Swanepoel endures testing Millville national.

The Lucas Oil AMA Pro National MX
series passed the halfway point in sweltering and testing conditions as
round 7 of the 12 round series was held at the Spring Creek Motocross Park
in Millville on Saturday.  DNA Shredstix/Star Racing Yamaha’s,
Gareth Swanepoel, made the most of a difficult qualification session as
over night showers had drenched the sandy circuit and made track conditions
rough and rutted. 

Grabbing a good start in moto 1
‘Swanie’ positioned himself in 6th and kept pushing
to hold consistent lap times.  Around the halfway mark he made some
mistakes and lost his rhythm allowing Tomac, Durham and Barcia to
pass.  He quickly regained his composure and then put his head down
re-passing Tomac and Durham to finish in a strong 5th
position.

The second moto would not get off
to a good start for Swanepoel.  He had to get ride of his goggles on
the first lap and rode the entire moto getting blasted with sand and rocks
however the gutsy South African fought through to salvage 12th
spot.

“The heat was really
overwhelming this weekend,” admitted Swanepoel.  “This is
the worst I have experienced so far in the US but I used it to my advantage
and could make up positions when the guys in front of me faded.  The
track was really gnarly and demanding.  It’s a big learning
experience for me as it’s the first time I’ve seen most of
these tracks and I have to bang in some fast laps and get on the pace from
the get go.  I would like to put together two strong consistent
moto’s in Washougal and then build from there.”

Race results:

Round 7 of 12

250 Class (Moto Finish)

1. Tyla Rattray, Durban, South
   Africa, Kawasaki (2-1)
2. Dean Wilson, Glasgow, Scotland,
   Kawasaki (1-2)
3. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace,
   Calif., Kawasaki (3-3)
4. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas,
   Yamaha (4-4)
5. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn.,
   Honda (7-5)
6. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich.,
   Kawasaki (6-9)
7. Wil Hahn, Wichita, Kan., Honda
   (9-8)
8. Gareth Swanepoel, Johannesburg,
   South Africa, Yamaha (5-12)
9. Gannon Audette, Minneapolis,
   Minn., Yamaha (15-10)
10. Jason Anderson, Las Cruces, N.M.,
    Suzuki (14-11)

250 Class Championship
Standings

1. Dean Wilson, Glasgow, Scotland,
   Kawasaki - 305
2. Tyla Rattray, Durban, South
   Africa, Kawasaki - 289
3. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace,
   Calif., Kawasaki - 284
4. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas,
   Yamaha - 199
5. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda -
   190
6. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich.,
   Kawasaki - 170
7. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga.,
   Honda - 152
8. Gareth Swanepoel, Johannesburg,
   South Africa, Yamaha - 145
9. Martin Davalos, Quito, Ecuador,
   Suzuki - 128
10. Darryn Durham, Butler, Pa., Honda
    - 122