With his closest challenger riding hurt, reigning Kenda/SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Champion Ricky Brabec picked up his third triumph at round four of the 2017 series, though he had to pick himself off the ground after a huge get-off about a mile from the finish on Sunday.
Interestingly, all three podium finishers crashed during the race, as did a number of other competitors at the So Cal National Hare & Hound put on by the So Cal Motorcycle Club at the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area outside of Lucerne Valley, California.
The race also marked the return of FMF KTM Factory Off-road Racing Team’s Taylor Robert, following 12 weeks off after his big crash at King of the Motos and the resultant surgeries afterward. Robert made a big statement right off the bat, vying for the lead on the bomb run, but it was SRT Yamaha’s Ryan Smith who had the best line in the left-hand sweeper after the bomb, leading for about five miles.
Brabec then saw an opening and got around Smith for the lead, which he kept for the remainder of the race’s three separate loops and 101 miles, though it wasn’t without incident.
“Midway through the third loop I tagged a rock with the brake pedal and it got bent under the clutch cover, forcing it to drag the rest of the way,” he revealed. “It eventually got so hot, it just stopped working completely so about one mile before the finish, I hit a [deeply rutted] quad [turn track] and it just put me over the front so fast! Due to no rear brake, I had no chance to slow down so it was a rough finish, but I’m excited to come across the line with a good lead. Now I’m just sore and recovering for the next round.”
Round five, by the way, is right away on Saturday, May 5, in Jericho, Utah, so Brabec and the others don’t have much time to heal.
Argubright shared, “We got to Means [Dry Lake] and [Brabec] kind of pulled me because it was super-dusty. After that on the second loop, I went really good, then towards North Anderson [Dry Lake] I just came over a rise and clipped something and I rolled down the hill. It knocked the wind out of me and ripped my [radiator] shroud off. It took me a while to get going [again]; I had to collect my marbles. Then Taylor passed me—Taylor stopped to make sure I was all right [first]—and I followed him for a little bit.”
After getting his thoughts and rhythm together, Argubright repassed Robert, keeping second place to the finish. Sutherlin had a different mindset than usual, the result of a crash the week before at the WORCS race.
“I came into this race not really knowing how my shoulder was going to do after dislocating it and taking a foot peg to…uh…to my manhood,” Sutherlin said. “That’s not good either! I knew I had to salvage what I could today.”
Unable to hang on strongly in the rough, high-speed valleys and cross-grain, Sutherlin did as best he could, though the demanding course caught him out as well: “I had a big wreck on the second loop and hit my head really hard and was seeing Tweety Birds there for a while!”
But like Brabec and Argubright, Sutherlin collected himself quickly enough to maintain position to the end.
Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/Precision Concepts Honda rider Justin Morgan had an okay start and steadily worked his way through the pack to finish fourth followed by Robert, who said, “I found out pretty quickly that my speed wasn’t where it needed to be, though. I dropped back to fourth then worked my way back up to second. After that, I started making too many mistakes and hit the ground a few times and dropped back again.”
Fifth at the finish, he was later penalized two positions for course infraction.
From left: Runner-up Brooke Olivas joins her sister, Laci, who won the Girls class with Kassidy Laswell claiming third. Laci Olivas not only won the class, she also overalled the combined the Micro MIni/Girls race on Saturday. PHOTO BY MARK KARIYA.
That moved Purvines DA8 Racing Yamaha teammates Axel Pearson and Nick Burson to fifth and sixth with Robert seventh. City Service Racing Honda’s Nic Garvin, Stevens Erectors, Inc. Husqvarna-mounted Taylor Stevens and Smith rounded out the top 10 overall.
Just out of the top 10 at 12th overall, Chance Fullterton rode his first National Hare & Hound in two years, though the Fasthouse YZ250 rider apparently forgot none of the tricks to desert racing and took the FMF Pro 250 victory. Series regular Tyler Lynn was just 17 seconds behind for second in class and 13th overall on his Chidester Transport Racing YZ250 while Jordan Gamboa was next aboard his IMS KTM.
After battling with round-two winner Britney Gallegos through the first loop, FMF KTM’s Kacy Martinez-Coy finally went ahead for good in Women A on the second loop, holding to the finish for her third win of the season. Gallegos settled for second with Chidester Transport Racing’s Stephanie Woolslayer third, tying her best series finish to date.
2017 Kenda/SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series
So Cal National Hare & Hound
So Cal Motorcycle Club
Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area o
Lucerne Valley, California
Results: April 30, 2017 (Round 4 of 10)
Overall
1. Ricky Brabec-Hon (first Open Pro)
2. Jacob Argubright-Hus
3. Gary Sutherlin-Yam
4. Justin Morgan-Hon
5. Axel Pearson-Yam
6. Nick Burson-Yam
7. Taylor Robert-KTM
8. Nic Garvin-Hon
9. Taylor Stevens-Hus
10. Ryan Smith-Yam
11. Andrew Puckett-Yam
12. Chance Fullerton-Yam (first Pro 250)
13. Tyler Lynn-Yam
14. Jordon Gamboa-KTM
15. Braydon Bland-KTM
16. Kyle Erickson-KTM (first A Vet)
17. Ryan Karell-Yam
18. Maverick Shuey-Yam
19. Matthew Nikac-Hon (first A 250)
20. Corey Fletcher-KTM
More results available at www.nationalhareandhound.com.
2 (542 Fullerton)
3 (089 Girls Podium)
Your Privacy Choices