Mount Morris A High Point For Amateur Racers
Photos by Mini Greiner
Mount Morris, PA (June 16, 2019) – The 2019 High Point Amateur Motocross, round five of the PAMX Thor Championship Spring Series, took place on June 14-16 at High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania. Held the day after the High Point round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Series, the race is part of MX Sports Pro Racing’s expanded amateur racing program, which provides some of the fastest amateurs in the country an opportunity to compete on the same course as the top professionals in the world. The program was established to promote the continued growth of the amateur racing component of the world’s most prestigious off-road motorcycle racing series – the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.
Getting to race on the same track as the pros is an opportunity that’s both inspiring and educational for our up-and-coming amateur riders. Timmy Crosby, the winner of the 250 All Star A/B class and one of the 721 entries at the High Point event, shared his thoughts on getting to race on the same track as the pros, and his sentiments are shared throughout the pits.
“This is always my favorite weekend of the year,’ said Crosby. “The track is in such good shape from all the prep they did getting it ready for the pro race, and it’s so cool to race on it the day after the pros.”
Crosby (Yam) won both motos in the 250 All Star A/B class, his 1-1 performance topping Vincent Luhovey’s 2-2 for the overall victory. Crosby led from start to finish in moto one, however Luhovey (Suz) put up a fight in moto two.
“Luhovey got off the line in front of me in the second moto, but I was able to get by him before the end of the lap,” said Crosby. “I had a good line in the rollers and I was able to double the whole way through and I think he doubled the first two but had to roll the rest of it so I was able to get him there. Once I got by him, he just kind of stayed right there until the finish.”
Jarrett Thompson (Yam) went 3-3 for third overall in the 250 All Star A/B class.
The Jr. Mini (7-13) class featured a great battle between Blake Pressdee and Logan Hilliard. In moto one, Pressdee (KTM) and Hilliard (Hus) swapped the lead several times during the first few laps, with Pressdee making a decisive pass on the final lap over the Ricky Carmichael Catapult jump to take the win. The second moto started much the same as the first, however Pressdee was able to separate himself from the pack midway into the race to claim another win.
Pressdee took the overall win with his two moto victories, while Hilliard settled into the runner-up slot with two seconds. Breyden Campbell (Kaw) went 3-3 for third.
Hilliard returned later in the day to win the Mini Sr (12-15) class with a pair of moto wins. Breyden Campbell (Kaw) was second overall with a 3-2 finish and Alex Schnur (Hus) was third with a 2-3 score.
“High Point is my favorite track on earth,” said Hilliard. “It was so cool to get to watch the pros on Saturday and then to win in the Mini Sr class today; it was awesome.”
In the 250 B race, Jacob Lesco fought off challenges by Jurek Rubalcava to claim the overall win, posting a 1-1 finish compared to 2-2 for Rubalcava.
“Rubalcava was right on me in both motos,” said Lesco. “He pulled right next to me, but I was able to keep him behind me to take the win. This is my first overall win at this track and I’m excited about it.”
Bradley Nowakowski posted a pair of thirds to claim third overall.
The Senior age classes featured some of the biggest entries of the day, and Export, Pennsylvania’s Steve Roman came out on top of the highly competitive 25+ class with a perfect 1-1 moto tally. Meanwhile, Michael Fowler finished second overall with a 2-2 moto tally, while Billy Kibler rounded out the podium with a 3-3 finish.
Roman also swept the 30+ class, winning both motos to take the overall win ahead of Nathaniel Kronk’s 3-2 and Billy Kibler’s 2-3.
Roman won the opening moto of the Open A class, beating Jason McConnell and Timmy Crosby to the checkered flag.
“I got off to an awesome start in that first moto and just rode my race,” said Roman. “I felt like I was picking up time on those guys in some of the downhill areas and High Point has a lot of downhill sections.”
Vincent Luhovey took control of the second moto, crossing the finish line ahead of McConnell and Roman. After the moto scores were counted, McConnell’s 2-2 performance was good enough to take the overall win, with Roman finishing second with his 1-3 score. Luhovey rounded out the podium with a 4-1 finish for third overall.
In the Schoolboy 1 (12-16) class, Jayden McCurdy beat Calen Suto and Tyler Capane to win the first moto. The second moto was an exact replay of the first, giving McCurdy the overall with with a perfect 1-1 score. Suto (2-2) was second overall and Capane (3-3) was third.
In the Supermini (12-15) class, McCurdy used consistency to claim the overall win with a pair of runner-up moto finishes. Breyden Campbell was second overall with two third place moto finishes, while Alex Schnur finished third overall with a first and a fifth in the two motos.
Reid Miller (1-1) won the Open B class over Jacob Lesco (3-2) and Robert Peri (2-3). Miller also won both motos in the Collegeboy (14-24) B/C class, taking the win over Joseph Balkovic’s 3-2 and Tanner Flemm’s 2-3.
Other class winners included Tyler Capane (2-1) in the 125 B/C class; Maya Edwards (1-1) in the Women 12+; Blake Pressdee (1-1) in the 65cc (10-11) class and Neal Hart (1-1) in the +40 class.
The 125 All Stars race is another new component to the Pro Motocross weekend, and the High Point race was one of the most exciting of the season. The 125 All Star race takes place on Saturday, in between the Pro races and this weekend Chase Yentzer took the win ahead of fellow KTM rider MacCoy Shine and Husqvarna-mounted Luke VonLinger.
Every Pro National Motocross in 2019 will feature the special 125 All Star class, which was created to provide an opportunity for the manufacturers that still make 125 two-strokes to showcase these bikes. The 125 class fills a huge gap between 85’s and 250’s, so MX Sports is helping to fill the void by making 125 two-strokes as part of the pro afternoons.
For information about the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, please visit ProMotocross.com
