MEDFORD, Ore. - Maria Forsberg and Jamie Lanza scored a pair of impressive victories over the weekend to lead the charge for riders competing under the Motorcycle-Superstore.com/Bell Helmet umbrella.
 
Forsberg travelled across the country from her home in Lynnwood, Wash., to edge fellow Motorcycle Superstore-supported rider Kacy Martinez in the women's bracket at the FMF Steele Creek GNCC event in Morganton, N.C. Forsberg completed the four-lap main in 1:48:53.859 on her KTM, with North Carolina's own Martinez slightly more than a minute back at 1:50:04.468, also on a KTM.
 
Andrew Delong maintained his lead in the XC2 Pro Lites with a hard-fought, fourth-place finish in Morganton. Delong was with the front group throughout the exhaustive seven-lap main but had a big spill near the end and finished half a minute back in 3:06:34.296 on his FAR Husqvarna.
 
"I had a hard time finding my groove," said Delong, as he returned to his team's shop in Salem, Ohio. "Every time I pushed it I ended up on the ground. I have to remember that it's all about the big picture at the end of the year. I got good points, even on a tough day, and that will be big as the year goes along."
 
Lanza of Calimesa, Calif., had a busy weekend of his own, racing in two separate events in his native Southern California.
 
On Saturday, he won the West Coast GP 86-200 Expert class at 29 Palms Motorsports Arena, leading the eight-lap race from start to finish in 1:44.00 on his Husqvarna. He then entered the MTA World Two-Stroke Championship at Glen Helen Raceway on Sunday and had finishes of 8-7 that placed him seventh overall in the 125 Pro category.
 
"I wasn't completely happy with my final result at the Two-Stroke Championship but it was some of the most fun I've had on a motorcycle ever," Lanza said. "Racing more than 20 guys on 125cc two-stroke motorcycles is every bit as fun as it sounds."
 
Gary Sutherlin of Hesperia, Calif., joined Lanza in the two-stroke fun at Glen Helen, riding his Yamaha to a fourth-place overall finish with moto results of 5-4 in the Open Pro class.
 
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Bash of El Cajon, Calif., was runner-up in the Women's Expert class at 29 Palms, completing the four-lap race in 52:44 on her Kawasaki.