Shelby Rolen Earns First-Career WMX Win at High Point RacewayWomen's Motocross Championship Round 4 Race Report
MORGANTOWN, W.Va (June 26, 2018) - Round four of the Women's Motocross Championship (WMX) Series took place Friday, June 15, in conjunction with the 42ndAnnual Red Bull High Point National. Thirteen women lined up to compete on the challenging track, which features plenty of natural elevation changes. Although the track was fairly slippery during practice, by the time the motos came around riders had said that it was "pretty much perfect."
- Eric Doty
Shelby Rolen, a longtime WMX competitor, took home both her first-ever moto win and first-ever WMX overall win at High Point Raceway! She went 3-1, which was just enough to edge out current points leader Jordan Jarvis' 1-3 finish. Following her in third place was Jamie Astudillo with a 5-2 finish.
After the gate dropped for moto one, it was Kylie Fasnacht with the holeshot, followed by Jamie Astudillo, Jordan Jarvis and Shelby Rolen chasing her down. Rolen and Jarvis locked bars battling for the third place spot, and both narrowly avoided crashing. Rolen was able to pass Astudillo quickly and move into second for a brief period of time, before being passed in turn by Jarvis.
Fasnacht was able to keep Jarvis bottled up for a decent chunk of the moto. Eventually Jarvis made a pass, and Fasnacht stayed relatively close, but not close enough to make a pass before the checkered flag waved. Rolen got a little bit too relaxed in the first moto, falling off the pace of the leaders by a significant amount, but still riding well enough to finish third in the moto.
- Eric Doty
Astudillo did not appear to be riding up to her usual standard in the first moto. She ended up dropping all the way back to fifth, her lowest moto finish of the season. On the other hand, Marissa Polencheck charged her way up from a second corner crash for a season-best moto finish of fourth place. Eve Brodeur, Amanda Brown, Amanda Henderson, Cheyenne McGuin and Morgan Johnson rounded out the top 10.
In the second moto, Fasnacht again took the holeshot, with Jarvis right behind her. In an attempt to pass Fasnacht, Jarvis hit the "quadzilla" jump in the back stretch. She was the only WMX racer to attempt to quad the jump, and though she landed it cleanly, she carried too much momentum into the next corner. She overshot it and her front tire lodged in some deep mud, sending her over the bars.
While this was problematic for Jarvis, Fasnacht would have even worse luck. About halfway through the moto, her timing chain broke, turning a possible moto win into a DNF, and dropping her back to eleventh overall for the day. She said that "it's a total bummer" but that these things do happen and it's a part of racing. With Fasnacht out, and Jarvis on the ground, this left Rolen and Astudillo, who had shaken off her earlier bad moto, battling for the moto win.
- Eric Doty
Rolen would take that win, aided by another crash by Jarvis who was struggling to make her way back through the pack. According to Rolen, "I wasn't sure where Jordan was in the field but I knew she was charging. I had the opportunity to do something I had never done by winning a WMX moto. I just put my head down, focused on my race and was able to put some distance between myself and Jamie and bring home the moto win. I wasn't sure if that was going to give me the overall but turns out it was enough to get the job done. Bringing home my first WMX moto win and overall was the most amazing feeling and I can't thank everyone enough for all the help and support!"
Jarvis was able to salvage a third place in the second moto despite losing massive amounts of time on the ground, which was enough to still put her in second overall. She told us, "the track was a little slick but so much fun. It was a good race and I'm ready for the next one!" Astudillo's second place moto finish was enough to compensate for her first moto finish and give her third overall. She posted, "Today was a tough one! Wasn't riding anything like myself in morning practice and moto 1, but at least we could manage a podium." before heading off to a road race the next day.
- Eric Doty
Polencheck finished fourth again. Her pair of fourth also gave her a fourth place finish in the overall, while Brodeur took the final top five spot in the moto, also finishing fifth overall. Henderson, Johnson, McGuin, Jaden Carlson and Taylor Schuck rounded out the top ten.
On June 30th, the WMX series will resume with round five and six, a double header called the Jessica Patterson Classic. The race is a new addition to the WMX circuit, and is named after former WMX champion Jessica Patterson. She not only owns the South Carolina facility, but will also be putting on the race.
For more information about WMX racing, please visit the official website at ww.racewmx.com or call (304) 284-0101. Also, follow the official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for exclusive content and to catch the latest news.
- Provided
WMX Round 4 (High Point) Overall Results
- Shelby Rolen (3-1) Suzuki RM Army/Iron Pony Motorsports/FMF
- Jordan Jarvis (1-3) Yamaha-Triangle Cycles/Fox/Monster Energy
- Jamie Astudillo (5-2) KTM/RadMX.com/Ohlins
- Marissa Polencheck (4-4) Kawasaki
- Eve Brodeur (6-5) KTM Canada/TCX Boots/Shot Race Gear
- Amanda Henderson (8-6) Kawasaki
- Morgan Johnson (10-7) Yamaha
- Cheyenne McGuin (9-8) Yamaha
- Amanda Brown (7-11) Traders/Joplin Racing/Accurate Pest Control
- Jaden Carlson (11-9) Yamaha
- Kylie Fasnacht (2-DNF) Yamaha/Factory Connection/Acerbis
- Taylor Schuck (13-10) Suzuki
- Cassie Belcher (12-12) KTM
WMX Points Standings
- Jordan Jarvis (180)
- Kylie Fasnacht (155)
- Shelby Rolen (142)
- Jamie Astudillo (116)
- Amanda Brown (101)
- Eve Brodeur (99)
- Marissa Polencheck (96)
- Hannah Hodges (69)
- Morgan Johnson (67)
- Cheyenne McGuin (66)
About The Women's Professional Motocross Championship:
The Women's Professional Motocross Championship (WMX), an AMA National Championship, features the world's fastest female outdoor motocross racers. The 8-round series begins with the Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross at Daytona International Speedway in March and concludes at the Ironman National on August 24. It includes stops at premier motorsport facilities across America, with events in Florida, Texas, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Indiana. These top female pro racers compete in a two-moto format on machines ranging from 125cc to 250cc. The WMX series is managed by MX Sports Pro Racing, a West Virginia-based company and industry leader in power sports event production. For more information, please visit www.racewmx.com or call (304) 284-0101.
About the American Motorcyclist Association:
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world's largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders' interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com. Not a member? Join the AMA today: www.
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