Gary Sutherlin Remains Unbeaten after WORCS Lake Havasu Win

Gary Sutherlin has been scorching the competition on the 2014 WORCS circuit, and he won again in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

Scott Rousseau

Gary Sutherlin has been scorching the competition on the 2014 WORCS circuit, and he won again in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

Gary Sutherlin has been unstoppable in 2014 WORCS competition thus far. Sutherlin made it three wins in three rounds during the series stop at Lake Havasu City, Arizona, on March 16. PHOTOS COURTESY OF WORCSRACING.COM
Gary Sutherlin has been unstoppable in 2014 WORCS competition thus far. Sutherlin made it three wins in three rounds during the series stop at Lake Havasu City, Arizona, on March 16. PHOTOS COURTESY OF WORCSRACING.COM

KTM-mounted privateer Gary Sutherlin is making it clear that he is the frontrunner in the chase for the 2014 Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) number one plate. In Lake Havasu, Arizona, Sunday, Sutherlin scored his third overall win in as many rounds of the 2014 campaign to remain unbeaten in 2014 WORCS competition. Bobby Bonds came from deep in the field to finish second overall on a Kawasaki, while Ricky Dietrich made a surprise WORCS appearance and finished third overall on a KTM.

Held at the Crazy Horse Campground, the Lake Havasu WORCS round boasted a record 1400 entries, and a large crowd spectators was also on hand to watch the racing action from both land and sea, as several dozen boats and hundreds of people watched the race held on the shore of Lake Havasu.

Sutherlin (right) inherited the lead when surprise visitor Ricky Dietrich (left) crashed in the motocross section while leading the race. Sutherlin would later have to hold off the charging Dietrich to secure the win. Dietrich would slip to third.
Sutherlin (right) inherited the lead when surprise visitor Ricky Dietrich (left) crashed in the motocross section while leading the race. Sutherlin would later have to hold off the charging Dietrich to secure the win. Dietrich would slip to third.

RPM/KTM’s Eric Yorba grabbed the holeshot, but Dietrich, quickly took over the lead, only to crash on the motocross track, handing the lead to Sutherlin. From there, Sutherlin pulled away from the pack and held a commanding lead until the final hour when Dietrich caught him. The pair swapped the lead back and forth before Sutherlin secured it for good over the final laps to secure his third straight win of the season.

A record number entries and a healthy crowd of spectators was on hand at Lake Havasu. Bobby Bonds shook off his bad luck in the first two rounds of the series to post a strong second-place finish at Havasu.
A record number entries and a healthy crowd of spectators was on hand at Lake Havasu. Bobby Bonds shook off his bad luck in the first two rounds of the series to post a strong second-place finish at Havasu.

R&D Motorsports’ Kawasaki’s Bonds had led more laps than any pro through round two of the 2014 WORCS series, but problems at both rounds has kept him from claiming a podium finish. That changed at Havasu. Bonds got his bad luck out of the way early by starting dead last, and he tore through the pack to finish second overall. Despite Dietrich’s late-race charge, he wasn’t able to keep Bonds at bay and had to settle for third place—not bad considering how infrequently Dietrich has been racing lately.

KTM’s Justin Jones was another contender at Havasu. The son of three-time AMA 250cc National Motocross Champion Gary Jones charged hard early and held down second place, only to fade in the heat and brutal track conditions and drop back to fourth place overall.

Reigning WORCS Champion Robby Bell was back in action for the first time since suffering a leg injury. Although a little out of race shape yet, Bell posted a solid fifth-place finish, behind Justin Jones, to remain in contention for a second consecutive WORCS title.
Reigning WORCS Champion Robby Bell was back in action for the first time since suffering a leg injury. Although a little out of race shape yet, Bell posted a solid fifth-place finish, behind Justin Jones, to remain in contention for a second consecutive WORCS title.

Monster Energy/Precision Concepts/THR Motorsports Kawasaki Robby Bell was racing for the first time since suffering a leg injury while practicing at Glen Helen, but despite the downtime, the reigning WORCS Champion was still able to put together a steady race at Havasu and finish fifth overall, which keeps him in the thick of the points battle for the WORCS Championship…that is, assuming he or anyone else can stop the flying Sutherlin.

RPM/KTM’s Travis Coy and John Burr Cycles’ Steve Gibson had an intense battle for the Pro 2 lead at Havasu, with the pair trading the top position all day. At the finish Coy secured his first win of the season, with Gibson second.

Blayne Thompson saw his Pro 2 Lites effort get derailed early when he crashed into a tree and injured a finger, but he quickly got back on track and charged into the class lead on lap two. Adrenaline was Thompson’s friend as he held the Pro 2 Lites lead all the way to the finish and claimed the win.

Round four of the WORCS Series heads to Sand Hollow State Park in Hurricane, Utah, April 11-13. For more information on the series, visit WORCSRacing.com.

Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS)
Crazy Horse Campground
Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Results: March 16, 2014 (Round 3 of 9)

Pro
1. Gary Sutherlin-KTM
2. Bobby Bonds-Kaw
3. Ricky Dietrich-KTM
4. Justin Jones-Kaw
5. Robby Bell-Kaw

Pro 2
1. Travis Coy-KTM
2. Steven Gibson-Kaw
3. David Broderick-KTM
4. Mason Ottersberg-Kaw
5. Kyle Mercier-Kaw

Pro 2 Lites
1. Blayne Thompson-Hon
2. Logan Chambers-KTM
3. Travis Damon-Hon
4. Michael Del Fante-Yam
5. Schuyler Schoonmaker-Yam

Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) Pro Points Standings (After 3 of 9 rounds)
1. Gary Sutherlin-50/3 wins
2. Justin Jones-42
3. Robby Bell-42
4. Bobby Bonds-33
5. Eric Yorba-32

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