Spring Creek's famous start. Posted: 07/23/09 This is the classic shot of the Millville National - made so by the lens of Simon Cudby over the years, and copied by many others ever since. What makes it so unique is that it gives a chance to take in almost the entire start straight plus nearly all 40 gate positions from way up high in the tower, and that's unique in the series. The Spring Creek track is one of the many gems on the circuit, with soil in many sections quite similar to that of Red Bud - sandy. There are also a few massive elevation changes that are hardpacked and that get quite bumpy. This year, there was a lot of talk about how smooth the track was for the racing, which makes it tough for the front-runners to break away from the pack. Don't tell that to Ryan Dungey, though... 1744 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	The crowd. Posted: 07/23/09 Another highlight of Millville is the crowd presence around the podium following the race. Having whipped themselves into a fervor after their boy Dungey put on a riding school in both motos, they rushed the podium to show their affection up close and personal. It always makes for a tight scene, and maybe even a little bit too 'intimate' at times, as riders are pretty much mobbed as they get off their bikes. 962 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Millsaps' return. Posted: 07/23/09 Young David Millsaps finally made his return to racing following a long and drawn out recovery from an injury sustained so long ago that we can't even remember where it happened. He showed he was ready to come back though, snagging a hard-fought 3rd in the 2nd 450 moto, which of course caused many a pundit to beg the question: "What IF?" 726 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Beef Goerke. Posted: 07/23/09 Another Southeast rider who made the comeback this past weekend was Suzuki City's Matt Goerke. Matt was becoming a pretty solid 450 guy last season for MDK/KTM, but was left out in the musical chairs shuffle for silly season and ended up on Suzuki's support team. No worries though, as Suzuki City gets quite a few good parts from the factory plus they're an RG3 tech center, so the bikes are good and had Goerke not been injured early in the season, he'd likely be top 5 every weekend. He proved that in Millville after not having raced for two months, coming back with a very hard fought 9th in moto 1 after going down in turn one. Look for Matt to be up there for the rest of the season, for sure. 791 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes
Kyle Regal Posted: 07/23/09 Speaking of fast privateers, how about that Kyle Regal? We mentioned him last weekend after putting in a solid ride at Red Bud (before his bike quit) and this weekend he did it again. Regal ended up 6th in moto 2 after battling the entire time with many of the sport's top names. He earned the Muscle Milk Recovery Award because the difference between his 25th in moto 1 and 6th in moto 2 was quite a remarkable one. This kid just might be going places...if there's anyplace left to go as silly season shakes out. 1021 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Tickle me Broc. Posted: 07/23/09 Named after Broc Glover, Tickle must be the surprise of the season in the 250 class. Most people didn't even expect him to be the fastest on his Division 7/Star Racing team let alone consistently one of the fastest guys on the track, period. The kid did it again in Millville, going 5-6 after fighting with most of the Geico squad in the process. He ran 3rd for a while too, giving in only late in each moto. Look for Broc to land on an even better team next season. 751 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Needs a new nickname. Posted: 07/23/09 JLaw doesn't quite fit anymore. There has to be a better way to describe the raw potential and speed while contrasting it with a complete lack of results - or even finishes. Jason Lawrence continues to mystify us, but at least he's showing up at the races and despite not finishing most of them, it is fun to have him around. He made it 4 laps into moto 1 and DNS moto 2. 970 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Michael Hall Posted: 07/23/09 Speaking of Division 7/Star Racing, it's been so long since we've seen Michael Hall on a race track that we forgot he even rode for the team. The kid shows great speed from time to time and looked to be progressing. An injury in Supercross has left him on the sidelines for quite some time, though he was showing brilliance at times. He came back at Millville with a mildly impressive 12th in moto one, but look for him to pick it up beginning this weekend at Washougal 700 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes
250 moto 1 start Posted: 07/23/09 A bit of action in the first turn for the 1st 250 moto shows Dungey looking to check out as Tommy Searle hopes to go up the inside. Also up front (and probably a little surprised about it) is journeyman Sean Borkenhagen (#85), who despite being on the TLD/Seaway team has been driving to the more eastern races in a van with his dad. 924 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Hospitality. Posted: 07/23/09 The Monster VIP area is packed at most races, but not quite as much as it was at Millville. The fans came out in droves on this pretty much chilly day, with temperatures ranging from 50-60 for probably the coolest Spring Creek National in history. According to most riders, everything about the day was perfect for racing. 726 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	More Star Racing. Posted: 07/23/09 Another great performance by a Star rider was put in by Darryn Durham, who himself has shown some good speed this season. He ran 5th for almost the entire 2nd moto, which was a really impressive ride and nearly earned him the Muscle Milk Recovery award after his 15th in moto 1. 674 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Coops Posted: 07/23/09 Cody Cooper - the other half of the JGR/Toyota Yamaha team, had a bit of an off day at Millville. After mustering only a 12th in moto one following a bad start, he moved up to 8th in Moto two, passing Wey just before the finish. Not bad for Coops, but not where he was last year on much less remarkable equipment. 720 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes
Metcalfe. Posted: 07/23/09 Brett Metcalfe is running right where everyone expected him to - podium'ish and/or battling every single moto with the guys who do end up on the podium. HIs 2nd moto battle with rookie teammate Justin Barcia was one for the ages, as the two danced around the circuit for several laps before Barcia got the best of him in a truly amazing pass that nearly saw the two collide mid-air. 731 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Sparse? Posted: 07/23/09 Crowd turnouts have been a hotly debated topic this year, and Millville was no different. It did seem a bit thin at times, but more dispersed than usual, and so harder to judge. Official numbers are tough to come by, but it's safe to say that the jury's still out on the switch to Saturday races - at least as far as the on-hand crowd is concerned. 974 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	No Love. Posted: 07/23/09 One rider that doesn't get a whole lot of attention despite putting in pretty solid rides every weekend is Boost/AMPM's Nick Wey. He rode well at Millville, moving forward for the duration of both motos and finishing just behind the factory guys both times out. Wey went 8-9 for 8th overall, which was the top privateer and a great finish in just about anyone's book. 1003 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes