Tribute to AS27 | Pueblo Supercross

Featured Image Courtesy of Ben Harris

All Other Images (unless stated otherwise) Courtesy of Nicole Johnstone

As much as we are against the divided organizations & entries, it’s impossible to look upon this race with  anything but appreciation & gratitude. Austin Schindler, one of the most well-liked & easy-going kids around the track, tragically lost his life last year in an unfortunate accident. The Pueblo Supercross is now an annual event to not only showcase some of the most talented racers in the region, but is also an opportunity to honor one of our own. Personally, I did not know Austin. But you don’t have to know someone to understand the profound impact they had on those around them. So Austin, we wish you were here to do battle with all of us, but we’ll do our best to make you proud buddy.

The racing itself was pretty rad. The pro purse was legit so it brought some really quick out-of-state guys from the woodworks to bang bars. Dudes like Deven Raper & Nick Schmidt, both of whom have made noise at Pro Supercross events, traveled some serious distance to put our local boys to the test. A few of the other classes that lined the gates were the B’s & the 80’s. No out-of-staters in those classes, but still a nice turnout.

A’s

The pro class saw some pretty sick racing, especially amidst the 450 & Open classes. As mentioned before, there were some wicked fast out-of-towners, but that didn’t stop our locals from givin’ them a run for their money (literally). The Bannister Boys were ultra-fast in both 450 & Open, as they both made the podium in each class. Todd has to be one of the coolest people you’ll ever meet, but he’s also pretty quick as well, in case you didn’t know. He went out & won the 450 Pro class in impressive fashion. A two spot improvement from his last outing at the Adams County Supercross. He then went on to capture a 3rd in Open Pro. His cousin, & equally fast counterpart, Travis Bannister was Dungey-consistent as he swooped two 2nd places in 450 & Open. Cody Doerfler also had himself a solid outing in 450 Pro, as he charged his way to a 3rd place. Arizona dweller, Deven Raper, didn’t have the weekend that he was looking for. At his last Colorado outing in Adams County, Raper swept 450 & Open. This weekend, however, he didn’t manage a single podium finish; certainly not the results he is used to. Nick Schmidt, who has always seemed to be the darling of Ralph Sheheen, Jeff Emig & Jenny Taft, had a shaky outing in the 450 class. The Open class was a different story for him, though, and he shredded his way to a 1st place finish in that class. Our Honorable Pro mention is Bobby Fitch, who, in his Vet years, is still one of Colorado’s fastest (Andy Atkins, Kip Sandell anyone?). Bobby twisted his grip on his way to a few top 5 finishes.

B’s

The B Class was particularly unique this weekend. SRAC went above & beyond to dedicate the 250 B class to Austin Schindler. Entries were $5 each, which is $27 off of the regular entry price (Austin’s number). The racing in this class did not disappoint either. Luke Anderson went out & dominated in every class & every moto that he competed in. He raced 250, 450 & Open B, and showed everyone that he is a force to be reckoned with.  Ben Harris, who was on the gas all weekend, ripped his way to a 3-2 in 250 B and mirrored those results in 450 B. Austin Rogers had a nice Broc Tickle performance in the 250 B class, as he went 4-5 for a 3rd overall. Dylan Flatley definitely had some wicked speed, but was unable to maintain consistency & went 2-7 for a 4th overall in 250 B’s. It was really cool to see the class that Austin raced before he passed away to be honored in that way. And it was just a testament of the mark he left on our community.

80’s

The 80’s class is an interesting one, especially in Supercross. These dudes are on the cusp of making the full-time jump from little bikes to the big ones. They also have just enough power to jump some stuff that most of us would probably be more comfortable aggressively rolling. Ryan Zawacki has been on an absolute tear on the SRAC side of things, he’s been rippin’ off moto wins & overalls all over the place. He went 5 straight race weekends without losing a single moto in his two 80 classes and Schoolboy 1. If it weren’t for Chase Lorenz hauling some serious ass, it’s hard to say this weekend wouldn’t have added to that torrid run. Ryan didn’t have a bad weekend by any stretch. He won 4 motos in the 85 12-15 and 250 2-Stroke classes. He also got 2nd in 4 motos in Supermini and Schoolboy 1. Chase Lorenz: this kid has always seemed like a prodigy. He reminded me of Trevor Whitmarsh or Todd Bannister when they were on little bikes. Like those two, he has just been winning races since he was barely tall enough to ride the Mind Eraser. Clearly, not much has changed since his days of terrorizing the little bikes as he is now starting to crush on the big bikes & 80’s. He  continued his winning ways this weekend in his first race of the 2016 SRAC season. Going 4-4 on moto wins across his 2 classes.

Wrap-Up

Another weekend in the books, and another division of entries. Do we sound like a broken record yet? Regardless of the split entries, it’s difficult to not be touched by the way the motocross community has rallied around the Schindler family. Even though Austin is not here on Earth, he will always be in our hearts & minds. So, mad love to you Austin & same goes to your family & friends. We’d also like to think Austin would be proud of the great racing displayed by the Bannister Boys, Doerfler, Anderson, Harris, Lorenz, Zawacki & more. This one’s for you buddy. And one more thing, is it the weekend yet?