by: Tim Clark
Tuesday, March 28, 2017 | 12:00 PM
Round 2 of the Onsia Sound Art Women's Motocross Championship (WMX) took place this weekend as part of the Freestone Spring Championship under blue skies and on a great track - and included the top WMX racers in the series. It was Team Green Kawasaki's Hannah Hodges who took the overall win for the second race in a row, posting 1-2 moto finishes and taking both MyLucasOil.com holeshot awards.
In Moto One, it was Hodges with the holeshot just inches in front of the WMX current champion, Kylie Fasnacht, followed by Jamie Astudillo and Eve Brodeur. Hodges led the race from start to finish with Fasnacht unfortunately making close friends with a sand berm allowing Astudillo to make the pass and take over 2nd place. Brandy Richards had a mid-pack start and eventually put her Yamaha into the 3rd podium position. Shelby Rolen took fourth followed by Brodeur. Fasnacht remounted and was able to finish 10th overall.
The start of Moto Two was a replay of Moto One with Hodges grabbing her second MyLucasOil.com holeshot. You could almost throw a blanket over Hodges and Fasnacht as they crossed the holeshot line. Astudillo was once again in hot pursuit in third - but in turn two, the combination of a slick surface and too much throttle quickly turned Astudillo into a speed bump for the other riders. Richards moved into the 3rd spot followed by Brodeur and Rolen. Halfway through the race, and with additional traffic, Fasnacht pulled the trigger on Hodges and took over the lead to the finish line. Richards stayed consistent holding down the 3rd spot with Rolen moving into 4th. Brittany Gagne and Amanda Brown both recovered from slow starts to move into the 5th and 6th positions.
Hodges' 1/2 moto finishes gave her the win on the day followed by Richards (3/3) in 2nd, Rolen (4/4) for 3rd and Fasnacht in 4th with 10/1 moto finishes.
Round Three of the Onsia WMX will take place April 9 as part of the FMF California Classic at the Pala Raceway in Southern California. For more information about the series, go to RaceWMX.com. For more information about the Pala event or to register to race, go to CaliforniaClassicMX.com
FREESTONE WMX RESULTS
- Hannah Hodges 1/2
- Brandy Richards 3/3
- Shelby Rolen 4/4
- Kylie Fasnacht 10/1
- Amanda Brown 6/6
- Eve Brodeur 5/7
- Jamie Astudillo 2/10
- Brittany Gagne 8/5
- Marissa Polencheck 7/8
- Lauren Woods 9/9
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Hannah Hodges #172 - 1st Overall
In the first moto, I got off to a good start and started building a solid lead. When I got to the pit board I had a huge lead so I started just riding smart and tried to conserve my shoulder for the next moto, after hurting it earlier in the week. In the second moto I got a good start again and was beginning to pull a little and then got tangled with a lapper and just tried to ride smart at that point since I knew I had the overall.
Brandy Richards #19 - 2nd Overall
My races didn't go too badly. In the first moto I started fifth and got into second by the third lap but ended up going down pretty hard but got up as quick as possible. I fell back to fifth and ended up salvaging a third. In the second moto I started in fourth and got into third pretty quick and just set a good pace and stayed there. I'm not the happiest with my results but I have a lot to take from these races and all I can do now is go home and work harder so I hopefully put up a little bit more of a fight next time!
Shelby Rolen #445 - 3rd Overall
I got off to a top 5 start in moto one and ran with Jamie Astudillo for the first couple of laps. I was running 5th and with falls from Fasnacht and Richards found myself running in 3rd. I started losing back brakes on lap 4 which led to me riding tight and getting arm pump. I faded really bad with the arm pump and ended up giving 3rd back to Richards with about a lap and half to go. After the moto, I was far from happy with how I rode so I regrouped and came to the line for moto 2 prepared to ride the way I know I can. This time I got a solid start and found myself in 4th at the end of lap one. I put my head down and just simply rode my own race and tried to keep my mistakes to a minimum because I knew my 4-4 was going to be good enough for a podium spot. I was much more satisfied with my riding in moto 2 despite the same finishing position, I felt like I rode much better. All in all my starts were much better than Daytona and honestly I have always struggled with the track here at Freestone so I will take a 3rd overall as a personal victory and move on the next one. My 4 motos scores are the best I have ever started a season out with so I am really looking forward to what 2017 has in store for me!
Kylie Fasnacht #1 - 4th Overall
In the first moto I had a second place start behind Hodges. Followed her for two laps or so and was getting closer on third lap. I sent it off a single going into the sand sweeper and my bike shot sideways instead of straight. I did my best to save it but I failed at doing that and took a face plant to the berm. I got my breath back and took back off, then fell again on the 4th lap in a turn - just a minor tip over - got back up again and was almost being lapped by Hodges at that time. My handlebars were bent to crap and my arm was killing me from my bike plowing me in my first crash, but I knew if I got lapped by her that would only make it harder for me at the end of the day (results wise) as with that extra lap I was able to make more passes to move more ahead, so I was able to get a decent gap between Hodges and myself even riding the way I was and I was able to salvage a tenth place that race.
I was feeling sore coming into second moto but knew that all I had to do was ride the race and be smart to take the win home. I jumped off the gate solid, yet again coming out right behind Hodges, then tracked her for a few laps, got my lines dialed and pulled the trigger, I believe, on lap four or five where we were catching lappers. Then I just focused and worked on getting a gap between the two of us to take home the second moto win. A 10-1 for a 4th overall. We're hungry, healthy, and ready for Pala.
Jamie Astudillo # 469 - 7th Overall
Freestone had its ups and downs, started off the first moto in third and quickly dropped down into 4th. By the third lap I made my way into second, capitalized on the tip overs the other girls made and just rode smart and tried to improve every lap and got my first second of the season. The second moto didn't go as planned, I got off the start in 4th and wanted to make quick passes, got on the gas a little too hard coming out of the second corner and slid out. Unfortunately I got hit by another girl and banged up my arm pretty bad. I tried to ride as hard as I could, but with the rough the track, my arm couldn't take all the hits and also my bars were pretty messed up. So I just pushed through it as hard as I could and made a few passes and got back to tenth. Tough second round for me but happy with how I'm riding so hoping for 2 more podium finishes at round 3!
About ONSIA® Sound ART™
Sound Art™ introduces an entirely new way to listen to music in your home or garage, letting users enjoy personalized, custom artwork as well as high performance sound. ONSIA®'s flat panel design allows the entire surface of your artwork to generate high quality sound, which provides an incredibly robust listening experience. Sound Art™ elegantly hidden behind a high grade textured canvas wrap, bring together the best of engineering and design. This innovative design allows you to have Bluetooth® connectivity with the high quality of sound you expect without the bulky speakers.
Art never sounded so good™. For more information go to www.onsia.com.
About Women's Professional Motocross Championship
The Women's Professional Motocross Championship (WMX), an AMA National Championship, features the world's fastest female outdoor motocross racers. The 8-round series begins with the Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross at Daytona International Speedway in March and concludes at the Loretta Lynn Ranch in August. It includes stops at premier motorsport facilities across America, with events in Florida, Texas, California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Tennessee. These top female pro racers compete in a two-moto format on machines ranging from 125cc to 250cc. The WMX series is managed by MX Sports Pro Racing, a West Virginia-based company and industry leader in power sports event production. For more information, please visit www.racewmx.com or call (304) 284-0101.