kaw); 2. Justin Pittman (Yam); 3. Jacob Heintze (Yam); 4. Jordan Champagne (Yam); 5. Dwayne Glass (Suz).

125 INT: 1. Branden Miller (KTM); 2. Kyle Gills (Yam); 3. Mitch Gourney (Suz); 4. Trenton Suire (Yam); 5. Clayton Nance (KTM).

125 MONEY: 1. Blair Miller (Kaw); 2. Tyler Begue (KTM); 3. Dustin Gills (Kaw); 4. Shawn Gunderson (Yam); 5. Eli Hurst (Hon).

250 BEG: 1. George Loewen (Yam); 2. Ben Tate (Hon); 3. Cody Dickens (Yam); 4. Wesley Qualls (Hon); 5. Michael Cangemi (Hon).

250 NOV: 1. JC Weaver (Kaw); 2. Zac O’Briant (Kaw); 3. Kyle Wood (Suz); 4. Lance Richard (Kaw); 5. Joey Morgan (Hon).

250 INT: 1. Johnny Moore (KTM); 2. Steven Boll (Kaw); 3. Clayton Nance (KTM); 4. Nicholas Fisher (Hon); 5. Michael Wagner (Hon).

WOMEN: 1. Jenna Schillage (KTM); 2. Staci Brown (KTM); 3. Kaitlyn Hayes (Hon); 4. Meredith Lamunyon (Yam); 5. Shelby Wood (Yam).

SEN+30: 1. Scotty Hubbard (KTM); 2. Dan Marino (Kaw); 3. Larry Cain (Yam); 4. Corey Romero (Kaw); 5. Cody Lecompte (Hon).

SEN+40: 1. Hoot Parker (Hon); 2. Randy Fairburn (Kaw); 3. Wayne Simmons (Suz); 4. Pat Sorrells (Hon); 5. Kenny Guiteau (Hon).

SSR: 1. Potts Thomas (Yam); 2. Stephen Pershall (KTM); 3. Mike Alf (Yam); 4. Mark Trepagnier (Yam); 5. Donald Lee (Kaw).

125/250 OPEN: 1. Johnny Moore (KTM); 2. Branden Miller (KTM); 3. Clayton Nance (KTM); 4. Steven Boll (Kaw); 5. D.J. Cortez (KTM).

OPEN MONEY: 1. Dustin Gills (Kaw); 2. Blair Miller (Kaw); 3. Tyler Begue (KTM); 4. Coy Hobgood (KTM); 5. Zach Lawler (Kaw).