Hahn Continues To Roll, As Cunningham Gets Healthy!

The CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki team has been on the move since the beginning of the Nationals. In the 450 class, Tommy Hahn continues to impress with consistent top 5 rides to establish his name against the worlds best. In the 250 class, Kyle Cunningham is continuing to show his speed and grit as he continues to get healthy after a broken finger and 13 stitches in his forearm from a testing crash. Rookie sensation, PJ Larsen has also been riding extremely well but had to sit out this round due to injuries sustained last week at Freestone.

First race up was Moto #1 for the premier class where CANIDAE rider Tommy Hahn would get out of the gate mid-pack and begin his charge forward. As he began to pass riders, one would go down in front of Hahn colliding with Hahn’s Kawasaki. Hahn would remain upright and moving forward but something was obviously wrong. As it turned out, Hahn’s rear brake was damaged in the crash and he was forced to ride the entire moto with no rear brake. High Point is not the track you want to race on with no rear brake considering all of the elevation changes and off camber corners. Hahn somehow managed to finish 18th in an inspired ride.

Moto #1 for the 250 riders was next and CANIDAE rider Kyle Cunningham would jump out to a decent start in 17th and waste little time moving forward. By lap 6, Cunningham would move into 10th place where he would eventually finish after the 30 minutes + 2 laps. This was a great way to start the day for the young rider from Fort Worth, TX.

Moto #2 for the 450 pilots was on the line and as the gate dropped, Tommy Hahn would find himself inside the top 10 after the first corner. The difference was clearly visible after repairs were made to Hahn’s bike to fix the damaged rear brake from Moto 1 as the rider chased down and passed factory supported riders until he was in 4th place where he would end up at the conclusion of Moto 2. A fantastic ride for this young man as he continues to impress all. Hahn would finish the day in 10th overall and he would earn the Muscle Milk Recovery Reward for his efforts. Great Job Tommy!

Moto #2 for the 250 riders would wrap up the day and Cunningham was set to defend his top ten finish from Moto1. Not content with his 16th place as ended lap 1, Kyle went to work, leaving nothing in the tank as he raced towards the front until he had moved into 10th place. By duplicating his results from Moto 1, Cunningham would earn a 9th place overall for the day. There is no question Kyle is on the mend and as he continues to gets healthier, his speed increases. Kyle will enjoy the week break allowing crucial heal time as the series moves on to Colorado in 2 weeks.

CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki continues to perform on and off the track and continues to turn heads. Stop by and be part of something special as the series rolls into Thunder Valley Raceway on the June 27th. See you there!

Jason Cobb

CANIDAE Continues to Roll in the Lone Star State at Freestone Raceway!

The CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki team has been the talk of the motocross world with great performances in both the 250 and 450 classes for the first 2 rounds. Tommy Hahn has been flying around the California tracks and has consistently the top finishing non-factory rider in the class. PJ Larsen and Kyle Cunningham have also shown signs of front running speed in the always tough 250 class. Nothing changed when the series moved outside of California to Wortham, TX. 

First race up was Moto #1 for the premier class where CANIDAE rider Tommy Hahn would continue to battle the biggest names in the sport. Tommy would blast out of the gate mid-pack and finish lap 1 in 20th position. Hahn would move up four spots into 16th place by the end of the second lap before Hahn found himself on the ground after a hard crash in a tricky section of the Texas track. Hahn would remount quickly and begin to charge towards the front, feeling the urgency to regain valuable points. Hahn would push the limits too far and while going for a pass for position, Tommy would crash violently ending his first moto only 6 laps in. Certainly a tough break for the rider from Decatur, TX. 

Moto #1 for the Motocross Lites riders was next and CANIDAE riders PJ Larsen and Kyle Cunningham would jump out of the gate to a good start with Larsen in 10th and Cunningham in 17th. Larsen would move up as high as 8th place before he crashed in a high-speed turn and lost several positions on the track, not to mention the abuse to his body. With adrenalin high, Larsen would dig deep and finish in 12th place for the moto. Cunningham, who has been battling a broken finger and 13 stitches in his forearm, somehow manages week after week to block out the pain. Kyle would charge hard and make it all the way up to 13th place at the end of the moto, a nice finish for both riders. 

Moto #2 for the 450 guys was underway and it was not looking good early on for Tommy Hahn. After his first moto crash, Hahn was extremely sore and rounded the first corner at the back of the pack. Tommy, who earned the “Ricky Carmichael, Hard Charger Award” at last week’s race in Hangtown, put his head down and went to work. Hahn would pass at least 10 riders before completing the first lap in 17th place and another five more on the second lap. As Tommy moved up in the standings, the riders got harder and harder to pass. By the halfway point of the race, Hahn was well inside the top ten in 8th place but not finished with his charge. Hahn would get all the way to 5th place when the checkered flags flew and his great ride in Moto 2 would earn Hahn a 12th place finish overall for the day. 

Moto #2 for the 250 riders was next and PJ Larsen knew he was in trouble during his sight lap. Always one to battle, PJ would line up for the start but only make it a few turns before pulling into the pits, ending his day. Cunningham, the only CANIDAE rider left on the track, would jump out to a good start and finish lap 1 in fifth place. Trying to concentrate with his incredible pain may have caused the young rider to make a few mistakes during the moto and drop back as far as 12th place but Cunningham would dig deep and finish the moto in 10th place giving him a great 10th place overall for the day! 

CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki has proven to be top-notch performers and as tough as anyone on the track. The series heads to Mt. Morris, PA next week so make sure to stop by and say hi. See you there!

Jason Cobb

CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki Season Finale at Sam Boyd Stadium

Sam Boyd Stadium has long been the final stop on the FIM Supercross Series. A perfect place to hold a grand celebration of a tremendous year for the entire Supercross community.

The East / West Shootout brought out the top riders from the East to take on the top riders from the West for Lites Class bragging rights. CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki has 3 Lites riders that qualified for this event. Branden Jesseman would represent the East side for CANIDAE while Kyle Cunningham and P.J. Larsen would represent the West for the team. During the second practice session, Jesseman would go down hard over a tricky, triple in, double out section and knock himself out of the event. Kyle Cunningham would go down with 2 laps to go in his qualifier then suffer from a bad start in the LCQ which would result in him not making the main. The lone CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki Lites rider would be rookie, P.J. Larsen.

P.J. got pinched off in the first corner, resulting in a bad start as he flew off the ski jump in 19th place. Larsen looked like he was riding tight, as he could not cleanly get around obviously slower riders early on in the race. After lap 3, Larsen calmed down and started to move forward. On lap 6, Larsen was 17th. By lap 9, he was up to 16th then up another spot by lap 11. On the 13th lap, Larsen would move into the 14th place spot where he would eventually finish the race. This was a good ride for this young, up and coming rider. Look for him to run up front next year.

As the season ends, P.J. Larsen finishes in 10th place and Kyle Cunningham in 11th in the West Coast Points Championship with Branden Jesseman finishing in 6th place and Hunter Hewitt in the 33rd position (Hunter has missed most of the season with a broken femur) in the East Coast Championship Series.

Tommy Hahn was set to do battle in the Supercross Class and battle he did. Tommy would figure out the tricky Las Vegas track and qualify out of his heat, directly into the main event. In the main, Tommy would get a bad jump off the start and cross the finish line in 17th place. He would however show his speed and move up quickly through the field, ending up in 12th place by lap five. After a 3 lap battle with Bowers, Hahn would cross the line in 13th place at the halfway point in the race. As Hahn closed in on the riders in front of him, Hahn’s bike malfunctioned as he pounded his way through the treacherous whoops. The night was over for Tommy as was the 2009 Supercross season. Hahn would finish the Championship Series in 19th place and looks forward to heading out doors for the MX Nationals.

CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods sponsors the "Lucky Dog" L.C.Q., which is the final opportunity for all remaining riders to make it into the "Big Show.” In the “Lites” class, Daniel Blair and Chris Blose transferred into the main and in the “Supercross” class; Robert Kiniry took the win followed by Kyle Partridge to move into their respective main events.

Next up for the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki Team is the 2009, AMA Outdoor Nationals. This will be a tough series but the CANIDAE team should run up front all year. Come check it out as the season kicks off May 23rd in San Bernardino, CA. See you there!

Jason Cobb

CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki Visits the Home of the Chargers!

It was a tough night for the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki team at round 7 of the 2009 Supercross Series in Qualcomm Stadium. Kyle Cunningham #36 approached the gate with confidence in Heat 1 for his first attempt at making the Main Event. When the gate fell, Cunningham shot out quick fighting for a top 5 start but had to react quickly as two riders collided in front of him forcing Kyle to slam on the brakes, pushing him to the back of the pack. Cunningham made a great recovery as he darted to the inside in corner one. When Cunningham flew over the finish line on lap one he was 14th, just four positions away from qualifying for the Main, with only six laps to get there. Kyle went to work and by lap four, he was in 9th position and closing in on #144, Alex Martin. Kyle set up perfectly to make the pass in a tight, right hand corner and stormed underneath Martin to take the position. Martin had no idea Cunningham was there, and he turned down into the #36 Kawasaki of Cunningham, causing both riders to crash. Kyle remounted his bike in 14th with no time left to qualify for the Main Event. He would have to go on to the CANIDAE “Lucky Dog” Last Chance Qualifier.

Heat #2 featured CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki rider P.J. Larsen riding his #87 Kawasaki. When the gate dropped Larsen positioned himself mid-pack in 12th by the end of the first lap and started steadily moving forward. By lap five, Larsen was one spot out of a transfer position in 10th and time was running out. Larsen had reeled in the #186 bike of Derek Costella but did not have time to make the much-needed pass before the checkered flags fell with Larsen in 10th. Larson would enter the “Lucky Dog” L.C.Q. for his final attempt of making it in to the big show.

In the premier class, team CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki rider Tommy Hahn launched out of the gate in heat #1 and rounded the first corner in 3rd position. After a slight bobble in corner three, Tommy settled in and finished lap 1 of the eight-lap race in 5th position. Hahn rode conservatively on the extremely difficult track and easily transferred into the main finishing the heat in 7th position.

CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods sponsors the “Lucky Dog” L.C.Q. that featured team riders, Cunningham and Larsen in this short, 4 lap Lites race. When the gate dropped, the teammates shot out side by side with Cunningham on the inside as the pack funneled down into the tight left hand corner. Ronnie Goodwin on his #711 bike was on the inside of Cunningham and quickly running out of racetrack as he moved up into the #36 of Cunningham, forcing Cunningham into the wheels of his teammate, Larsen. When the bikes collided, Kyle’s bike turned sideways and slammed Cunningham to the ground in a violent crash. P.J. was able to remain upright during the collision; however, the night was over for Cunningham as the Asterisk’s Medical Crew carried Kyle off the track ending his night.

 

P.J. sustained his position in the lead pack but was still three spots out of a transfer position in 5th with 3 laps to go. Larsen moved up to 3rd by the last lap but a huge gap remained between him and the second place rider. Larsen put on an amazing charge as he pulled up to the rear wheel of the 2nd place rider, Michael Sleeter, as the pair approached the “Dragon’s Back”. Larsen held it wide open as he pulled along side of Sleeter and into the corner. Sleeter knew that Larsen had the momentum to take the final transfer position so he put a block pass on Larsen sending the young CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki rider into the blocks ending his night. 

The 450 Main Event was in the gate and Tommy Hahn accomplished another great start as the pack stormed down the track toward the tricky first corner. Hahn was forced wide and fell back a few positions, but he managed to stay inside the top 10. As the 20 lap Main Event continued, Hahn struggled with the track and by lap fifteen he found himself in 15th. Hahn was determined to improve his position and was rewarded with a 12th place finish, which was a nice recovery for the rider from Texas.

The CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki team now heads to Atlanta, GA for the 8th round of the series and the second stop on the tour for the Lites East Coast riders. It will be exciting, so check it out!

Jason Cobb

Anaheim 3 - CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki Welcomes Back Tommy Hahn in the Rain!

When Albert Hammond wrote the song with the lyrics “It never rains in California,” he obviously was not talking about Anaheim 3, 2009. The rains poured down consistently for 3 days and paused almost long enough to complete round 6 of the 2009 Supercross Season under a dry sky. The track crew did an outstanding job of providing a track that was in pretty good shape considering what they had to work with, although the track was one lined and extremely rutted and difficult.

First up was the Supercross Lites, Heat 1 featuring CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki riders Kyle Cunningham and P.J. Larsen. #36 Kyle Cunningham finished with a strong ride taking the 5th position while # 87 P.J. Larsen ran as high as 4th in the heat race and finished soundly in the 6th position, easily securing a spot in the main event.

Next up for CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki was the season debut for #48, Tommy Hahn in the Supercross class. Hahn who has been healing from a broken hand suffered in testing a week before the series opener was looking great in practice setting the fastest lap time in his session. Tommy would carry that over to his heat race where he would finish in 3rd place after passing Heath Voss and Tim “Red Dog” Ferry on the last lap. A great ride for his first race back.

CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods sponsors the “Lucky Dog” Last Chance Qualifier, which is the last chance for the remaining 250 and 450 riders to make it into the main event. In the “Lites” class, it was Jake Moss and Eric McCrummen getting in and Andrew Short and Paul Carpenter in the premier class.

The “Lites” Main Event was going to be a knock down, drag out on the season’s toughest track where only the strong would survive. CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki riders Cunningham and Larsen would exit turn one in 6th and 10th respectively and clear of the mayhem as they settled into a comfortable pace. On lap 3 while still running in 6th place, Cunningham would crash hard on a tricky section as he was passing for a position. The set back would cost Kyle 10 positions as he righted in 16th. P.J., who had moved up to 7th on lap 2 would take over 6th place on lap three and hold it until he crashed on the section known as “The Dragon’s Back.” The crash was a bad one but certainly could have been much worse as Larsen hurried to remount in 13th place. Cunningham’s charge to the front was derailed on lap 7 as the charging rider who had worked his way up to 14th before he found himself on the ground again relegating him back to 17th. Kyle would charge back from 17th to finish in a respectable 11th place and end the night in the 15th spot in the season long points battle. Larsen would work his way all the way up to 8th as the checkered flags flew keeping him in eighth in the points chase and the top rookie.

As the 450’s rolled into the starting gate, the rumor was that the rain was only minutes away. As the 20 riders shot out of the gate, it was obvious that chaos was upon us. The riders slipped and slid as they all fought for traction. Several riders would go down, unfortunately collecting the #48 of Tommy Hahn with them. Tommy would pick himself up in last place several second behind the next rider. As Hahn got underway, it was apparent that he was on a mission to catch back up to the pack. Hahn would do just that as he finished lap 1 in 19th, lap 2 in 18th and lap 3 he jumped all the way into 16th. This was amazing considering the carnage and the severe track conditions. On lap 4, Hahn had moved into the 14th position behind Tim Ferry before going down hard in an attempt to get around the veteran as the rain began to fall. The crash would end Tommy’s night but it was still a great sign of what is to come for the young CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki rider.

Next week we move onto San Diego and hopefully drier conditions. We look forward to seeing all of you there.

Jason Cobb

Houston SX - CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki kicks off the East Coast Lites Series

While it was cold outside Reliant Stadium in Houston, it was blistering hot inside as the 1st round of the Monster Supercross Lites, East Series got underway. The CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki team has a great shot at a championship this year with a perfect combination of youth and experience. Rookie sensation Hunter Hewitt (#126) kicked off his Supercross career at this event with the help of his veteran teammate Branden Jesseman (#74). Jesseman was the series champion in 2003 and hopes to repeat that performance this year.

The night started as planned for Jesseman, as he easily qualified for the main event with a great, late race charge from 11th to 8th place in Heat #1. Hewitt was pushed off the track in Heat #2 into a huge sponsor sign at the end of the start at full speed! The impact was brutal, but Hunter picked himself up quickly and remounted. His charge through the pack was impressive, ending up in 12th. Hewitt would have to try to qualify through the CANIDAE "Lucky Dog" Last Chance Qualifier.

The CANIDAE "Lucky Dog" L.C.Q. is a short 4-lap dash that sends only 2 of the 22 remaining riders to the Main Event. Hewitt had a good start and found himself within striking distance at the end of lap 1 in 4th place. He quickly moved up into 3rd place behind the #552 bike of Fred Karrel, in the final transfer position. On the last lap, Hewitt had set up Karrel perfectly for a pass in the tricky "step on" timing section of the track. The pass worked to perfection as Hunter slid by with ease and went on to finish 2nd and qualify for the Main Event in his first ever Supercross!

The Main Event featured the 20 best East Coast "Lites" riders. Off the start line, the riders battled down the long straightaway, through the tricky chicane section, and into the first set of jumps. By lap 6, Hunter Hewitt worked himself inside the top ten, into 9th place while Branden Jesseman was in 12th. On lap 8, Jacob Saylor tried to keep Jesseman from passing just before the backside triple, and Jesseman went down hard. The next lap, in the same corner, Hewitt went down as he lost the front end in the loose Texas soil moving him back to 12th. Jesseman put on a terrific charge as he moved up six positions in just a few laps. Hunter was in still in 12th when his bike stalled in a tricky corner. Fortunately, this only set him back one position. On lap 13, the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki teammates would swap positions, as the #126 rookie succumbed to the crafty veteran on the #74 Kawasaki moving Hewitt back to 14th where he would finish the night. It was a great start to what will be a fantastic career for this young standout. Jesseman, however, was not quite finished as he would gain one more position before the checkered flags flew, ending his night in 12th. Jesseman put on a great effort to stay in the Championship points fight.

Look for the CANIDAE Motosport Kawasaki Race team next week in San Francisco at AT&T Park as round 4 of the West Coast Series resumes for P.J. Larsen and Kyle Cunningham.

Jason Cobb