Unadilla 1 GP Race Report: Warzone on Wheels
New Berlin, New York (May 10, 2025)- Here we are again at the stunning Unadilla in New York! This race weekend is always a blast for me; the beautiful rolling hills and the vibrant green grass sprinkled with dandelions make it such a fun place to be. With a week of rain leading up to Round 3 of the Jday Offroad AMA Championship, we were eager to see how the track and woods would fare. Saturday morning greeted us with a muddy mess that almost suction cupped you into the starting line. The Pee Wee motos had to be rescheduled for the afternoon since those tiny bikes would struggle up those hills. The first half of the day turned into a total mud fest! You couldn't recognize anyone from the front of the bikes. Bikes were going down everywhere, both at the starts and in the straights, especially in the woods. Aside from the thick mud, Saturday was stunningly bright and sunny, with a breeze that just wouldn’t quit. Unadilla was an absolute joy to capture through my camera, especially with all the intense battles that kicked off after the green flag waved!
The views at Unadilla showcasing the beautiful landscape.
WOMEN'S PRO/ AM - 13 daring women lined up for the Women’s line on saturday. Being third moto of the day due to peewees getting pushed to the afternoon, these ladies were in for a treat in the sloppy mud. Samantha Steiner started off moto 1 with a great holeshot. By the end of lap one Addison Harris was out front leading the pack with a 20 second lead on Kayla Oneill in 2nd, holding that first place position until the checkered flag of moto 1.
During Moto 2, it was once again Addison Harris leading the pack and showcasing her impressive racing skills. Right behind her, Kayla Oneill put on a fantastic performance, securing the 2nd position, while Samantha Steiner consistently held on to 3rd place throughout the entire race. In the end, Harris clinched the overall victory for the Women’s category, with Kayla Oneill finishing in a strong 2nd and Samantha Steiner celebrating her spot on the podium, especially meaningful as it coincided with Mother’s Day, being a mother herself. Meanwhile, Kendyl Gaetani shone brightly in the Women’s Amateur race, achieving a remarkable 1-1 finish, which earned her the Women’s Amateur Overall.
Womens Pro Class - Kayla Oneill Moto 2 through the dry woods.
INTERVIEW - Saturday was a wild ride for some racers in the mud, but how much thought and preparation do these Pro riders go through to push their limits? I was able to speak with Beta rider Brayden Nolette who currently sits in 3rd in the Pro AA and Pro 125 class at Jday, to hear his thoughts on the conditions of Saturday and Sunday.
How did the muddy conditions impact your strategy and line choices out on the track?
The muddy conditions made my line choice strategy very open to anything. When I looked at the track I picked out every possibly line even if it wasn’t the fastest because usually the main line would either be soupy mud or peg dragging ruts. So while i was out there i was always scanning for a smoother, and dryer line to pick.
What was the toughest moment for you during the race, and how did you push through it?
The toughest moment for me would have to be my last Pro 125 moto of the weekend (Sunday Round 4). I ended up dumping the clutch on the start and the bike died on me. It took me about 5 kicks to get going at that point everyone was around the first corner. Knowing that I took 2nd first moto it was my chance to land myself on the podium. I pushed the whole moto through the group and made my way to 4th and on the last lap I was able to make the pass for 3rd landing me 2nd on the day. The hardest part was mentally putting behind my mistake on the start and setting my intentions to making the podium. After that I just needed to execute.
Looking back, is there anything you would’ve done differently to adapt better to the conditions?
I would not have done anything differently to adapt to the conditions of the race. I have an amazing crew behind me and I was able to feel great physically on the bike each moto no matter the conditions. Only thing I need to work on is my First lap intensity, because I feel like I have the speed but I am losing time right out of the gate.
Brayden Nolette Second Pro 125 Moto aboard his Beta Ride.
FEATURED CLASS SCHOOLBOY (12-17)- The Schoolboy class holds some of the fastest young riders, from ages 12-17 anyone is able to enter this class. Luke Trask aboard his Yamaha secured the moto 1 holeshot. Colton McQuarrie, Am Pro Yamaha rider soon found his way to first during the first lap of the race. Bodie Preece aboard his Gas Gas 125, follows closely behind McQuarrie who is gaining more and more time in front of Preece. Grand Meacham aboard his KTM, started lap 1 in 6th where he quickly caught up to third to finish moto 1. Once again, Moto 2 Colton McQuarrie was leading the pack 32 seconds ahead of second place Bodie Preece. These kids were throwing huge whips and showing off their style all weekend long as they went over the iconic jumps of Unadilla MX. The Podium finished with Colton Mcquarrie in 1st, Bodie Preece in 2nd and Grant Meacham in 3rd.
First turn pileup in the Pro 125 class moto 1.
Pro 125- First Pro Race of the day is always Pro 125 holding the fastest woods riders in the North East, all on 125cc bikes. The Pro 125 race is sponsored by Moto Tassinari; The VForce reed valve system by Moto Tassinari boosts two-stroke engine performance with increased airflow, sharper throttle response, broader powerband, and more horsepower, thanks to its unique dual reed-tip design. The skies are sunny and the mud is starting to tack down on the course, as Unadilla is very hard packed, the water doesn't seep into the ground leaving a messy layer of mud on top. As the green Fox Racing flag dropped they were off...then an immediate stop, as Am Pro Racings Rider Brandon Gregoire's front tire slid out just before he rounded the corner making Plaistow Powersports riders Justin Cokinos and Kyle Hangos all stack on top of Gregoires bike. This sets the leaders back while Brayden Nolette; Beta Rider sneaks through untouched and Cokinos makes his get away before the others get up. "I had to look back as I rode away to make sure I grabbed the right bike" stated Cokinos. Cokinos was able to make his get away before the other riders got up, riding in that first place position by the entry of the woods (which wasn't far at all) riding till the end of the moto in 1st. Taylor Beckwith finished 2nd Moto 1, merely 8 second behind Cokinos, while Brayden Nolette finished 3rd. Moto 2 was a reset stated Gregoire as I found him scoping out the grass track before his second Pro 125 moto. The mud had dried up leaving many many ruts along the track. Gregoire was back out front moto 2, Taylor Beckwith was following closely behind before 3 lap, Justin Cokinos was able to make a pass into second with Gregoire 18 seconds ahead. Cokinos strived for the rest of the moto catching closer and closer to Gregoire each lap finishing the moto only 7 seconds behind Gregoire. The Podium for Saturdays Pro 125 race concluded as Justin Cokinos (1st), Brandon Gregoire (2nd), and Taylor Beckwith in (3rd). Once again a full Yamaha sweep in the Pro 125 class.
Pro AA Podium: Brandon Gregoire (1st), Justin Cokinos (2nd) Evan Smith (3rd).
PRO AA- As moto 1 came around the sun and wind had dried out some mud on the track, along with the amazing track crew at Unadilla tilling the track in between starts to give the riders the best conditions possible. This weekend we had Evan Smith; AM Pro Yamaha rider come out to JDay this weekend and give his try at the North East woods. Brandon Gregoire; AM Pro Yamaha rider secured the Fox Racing holeshot with 13 Pros following him. Plaistow Powersports rider Justin Cokinos was leading by the end of lap 1 just 1 second in front of Gregoire. Cokinos then led lap 2 with a 5 second lead on Gregoire. Taylor Beckwith now on a Yamaha sat in 3rd this moto, and Brayden Nolette in 4th representing Beta. On the 5th and final lap of Moto 1, Gregoire was able to make a pass on Cokinos for the win in the Pro AA Moto 1. Gregoire was able to stay no more than 5 seconds behind Cokinos pushing himself to make that last lap pass.
Justin Cokinos covered in mud after just one lap in the morning.
Moto 2 started off strong. The day was almost over, many bikes stuck and broke down during the day delaying motos and pushing the race day to have the last moto of the day start at 6pm. They were off as the Fox Racing flag swept the air. AM Pro Racings rider Evan Smith made a huge jump off the start leading the pack. Brayden nolette was second in the start followed by Taylor Beckwith and Shane Czelazewicz. After Evan Smith pulled the holeshot he took off with speed, leaving the rest of the class behind. Cokinos was on Smith's tail finishing lap one with the same exact time and Gregoire was 8 seconds behind Smith slowly gaining time on him and Cokinos. Evan looked very smooth and confident out front. On Lap 3 Gregoire was able to make the pass on Cokinos and Smith, leading the rest of the moto and finishing with a 13 second lead on Smith. Brayden Nolette sat in 4th for a while where he fell back to 5th on lap two and went back and forth with Beckwith ultimately making the pass back to 4th on the last lap. The podium rounded out with Brandon Gregoire (1st), Justin Cokinos (2nd) Evan Smith (3rd).
Muddy starts early in the day for the Supermini Moto 1.
Overall Results
PeeWee SR- Destry Tucker
PeeWee Trail Rider- Connor Maguire
PeeWee Electric- Brooks Mankowsky
PeeWee Bantam- Teagan Tucker
PeeWee Squirt- Bryan Supp Ramos
PeeWee Girls- Grace Renwick
Super Mini- Grant Meacham
Mini SR (12-15)- Tucker Aldrich
Mini JR (6-12) - Destry Tucker
Girls- Sadie Paquin
C 250- Mason Spencer
C 200- Evan Cormier
C Open- Karlos Silva
C Open Electric- Jonathan Webb
Women Pro- Addison Harris
Women Amateur- Kendyl Gaetani
Super Senior- Gary Rogers
C Vet- Justin Calliontzis
C Seniors - Keith Houle
Masters- Nathan Martel
Vintage- Ryan Bliven
Pro/Am 125- Justin Cokinos
B Open- Daniel Gould
B 250- Joshua Cavar
B 200- Brayden Edmonds
B Open Electric- Jason White
Sportsman- Porter Breton
Pro/Am Open Electric- Josh Long
A Senior- Andy Mathieu
School Boy (12-17)- Colton McQuarrie
B Vet- Gabriel Praxedes
B Senior- Tim Zufelt
Pro- Brandon Gregoire
A 250- Matt Webb
A Vet- Matt Obuchon
A 200- Daniel Desmarais
A Open- Patrick Gougeon
Media and Race Reports Produced by Eighteen Photos.