NEW ULM, MN

Every year since 1995, the 63-year-old Flying Dutchman Motorcycle Club has been putting on AMA District 23 flat-track races. The doubleheaders have been highlights of the Minnesota racing season at the lush clubgrounds near New Ulm, Minnesota. Day one of the intended two-event weekend was halted during practice on the wicked-fast short track due to a rainstorm that lasted until late afternoon. The head of track prep, Smiley Wiltscheck, had to call the event for Saturday. The Flying Dutchman Motorcycle Club tried to reschedule the short track for Sunday, but District 23 has a rule about holding two races on the same day.

On Sunday, early race favorite and National number 68, Josh Koch (above), on the Jeff's S.O.S. Honda with video helmet camera on board, swept the day's Pro-class events... sort of. According to district referee Rick Waschek, during the last of the day's 22 classes, Koch had used the grass to pass Kevin Anderson (11K, below), and then Anderson, not liking Koch's move, had cut through the infield to return the favor.

That moved the third-place finisher, Tousley Motorsports/No Fear/TBI Racing's Dan Jacobson Jr. (44, below) into the top spot. For some reason, scoring didn't get the memo from Waschek. It's just possible that we may be hearing about "creative track usage" at the next event.

It does seem that the wicked-fast FDMC track has its share of damaging crashes every year. Cole Anderson, the 14-year-old Amateur champion and winner of the 2010 Daytona Short Track and Springfield TT, tagged a rear wheel on the first lap on the slick turn-three infield section of the TT, highsided, and fractured his wrist. Later, Pro Singles rider Nick Mataya tank-slapped himself over the bars just after the jump and fractured his back. Mataya and Anderson were the only riders on the day to put pressure on Koch, who was at the first FDMC event 15 years ago, on a PW50. When asked what his favorite memory is from his 15 years of participating in FDMC events, the 22-year-old Koch replied, "Racing minibikes with Brock Schwarzenbacher."

The Open Amateur class had the fans on there feet when Dustin Paul (23, above), on a two-stroke 125cc KTM, held on for the hard-fought win over heat-race winner (and the cause of the main event's restart) Zack Zemanovic. Coming from the back line, Zemanovic was second on lap one and in hot pursuit of Paul. California's Lindsey King closed out the top three at the finish. Other second-generation names that made the up-and-comers look good included Cale Langland, Kurt Funk, Geoff Thistle and Riley Rasmusson.

Verdeen Langland and Randy Thistle battled in the Over 30 event, with Kurt Funk, Bob Becker and Jeremy Khanne following.

AMA District 23 has opened the gates to the 50cc mini classes, with free entries! This concept has been working very well: There were 25 minibikers on hand. Dads and sons say this flat-track racing is more fun the motocrossing.

New Ulm's Access Channel's Jeff Hietala had a full day of filming the event for later programming and a $2 DVD. Go to jkhietala@newulmtel.net for more information.

Results

BEG: 1. Sam Miller (KTM); 2. Ryan Schmidt (Honda); 3. Brady Meyer (KTM); 4. Riley Drew (Yamaha); 5. Ricky Peterson (Yamaha).

50 SHIFT & SHAFT: 1. Nick Lindberg (Honda); 2. Preston Langland (Yamaha); 3. Cole Zeug (Yamaha); 4. Jack Freeman (Yamaha); 5. Mark Ryan Kincs (Yamaha).

50 STK CHAIN: 1. Joshua Fedder (KTM); 2. Jackson Lindberg (Cob); 3. Reece Valland (KTM); 4. Mason Grecula (KTM); 5. Will Larson (KTM).

65 MINI: 1. Charles Anderson (Kawasaki); 2. Reece Valland (KTM); 3. Joshua Fedder (KTM).

80 OPEN MINI: 1. Riley Drew (Yamaha); 2. Charles Anderson (Kawasaki); 3. Zack Johnson (Honda).

85 MINI: 1. Zack Bailey (Yamaha).

125 4-STRK BEG: 1. Riley Drew (Yamaha).

125 A: 1. Ricky Peterson (Yamaha).

250 A: 1. Dustin Paul (KTM); 2. Riley Rasmusson (Suzuki); 3. Dan Bailey (Yamaha).

450 A: 1. Zachary Zemanovic (Honda); 2. Kurt Funk (Yamaha); 3. Cale Langland (Honda); 4. Tony Hauer (Suzuki); 5. Geoff Thistle (Honda).

450 PRO: 1. Dan Jacobson (Honda); 2. *Josh Koch (Honda); 3. *Kevin Anderson (Honda).

OPEN A AM: 1. Dustin Paul (KTM); 2. Zachary Zemanovic (Honda); 3. Lindsey King (Yamaha); 4. Cale Langland (Honda); 5. Kurt Funk (Yamaha).

OPEN B: 1. Dan Bailey (Yamaha); 2. Robert Becker (Honda); 3. Ricky Peterson (Yamaha).

OPEN SEMI-PRO: 1. Josh Koch (Honda); 2. Kevin Anderson (Honda); 3. Rich Delak (Hus); 4. Dan Jacobson (Honda); 5. Kurt Boehlke (KTM).

OPEN TW: 1. Jon Markuson (Aprilia); 2. Steve Boggs (Yamaha); 3. Mark Harris (Yamaha); 4. Rick Peterson Sr. (Yamaha); 5. Charles Holm (H-D).

VET 30+: 1. Verdeen Langland (Honda); 2. Randy Thistle (Yamaha); 3. Kurt Funk (Yamaha); 4. Robert Becker (Honda); 5. Jeremy Kanne (Honda).

SR 40+: 1. Randy Thistle (Yamaha); 2. Wayne Lindberg (Honda); 3. Tony Hauer (Suzuki); 4. Kurt Boehlke (KTM); 5. Lee Ganske (Yamaha).

MSTR 50+: 1. Randy Thistle (Yamaha); 2. Ron Bystrom (Honda); 3. Jon Markuson (Aprilia); 4. Mike Malin (Honda); 5. Greg Schmidt (Yamaha).

600 VINT: 1. Lee Ganske (Yamaha); 2. Adam Schmidt (Honda); 3. Mike Malin (Yamaha); 4. Mark Harris (Yamaha); 5. Mike Schmidt (Yamaha).

MAD DOG: 1. Paul Koch (Honda); 2. Lee Ganske (Yamaha); 3. Jon Markuson (Honda); 4. Dan Bailey (Yamaha).

* disqualification pending as of press time