DEVLIN UNTOUCHABLE AT HURRICANE HILLS

Nestled deep in the hills of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, lies a sleeping giant. A race track with generational history; Hurricane Hills Motocross Park. On the 17th day of September 2023, this legendary facility played host to a revolution in the dirt bike racing community, Temple Off-Road. The high speed, bar to bar racing of TOR is the spiciest thing to hit the moto scene in the last 30 years! 

 

With a rich history of events in both Motocross and Harescrambles held at Hurricane Hills MX Park, word of the 1st TOR event spread like wildfire. Once it was announced that KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas would be offering contingency money for the triple crown, it solidified the commitment TOR has made for this new GP series. The event drew a variety of dedicated racers from both the Off-Road and Motocross scenes. Stories and conversations about yesteryear and the good old days of racing could be heard all morning long, as racers and fans alike gathered around the registration trailer and podium. Registering for their respective classes, scanning their transponders (using the latest and greatest form MotoTally), and finally picking up some TOR merchandise before heading back to their pit. While the sounds of Creed and Motley Crue blared in the background across the track sound system, the buzz and hype began to grow. The excitement and energy around the track was truly infectious. Something new, something fresh; exactly what the moto community in the tri-sate area has been begging for. 

 

To kick off the morning at 8am sharp was the PeeWee race. Unlike the youth and adult classes who race 2 thirty minute motos; the PeeWee riders do only 1 moto that lasts 45 minutes long. These youngsters set out on a tough course, however, they handled the rocks, roots and mud like seasoned professionals! Amongst the top 3 overall riders were: Jaeger Bloch P3, from the 65cc 7-9 class, Easton Haggerty P2 from the 65cc 10-11 class, and 1st place overall went to Preston Siniavsky from the 65cc 10-11 class. In dominating fashion, Preston led every single lap of the race aboard his YZ65! Special mention goes to Nora Lloyd, better known around the track as “Gnarly Nora”. Gnarly Nora went on to ride her CRF50cc to an 8th place overall finish and 1st place in the 50cc air cooled 7-8 class! Shout out to the TOR sweep riders for helping our PeeWee riders through the wicked deep mud and pushing them up some of those hillclimbs! 

 

Next up at 9AM, moto 1 for the youth classes and Moto 2 for the youth riders at 1PM. Throughout the day, the weather forecast as well as track conditions began to change. Moto 1, the riders had a prepped and relatively dry course to go out and burn in new lines. By the time they got back to the track for moto 2, more than 250 riders had attacked the course and rain had begun to fall. As you could imagine, the track had changed drastically for the youth riders. However, those young men and women held their own on the challenging course. Making the trip all the way from Cheshire, Massachusetts, was DJ LeBlanc P3 overall and 1st place in 85cc 12-15. Carter Siniavsky of Millville, NJ, took 2nd overall and 2nd in the Super Mini 14-16 class. 1st Place Overall Youth rider and 1st place in the Super Mini 14-16 class was Dominic Griffith from Vineland, NJ. Letting it all hang loose, Dominic went 1-1 on his KTM! The future of this sport is looking bright! 

 

C class riders took the course at 9:40am and then again at 1:40pm. Top 3 overall C riders were Caleb Hoffman P3 from the C Open class, Mark Biesecker P2 from the C open class, and 1st Place overall C rider was Keith Hughes from the C200 class! 

 

Top 3 overall B class racers were Noah Ritz P3, Zachary Garrison P2. Tucker Beddiges aboard his Beta Motorcycle took 1st overall and 1st place in the B250 class! B class races were at 11AM and then once again at 3PM for moto 2.

 

Top 3 overall from the Women’s classes combined with C Vet, C Senior and Super Seniors were Bill Sellers P3 from the Sup Sen. Class, Cara Laganbach P2 from the Womens Amateur class, and 1st place overall went to Emily Miller aboard her YZ125 from the Women’s Amateur class! The sole entry in the women’s Pro class was none other than, Annelisa McAlinney! Annelissa went on to take women’s Pro win and notched 10th overall on the day. 

 

Your top 3 A/B Vet and Senior class racers feature some familiar names. P1 went to Jared Stoner, P2 Mike Lafferty, and P3 Jason Sipe. Legends, Jared Stoner, and Father Time himself, Mike Lafferty, showed up to do some TOR racing! Jared, a local legend who has been around and supporting the moto community for decades still has what it takes to win at the top level. Jared raced both the A Vet class and the Pro Open Class. Mike Lafferty, 8x National Champion and the KTM poster child for the last 20+ years decided he wanted a piece of the TOR racing action and raced both the A Senior Class and the Pro Vet class!

 

A special race that will be held at all TOR events will be the PRO/AM 125 Dash for CASH! TOR loves 2 strokes, and we want to keep them alive! There is nothing more exciting than the smells, sounds and sights of the iconic 125cc dirt bike zipping around a track. The top riders really put on a show for the first round at Hurricane Hills, the perfect course to let the small bore motor make music as the riders ripped up the hill climbs. Taking the course for a single 30 minute moto, this class races during moto 1 of the B class race at 11AM. This single moto format gives some of these same riders time to prepare to race the main event/pro moto 1 at 12:20pm. 

 

Top 3 PRO/AM 125cc riders on the day were Aaron Heess P3, Ryan Quinn, P2.  Piloting a YZ125X, outfitted with a headlight and an oversized gas tank, seemingly ready for any challenge was 1st place, and the man going home with the big check, Bob Lapinski! 

 

History was made at 12:20pm that day, as the green flag dropped on Pro Moto 1. Taking the course were the premier classes Pro, Pro Vet, A Open, A 250 and A 200. Taking the hole shot in the Pro moto 1 was Hunter Keen riding a YZ250. Hunter went on to finish 4th in moto 1. Your top 3 overall Pro riders from moto 1 were Mike Lafferty P3, Jerod Stoner P2 and Thorn Devlin P1. Devlin, riding a GasGas MC350F BoneCutter Off-Road Racing machine, was on another level. Thorn won moto 1 by 1 minute and 12 seconds ahead of second place. 2nd Place in moto 1 went to Jarod Stoner, and 3rd to Pro Vet rider Mike Lafferty. 

 

That afternoon, Pro Moto 2 went off at 4:20pm. Weather conditions had worsened throughout the day and there was slow but steady rainfall. The course had changed drastically from moto 1, line choices were of the utmost importance going into moto 2. The holeshot award and big check went to Phase Moto backed rider Dylan Recchia. Recchia went on to finish 10th in moto 2, going 11-10 for a respectable 10th overall on the day. Top 3 from moto 2 went to Corey Doughten P3, Jerod Stoner P2 and going 1-1 on the day was Thorn Devlin! Devlin, on the BoneCutter GasGas machine, was untouchable all day! The combined results from moto 1 and moto 2 played out in exciting fashion! With Thorn and Jarod about a minute ahead in moto 2, the real battle was for third. Bar to bar until the very last turn, was Doughten and Lafferty. Corey managed to edge out the OG and held on for 3rd place. Doughten proved that it ain’t over till it's over, going 5-3 for 3rd overall for the day! Jerod Stoner, the ironman of the day raced 2 classes back to back, for a total of 4 motos and a grand total of about 2 hours on his motorcycle. He had enough stamina and gas in his tank to ride his KTM to an impressive 2-2 finish, locking him into a 2nd place overall. The fastest man on the track all day was Thorn Devlin! Going 1-1, Thorn was crowned the overall winner at the inaugural Temple Off-Road grand-prix race! Thorn was right at home in the slick, rocky PA woods. Thorn also got a chance to show off his motocross skills as he threw some gnarly whips off the huge jumps at Hurricane Hills! After the race when asked about his moto skill, all too humble, Thorn said, “Not bad for a woods guy, I guess.” 

 

With a stellar turn out, an awesome course and facility, the 1st ever TOR event was a smashing success! Nothing but smiles under the helmets of racers, as they maneuvered the course providing high octane entertainment for spectators. The Extreme section consisted of log crossings, rock gardens, and a big gap jump over a live Gator Pit! Race fans could be seen gathering at the extreme section with coolers and lawn chairs, to ensure they got a view of the action all day! The staff at Hurricane Hills Motocross Park did an excellent job as host. A volunteer gang of misfits and dirt bike junkies with a passion for racing make up the TOR staff. Rallying behind mastermind, Tegan Temple, the gang at TOR delivered an unforgettable event! The sky is the limit for this series, bringing that national race vibe to the local level! We can’t wait to see you at round 2, on November 12th, at The Wentz Training Facility in Pennsburg, PA !