Puerto Rican Giovanni Colon stole the show by winning every event he entered. At the hotel the next day, Colon credited the memorable time spent with his father and grandfather in the Dominican Republic as more important than winning all the races. He was also extremely proud of his Puertorican teammates. He said that they fiercely compete against each other in Puerto Rico but it was nice to unite as a team and dominate together like they did on this day.
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Santo Domingo MX
Carrera Internacional de ATV – RPMx International
March 21, 2004
Most of you readers reside in the good ole US of A and probably have no idea what racing in another country might be like. Not to worry, if you’re a little skeptical about getting a passport, crating up your quad and jet setting over many miles of ocean, — ATV Scene will fill you in on what you’re missing. Here’s what you missed last week.
It was the second annual Santo Domingo ATV Extravaganza. The event was held only a handful of minutes from downtown Santo Domingo in the beautiful country of the Dominican Republic. They take their ATVing serious in the Dominican. This all-ATV event featured; motocross, TT, 4×4 races and ATV freestyle. This time out TT racing would take center stage as American Polaris factory racer, Daryl Rath played the starring role since Dominican Polaris flew the Rath team and their fire-breathing Predator out to participate. Dominican aces Jeremy Bernal, Manuel Sarraff and Franklin Nogueras co-starred and represented their home turf of the Dominican Republic, but Puerto Rican national champion Giovanni Colon ended up stealing the show with a performance worthy of an Emmy.
If anyone was worthy of winning an award for rider of the day it was Giovanni Colon from Puerto Rico. Not only did he win everything he entered, he also treated the crowd with freestyle tricks like this heel clicker.
Here America’s Daryl Rath rails the outside while Republic of Dominican’s Manuel Sarraff one wheels the inside corner on his Cannondale.
The track was a Dominican masterpiece. Dominican promoters utilized natural elevation changes to wrap their TT track around a one mile loop that most of the riders really took a liking to. The two most advanced riders in the Dominican corner were Jeremy Bernal and Manuel Sarraff. Bernal rode a Polaris Predator with full backing from Polaris of Inversiones Gaudi while Manuel Sarraff rode a Cannondale courtesy of Bonazara Suzuki/Cannondale. In the American corner it was TT wizard, Daryl Rath of Rath Racing and more recently, American factory Polaris. Arriving via boat was the Puerto Rican team led by their national champion Giovanni Colon.
Jeremy Bernal was happy of his third place moto one performance He and his Dominican Polaris looked ultra fast in moto one.
Manuel Sarraff prepares for the start of the big Open Pro race on his Cannondale
Time to race
Spectators flooded the venue. By the time the green flag was waved, nearly every standing spot along the track was occupied with an excited race fan or two. Eager fans wanting to get a bird’s eye view of the action climbed up into the trees to stake out their choice area. With proud sponsor representation from Presidente Beer, La Rapida (a natural hangover pill), Pepsi Cola and Dominican Polaris glaring trackside, the table was set — it was time to race!
There were a few different classes being run, but the main class that everyone was there to see was the TT Open Pro class. In the first moto, Rath dominated with his orange Polaris Predator that arrived in a crate the day before the race. Rath built up an impressive lead on the pack as laps progressed. With a lap to go his Predator started to run strange. While Rath was way out front. Giovanni Colon, who was racing a TT for the first time, was getting the hang of the track. Giovanni and his brand new Honda 450R were on the move. He passed his way into second where he would later finish.
Tree side seating was even sold out.
Daryl Rath and Presidente Beer president Louis.
Meanwhile, another rider and quad on the move was Jeremy Bernal and his Dominican Polaris Predator. Bernal charged from a sixth place starting spot. He eventually got past his rival Sarraff and put his sites on Giovanni’s number 7. Bernal’s time would run out and he would have to settle for a respectable third place position in the first moto. “I was a little nervous coming into this race,” explained Bernal after his moto one podium position. “It was my first time racing with all these International riders from all over the world. Before the race Daryl Rath came up to me and told me to just relax and have fun, and that’s what I did. That and I think I was able to brake deeper in the turns. This really helped me work through the pack. My Polaris worked great out there and I’m very thankful to my family and Martin Cantisano of Inversiones Gaudi Polaris for all he’s done with setting my Polaris up.”
Rath nursed it in for the moto one win but the motor sounded worse and worse as he got closer to the checkered flag. “There’s something very wrong with that motor,” said Rath’s sidekick/wrench Dave Jubee. “It sounds like a worn out diesel truck. There’s no way it will make it another moto without letting go on us. We can’t race this quad in the second moto.”
The 4×4 class rode the same TT track with an added mud pit to make it interesting.
Giovanni Colon proved to be on top of his game by winning all the classes he entered. “Watch out Americans. I am coming to the US this summer to race a national. Remember my name, Giovanni Colon from Puerto Rico. I can’t wait!”
Open Pro 2nd Moto
Thanks to Dominican sponsor Martin Cantisano, Rath swung a leg over a borrowed Polaris Predator just in time for moto two’s start. In the second moto Puerto Rico’s Giovanni Colon took over where Rath left off by completely dominating in all ways possible. “I never rode TT before so I didn’t know what to expect out there. My father told me to sign up for everything that I could in order to get a lot of track time. I think that was the right thing to do. I picked up how to ride TT pretty quickly and had a blast doing so. Also, my father and my teammates built my confidence up and that helped me win all the classed that I signed up for. I really want to thank my father Hector Colon if it wasn’t for him I would never have gotten to were I am now. Can I also thank my sponsors? Planet Honda, MoviStar (Mobile phone company), CHR Racing Shop, Tag Metals, No Fear, Klotz, HR Subcontractor, Vemar Helmets, Professional Iron Works (Freestyle Ramps), Suimport International, ASV Inventions, Oxtar Boots, Vans, AP Performance, Galfer Brakes, The Wheel Shop (Bicycle for training), Elka Suspension, Roll Design, Douglas Wheel, Hinson, Quad Tech and Utopia Optics. Thanks very much!” explained Colon after the final moto of the day.
Rath. on a borrowed quad didn’t quite perform like he did with his own. We later found that Rath rode without front or rear brakes. No wonder why he wasn’t his usual self.
The promoters of the event built an excellent freestyle ramp, but since the landing ramp was too steep, the freestyle show was moved to a nearby table top jump. Spectators made use of the ramps and ironically watched the action from them.
Jeremy Bernal, hot off his first moto charge through the pack, disappointingly pulled to a stop with motor problems right after the start of moto two. It appeared that settling the rivalry among Dominican hot shots Bernal and Sarraff that had been brewing for days before the race wasn’t going to be decided this time out. They take their ATV brands serious in the Dominican and each was anxious to prove that theirs was indeed faster. Bernal on the Polaris and Sarraff on the Cannondale, each was eager to put their money where their mouth was out on the track. In the first moto it appeared that the Polaris had what it took to win as Rath did just that and Bernal charged into third. In the second moto Rath could only handle mid pack traffic with faulty brakes and Bernal could only watch from the sidelines with a some sort of electrical problem. Meanwhile, the other Dominican, Franklin Nogueras, (part of the Bonazara Suzuki/Cannondale team) put together two steady finishes to finish the day with the runner up overall spot on his Suzuki. After the race, the Dominican rivalry was over and the friendship was back on. All represented their home turf well. The three young men shook hands and were proud to be the first second and third Dominican riders of the day.
Freestyle ATVer, Jon Guetter, hot off his ATV back flip, flew to Dominican Republic to shoot scenes for “Huevos 7”. He’s seen here performing big tricks with a Polaris off of a small table top jump.
In the end Puerto Rico’s Giovanni Colon came up as the big winner but everyone one in attendance also won as the race was a big hit.
We would like to thank Martin Cantisano of Inversiones Gaudi Polaris for all his hospitality, for showing us the beautiful Dominican Republic country and introducing us to all wonderful people in it. And much thanks to Daryl and Jen Rath for setting this once in a lifetime opportunity up to get me there so I could put together this feature.
If you every have the opportunity to venture outside the United States, don’t rule out a trip to the Dominican Republic.
Here Donald Elwell is enjoying an ice cold Presendente (Dominican’s favorite beer) after a long off road ride from Santiogo. Donald and his wife like the Dominican Republic enough to call it their home. They moved there from Canada a few years ago after riding the Dominican yearly enduro, titled “The Frontera” – (a three day, 360 mile enduro through the beautiful mountains and countryside of the Dominican Republic).
Pro TT Open:
1. Giovanni Colon PR (Hon)
2. Franklin Nogueras RD (Hon)
3. Manuel Sarraff RD (Can)
Pro TT 4-Stoke:
1. Giovanni Colon PR (Hon)
2. Franklin Nogueras RD (Suz)
3. Daryl Rath USA (Pol)
Pro TT 2-Stroke:
1. Javier Nieves PR (Hon)
2. Julio Mercedes RD (Hon)
3. Javier Hervia RD (Hon)
Pro MX Open:
1.Giovanni Colon PR (Hon)
2.Javier Nieves PR (Hon)
3.Milton Rivera PR (Hon)
