The first event on the 2010 WA Motocross calendar was action packed and left spectators and riders salivating at the prospect of two more night-time events before the WA Motocross Championship Series even gets underway.

There is always some additional excitement associated with the first open event of the season, riders have new bikes, new sponsors, new gear and new hopes for the season ahead and it is usually the first event where we see the most number of competitors, this was no exception with rider numbers increased over the same event on the 2009 calendar.

The drive up to Dongara from Perth cost me a new windscreen but only took a few hours (which was nothing compared to some riders who traveled south to Dongara from as far as Newman in the Pilbara) and we were greeted by howling winds, dust and a jammed pit area.

Any pop up tents that weren't secured to the ground became lethal weapons! You could really feel the excitement and anticipation in the air, as well as the dust, sand and grit that was being blasted into your skin.

The Geraldton club and Irvin Earthworks really did a great job of preparing Whyatt Farm for a long(!) night of arenacross racing action (lets not mention the word 'transponder', OK?).  The lighting could have been better in some parts of the track but they really did a good job of the layout. The finish line tabletop was set up well with many riders choosing to whip their bikes in spectacular fashion past the hordes of spectators who lined the fence there. The whoops and challenging rhythm sections also provided a great spectacle as riders did their best to race through each obstacle.

Most had hoped the windy and dusty conditions would abate by nightfall, and thankfully they did.

Practice began for the senior classes on time and the 50cc and 65cc junior classes completed all of their races before nightfall (the junior classes raced their events in between practice for the seniors). After the final chequered flag fell it was clear that local boy Jai Gimimez had won the 50cc class, even though a simple mistake cost him the win in the first moto.

In the 65cc class Michael Outram was skimming the whoops like Chad Reed and took the win to easily claim his first trophy of the season, ahead of Alyssa Harris and Lochie Giminez.  All of the junior riders in the 50 and 65cc classes really showed some guts to tame the challenging arenacross track that was really designed for the bigger bike classes.  

In the 85cc/150cc field it was Pilbara rider Robbo Lovett who blitzed the class with three moto wins. Dongara local Jack Perkusich and West Coast Honda's Riley Carter kept him honest though, and traded positions all night to complete the podium.

Wellard Yamaha Junior Development Team rider Daniel Strickland and Sun City Motorcycles' Brodie Fewster were in a class of their own in the 125/150/250F's as they gapped the field and traded wins throughout the night. Strickland was on his game out of the starting gate and made it hard for 'Fewie' to make a pass. Fewster eventually managed to steal a win from Strickland but when the final moto was completed it was Strickland with two wins and a second to take the overall win from Fewster in second place and Carson Bascombe in third.

There were so many clubman lite riders that the class had to be split into two groups, with one final moto with the top riders from each group to determine the overall winner. Newman's Blair Outram was dominant on his KTM in the A field and it looked to me like he had been training all summer long for this first event of the season (he probably would have been at the pointy end of the field in the intermediate class). Ben Curtain was no slouch either, dominating the B field before finishing second behind Outram in the final. Ethan Evens completed the podium with another solid performance.

Sun City Motorcycles' Jake Fewster was unstoppable in the Clubman Open class. His starts were brilliant and he gave his competitors little chance to catch him as he ran away with the overall. Dongara Motorcycles' Ashley cole was the only rider who managed to steal a few points from him all night finishing second overall with a race win. Michael Ansty finished third overall.

The Intermediate Lites class was all Shaun Cornick's. He took maximum points in every moto and left no doubt among spectators and fellow competitors alike as to who had done their homework in the off-season. Road and Race's Reece Liptrott shared the remaining podium places with Mathew Wilson.

Five Star Yamaha's Josh Herbert was another rider who stamped his authority on the rest of the field in his class. The Intermediate Open field had nothing for the young charger. Mathew Gannon did his best but a trio of second place finishes was the all he could manage. Sun City Motorcycles' Jamie Martin was consistent and finished up in third place on the night.

In the veterans class it was a welcome return to the MX racing scene for both Brett 'Blueflame' Muller and Shaun Baxter. Both riders had not raced competitively in over twelve months, however that didn't stop either rider from showing the crowd they had lost none of their pace at the pointy end of this highly competitive class.  Who says 'oldies', as the commentator so affectionately referred to them as, can't put on a show?

Muller used local track knowledge (as well as endurance) to his advantage and almost took the class win, but a couple of simple mistakes cost him. Shaun Baxter showed he has lost none of his fitness and stamina by taking the overall win in both the veterans class and the half time foot race (complete with MX boots, pants and helmet!). Welcome back Shaun!

Hannah Lovett was the solo women's class rider and she raced with the vets. Hannah rode pretty well too, finishing well inside the top 10 among the 'oldies'. Congratulations Hanna we look forward to seeing you out there again this season.

The Pro Lites were dominated by Five Star Yamaha's Paul Humberston. 'Humbo' looked fit and fast on the new Yamaha and sent out a warning to everyone that he was ready to challenge for the WAMX Lites Championship title that he narrowly missed out on in 2009. Prestige Honda's David Birch had a great battle with West Coast Honda's Chris Ruttico to finish second and third respectively. 'Birchy' managed to steal a win away from Humbo but it wasn't enough to take the overall in the class. The Lites class never fails to put on a great show and the swarms of spectators who lined the fence around the circuit were not disappointed.

First Racing's Dean 'Dizzy' Porter, The Dave Malcolm sponsored Shane Murray and Mandurah City KTM's Louis Calvin had battled all day long in the Pro Open class. Calvin took the honours over Murray, followed closely by Porter ('Dizzy was chewed up and spat out by his bike after sliding out in the whoops), followed closely by MRN Racing's Ryan Haddon. Haddon deserves the 'Pass of the Night' honour when he laid a clinical block-pass on an unsuspecting Jamie Shaw in the penultimate corner of the track, sending Shaw over them berm and out of podium contention.

With all of this excitement, everyone was eagerly awaiting the 3 x 5 lap feature event, the Midwest Marathon. This would be a test of endurance where the top riders from the Pro Lite and Pro Open classes combined to battle over three five lap sprints with only a two minute rest between motos.

The first race saw Calvin sprint away to an early lead and hold off Shane Murray for the win. West Coast Honda's Jamie Shaw put in a superb ride to finish in third ahead of Lites rider David Birch. Porter suffered a get off in one of the tight sandy corners of the track after challenging for the lead early but he had shown Calvin enough of his front wheel to make him think about it in the second moto of the feature.

The gate dropped in the second moto and again it was Calvin and Porter who shot ahead of the field. This time it seemed that Porter wasn't going to let Calvin run away with it and passed him with only a couple of laps remaining. Calvin had nothing left in the tank and had to settle for second place. Paul Humberston finished in third on his 250F.

With one moto remianing Calvin just had to finish in a podium position to take the overall, but after being passed by Porter he seemed to lose his nerve and ended up withdrawing from the race.  He wasnt the only one to do so as fitness seemed to play a cruicial role in deciding the podium positions.

When the chequered flag waved for the final time it was Dean Porter with the overall win followed by David Birch second, and then Samuel Hill in third. Sam, better known for his single trail downhill mountain bike skills, has stepped up to the Pro Open Class this year after showing he had the speed and skill on a 450cc bike in the Intermediate Open class in 2009. We look forward to seeing Sam out there again this season.

The first open event of the 2010 season is now complete and riders now know where they stand among their peers.  With only a few weeks to improve on their bike fitness before the next arenacross event at Coastal Park on the 20th February they have it all ahead of them.

We really enjoyed the Dongara Arenacross and would like to thank the Geraldton Motocross Club for their hospitality.

See you out there in 2010!

[click here to view the first gallery of images from this event]