By Race Chapman

The moto gods smiled on Mammoth Mountain, CA, for the start of the 50th annual Mammoth Mountain MX race this week. Racers were blessed with dry, sunny, sub-80 degree weather and a perfectly groomed track.

The stage was set for an incredible week of racing.

Saturday and Sunday belonged to the vet riders, and everyone with a body aged over 30 battled it out in the pines. Perhaps just to make motocross fans feel old, Darryn Durham even raced and won the Open Support class (don't feel too old, he's only 28). But he might have just wanted to get a little extra track time and get a leg up on the competition, as he will be competing in the 250 and 450 Pro classes later this week.



By the time the vet racers were nursing their wounds and looking for the snooze button on Monday morning, the kids were lining up on that concrete starting line to duke it out.

Filed under the "business as usual" category were riders such as Haiden Deegan and Monster Energy Kawasaki riders Jett Reynolds and Stilez Robertson taking wins.

Jett Reynolds' is the unofficial MVP of Lucas Oil mini-days, as he took home a whopping six golden bear trophies. Now that's just greedy! Reynolds seemed mostly unstoppable throughout the days' races, and the only time he lost motos was due to mechanical failures. As long as his bike cooperated, he stood proudly atop the podium.

Haiden, son of famous freestyle motocross pioneer Brian Deegan, is one of the most widely known moto-kids in the country. Some might break down under the immense pressure and expectations, but Haiden seems to thrive. He won his 65 Open class and placed fourth in the 10-11, with Parker Ross taking the win.

Stilez Robertson won two races out of the four he entered, trading wins with fellow Monster Energy Kawasaki teammate Dilan Schwartz in the Supermini classes. Schwartz was a bit of an underdog in his classes, with most of the pre-race talk including names such as Carson Mumford and Robertson.



Schwartz demonstrated his speed, racing skills, and solid starts with a pair of wins and proved his worthiness atop the Team Green Kawasaki. The two teammates of Robertson and Schwartz went back and forth in multiple motos, culminating in an epic, moto-long battle that went down to the last lap, leaving Robertson as the Supermini champion.

But with so many fast riders, it is inevitable that some racers will leave the mountain disappointed. Ryder DiFrancesco, who was one of the favorites in his classes coming into the event, was plagued with bad starts throughout his races. He appeared to have blazing-fast speed capable of winning and sometimes even setting the fastest lap times. But with Reynolds on absolute fire, a come-from-behind win was impossible.

Maximus Vohland, whose last name 1990s motocross fans will recognize from father Tallon Vohland, also had some heartbreaking losses. After solid starts and battling with Reynolds in Mini Sr. 1 and Joshua Varize in Mini Sr. 2, Maximus was relegated to second place as his top finish.

It is safe to say that win or lose, every young racer will be taking home an experience he or she will likely never forget.

Now that the vets and minis are headed back home with golden bears to place upon the trophy wall, only the most exciting races are left for the weekend. Thursday, June 22, is a recuperation and prep day for the track and crew, and then the festivities will start back up Friday, June 23 with Open Racing, Schoolboy, and Over 25 streaming LIVE on FloRacing.

Saturday starts the weekend right with 250 Pros, 125s, the crowd-favorite FMF 2 Stroke Challenge, and the College Boys. And of course the big daddies are saved for Sunday, with pro racers carving up the mountainside on their hard-hitting 450s. Sunday also includes 250 B/C and the women's division.

Suffice it to say, this event is just getting started.

Mammoth Mountain MX Coverage

Mammoth Mountain MotoX Live Updates, Day 2
Mammoth Mountain MotoX Live Updates, Day 1
Kobusch Shreds The Competition With Style
Ride Hard, Play Hard At Mammoth Mountain
Seven Years' Experience In A 10-Year-Old Body
Exclusive One-On-One With Joey Crown Before The Mammoth Mountain MX
Joey Crown Highlights An Early List Of Mammoth Mountain MX Contenders
2016 Mammoth MotoX, 250 B/C Open Results
2016 Mammoth MotoX, 250 Pro Results
2016 Mammoth MotoX, 50cc Results

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Where To Watch

Mammoth Motorcross
Mammoth Lake, CA 93546

How To Watch

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