Subject: Team Am-Pro Yamaha Race Report

The race started out in Tremont Pennsylvania with sunny 85 degree weather. The track was dry and dusty in the open but perfect in the woods. This track is rockier than any other on the national circuit so it is very technical.
 
At 11:46 am over four hundred riders and twenty of them being in the pro class lined up to start the day. The line was stacked with some of the fastest boys in town, with 3 of them being from the Am-Pro Yamaha's team. (Jason Raines, Barry Hawk, Thad Duvall), team KTM (Robbie Jenks, Justin Williamson), team Geico Insurance (J.T. Bennett) and team Husky (Travis and Morgan Green).
 
When the flagged dropped Justin Williamson got the holeshot with Barry Hawk right behind. Thad Duvall had a slow start near last place and Jason Raines had a good start going with his WR 450F starting on the 1st kick, but tangled with another rider and went down in the 1st turn. Jason headed into the 8-mile course in last place. 

On the first lap Barry took over the lead with Thad and Jason trying to work their way up as quickly as possible. At the four mile marker is where things fell into place for Jason. The other riders got slowed down on a hill and Jason found a better line through the chaos and crested the top of the hill in fifth place. Then 2 miles later, the riders just in front of Jason crashed into each other and fell over, moving Jason into third place at the half way mark. During that time, Barry was leading the race and Thad had worked up to around tenth place.
 
On the second lap the riders encountered many bottle necks and lapped riders. At the 2.5 mile marker there was nearly 100 riders in line waiting to go up a hill. The pro riders fanned out throughout the woods to try and get around all the congestion. Jason Raines came out of the bottle neck in the lead, Williamson second and Hawk in third. Barry quickly moved up to second passing Williamson and catching Jason with Thad Duvall steadily making up ground.
 
From that point on was a dual between Barry and Jason for the rest of the race. By lap four Thad had worked up to third place and was trying to catch up to his teammates and pulling over a minute lead on fourth place.

The battle for the lead would rage on with Barry and Jason changing places for the lead several times. On the eighth and final lap Barry was leading with Jason hot on his heals and Thad around 45 seconds back from Jason in third. 1.5 miles from the finish is where the final jockey for position would be made, Barry was leading and was poised to take the victory when a miss calculation of an up coming lapped rider decided his race. Barry went left to go around the rider and the lapped rider thinking that Barry was going to go on the right side of him moved left into Barry knocking him off the trail and leaving an open door for Jason to get past. Jason slipped past and held on to the lead all the way to the finish with Barry right behind him. Thad held strong to finish 3rd, making it an Am-Pro Yamaha sweep at the finish!
 
This Podium sweep is the first team Am-Pro has seen in over three years. It was, I believe Yamaha's First podium sweep with all 3 riders on different model motorcycles. Jason Raines (WR450F), Barry Hawk (YZ250), Thad Duvall (WR250F).

 
Results
1. JASON RAINES
2. BARRY HAWK
3. THAD DUVALL
 
Special thanks goes out to all our sponsors, friends and family for all their support.

 

Photos provided by www.mcracingaction.com

Jason Raines
Team Am-Pro Yamaha