Janssen Solid in Tennessee, Battles to Another Second Place Finish at Muddy Creek
During the Civil War, on the afternoon of September 22, 1863, a small town in East Tennessee was the scene of the four-hour-long battle now known as the “Battle of Blountville”. During a major expedition into East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, a Union Army unit attacked Confederate troops in Blountville, Tennessee. The town was shelled in the fighting and the courthouse was burned in the battle, which forced the Confederates to withdraw. Just as they invaded the sleepy little town over 150 years ago, the fastest ATV racers in the world do the same once every year as Blountville has been home to one of the nation’s premier motocross facilities for decades – Muddy Creek Raceway.
“Battle of Blountville” is quite fitting still to this day, as the fast hard-packed track at Muddy Creek always makes for great racing! Reigning 25+ National Champion Cody Janssen was coming off a runner up finish at the season opener in Georgia, with his sights squarely set on getting back to his winning ways at round 2 – but for Janssen, maybe the phrase “battling Blountville” would be more appropriate. Cody and his team battled all day Friday with an electrical issue that they struggled to pinpoint, essentially robbing him of any practice prior to Saturday’s racing action. Overnight rain would also play a factor, making conditions muddy and the track quite one-lined – but the champ has proven that it’ll take more than that to throw off his game.
In Moto 1, the battle was on! Cody Janssen came out of the gate in third and the top three stayed nose to tail for the duration of the moto. Off the main racing line, the track got thick and mucky. Janssen had a few close calls trying to force a pass, ultimately keeping it on four wheels but unable to make it stick. In Moto 2, the defending champ came out forth in better racing conditions before making a two-for-one pass into second place around the famous off-camber tree corner. Moving up positions is always a great thing, but it put Cody in a sandwich where he didn’t want to venture too far off the main racing line. He naturally wanted to be aggressive and fight for the lead, while also not wanting to jeopardize his second place position – a tough spot for any racer to be in. In the end, Cody was able to defend his runner up spot but unable to stick a pass for the lead on the final laps. His 3-2 moto scores would earn him 2nd overall on the weekend, and though that’s clearly not the goal, Cody made up points at Muddy Creek. Janssen is now just one point out of the lead in the series points standings.
“It was a grind of a weekend for us at Muddy Creek, but we were able to leave there with a solid 2nd overall finish. Janssen posted on his social media accounts. “From an electrical issue that we chased for the better part of two days and allowed me next to no practice laps, to some wet weather, and a notoriously tough track to pass on — it was a grind but we managed to make the best of it. [We] put ourselves in [a] good position, but just couldn’t finished the deal and came up one position short of the goal. Happy with my effort, good points weekend for us, and next up is my home race on the national schedule at Sunset Ridge. Grateful for all my supporters and for the opportunity to travel the country doing what I love with the ones I love. We have some time to get better before Walnut, CAN’T WAIT!”
Yet another solid result and a title defense is something unachievable alone, it’s thanks to the incredible support system that the reigning champ has behind him. Cody must thank all the loyal listeners and sponsors of his Digging Deep ATVMX Podcast, the #1 podcast in ATV racing! He must also thank the riders and families who continue to support the Cody Janssen Riding School. Huge thank you for the continued support to SSI Decals, CST Tires, Valvoline, Elka Suspension, FMF Racing, and Pivot Works – without the continued support of these long-time believers none of this would be possible. Thank you to his family, girlfriend Brooke, mechanic Dan Binder, and the rest of the crew at Janssen Motorsports. Extreme gratitude continues to Goldspeed Products, Ameriprise and the Hemauer Financial Group, the Kindrick Family and Kindrick Racing, E-Z Up Brand, Klink Equipment and Klink Hydraulics, Jay Gobel and Casey Greek of Impact Solutions, Hinson Clutch Components, Thor MX, The Program Training, D.I.D Chain, Atlas Brace, Bell Helmets, the Stanfield family and Napa (of Peru, Indiana), Cliff Cox and Oshkosh Tattoo & Good Girl Piercing, Precision Powder LLC, Ride 100% Brand, Trimble’s Cycle Center, All Balls Racing, Hot Cams, Hot Rods, Cylinder Works, Vertex, DT1 Filters, Larry Mills and DP Brakes, Rath Racing, Walsh RaceCraft, Fourwerx Carbon, Sunstar Sprockets, Works Connection, Renthal, Corey Garrison and Parts Unlimited, the Reynolds Family and Reynolds Body Shop, the Dean and Pauline Janssen family, Pat McGuire, Energy Release, Pro-Tec Racing, Evans Waterless Powersports Coolant, Blenders Eyewear, First Endurance, Pro Moto Billet/Fastway, Nova Racing Transmissions, Rocket Machining and Design, Mountaineer Brand, Dallas Janssen, and many others. Without such amazing support, continuing the pursuit of dreams and goals would never be possible. Photos curtesy of Logan Tremellen and Ken Hill.
ATV motocross is back and better than ever! The series now heads to Cody Janssen’s “home” track on the ATV Motocross National Championship scheduled, a perfect setting for Janssen to grab the reigns on this championship. We hope to see you there on the weekend of June 20/21!
