NESC 200+ Amatuer Champion Derrick Barnaby has announced he will pilot Hondas for the 2008 NESC season.

    Barnaby, the '07 NESC Spring 200+ Amatuer Champion, has decided to switch to the new Honda CRF bikes for the upcoming 2008 season.

   After returning from a breif training hiatus in Orlando, FL., he recently took delivery of an '08 CRF450R and has started testing the bike on sveral test tracks around his hometown of Groton, CT. The mild January weather has allowed Derrick, 18, ample opportunites to break in the new machine and start making adjustmenst as needed to prepare for the upcoming 2008 assualt on the Pro/ Expert class.

  Despite the lack of contingency money available from Honda, Barnaby test rode the new Honda while in Florida and claimed he felt at home immediately on the red machine. The decision to switch brands was made shortly after he returned to New England.

  The move was a bold one, as Derrick has piloted Kawasaki's since his full-time racing debut in 2004. However, Derrick did pilot a privateer Honda CRF250R in the Fall NESC Expert Lites class in 2007 with favorable results, evening scoring a couple Top 10 finishes in the premier 450 class aboard the smaller machine after the theft of his premier bikes.  

   Derrick will  also pilot a CRF250R in the Lites class in 2008 as well.

   "It's a gamble, for sure." says his uncle and agent, Bill Badalucca. " Kawasaki offered a lot of needed contingency money towards Derrick's racing budget. We're banking on his ability to finish well, as well as Honda's reputation for reliability to keep him in the hunt for Purse money and whatever Honda contingency will be available."

  Bill has watched his nephew on the new Honda machine, noting that Derrick looked fast and very comfortable aboard the bike, despite having no serious setups done yet. he added that Factory Connection will be tuning the suspension before the season 's Inaugural event, and Derrick's co-sponsors will be adding parts and tuning to the machine.

Hey guys!!

Check out the newest photo gallery... sponsorhouse.loopd.com/members/derrickbarnaby/Photos.aspx

...this is a tribute to all the great riders Derrick ran with this year... hope to see all of ya next year. Have a great off-season and stay safe!!

Bill

In a true show of pure determination to overcome the odds, Derrick Barnaby arrived at Southwick, MA to contend Round 6 of the NESC Fall Series despite having two bikes stolen only one week earlier in Maine.

The young, rookie Expert rider showed face in the sands of Southwick armed with only his Honda CRF250, ready to take on the fastest riders in New England in the Pro/ Expert classes.

"He's here to race..." said his uncle and trackside mechanic, Bill Badalucca.

"... we're gonna see where his head is as far as his focus and desire, but he's ready to go."

With the MX-338 track being as rough as it has been since the start of the year, Derrick fought hard in the first 125 Pro/Expert moto to finish 16th. It was also the first ride on the refurbished motor, and the jetting seemed to be off the mark.

The first 200+ moto showed just how rough the track had become so quickly. Barnaby crashed while running 15th, although remounting to finish 18th.

 "The suspension wasn't set up right... too much rebound from what I could see." added his uncle.

" He looked like he was riding a bull out there! The track is rough. The worst I've seen it all year."

The second 125 moto showed signs of rejuvenation as Derrick got a good start and had moved into 11th place early. He was running down Joe Pardini for 10th before the halfway mark when disaster struck again, the Honda rolled to a halt with a seized engine.

"Looks like we sucked sand..." were the words overheard shortly after.

Another disappointing day for the young Connecticut rider. The DNF was coupled with a DNS for the second 200+ moto, ending his day early.

"At this point, I don't know what we're gonna do for the remainder of the Series." his uncle Bill remarked.

"... we just can't seem to catch a break this series. We had such a great Spring series, and just like that it's fallen apart. But we'll be back, we'll rebound. We just need to get past this string of bad luck we got goin' right now. Derrick's a resilient kid, though. He's still finishing where we expected him to, but the DNF's are killin' us and now we're down a couple o' bikes! We need to look at the big picture and make some changes, that's for sure."

Derrick Barnaby continues to prove his worthiness in the Top 15 of the NESC Pro/Expert class in the Fall Series.

 Barnaby, dubbed the "Rookie Expert" due to his being the only NESC Amateur Spring graduate who is contesting the tough Pro/Expert class in the Fall Series,  continues to show his talent and worthiness in the toughest classes in New England motocross.

Round 4 brought the NESC circuit to Central Cycle Club in Central Village, CT., Barnaby's home track where he is also a club member.

The young rider enjoyed good starts all day, and continued to run hard and consistant in the Top 15. His worst finish of the day was a 16th in moto 2 of the 125 Pro/Expert class, where he suffered a flat rear tire on lap 3 and made a conservative ride to salvage points, while ensuring he didn't interfere with the race's leaders. He matched that with a good 14th place finish in Moto 1 despite suffering radiator damage after an on track collision caused him to fall. He finished 6th in class on the day.

" A good day despite the setbacks" noted his uncle and mechanic, Bill Badalucca.

" ...a 14-16 with trouble in both motos. Makes you wonder just how much better he could've done if we didn't have the bad luck all day."

 Derrick continued riding hard in the 200+ Pro/Expert class, racking up a 13-13 / 2nd in class finish on the day. Good starts paid off, and Derrick put in a great battle just outside the Top 10 in moto 2 that had the fans paying more attention to it then they did the leaders.

Despite the fact that Derrick is still nursing a tender right shoulder, he continues to ride well in the tough classes. He was predicted to run Top 15 and has done so despite the injury. With Round 5 in Lyman, ME and Round 6 at Southwick, two tracks where Barnaby has run well, all eyes will be on this young racer to see if he can break into the Top 10 sooner than most expected. 

Derrick Barnaby, 18, of Groton, CT made his much anticipated "Expert" debut this past weekend in the NESC Fall Series Rounds 2 &3 at Hemonds Motocross Park in Minot, ME.

Fresh off  a shoulder injury which has left him grounded for the past three weeks, Barnaby rode only once before coming to Hemond's to contest not only the premier 200+cc Pro/Expert class, but also the 125 Pro/Expert class aboard a smaller machine he hasn't even raced yet.

Taking the gate against the fastest riders New England has to offer; Treadwell, Dowd, Hangos, Rando, Caddick, Mead, and the likes, Barnaby fared well for a rookie "Expert", going 13-12 for 4th in class in the 125 Pro/Expert, and backing that up with a 22-16 for 8th in class in the premier 200+cc Pro/Expert class.

In NESC Competition, Pros and Experts race together, but are scored seperately.

In Sunday's Round 3, Barnaby took to the track with a bit more rejuvenation, following up his 125 debut with a solid 13-10 finish for 2nd overall in class while scoring his first Top 10 finish in the Expert class.

In the 200+cc class, the young rider rode hard to finish 15-14 , 8th in class on the day. His 200+cc day included a late push in the first Moto to prevent John Dowd from lapping into the Top 15, and a Moto 2 late charge to run down and overtake 14th position with a lap to go.

"Overall, a solid two days of racing" says his uncle and mechanic, Bill Badalucca.

" This wasn't about winning or scoring points in class. It wasn't about seeing him run up front like we're so used to... It's his first Expert race, on a new bike in a new class altogether, running two longer motos than he's used to... we're tryin' to gauge where he's at with his shoulder, the bikes, everything right now. Now we have something to build on for the remainder of the series"

" I think he rode well!" added his father, Rich Barnaby, who spent the weekend as a spectator versus a fellow racer.

" He's not 100 percent, but he held his own, he didn't give up, he made a few good hard charges there towards the end... held off Dowd late in one race. That's no easy task in itself! Got a Top Ten on a stock 250F, ya know? I'm proud of him, he rode good!"

The younger Barnaby is expected to do some further testing on the CRF250 this coming week in anticipation of the NESC Round 4 at his home track in Central Village, CT this coming weekend.

In a surprise move by one of the fastest Amatuer riders moving into the NESC Expert class this fall, Derrick Barnaby of Groton, CT confirmed he will be contesting the 125cc Expert class aboard a Honda CRF250 for the '07 NESC Fall Series.

Generally known for his loyalty to the green machines, Barnaby had indeed added the junior Honda machine to his stable. Although he will , in fact, continue to pilot a KX450F in the 200+ Expert class, adding the CRF250 has been a plan for sometime since the news of his turning "Expert" for the Fall Series. Doing so will allow him to compete in the 125 Expert class as well, where Barnaby has stated he wanted to compete versus continuing his campigning the Open class.

The move is not contingency related, yet geared more towards allowing the young rider to compete in the two most lucrative Expert classes in the NESC.

So why a Honda? Availability more so than any other reason. Central Sports, Inc. of Norwich, CT. will continue to back Derrick as they have all year. Plus, he will get support from Excalibur Powersports of Plainfield, CT. to help as as well. And since Barnaby has no contractual agreement with Kawasaki other than contingency on the KX450F, the decision was simple. And Derrick has yet to decide if he'll even stay with Kawasaki's for the '08 season. 

Look for Barnaby to be piloting both machines when he returns to the NESC Fall Series, possibly at Hemonds this coming weekend.

Derrick Barnaby , 18, of Groton, CT was forced to sit out the Southwick Opener of the NESC Fall Series this past weekend due to a shoulder injury sustained two weeks during a practice ride.The injury to his right shoulder, which included muscle bruising as well as some bruising of his ribs, is expected to heal in time for Rounds 2 and 3 at Hemonds, ME this coming weekend.

Derrick took the advice of his doctors and stayed off his Kawasaki KX450F. He spent a week healing before taking some time on a mountian bike to keep in shape. He rode a few short motos the day before Southwick, but felt the pain was still to severe to compete the following day. He did, however, make the trip to the sands to watch his newfound class compete, as well as watch his old nemisis, Derek Radel of Canterbury, CT take the win in the 200+cc Amateur class.

He is scheduled to see the doctors again this week for a final checkup before riding again to gauge his progress. According to sources close to the young rider, the decision will be made late in the week whether or not he'll compete at Hemonds, or take an extra week off before Round 4 at his home track in Central Village.

Southwick would have been Barnaby's inaugural race in the NESC's Expert class. He plans on using the Fall Series to get some "expert time" under his belt in preparation for the 2008 season.

Derrick Barnaby, 17, of Groton, CT has just received his anticipated "Expert" status from the NESC (New England Sports Committee), effective for the NESC Fall Series Opener at Southwick, MA on July 22, 2007.

The move into the Expert class comes just two weeks after Barnaby captured the NESC's Spring Series 200+cc Amatuer Championship.

Per the NESC rules, riders are promoted to the "Expert" class only after earning 120 promotional points throughout their NESC racing career. Promotional points are earned based on overall class finishes for races they compete in, given enough entries are registered for the class.

6 points are awarded for 1st overall, followed by 4 points for 2nd overall, 3 points for 3rd overall, 2 points for 4th overall, and 1 point for 5th overall.

For the '07 NESC Fall Series, Barnaby will be competing in the 200+cc Expert class, as well as the Open Expert class. He plans to use the Fall Series to adapt to the highly competitve class in preperation for the '08 season, where he plans to compete in both the 125 Expert class as well as the 200+ Expert class.

Barnaby will again be campaigning the Expert class on his Central Sports, Inc. backed Kawasaki KX450F, the same machine he piloted to the Amatuer Championship. No word yet if he will remain on Kawasaki's for the 2008 season.

Congratulations go out to Derrick Barnaby, 17, of Groton, CT for capturing the 200+ Amatuer Championship in the NESC Spring Series.

In his first year aboard his Central Sports, Inc. backed Kawasaki KX450F, Derrick piloted his 4-stroke machine to his first career championship, racking up seven Moto wins, including a 1-1 sweep in the sands of Southwick, MA. He finished Top 5 overall an impressive 11 times in the 12-race series, besting Derek Almy of New Hampshire.

The championship was wrapped up at Jolly Rogers Motorsports Park in Lempster, NH this past weekend, where the young rider overcame mechanical difficulties to go 2-7, 5th overall on the day. mechanical difficulties forced Barnaby onto his back-up bike for the second moto, only to suffer a flat tire tire chasing down the leaders, then a blown clutch shortly thereafter, causing him to finish 7th. It was, however, all he needed to secure the points lead and the championship.

The 200+ Amatuer class wasn't the only championship barnaby came to New Hampshire in hopes of capturing, though. Prior to the final event here, he held a slim 10-point lead over Chris Vanderzee of Maine in the Open Amatuer class. 6 moto wins, including two 1-1 sweeps and 9 Top-10 overalls gave Derrick a 40-point lead before a DNF at Central Village the week prior put Vanderzee well with striking distance of the Kawasaki rider.

 In Moto One, however, Barnaby suffered an engine failure while leading with 2 laps to go, causing him another DNF, and giving Vanderzee the points he needed to secure that Championship. Barnaby holeshot the 2nd Moto, but Vanderzee got by him on the second lap,  and the two riders checked out on the rest of the class, finishing 1-2 in the race, and the points.

Congratulations to Chris Vanderzee for a great series and a well deserved Open Amatuer Championship.