mx775

Mustang, Nevada; July 1, 2007

There's nothing like a good cause to make a good day at the races even better. 

For those who don’t know, this event was to help Amanda Andersen (right), who had her insurance claim denied after she suffered serious back and spinal injuries this spring at a race in Fernley. This was because her insurance policy, like many policies today, denies coverage to injuries that occur while participating in motocross races.

Fortunately, Amanda has since received some support from her friends in motocross, the latest effort being this race at Mustang. Organized by Jet Force and Nevada Motocross Development and supported by a number of local shops and businesses, all of the event’s profits were to go to Amanda to help with the expenses of her rehabilitation.

On the track, Nate Tiearney and Aron Harvey lined up as the favorites in the Pro classes, but their expected battles never happened. Just as they started to dice in the first 450cc moto, Harvey fell in a flat corner, giving Tiearney a solid lead that he would hold to the end. Then, in the first 250cc moto, Tiearney fell early in the race and hurt his arm, leaving Harvey to take an uncontested win. Tiearney decided to call it a day after that, but Harvey returned to claim the second 450cc moto win, showing off his ever-increasing reserve of speed for the locals.

But while the Pro and Intermediate classes weren't nail-biters, the day's Junior classes were more than able to pick up the slack. In the 450cc race, Tucker Ford and Aaron Whalin battled throughout much of the day, with Ford getting the nod for the overall with a 1-1 tally. The class itself, which featured numerous battles throughout, was one of the largest of the day, featuring a crowded gate in both motos. The same was true of the 250cc Juniors, which of course meant good things for the event’s cause.

The Vet classes also featured some spirited races, including a race-long affair between Daryl Haney and Craig Olson in the second 30+ moto. Although the battle meant nothing in terms of the overall result (Olson missed the first moto,) you wouldn’t have known it from watching Olson persistently stalk the leading the Haney throughout nearly every lap of the moto. It all culminated in a last-lap pass that gave Olson the moto win and Haney the overall victory via a 2-2 score.

At the end of the day, Amanda posed for a photo with the winner of each class as a way of saying thanks. I had never met Amanda before, but she seemed so genuine and appreciative that it made me glad that I had played a small role in supporting her recovery.

As for the people who did more than I, those who went to lengths of making the event happen, they should be more than glad. They should be proud.

Here are more images from the day:

Harvey (76) and Tiearney (173) were both very fast, but Tiearney's day would end just a few turns later.

This young lady showed up to support her fellow female racer.

Ford floats the step-up.

Haney is still flying the two-stroke flag, and winning with it too.

Chris Samson was one part of a solid Junior-class turnout.