The first round of the East Women’s Nationals was July 11th at Gopher Dunes, ON where 31 ladies entered to race. It was a 30 degree (Celsius) day at the Dunes and the track was incredibly rough, as Gopher always gets on race day.
Both moto 1 and moto 2 were dominated by reigning champion, Eve Brodeur, who also took both of the Canada’s Motorcycle Holeshot Awards on her KTM 250 2-?stroke. In second place for both motos was the #6 of Kim Normandin, who has greatly improved from last year and rode a solid 2 motos without mistakes.
The #3 of Abbrielle Tardelli got out front in moto 1 and stayed there, earning her a third place finish for the first moto. Unfortunately in the second moto she fell in the first corner and had to battle her way up to the front of the pack. She went dead last to 8th place in the second moto, giving her 5th overall on the day and the Dunlop Hard Charger Award.
The top ten overall from Gopher were:
1. Eve Brodeur
2. Kim Normandin
3. Kassie Boone
4. Allie Argue
5. Abbrielle Tardelli
6. Madison Seguin
7. Cassandra Belanger
8. Robin Hutchinson
9. Heather Bennett
10. Alexandra Raymond
Laminacorr Racing cheques and Kutvek Pit Boards where handed out to the top 3 girls at the podium: Eve Brodeur, Kim Normandin, and Kassie Boone.
KTM rider contingency cheques were also given to Eve Brodeur, Abbrielle Tardelli, and Madison Seguin on the podium. (Rider contingency went up to 10th place, and these girls went 1st, 5th, 6th)
Mongoose Machine gift certificates were given to Allie Argue and Madison Seguin on the podium! These girls are excited about getting a huge discount on a Rekluse clutch and an Innteck front brake rotor kit.
The Oakley Speed and Style Award was given to Robin Hutchinson, who looked calm and collected and surprised us with an 8th overall on the day. For most of the second moto, Robin was running 5th!
To top it all, at the end of the day we had our Draw Table for all of the girls who participated, so that all the ladies could go home with a prize! This is the highlight of the day: it brings all the ladies together at the end of the day and girls of all skill levels get to take home a prize!
This year, Chloe Metcalfe took home the first Jimmy Weinert Training Facility gift certificate! She was super excited to get to opportunity to go down South to train and ride!
A huge thanks goes out to all of our sponsors (this series wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable without you):
Canada’s Motorcycle, FXR, Dunlop, Laminacorr Racing, KTM Canada, Duroy KTM, Kutvek, Ventilation Benoit Léveillé, Steve Normandin, Gamma Sales, Fly, Dragon, Just 1, Motovan, Scott, Ogio, MD Distribution, Deft Family, Mika Metals, Mongoose Machine, Oakley, Troy Lee Designs, Nihilo, MX101, Evans Coolant, Canadian Motoshow, Wheelsport KTM, CORE offroad equipment, and of course CMRC.
Also thank you to Direct Motocross, MXP, and Guaranteed MX for giving us media coverage.