Maxxis General GNCC
Matusek Masters Maxxis General
By Debbie Allen
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Mention one name, Andrew Matusek, and it will automatically coax a smile. It only comes natural since it’s a natural for him, and at the second round of the Grand National Cross Country Series, he had one, big reason to shine. He was the spotlight in the Amateur’s overall position.
Coming in fifteenth place in overall, he maneuvered his KX 250 into high gear and moved in for his win. He got a fifth place start on the fifth row’s flag. After achieving the lead in 4 Stroke A, he pushed hard to pass the three other classes who started ahead of him.
“I got a good start, and the first lap I tried to ride smooth,” said Matusek. “I felt excellent the whole time and didn’t get arm pump or anything. Maybe I could figure out how that happened. I’m sure a lot of people would like to know.”
Top speed looked like it was no problem for him. If you disagree, then ask Kawasaki Team Green / Fox / Pro Circuit / Race Day Pics / Roll On Throttle why they supported him. He was awesome and his style for racing held nothing but the potential for a great future in this sport, but he’s not the only one. There were several other riders racing in the amateur scene who appear to be looking down the same path. They just keep getting better and better with each new race.
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To name a few more: Kailub Russell and Jeffrey Bowman [24] also hit the spotlight, not only winning their classes but also finishing in second and third top amateurs placements.
Russell got an early lead in the 200 A class. He manhandled his KTM Hard Parts / Power Sports Graphx / Enduro Engineering backed 200 EXC and was the first rider into the woods. Then he pulled away, passing every 250 A rider, including Bowman who won the 250 class.
Bowman had a good race going with Joseph Scherer. Up front, Bowman struggled with a bad start. He got pinched off, moving back to ninth place, and Scherer was in the lead for most of the first three laps. With help from Andrew’s Cycles, MX Tech Suspension, and Moose, he made an aggressive move and passed Scherer midair on the motocross track.
The frontrunners for the morning race included former Champion, Scott Plessinger [5]. He had a good ride, but might be interested in talking with Matusek about that arm pump thing. He got the lead quickly and pulled about thirty seconds on Geico supported Duane Conners [3] but then struggled with that age old dilemma.
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He said, “My arms pumped up bad and Conners was creeping up behind me. I could see him coming, but I don’t think he saw me. I just tried to relax, and it got better, but I don’t know. The track was rough, but if you pretty much stayed in the middle, you’d do better, so that’s what I did. Other riders who took the outer lines struggled a little bit.”
Shane Nalley and Doug Blackwell were also in the morning race line up. They both have been out of the racing scene for a long time. Nalley was happy to get his fifth place finish while Blackwell was just happy to be out there having fun.
Nalley said, “When I was with him, Blackwell was riding smooth. He made a nice move out there passing four guys on the same line.”
