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29th Annual Motorama
Presented by: Trailway Speedway
Harrisburg, PA - Farm Show Complex
February 17-18, 2007
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By:
Shane Hartman
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29th Annual
Motorama ATV Arenacross Race & Show
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Creek Cycle's Jason Dunkelberger Sweeps the ATV
Expert Classes |
Harrisburg, PA - The 29th annual Motorama
event returned to the Harrisburg Farm Show Complex in
the heart of a snow covered Pennsylvania. The complex
is one of the largest in the nation and boasts over 25
acres of enclosed grounds. Along with a large number of
returning contenders, many new faces were seen in each
of the events presented throughout the weekend. Motorama
is not just a single event, but offers something for
the entire family all under one roof. The complex becomes
a host to everything from Arenacross, Jump Styling contest,
Speedshow, Tunerwar, Robot Conflict, Go-Kart racing,
Spina-Bifida Charity Auction, the Ms. Motorama Pageant,
and an all new Sport Bike Freestyle show.
Day One – Saturday
Scion returns as the main sponsor of the Tunerwar. Even
though snow reaped havoc on Pennsylvania roads leading
up to the event, the attendance exceeded last year and
filled the entire Expo Hall. The Speedshow and Dealer
Expo kept many occupied, although it was the sport bike
freestyle show that grabbed the most attention in-between
arena cross racing in the main arena. With the commencement
of the Arenacross finals, the main arena’s 7,000
seats were quickly filled while many more spectators
filled the remaining standing room.
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Motorama
Arenacross Track |
The arenacross track remains virtually unchanged from
year to year, which gives those that have competed in
the past a slight advantage in preparation for the event
because the track may be short and small, but it is
not for the faint of heart as there aren’t any
easy jumps on this track. The track consist of a double-
double combination with the second leap launching the
riders over 40 feet which was attempted by only 4 of
the expert ATV racers. Kale Witmer was the first to
nail the jump while Dunkelberger, Dibble and Fink were
able to conquer the jump soon after. Next up is a wicked
series of five whoops followed by a small double, and
then it is time to get on the gas for a high speed dash
across the arena floor followed by a right hand turn,
which leads to the largest jump on the track. The triple
jump is just about a 55 feet in length, but with only
a short run to the face and only a few feet to stop
after the landing before hitting the arena wall, not
even the top pros even attempt the triple during competition.
Even though the arena track is tight and technical is
still doesn’t deter hundreds of riders from coming
back year after year to display their motocross skills
in front of a packed arena of cheering fans.
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ATVRiders.com
member, Cody Wills aboard his new race quad, which
was Travis Spader’s 2006 Yamaha YFZ450 |
Shaun Lawton focuses hard as he lead the Open
B class on Saturday in Group A |
While ATV racers from Western and southern states are
able to ride year round, riders from the north east
are forced to escape to indoor events to obtain seat
time. With racers from each of the Pennsylvania surrounds
states, the amateur class quickly filled. It was decided
to split the class in half to allow more riders a chance
of racing in front of a packed arena. Andrew Ace was
the first rider to take to take a final win with a pump
of a fist as the checkered flag flew in the 4-Stroke
B class (Group A). Steven Emm was followed up by Shaun
Lawton who was being hunted by Karl Lehman. The number
99 machine of Thomas Perfetto scored the win in the
second half of the 4-stroke B class. The Open B class
(Group A) win belonged to Shaun Lawton. Aaron Friese
marked up a win on his nearly stock 450R when he crossed
the finish line in front of Andrew Ace and Frankie Perez
in (Group B). The 50 Limited class winner was Colten
McCarthy; while Bren Marra led the 71-90 class from
start to finish.
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