Man, the days keep on dwindling. Girls are starting to trade in flip-flops and fruity drinks, for Uggs and pumpkin spice lattes. The all too familiar sounds of Grant Langston saying goofy shit have faded into the distant shadows of a dope summer. Even on the day of the race, you could tell that Fall was most definitely in the air as Summer slipped away. The Kiowa Supercross is a unique event simply because of its location. Kiowa is a small town in the Nebraska-esque region of Eastern Colorado. To give you an idea, a quick Google search shows that Kiowa’s population was 729 in 2013. Something tells us that probably hasn’t changed much in the years that followed. Regardless of the Podunk location, the track and the racing were anything but Podunk. Here are our five StandOuts for this past weekend of racing in the boonies.
Cole Shondeck
Most people who know Cole know that he is one of the goofier kids you’ll ever be around. In recent years, however, Cole has transformed into a seriously dedicated and epicly hard-working motocross racer. Although he still maintains his goofy attitude, when it comes to racing, Cole is all business. He hit every single round of the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross championship this Summer, and fared pretty damn well at more than a few. As for this weekend, he definitely struggle a bit with his starts, but his corner speed was blazing and his lap times echoed that. He ended up with two 3rds in Open Pro and 250 Pro, as well as 6th in 450 Pro. Always good to see Cole racing here locally when he’s not too busy big-timing it on the National scene.
Jaylend McCarty
You know that old saying about dudes making a statement? This weekend was a STATEMENT for Jaylend McCarty. He was pretty good all season long on the Supercross circuit, as he won on a very consistent basis. His only problem was, well, his consistency. One moto he would go out and dominate, then the next he would be looking at a 4th. Well this weekend, Jaylend left no doubt in the minds of his competitors and spectators alike. He won every single moto of the eight he competed in. If that isn’t making a statement, then what the hell is? Jaylend is trending upwards heading into 2017.
Kaden Shaw
Get used to this name ladies and gents. Following in the footsteps of the likes of Jason Anderson, he is a wicked fast kid out of New Mexico with a rad support system surrounding him. The pits were absolutely littered with folks reppin’ “413” shirts with pride. Kaden isn’t new to success in this year’s Supercross series, he has only lost three motos all year and he got a lowly 2nd in those three motos: yeah, not too bad. Kaden competed in three classes at Kiowa, 65 7-11 and 10-11, along with 85 9-11. He had a clean sweep on the weekend despite heavy pressure from Riley Renzo for most of the day. This young fella has killer speed, to go along with some top-notch sportsmanship; he’s definitely rising.
Luke Anderson
This kid is a Supercross specialist on a very legit level. Honestly, it’s kind of shame that we have failed to give him due recognition for his dominance on the Indoor circuit this year, our bad dude. He has had four races this season where he won the overall in all four of his classes: 250, 450 & Open B, in addition to Schoolboy 2. Not only is that a shit ton of racing, but it’s also a testament to how consistent he has been throughout the year. This past weekend wasn’t his best, but he still snagged two Overalls to go along with a couple 2nds. As I’m sure most of you could imagine, Luke won the championship in all four of those classes. Pretty dominant year for the kid from the Springs.
Gage Dunham
Watch out for Gage Dunham, we’re pretty sure he just graduated kindergarten, but by the way he rides, it’d be hard to tell. Gage has been to all but one of the 2016 Supercross races, and he has been quite the dominant force in 50 Classes 1 & 3. He has won all but two of the fourteen motos he competed in out of those two classes. What is that? Like an 80% win percentage? Not too shabby. This weekend he scooped up every moto win in those two classes. He also fared well against the likes of the big kids(still small though) in 50 Class 5, as he went 9-8 for 8th Overall in that class. Gage definitely has an ability to connect with the fans, and he’s rocking one helluva mohawk on that helmet. Be cool to see where this little dude can take this whole dirtbike thing.
Wrap-Up:
Well, folks, there you have it. Those are our five StandOuts for the Finale of the 2016 SRAC Supercross Series. It was a great year for Supercross here locally, so it’s definitely a bummer to see it end. However, it definitely provides hope for the years that lie ahead. It seems that Colorado Motocross has drifted a little bit from making races into actual events, so to see the Supercrosses go back to that is definitely refreshing. Anyway, only a couple more races left and weekends will be nothing but snowboards and football, which isn’t bad, but you can’t help but feel a little nostalgic for the Summer that was. See y’all out at Sweney Cycle Park for SRAC’s finale to the Motocross season.
