Racer X Holeshot Award
The seventh round of the 2006 Toyota AMA Motocross Series went off under the warm sun at Thunder Valley Raceway in Lakewood, Colorado. The eventual winners of the Toyota Pro National were the usual suspects: Makita Suzuki’s Ricky Carmichael and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto. But the four riders who scored the Racer X Holeshot Bonus Awards were something of a surprise.
The start at Thunder Valley is soft and wide, sweeping up to the right. With the high altitude, proper jetting was crucial to ensure a good jump off the gate to get to the first turn first, where the Racer X Holeshot line was drawn and Carl Stone stood ready with his camera.
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In the first 250F moto, Star Racing/Lucas Oil Yamaha’s Bryan Johnson got his YZ250F to the Racer X Holeshot line first, pocketing $500 for his efforts. It’s good, too, because Bryan didn’t fare that well, suffering a DNF in the first moto and a 21st in the second. This was the first time a blue bike made it to the stripe first this summer!
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After seeing his roommate Johnson pull the holeshot in the first 250F moto, Team Honda’s Davi Millsaps continued where he left off at Unadilla and got his CRF450R to the Racer X Holeshot line first to collect $500 (that’s $1,500 in three motos for “Duke”). He then led the field for four laps before #4 took over. James Stewart was also able to get by Millsaps, and Davi finished third in the moto.
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In one of the closest starts we’ve seen all year, current 250F points leader Ryan Villopoto narrowly edged out Team Honda’s Andrew Short for the $500 Racer X Holeshot Award. This was Villo’s second holeshot of summer, and the Washington native then went on to chalk up his fifth overall win of the first seven races—including four in a row. Short, on the other hand, had his CRF250R grenade before they completed two laps, ending his hopes for an overall win in front of his hometown fans.
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For the first time since Barry Carsten did it at Budds Creek, a full-on privateer nailed the Racer X Holeshot Award, and this time it came in the second moto of the 450 class when Kawasaki pilot Kyle Mace dropped the hammer on his KX450F and narrowly edged out Millsaps for the $500. With the heat, the altitude, and the uphill start, Mace’s holeshot was impressive—well done, Kyle! Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep the #717 in the points in either moto and finished 32-38 on the day.
