Fiolek is riding like her old self. She's racked up more holeshots than anyone this season and finally claimed the overall at Red Bud.
Round 5 of the WMX will take the ladies to Spring Creek located in Millville, Minnesota. Two weeks ago the WMX took the ladies to Red Bud, a track they have never raced at before in the WMX circuit. It was here that Factory Honda rider Ashley Fiolek finally ended DNA Shred Stix Yamaha rider Jessica Patterson’s winning streak.
This weekend Fiolek will be revving to claim her second overall. At Red Bud she finally started riding like she did in 2009. Fiolek is still sitting second in the provisional point standings with a total of 174 points. She needs to continue her hard charge to catch up to Patterson’s 194 points. Fiolek has the tools needed to win, she just needs to keep her confidence up and not make any mistakes. Patterson is famous for taking advantage of other riders’ mistakes, so any door opened by a bad line or bobble could result in a loss of valuable points for Fiolek.
JP, who was on a winning streak prior to racing Red Bud, finally lost both motos to the factory Honda rider. Patterson and Fiolek put in a good fight throughout the motos. There were several nail biting moments when the riders were racing shoulder to shoulder and just when fans held their breath as Patterson was about to take the lead, Fiolek managed to power out and get back out front. Patterson commented at the podium that she was relieved that Fiolek finished first and ended her winning streak. The stress and pressure of maintaining her perfect season was starting to take its toll on the Yamaha rider, but Patterson will have her work cut out for her if Fiolek continues riding like she did at Red Bud.
Tarah Geiger is third in the championship points.
Tarah Geiger has been determined to get back on the podium after sitting most of the 2009 season out. She’s currently third in points and has consistently placed in the top-five since the beginning of the season. She seems to be very comfortable on the Troy Lee Designs Honda and her results are proving that point.
Vicki Golden has been having a great sophomore season. She’s currently sitting in fourth overall with 121 points. During the race she’s routinely battling Kawasaki rider Sara Price who is just one point behind Golden. Price has been pulling in excellent results lately, so Golden will need to push hard if she wants to hold her fourth place seat.
Coming into Round 5, several riders have being plagued with injuries. Factory Kawasaki's Price and MotoConcepts’ Mariana Balbi are both suffering from shoulders injuries. Although the injuries aren’t preventing them from racing, they could hamper their performance as racing progresses. Sherri Cruse has been sitting out the season after injuring her wrist at Hangtown, but officially announced that she’s going to be racing the X-games and will rejoin the WMX at Moto-X 338 in Southwick.
The ladies have had a week off to recuperate and strategize for Saturday’s race. The weather report in Millville is predicted to be around 88 degrees with mostly sunny skies. Let’s hope that the thunder storm that’s predicted to move into the area on Sunday will not arrive early and complicate Saturday’s racing. But just in case, make sure you grab both the sun block and umbrella. Stay tuned for race updates and interviews here on MotoUSA. See ya at the races!
