Ricky Renner wins the inaugural $50K RCH Soaring Eagle Edge of Summer MX classic!
Joseph V. Sowmick - September 03, 2014
With thousands of fans packing the hillside on the grounds of the famed Soaring Eagle Resort & Casino, the inaugural $50K Edge of Summer MX event came to a spectacular conclusion with Ricky Renner overcoming a feverish pursuit by two top veteran pros – Kyle Chisholm and Nick Wey – to capture top honors in the most stacked pro starting class gate in Michigan since the running of the RedBud MX National.
Renner would yank a monster holeshot off the start under the lights at Soaring Eagle, leading Levi Kilbarger through the first rhythm section before separating from the rest of the field. Chisholm, who started in 4th place, would pursue and eventually catch/pass Renner on lap 12, but would go down hard (DNF) moments after taking the lead. From there Wey would take over the pursuit of Renner, but a mid-pack start for Wey would put him too far back of Renner to close the gap by the end of the 20-lap main event.
“I knew the holeshot would be important,” said Renner, donning the throwback 1st place helmet trophy atop the podium. “Built a good lead, but Kyle (Chisholm) was able to reel me in and make the pass for the lead. I tucked in right behind him, but we ran into a lapper and Kyle took the high line, got some wheel spin and went down … pretty hard.” (Note: Chisholm, though shaken up a bit, rode off the race track under his own power.)
When asked what he was going to do with the $10,000 in cash for 1st place, Renner beamed: “I’m going right over to Soaring Eagle and putting $5,000 on 32 black and $5,000 on 27 red!” (32 in reference to Renner’s bike number, 27 being Wey’s number.) Wey, certainly one of the favorites heading into the contest, did not get out of the start the way he’d have liked, and was running barely inside the top ten during the first several laps.
“I did well in the supercross portion of the track, maybe not so well in the motocross sections,” said Wey, who nonetheless pocketed a clean $8K for 2nd place. “I wish I’d have got a better start to keep him honest, but Ricky rode excellent and certainly deserved the win tonight.”
Kilbarger, who had the distinction of winning the very first moto run on the grounds of Soaring Eagle during the amateur vet class races earlier in the day, held strong in 2nd place for about the first six laps. Chisholm would be the first to reel in Kilbarger (in his hot pursuit of Renner), followed by Jimmy Albertson, then Wey.
On lap 14, with Chisholm out of the race, Wey would get past Albertson, putting him roughly six seconds back of Renner, while Mitchell Oldenburg, who clocked the fastest time in the Rockwell Rocket Pro practice session (winning a new Rockwell watch for his efforts) was now in the picture and up to 3rd past Albertson. And that’s the way they’d finish for the inaugural Edge of Summer MX Pro class podium as 2nd place Wey could only cut winner Renner’s lead down to four seconds, with Oldenburg placing 3rd.
In Vet Pro action it was a battle of longtime AMA Arenacross greats as Ohio’s Jeff Gibson started strong early and kept his momentum going through the hard fought 12-lap contest to top Michigan’s Kelly Smith and double 2014 Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National champ John Grewe. And in Super Mini action a couple of former Michigan-made Cobra Moto mini cycle pilots – Chase Sexton (IL) and Joey Crown (MI) – distanced themselves from the rest of the pack in a great duel that saw Sexton, the Rockwell Rocket watch winner for fastest practice lap, hold on versus a hard-charging Crown. Canada’s Tanner Ward would place 3rd in that contest.
Local MX racers also tore up the track with Matt Alexander and Tribal Member Lucas Sprague taking first and second place honors overall with Sprague taking the first place checker and Alexander besting Sprague in the one-two finish in the second heat. Clare rider Chris Halliday took first place honors in the 45+ category, beating the field in both races.
Featuring 22 amateur classes, from ages18+ to 60+ in novice to expert classes, racing on the Carmichael-designed, Mark Barnett “Bomberbuilt” and RedBud (Mich.) MX-built track on the Soaring Eagle grounds, the Edge of Summer MX event will rocked the central Michigan action sports scene to its core with an entire day – and night, under the lights – of motocross racing action.
Throughout the day fans were able meet and greet with Carmichael and Hart, as well as RCH Racing’s Broc Tickle, Weston Peick and Ivan Tedesco, posing for photos and getting autographs from some of the most well-known action sports stars in the world. Partnering with Soaring Eagle, RCH team owners Carmichael and Hart – along with RedBud MX, the world’s premier MX track (located right here in Michigan) –combined on what would prove to be an incredible and most memorable day/night of motorsports action right in the heart of the state!