Once a year, the AMA circus takes a trip north of the border to Toronto, and it’s always an adventure. The dirt, being frozen for much of the year, comes inside and thaws during the weekend, which causes havoc for the racers and track builders alike.
GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL rider Kevin Windham was strong all weekend in Toronto, despite the changing, soft, rutted conditions on the racetrack. In the main, Windham got a horrible start, but began moving forward quickly.
Despite some mistakes, and some allergies, he nearly got another top-five finish, having gained 11 spots during the main event. He ended the night in sixth.
“I actually thought I rode really well, but I was sick and I couldn’t breathe from like the 10th lap on,” Windham said. “I started getting bad ringing in one ear and I was very disoriented and off-balance due to a sinus infection I had. I’ve been having some pretty major allergies. But it was a tough weekend for me. But the reality is that was the best I could do from 17th [off the start]. I mean, maybe I could’ve gotten IT and gotten into the top five, but if I started in the top two or three, it would’ve been a pretty easy weekend.”
In the Lites class, replacement rider Daniel Blair got a strong start in the main event, despite having a poor gate pick, but then he was balked by another rider
and was forced to battle around at the tail end of the top 10, eventually finishing ninth.
Blair’s teammate, and last week’s race winner, Blake Wharton made a big mistake early in the main, going down in a rhythm section, and remounting not only last, but a couple of straightaways behind the next-to-last racer. Still, he put his head down and charged, finishing the night in tenth.
“I figured the track was rough and people might be getting tired or making mistakes,” Wharton
said. “I figured I should get up and catch up to what I could, and I caught up to 10th, which I thought was pretty good. If I wouldn’t have made that mistake and been a little bit more patient, I might have ended up with a top-three or top-five, or something a little better.”
From here, the AMSOIL sponsored team heads to Jacksonville, Fla. for round 14 of the AMA Supercross Series, and round eight of the Lites Eastern Regional Supercross Championship, on April 4 inside Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.
GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL rider Kevin Windham was strong all weekend in Toronto, despite the changing, soft, rutted conditions on the racetrack. In the main, Windham got a horrible start, but began moving forward quickly.
Despite some mistakes, and some allergies, he nearly got another top-five finish, having gained 11 spots during the main event. He ended the night in sixth.“I actually thought I rode really well, but I was sick and I couldn’t breathe from like the 10th lap on,” Windham said. “I started getting bad ringing in one ear and I was very disoriented and off-balance due to a sinus infection I had. I’ve been having some pretty major allergies. But it was a tough weekend for me. But the reality is that was the best I could do from 17th [off the start]. I mean, maybe I could’ve gotten IT and gotten into the top five, but if I started in the top two or three, it would’ve been a pretty easy weekend.”
In the Lites class, replacement rider Daniel Blair got a strong start in the main event, despite having a poor gate pick, but then he was balked by another rider
and was forced to battle around at the tail end of the top 10, eventually finishing ninth.Blair’s teammate, and last week’s race winner, Blake Wharton made a big mistake early in the main, going down in a rhythm section, and remounting not only last, but a couple of straightaways behind the next-to-last racer. Still, he put his head down and charged, finishing the night in tenth.
“I figured the track was rough and people might be getting tired or making mistakes,” Wharton
said. “I figured I should get up and catch up to what I could, and I caught up to 10th, which I thought was pretty good. If I wouldn’t have made that mistake and been a little bit more patient, I might have ended up with a top-three or top-five, or something a little better.”From here, the AMSOIL sponsored team heads to Jacksonville, Fla. for round 14 of the AMA Supercross Series, and round eight of the Lites Eastern Regional Supercross Championship, on April 4 inside Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.
Until then, we'll see you at the races.
