Ricky Brabec returns from injury with a new factory ride, a win and a huge rally deal in the works, but Ivan Ramirez is the new National Champion.
Story and Photos by Mark Kariya
It’s hard to determine who made the biggest impact in Sunday’s 48th Annual Johnson Valley Championship hosted by the 100s Motorcycle Club: Ricky Brabec or Ivan Ramirez.
The race, which served as the eighth and final round of the Kenda/SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series and ran on the same weekend as the penultimate round of the AMA West Hare Scrambles Series, would see Brabec’s number-one plate go in one of three directions: To Ramirez (who was in the driver’s seat with a comfortable 28-point lead), to Gary Sutherlin or right back onto whatever motorcycle Brabec rides in 2016–which will most likely be a Honda. Brabec was just one point behind Sutherlin.
All that FMF KTM Factory Off-Road Racing Team’s Ramirez needed to do in order to clinch his historic first AMA National championship was to finish 17th or better, no matter what anyone else did. Pretty easy day at the office, really. On the other hand, nothing less than a win would keep title hopes alive for Sutherlin or Brabec, and Brabec as a real wildcard as he would be racing for the first time since breaking his neck at round five in June; his doctor finally gave him the green light to compete again on the Thursday before the race.
Making things more interesting was the news that Brabec had just signed a deal to ride for the factory-backed Johnny Campbell Racing Honda team, marking a return to desert racing for the legendary Campbell and giving his team a presence on both sides of the country in 2016. But even bigger for Brabec is that this new deal coincides with Honda’s plans for him on the World Championship Rally stage. He is expected to sign with Team HRC Rally this week.
Having dodged the proverbial bullet when he broke his neck, no one knew how Brabec would fare at the finale, but he showed no signs of rust, getting a decent start and working his way into the lead well before the end of the 40-mile first loop, with Rockstar Energy/Bel-Ray Husqvarna Factory Racing Team’s Jacob Argubright, FMF KTM-supported Sutherlin, Blais Racing Services KTM’s Skyler Howes and Purvines Racing Beta’s Axel Pearson strung out behind him.
“I passed Jake maybe mile one or two then I started getting into my pace,” Brabec said. “But Jake flew past me, and he was riding way too fast for me to push that early, so I just kind of sat back and played it safe because the first race back [from my broken neck] I’m nervous. Once we got around Skyler, who got the holeshot, I started pushing, and I think Jake started getting into his own pace and settling down. Once I passed him, I really don’t know what happened to him. The first loop I pushed really hard.”
What happened was Argubright and Sutherlin began a classic back-and-forth battle for the rest of the race.
“It was just cat and mouse all day,” Sutherlin said. Argubright proved faster in the valleys with Sutherlin making his time in the rocky, technical sections, and the 100s laid out a course that seemed to offer equal amounts of both.
As the finish drew closer, their battle for second intensified.
“The last downhill over here, I absolutely gave it my all,” Argubright said. “It was either I was going to pass him or go down! I was banging off rocks, and I caught him and passed him, but I went down the wrong line and had to turn around and go back up because [the course] split off left.”
That left Sutherlin enough breathing room to cruise the final mile or so to the finish with second place secured, but with Brabec winning, the JCR Honda pilot squeezed past Sutherlin for second in the final points tally, 161-157. Ramirez totaled 174 points, unofficially, in claiming his first AMA National championship, the first for a Mexican citizen.
“It’s cool,” said Ramirez, who was good friends, roomates and teammates to former National Hare & Hound Champion, the late Kurt Caselli. “It’s a great feeling. I know Kurt would be proud right now.”
Pearson survived a couple of crashes to finish fourth for both the day and the year, LG Electric Yamaha privateer Ryan Smith a season-best fifth. Zip-Ty Racing Husqvarna’s Dalton Shirey won the FMF 250cc Pro division in placing sixth overall followed by Ramirez, Max Eddy, Jr., David Kamo and FMF 250cc Pro runner-up Nick Stover.
But there was no denying that Ricky Brabec was back in a big way, and his career appears to be headed down the same path that it was before his horrifying crash.
“I wanted to come out here and kind of surprise everyone, so I think it worked,” Brabec said. “Now, everyone’s kind of in shock.”
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