No Fear “March Madness” Sweeps Barona Oaks Raceway
On Saturday and Sunday March 24-25, 2007 at Barona Oaks Raceway in Ramona, California, No Fear premiered its “March Madness” motocross event, the opening round of the inaugural No Fear Moto X America Tour. Held in warm, sunny conditions, over 350 riders signed-up to compete in the two-day event, the normally quaint and casual Barona Oaks Raceway turned upside down as motorhomes, Fun Movers and pickup trucks and trailers all scratched and clawed their way around the venue’s hills and valley’s looking for a parking spot. In fact so overwhelmed was the track and its staff with the turnout that practice had to be pushed back a few hours to accommodate all those who were registering to race.
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“When we decided to create the “March Madness” event and selected Barona Oaks Raceway in which to hold it at, we weren’t really quite sure what to expect,” said Britt Galland, No Fear Vice President of Marketing. “We wanted the event to have a strong “grass roots” feel to it and to have something for everyone — especially for the younger riders as well as for riders that were maybe a little newer to the sport. To be honest, we were a little worried people would not quite be sure what to make of the event before it started. However, we had a vision for it, worked hard to make it come together, and had the benefit of a number of great sponsors backing us and our cause. So when we got to the track at 5 A.M. on Saturday morning and saw a traffic jam entering the track, we were quietly pleased.”
Like clockwork, beginning at approximately 10 A.M. on Saturday morning, one classification of motocross bikes after another roared out from behind the starting gate. And when all was said and done on Sunday afternoon, the winners were awarded with bright blue plaques and prizes. Of the 34 classes at “March Madness”, many were made up of a full gate of competitors. For instance, in the Lites Beginner class, Jake Schryver rode his number 42 Yamaha to victory over 29 other riders via 2/1 moto scores. Keeping Schryver honest was Aaron Smith and his number 731 Kawasaki who went 1/2 for second overall. Nitro Johnson (cool name!) rode his Suzuki to third overall. In the Lites Novice classification, Johnny Jelderda, Clayton Murillo and Mitch Alcorn placed first through third, respectively, getting the better of 24 other riders. Ranger Laidman on the number 799 Yamaha won the highly competitive 85cc Open class over Kyle Wolack, Eric Yorba and Eddie Bustin. In what was perhaps the youngest and most inexperienced class of the weekend, youngster Kaydee Donohue led five other Honda’s to victory in the 50cc First Timer Shaft class. And while Donohue was taking his first step in the sport, it was quite a big one as he beat nearly 20 other riders to the checkered flag. Good going, Kaydee. Meanwhile, in the 50cc First Timer Non-Shaft class, it was Matthew Blackburn winning the overall on a KTM. Also on KTMs, Joshua Martz, Nate Tholl, Nikos Zeller and Banning Taylor all followed Blackburn across the finish line. Clayton Murillo (Yamaha), Ryan Strausbaugh (Yamaha), Shane Godbey (Honda) and Ivan Ramirez (Honda) placed first through fourth in the Motocross Novice race. Chris Tibbetts beat Tommy Hendry, Jedidiah Rodriguez and Benji Silva to claim the Motocross Beginner class. Dakota garner won the 12-16 year-old Schoolboy division with a perfect 1/1 moto sweep. Johnny Jelderda went 2/2 for second, and Mitch Acorn was third with a pair of third place moto scores. Jeff Lindenmayer defeated five other Hondas to win the 40 Years+ Beginner class, while Pete Tholl won the 40 Years+ Novice class. Other class winners included Geoff Walters (30 Years+ Intermediate), Josh Huerta (Lites Open), while Andrew Renteria defeated his brother Joseph to win the hard-fought 85cc First Timer class. There were numerous other winners and standouts at the No Fear “March Madness” motocross race and to see who did what, just take a glance through the results pages on this website.
With the weekend of racing complete, the No Fear “March Madness” presented riders with numerous prizes and gifts, all courtesy of No Fear, FMF, Factory Connection, Spy, OGIO, Fortress, Haro Bikes, So. Cal, Renthal, Etnies and Racer X .
“For our first time holding a race like “March Madness”, we were extremely pleased with the turnout of riders we had and all the positive feedback we received from the riders and their families,” added Britt Galland of No Fear. “Everyone on-hand genuinely seemed to enjoy the event and the festivities that went along with it. We’ll be back next year and we hope everyone who attended “March Madness” will too. Next stop: Broome-Tioga in New York!”
The second round of the No Fear Moto X America Tour — dubbed “Spring Mayhem” — will take place on May 5 and 6 at Broome-Tioga in Binghamton, New York. A classic natural terrain motocross circuit, up until just last year, “Binghamton” (as it is better known), hosted the AMA National Motocross Championship for 26 consecutive years.
Online registration for Spring Mayhem is encouraged as gate pick is based on order of sign-up. Race day registration will also be available. To learn more about The 2007 No Fear Moto X America Tour — including the five venues the Tour will visit — please visit the No Fear Moto X America Tour event website at www.motoxamericatour.com.
