The “Screw U” section at Unadilla has to be one of the steepest on the circuit. To add to the technicality, riders drop down, slam on the brakes for a U-turn, then climb back up with virtually no run at the incline. When pro riders struggle just to make it to the top you know it is hard.
Mike Alessi obviously began the season very strong, but since then he has been struggling. The Jagermeister/KTM rider had one of his worst performances so far this year in New York, going 13-13 for 14th overall.
Last year at Unadilla, Tommy Hahn was perhaps the fastest rider of the day in the first moto, moving from just inside the top 10 to second. This time around, his results were not quite as good, but he had two consistent motos that amounted to a top ten overall performance.
Loretta Lynn’s often marks the graduation of several riders moving onto the professional racing ranks. Last year saw the likes of Christian Craig, Tommy Weeck, and Justin Weeks all take their first pro licks at Unadilla. This year, Austin Howell was perhaps the biggest name coming out of Loretta’s using his pro license for the first time. The Suzuki standout from Red Bluff, CA was able to pit under the Rockstar/Suzuki/Canidae rig and scored 18-15 finishes in his first go. Not too bad.
No matter how many times you see it, factory equipment is always captivating. The machined fork lugs and brake caliper, red anodized fork guard screws, titanium bolts, and safety wired hydraulic bleed bolt on Andrew Short’s Red Bull Honda are about as unobtainable as you can get.
TAGS: ama motocross, Christophe Pourcel, clemente desalle, dean wilson, james stewart, Justin Barcia, kelly lumgair, kickstart, nationals, new berlin, new york, racing, ryan dungey, trey canard, unadilla, unadilla valley sports center
