Page 16 - MPG-AUGUST

16 MPG • AUGUST • 2018
THE USUAL SUSPECTS
KAED KNIFFING
Rides Unlimited | BTO Sports Amateur Racing’s Kaed Kniffing has been one of the main attrac- tions in the 125cc and Schoolboy 1 classes over the course of the 2018 racing season. The Califor- nian earned his spot on the podium throughout various Monster Energy Amateur Supercross rounds at the beginning of the year, including a win in the 125 B/C class at Angels Stadium of Anaheim. Kniffing didn’t miss the podium in all three of the major spring events that he contest- ed, finding success on his KTM 125 at the Day- tona RCSX, the Freestone Spring Championship, and the California Classic. He placed second in the Schoolboy 1 class at the Loretta Lynn’s South- west Regional and narrowly missed out in the 125 class with a fifth place finish, taking an alternate position due to an on-track penalty. Kniffing re- bounded at the one and only Mammoth Mountain Motocross in late June, finishing on the box in two out of three classes, including a win in the 125 (12-17) B/C division. The Seven MX backed rider has been in stellar form in recent months and he’ll surely be one to watch when the gate drops in the Schoolboy 1 division at the Ranch.
CARTER HALPAIN
Carter Halpain proved his worth in the A class at the end of the 2017 racing sea- son, scoring the most points of any rider in the division from both supercross and motocross combined at the Thor Winter Olympics. The CycleTrader | Rock River backed Yamaha rider heavily impressed during his first outing in the A class, accumulating loads of momentum for the start of the 2018 season, but his campaign was cut short after tearing his MCL at the Daytona RCSX. He spent
a about a month on the mend, but re- turned in full force for his Loretta Lynn’s Qualifiers, eventually punching his ticket in both 250 A and Open Pro Sport at
the WW Ranch Southeast Amateur Regional. The Texan has yet to win a Loretta Lynn’s National Championship, but he has come close on multiple occa- sions, most recently finishing runner-up in the 450 B division last year. Halpain has racked up five additional podiums in Hurricane Mills, dating all the way back to his second ever appearance at the Ranch. The Yamaha rider is set to make his Pro Motocross debut at Unadilla this year, so he’ll be looking to make his exit from the amateur scene on top of the competition.
GR