2011 AMA Motocross
There wasn’t a podium finish for the GEICO Honda riders Saturday at the Spring Creek Motocross National in Millville, Minn., but that doesn’t mean the team’s riders didn’t put forth extra effort.
Wil Hahn raced for just the second time this AMA Motocoss 250cc season and was the GEICO Honda team’s top finisher. Hahn was seventh overall with finishes of ninth and eighth in the Millville Motocross motos.
Wil Hahn (GEICO Honda CRF250R Motocross) says: "I got off to a horrible start. I put myself in a really bad position, I came out around 28th. But I rode hard through the checkered flag and ended up in ninth.
"I was pretty happy with my races. The track was really rough and the humidity was just unreal. For the second moto I put myself in a good spot. I went wide and got into the deep stuff. I didn’t have the intensity at the beginning. Everyone else was riding really hard in the beginning and I just didn’t bring that intensity. Not my best day but not my worst."
Through the rain, thick mud, and with a broken nose suffered early in the day, Justin Barcia finished 12th overall at Spring Creek Motocross.
Justin Barcia (GEICO Honda CRF250R Motocross) says: "I was doing really well. I fought through the pack but towards the middle of the race I bobbled a little, crashed and smashed my face, breaking my nose. I came back to the pits and the guys had my bike broken down to put it away but I just said let’s do this."
Barcia recovered from a 36th place finish in the first moto to finish sixth in the second aboard the Honda CRF250R.
Justin Barcia says: "I’m happy I went out there. It took a lot of heart to finish the race but I made it through. I need to get some X-rays this week and make sure nothing else is broken and just take it easy for a couple days before next weekend’s race. I think boot camp helped a lot though. It toughened us up and made us stronger for this race and races to come."
Eli Tomac wound up 13th overall after finishing 29th and seventh in the motos.
Eli Tomac (GEICO Honda CRF450R Motocross) says: "Throughout the race the heat really started to get to me and I felt really weird. I needed to save myself and not put my life at risk so I pulled off the track with only a few laps left. I felt much better on the second moto with the cloud coverage so that helped. Hopefully I’ll have much more energy next weekend."
GEICO Honda’s 450 rider Kevin Windham also had a rough day but managed to power through the heat, coming in 10th overall.
Kevin Windham (GEICO Honda CRF450R Motocross) says: "I never fully recovered from RedBud. I feel like the tank is empty and I just don’t have much left. I like this track a lot and enjoy all the fans here supporting us, especially in humidity, but this heat is really getting to me and I’m not happy with what places I have been finishing in."
GEICO Honda’s riders will be hoping to race in cooler climes next weekend when the Lucas Oil AMA Motocross Championship shifts to Washougal, Wash., for the Washougal National.
