Mongoose 2007 Southridge Winter Series Report
1/15/2007 • Fontana, California
Team Mongoose got off to a great start this past weekend at the series opener of the 2007 Southridge Winter Series held in Fontana, CA on January 13-14.
Despite the low temperatures and high winds on Saturday, there was an impressive turnout of 500 racers and lots of spectators. The series consists of XC, 4X, and DH formats. XC and 4X take place on Saturday and DH on Sunday.
The 4X race, which is a new format this year for Southridge, provided plenty of action for the racers and spectators alike. Team Mongoose's Eric Carter kicked off the New Year in good fashion and finished with an exciting win in the pro class. He had a solid, fast, and strategic run all the way through. From the start, he was in third position, and made a race-winning pass in the second turn, edging out fellow competitors Rich Houseman and Dale Holmes.
Sunday, warmer temperatures and low winds provided a great day for some downhill racing action. With 345+ gravity racers in attendance, there were plenty of racers ready to battle. The races started with the pro class, and Eric Carter who won the 4X the previous day, finished a strong third place in the downhill.
There were plenty of Mongoose Tribe members also in attendance, racing, and flying the Mongoose colors. The Mongoose Tribe is a grassroots amateur team program developed by Eric Carter and Mongoose.
Each Mongoose Tribe member is exclusively on Mongoose branded products, There were also plenty of non Tribe members on Mongoose EC-X's and EC-D's as well, and this coupled with the Mongoose Tribe trailer and display, created a very strong presence for the Mongoose Brand.
Mongoose team mechanic, John Canepa, was on hand to support Eric, Mongoose Tribe, and anyone else on Pacific branded equipment. Eric Carter also announced his schedule of race clinics that will be held at the races during the mornings. These clinics will give people of all ages and skill levels a chance to learn valuable advice and demonstration of riding skills from Eric Carter himself. Who else better to learn from than the 2004 World Champion and '05-'06 National Champion!!
The Southridge Winter Series consists of 6 events. Future dates are as follows: Jan. 27-28, Feb. 10-11, Feb. 24-25, Mar. 10-11, and Mar. 24-25.
