Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki Gopher Dunes Race Report

Rife
takes third straight moto win

Kamloops,
B.C.(July 20, 2010) After
a three week break, the 2010 Monster Energy CMRC Canadian Motocross
Series resumed this past weekend with the Gopher Dunes round in
Courtland, Ontario and the Leading Edge team looked to keep the
momentum rolling after their double podium performance at the
previous round in Morden, Manitoba.

Considered one of the roughest tracks on the circuit, the deep sand
of the Gopher Dunes facility tests both man and machine to the
limits. Showcasing the performance of their C4MX modified Kawasaki
KX250F's, Spencer Knowles grabbed the first moto holeshot to keep the
team's undefeated string of starts alive, with his teammates Shawn
Rife and Teddy Maier coming around close behind. As he proceeded to
pull away, the sand monster got the best of him and Knowles made a
mistake and went down, setting up a battle for the lead between his
teammates, Rife and Maier. Maier made the pass on his teammate for
the lead and with only several laps left looked to have his fourth
moto win of the season in the bag when the unfortunate happened –
he stalled his bike. This allowed Rife through to take his third
straight moto win and luckily Maier was able to re-fire his machine
and salvage valuable points in the championship.

The stage was set for redemption in the second moto and Spencer
Knowles was determined to prove that, just like at Morden, even a bad
gate pick wasn't going to keep him from getting to the first turn
first as he grabbed his second straight holeshot and ensured that
Leading Edge would remain undefeated in the start department in this
2010 season. As Knowles lead the pack again, his teammates were in
their usual close proximity to the front. Maybe a bit too close, as
the Sand Monster reached up and bit Knowles once again, causing him
to go down. Unfortunately, his teammate, Maier, was caught up in the
wreck and was forced to remount at the back of the pack. The Iowa
native wasn't about to give up though, and in a ride that showed that
the champ wasn't about to give up on his dreams of defending his
title, put on a valiant charge to ride his way all the way back up to
fourth by the time the checkered flag flew. Meanwhile, first moto
winner, Rife, was battling for the lead and hoping to make it a
second straight clean sweep when he reinjured the foot he broke at
the Edmonton round and was forced to retire from the race. He will
have it evaluated this week and hopes to be able to return to action
soon.

Now
the team heads to Ste. Julie, Quebec for the next round of the
series. Off the calendar for the 2009 season, in the 2008 season it
marked the teams successful debut with a 1-2 finish with riders Maier
and Nick Evennou so confidence is high as the series makes a return
stop. For more information on the Monster Energy CMRC Canadian
Motocross National series, check out www.cmrcracing.com

For
more info and photos of the team, check out our team website at
www.leadingedgeraceteam.com

The Monster Energy
Leading Edge Kawasaki team would like to thank the following sponsors
for making their 2010 racing effort possible:

Monster Energy, Leading Edge Motorsports, Parts Canada, Thor,
Kawasaki Canada, LeadingEdgeDeals.com, Gold Business Machines, Pro
Circuit, C4MX, Faction MX, Podium Grafix, Pirelli, Ipone lubricants,
Ogio, Mechanix Wear, Zeta, T.M. Designworks, Furious clothing,
Boyesen, Hinson, Alpinestars, Matrix Concepts, Sunstar, D.I.D,
Kyocera, DRC, Acerbis, Magnum MX, JE Pistons, Renegade Fuels, All
Balls Racing, DVS shoes.