Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green Lake Whitney and Oak Hill Report

March 23, 2007, 1:49pm

IRVINE, Calif. (March 22, 2007) – Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green racers captured 14 championships during the opening rounds of the amateur motocross season at Lake Whitney and Oak Hill.

At the first round in Lake Whitney, Texas, several Team Green riders were unable to race due to injury. The injured riders included: Cody Robbins (Huntersville, N.C.), broken arm; Adam Cianiarulo (Port Orange, Fla.), broken collar bone; Blake Green (Riverside, Calif.), broken ankle; Austin Stroupe (Lincolnton, N.C.), broken thumb; and Hunter Hewitt (Pilot Point, Texas), broken wrist.

The team may have been down riders, but optimism remained high. P.J. Larsen (Awendaw, S.C.) stepped up to earn a championship in the 125cc BTH 17-25 class aboard his KX™250F. Tyler McSwain (Shelby, N.C.) brought home two championships in the Jr. Supermini 9-11 and 85cc 7-11 Mod classes. In the Jr. 25+ A/ProSport/Expert class, Team Green swept the podium with Keith Johnson (Carver, Mass.) taking the win. Shaun Kalos (Surprise, Ariz.) and Austin Squires (Cresson, Texas) earned second and third place respectively.

The following week, the team headed to Oak Hill, Texas, where Stroupe made a notable return from injury and captured two championships in the 125 Pro and 250 Pro classes aboard his KX™250F and KX™450F.

“He started slow, but Austin (Stroupe) picked his battles and continued to show remarkable speed during his races,” said Amateur Motocross Supervisor Dave Gowland.

In the 125 Intermediate Stock and 250 4-Stroke Non-Pro Mod classes, Michael Hall (Murrieta, Calif.) also won two championships of his own. Larsen earned his second championship of the season with a win in the 250 A Mod class with teammate Stroupe just behind him in second.

Additional amateur championships were captured at Oak Hill by Johnson with wins in the 35+ and 30+ A classes, Kalos in the 25+ A class, Earl May (Tallahassee, Fla.) in the 40+ class, and Sara Price (Riverside, Calif.) in the Women 65-112 through 15 years.

“Our amateur racing program is very strong and deep in talent,” said Gowland. “Our early results are hopefully an early indication at how well Team Green riders will do this season.”

The next national amateur motocross race is the NMA World Mini GP, which takes place in Las Vegas beginning April 9.

Kawasaki Championships

2007 Lake Whitney Spring National
Lake Whitney, Texas

Keith Johnson – Jr. 25+ A/ProSport/Expert
P.J. Larsen – 125cc BTH 17-24
Tyler McSwain – Jr. Supermini 9-11 and 85cc 7-11 Mod

2007 GNC Final
Oak Hill, Texas

Michael Hall – 125 Intermediate Stock and 250 4-Stroke Non-Pro Mod
Keith Johnson – 35+ and 30+ A
Shaun Kalos – 25+ A
P.J. Larsen – 250 A Mod
Earl May – 40+
Sara Price – Women 65-112 through 15 years
Austin Stroupe – 125 Pro and 250 Pro

For photos of this event and additional news and race results, visit www.kawasaki.com/racing.