Alexah Pearson Earns First WMX Career Podium

KTM rider Alexah Pearson earned her first career podium at the sixth round of the AMA Pro Women's Motocross Championship held at the MX-338 race course in Southwick, MA. Her teammate, Sarah Whitmore, finished 4th and KTM support rider Jacqueline Strong finished 9th to place three KTM motorcycles in the top ten.

Pearson, a California native, has always enjoyed riding sand tracks and was looking forward to the Southwick course. "I didn't grow up around a lot of sand tracks but I have always adapted well to sandy terrain. It was raining hard today because of the storm and the wet course just added to the challenge," remarked Pearson.

Pearson got a great start in the first moto and was sitting in 4th in the opening lap. She challenged Strong for 3rd place in moto one before suffering a crash. Pearson quickly recovered only allowing her teammate, Whitmore, to pass. "I got nervous once I realized I was closing in on 3rd and I rode tight. That's what caused me to crash the first time. Then, once I recovered, I had to ditch my goggles and gloves because of the amount of mud on them and that led to a crash a few turns later," remarked Pearson. "It was such a frustrating first moto but I was able to manage a 7th place finish." Meanwhile, Strong went on to finish 4th on her KTM while Whitmore put in an impressive ride to climb from her 11th place start to 5th at the moto end.

Moto two was a whole new story. Pearson started in 3rd and remained in podium position throughout the entire moto. She managed to hold off a hard charge from Whitmore for the seven laps. As the two ladies battled, they picked up their lap times and began to catch the 2nd place ride of Ashley Fiolek. "Sarah and I were able to push each other at the end of the race and close in on Ashley. It was so exciting once we had her in our view. That's the first time I have been able to run in a podium spot this season and it was a great feeling to be competitive in that position," stated Pearson. She went on to finish the race in 3rd place to earn her first top three this season. Her 7-3 results tied her for 3rd overall with Whitmore who had 5-4 moto scores. The podium spot was given to Pearson who had the better second moto finish, allowing the KTM rider to celebrate her first career podium.

"It was a tough day, but also the best day of my career and I am so happy right now. I have been working so hard this year and I finally have my bike dialed in perfect. I am really looking forward to the final two rounds and hoping to get two more podium finishes," said Pearson.

Whitmore, who finished 4th overall, was equally impressive on the Southwick course in her first race back since breaking a bone in her hand at Freestone. She reported, "It feels good to be back on the track. I love the sand and I love the mud so this was perfect riding conditions for me. Unfortunately, I struggled with vision the second moto and lost some time each lap trying to clear my goggles. I wish I could have landed on the podium today but I am happy to have been in the challenge for the position. I have always liked the Steel City course so I am hoping to improve my results next weekend."

Overall Results:

1. Ashley Fiolek
   
2. Tarah Gieger
   
3. Alexah Pearson
   
4. Sarah Whitmore
   
5. Julie Parizek
   
6. Jessica Patterson
   
7. Kasie Creson
   
8. Lindsey Palmer
   
9. Jacqueline Strong
   
10. Sade Allender