FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Gary Sutherlin takes over in the last few miles to win round two of the Kenda/SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series.
Story and Photos by Mark Kariya
FMF/KTM Factory Off-road Racing Team/Bonanza Plumbing-supported Gary Sutherlin’s season in the Kenda/SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series started with round two, the 41st Annual Rabbit Creek 100 hosted by Dirt Inc. outside of Murphy, Idaho, since he sat out the opener while recuperating from a practice crash the month prior.
Despite that lack of seat time, he took advantage of a mishap that struck Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Off-road Team’s Jacob Argubright a couple miles from the finish and took the win—and the majority of the $5500 purse—over round-one winner Ricky Brabec with Skyler Howes a solitary third.
“It was just one of those things—I was in the right place at the right time,” Sutherlin acknowledged. “That’s racing. I was bummed to see him sitting there, but at the same time I needed to get as many points on these guys as I possibly can to jump me up in the points standings. This series is the only series that I still have a chance of winning a championship at so I put a lot of emphasis on this weekend getting back to myself, just that confidence.”
Despite the bad luck when he drowned his bike in the last creek crossing after leading from the start, Argubright was remarkably upbeat, saying, “At the end of the day, I know I was fastest. It sucks for championship [points], but it makes me feel good knowing I’m up to speed.”
Unlike Argubright, Johnny Campbell Racing Honda’s Brabec had to battle back from a bad start through clouds of silt to claim runner-up, which was enough to keep him in the series points lead, unofficially.
“I ended up leaving the [start] line pretty much last, but the line that I had was pretty good so I was near the middle of the pack [at the bomb],” Brabec said. “The first loop was super-dusty and made it difficult to pass. Actually, the whole course was dusty; it was single-track the whole way so it was really difficult to make passes. I just put my head down and rode safe and made a few mistakes, but that’s how it is racing.”
Chidester Transport Yamaha rider Joe Wasson parlayed a great start into fourth overall and the FMF Pro 250-class victory, almost a minute and a half ahead of reigning series champ Ivan Ramirez, who had to rebound from a mediocre start, though his fifth overall was better than his seventh at round one.
Ryan Smith on his LG Electric Yamaha, Purvines Racing Beta’s Axel Pearson, 3 Bros. KTM’s Nick Stover (the FMF Pro 250 runner-up), Chidester Transport Kawasaki’s Max Eddy, Jr., and Moose Racing KTM rider Jimmy Jarrett rounded out the top 10.
Kenda/SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series
41st Annual Rabbit Creek 100 by Dirt Inc.
Murphy, Idaho0
Results: April 3, 2016 (Round 2 of 8)
Overall
1. Gary Sutherlin-KTM
2. Ricky Brabec-Hon
3. Skyler Howes-Yam
4. Joseph Wasson-Yam (first 250 Pro)
5. Ivan Ramirez-KTM
6. Ryan Smith-Yam
7. Axel Pearson-Bet
8. Nick Stover-KTM
9. Max Eddy Jr.-Kaw
10. Jimmy Jarrett-KTM
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