Matt Goerke Posted: 05/24/09 We must throw in a shout-out to Suzuki City’s Matt Goerke, who moved up to the 450 class this summer and put in a great ride in moto two. Matt had unknown bike trouble in moto one, but retaliated for a top-10 in moto two. 1124 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Chris Pourcel Posted: 05/24/09 Pourcel’s convincing win in moto one had many in attendance marking him down as the favorite for the title (this writer included). What happened in moto two was sort of inexplicable though, as he seemed to simply fade away, never showing the perfect style we’ve come to admire in his short stint here in the States. He explained it later as simply not being able to find a rhythm, and backing down a bit to prevent any costly mistakes. Unfortunately for him, there was a pack of ultra-fasties right on his rear fender when he backed ‘er down and he ended up 7th. On the bright side though, 1-7 was good enough for 2nd overall, so he got to take a guitar home anyhow (although that huge gap in points between himself and Dungey in the 2nd moto had to hurt). He was visibly unhappy with his ride afterwards. 1142 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Trey Canard Posted: 05/24/09 We’ve gotten this far without even mentioning one of the obvious title hopefuls in the 250 class, Trey Canard. Trey rode great and looked incredible much of the time, and when he nabbed the holeshot in the first moto that got red-flagged, he quickly redeemed himself by getting the next one, too. He ran up front with his chomping-at-the-bit rookie teammate Justin Barcia for a long time, but made a mistake and ended up off the podium overall. 1102 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Sheri Cruse Posted: 05/24/09 Switching gears back to WMA class contenders, meet Sheri Cruse. A SoCal local, Cruse is better known for her skills on a WORCS track, but made a pro debut in Lakewood, CO last summer that really put her on the map. She ran 2nd for a long time in Glen Helen, ending up 3rd overall behind Fiolek and Jessica Patterson. 1318 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes
Tyla Rattray Posted: 05/24/09 This guy COULD be running a big fat #1 in the GP’s this summer, but instead he decided to chase the AMA #1 plate her in the U.S. this summer. Tyla Rattray is a fiercely fast and competitive racer, and everyone on the track will have their work cut out for them. He admittedly backed off a bit in the first moto to end up 4th, but forced the issue on the rougher track a bit more in moto two and got past his fading teammate (Pourcel) to see if he had Dungey’s pace up front. He ended up 2nd in that contest, and 3rd overall. 1094 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Rattray Posted: 05/24/09 A better shot of that sand whoop section in the front part of the track, with Rattray showing his South African (and very Grant Langston-esque) form. 1059 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Ricky Dietrich Posted: 05/24/09 Who the heck is #539? Well, many on hand were more used to seeing him with a #1, as 2007 WORCS series champion Ricky Dietrich upheld the honor of the off-road racers on hand by moving up through the top 10 clear to 7th place (passing Josh Hill and Tommy Hahn on the way). Unfortunately a flat rear tire on the final lap dropped him way back to 11th, but Dietrich was happy with his ride, no doubt. 1068 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Blake Wharton Posted: 05/24/09 “Hey, remember me?” That must be what Geico Honda’s Blake Wharton must’ve been thinking, as two of his teammates (Barcia and Canard) stole the spotlight at Glen Helen. It wasn’t that long ago that came blazing onto the scene at Millville last summer, impressing the hell out of the pundits by running up front in his pro class debut. It’ll be interesting to see how Blake fits in to the insanely stacked 250 class this summer, so keep an eye on him. 1110 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes
Weston Peick Posted: 05/24/09 Who the heck is Weston Peick?? That was a commonly asked question all day Saturday, as yet another rookie worked his way up into the top 10 in the 450 class. As to the question of who he is, well, we really don’t know. Please comment if you have some good info on him. 1360 Views 1 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Alessi Posted: 05/24/09 Alessi – man, it sure looked like he was going to nab his first win as he seemed very comfortable and fast, fast, fast out front of the 2nd moto. It’s almost inconceivable that Ricky… err, RYAN (dang, we did it again) was able to make up so much time on a track that was as gnarly as this one was. The fact is, though, that in chasing Alessi down, Ryan also caught and dropped Chad Reed (not to mention Grant) on his way to the win. 1068 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Stroupe oops Posted: 05/24/09 Oh whoa is he. Wow, we never would’ve guessed that Austin Stroupe wouldn’t be a factor at Glen Helen. He was on the short list of potential winners on just about everyone’s list before this fall in the first moto took him out of contention. Moto two was a little better, but Stroupe was essentially degraded to pack-fill, along with teammate Jake Weimer. Certainly a day they’d both rather forget. 1112 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	In pursuit Posted: 05/24/09 See that? That’s how you go blowing through a ridiculously rutted and bumpy straightaway and put time on Chad Reed. If you need any other instruction, just check out next week’s action in Hangtown… 1249 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes
More pursuit Posted: 05/24/09 In hot pursuit, Villopoto closes the gap on Alessi in moto two on the biiiiiiig uphill step-up late in the day. Check out the texture there – there’s a lot going on in this photo, folks. 1468 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Riding away. Posted: 05/24/09 After the deed has been done, the two former amateur rivals renew their rivaly in the sport’s premier class, on what they both referred to as the roughest race track they can remember ever having ridden. 1302 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Fast pack. Posted: 05/24/09 Feeling fast? Hop into the middle of these guys and be humbled. Trey Canard tries desperately (and unsuccessfully) to fend off teammate Barcia, as Christophe Pourcel and Ryan Dungey chase them both. Not far behind were Tommy Searle, Tyla Rattray and Austin Stroupe. 942 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Dungey Posted: 05/24/09 Initially toward the tail-end of this ultra-fast group of riders was Dungey, who eventually worked his way past everyone and into the lead for good. 945 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes