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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2005-08-24, Page 1474w9rtrytimpripprimmir#4,7--- —"WPM"- 14- THE HURON EXPOSITOR, August 24, 2005 4 Sports Susan Hundertmark photos Above, racers on Saturday kick up some mud as they take off from the starting gates while at right, a rider makes a jump despite muddy track conditions. While amateurs enjoyed near perfect conditions on Wednesday and Thursday, rain Friday washed out races that day and made conditions more challenging Saturday. But, hard work and a dry Sunday brought back the crowds and good track conditions for pro riders. Walton TransCan enjoys record crowds, despite Friday's rainout By Susan Hundertmark Expositor Editor While three inches of rain washed out Friday's action and created difficult racing conditions and muddy tracks Saturday, Walton TransCan nationals still met last year's record attendance Sunday, says Chris Lee of Walton Motocross. "It worked out fine but it was nerve-wracking. It was like farming. You do all the things you need to get your crop off but you're still dependent on the weather," he says. With full classes of 700 riders and more than 900 entries, Lee says the line-up Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. went one and a half kilometres both ways from the motocross park. "We had to use a shoehorn to get them all in. They were Tined up from our place to the restaurant in Walton," he says. The amateurs had "almost perfect track conditions" on Wednesday and Thursday. But, rain that began Friday at 2 a.m. and started up again around 11 a.m. ended races that day. "Normally the amateurs race three races but we had to cancel one full round of races so everyone completed two motos each," says Lee. "It's disappointing because they came to race and three races gives you a chance to make up a mistake. The third race can make a big difference in your results." Water had to be pumped off of sections of track on Friday and tracks were still muddy on Saturday but "we got through it." says Lee. Lee says he appreciates the volunteers from the Walton area and from local service clubs and minor sports organizations who "persevered through horrible conditions." "It would have been very easy to walk away and they didn't," he says. Sunday, attendance soared and brought the total back up to last year's numbers of 25,000. "There was good racing Sunday. The track dried up - the guys worked really hard to get the mucky stuff off of it. They worked their buns off," says Lee. The pro racers got all their races in and the first- time East vs. West shootout between pro racers created some excitement for the crowds. "They went head to head and it went really well," he says. Racers from all over Canada filled the classes this year with regions from B.C. to the Maritimes filling their guaranteed gates in many races. An auction of the riding gear of five -time national champion Jean Sebastian Roy, of Quebec and of London, Ont. -area pro rider Doug De Haan raised close to $1,000 for Seaforth Community Hospital. Results for local riders include Mackenzie Machan, of Molesworth coming fourth in the 50 cc for four to six year olds and Lucas Godkin, of Walton, coming 11th in the same category. Mitchell Godkin, of Walton, came fifth in the 50cc for seven to eight year olds. Cody Richmond, of Brussels came 27th in the 80 cc race for seven to 11 year olds and 29th in the 60 cc pee wee race. Tyler Listman, of Kinburn, came 12th in the 80cc for 12 to 16 -year-olds. Bruce Godkin of Walton came 30th in the vet junior and 31st in the plus 40 race. 1enjannh1 \k ie Partnei Paint & Paper t; It r Decorating or Renovating? 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