Shawn Maffenbeier and Ricky Carmichael battled head to head this past weekend, and it was war! Of pens that is. The young up and coming Schrader’s Yamaha DC ATM PerformX SMX Racing rider had a brief glimpse of fame and adulation as he was asked to sign autographs this weekend at the MXP tent. “ I was honored to be asked by the MXP crew to come and sign autographs Sunday morning before the races,” said Maffenbeier. “I was shocked to see how big the line up was. Then I found out Ricky Carmichael was signing autographs in the next tent. I still got to sign a few posters!” he laughed, “ I was even able to get a personalized poster from Ricky myself.”
For anyone who has tried to prep his or her track for a race, the beauty of watering well is something we’ll never get tired of watching. Yes, we all covet the watering system at Gopher Dunes! Thanks to everyone for a well run and well prepared event.
Photo by James Lissimore
Shawn got down to business in Gopher Dunes with a 9th place finish in moto 1. “Shawn didn’t have a good start and he had to work very hard to work his way through the pack,” said owner/manager Randy Maffenbeier. “ He laid the bike down briefly, but was able to get moving again to have a good finish.” The second moto of the day had Shawn off the gate in a great position of 8th place. “I had a much better start and was making up time quickly,” said Maffenbeier. “ I had just jumped the big finish line and all of a sudden I lost my front end. I ended up slamming my chest against my bars and getting stuck under my bike. It took me a bit to gather myself and get my breath back so I could continue.” The rough finish gave Shawn a 16th overall for the day. “Shawn continues to work hard and improve every race,” said owner/manager Jackie Maffenbeier. “Through his perseverance today he has moved into 12th place overall in the standings and his goal is to have a top 10 number at the end of the year. We really believe that the Schrader’s Yamaha 450F has really been one of the keys to Shawn’s consistency. The GYTR after market parts and Yamalube products kept this bike running in peak condition this weekend. We didn’t overheat or seize and the power we were able to get out of the bike proved itself over a lot of other brands on this difficult track this past weekend.”
Photo by James Lissimore
Ste. Julie is next on the schedule and Shawn looks forward to a return of dirt that is a little more familiar. “I think this track is more like the dirt in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan, a mixture of sand and hard pack. We’ll have the bike ready to go and get some training and riding in this week and I look forward to lining up on Sunday,” said Maffenbeier.
Follow Shawn on Facebook and Twitter and at www.smxracing.ca
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