Former WORCS Champion Robby Bell kicks off the 2015 WORCS tour with a win at Honolulu Hills MX in Taft, California.
Former Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) Champion Robby Bell made it clear at the opening 2015 WORCS round that he wants his title back.
The Precision Concepts Kawasaki rider started the 2015 WORCS season like he finished his 2014 campaign, with a win, this one coming at Honolulu Hills MX in Taft, California, Sunday. Defending WORCS Champion and new factory KTM rider Gary Sutherlin finished second followed by Hinson/Honda’s Justin Jones.
The Taft opener presented a different challenge than previous versions as dense fog limited the dust but also limited visibility. Many riders ended up ditching their fogged-up goggles during the Pro race.
Bell led the Pro race off the start, but he went wide in the first turn, which allowed Sutherlin and Jones to slip past him into the top two spots. Bell clawed his way back past both men to retake the lead on the opening lap. Bell set a quick pace, cutting the fastest lap-time of the race at the halfway point as he stretched his lead out to over a minute on Sutherlin. Bell would go on to lead every lap and score the first win of the 2015 WORCS season.
“I think that was probably the best start of my life, and that’s probably why I blew the first turn because I was so excited,” Bell said. “Gary [Sutherlin] and ‘JJ’ [Justin Jones] got in front of me and then Justin got a little squirrely on the Pro section, so I got him there. And then coming down the downhill, I couldn’t really see, but I was just riding by brail, feeling my way down, and was able to have a little more speed than Gary. From there the bike just worked fantastic. I knew Gary and JJ shine in the beginning of the race, so I wanted to really push it hard and get a bit of a gap, and I was able to because the bike was so good.”
Sutherlin wasn’t able to challenge Bell for the lead as he dealt with goggle issues due to the fog, which forced him to toss his goggles early in the race, and his eyes took a beating from the sandy track, which slowed down his charge. Jones, who wasn’t planning on racing the 2015 WORCS season opener until he received a last-minute deal from Honda on the Thursday before the Taft round, wasted no time proving that he was worthy of a factory ride as he claimed the final spot on the Pro podium after settling into the third spot in lap one.
John Burr Cycle’s Justin Seeds came on strong in the final laps of the race, working his way up from eighth at the start to fourth by the finish, just ahead of RPM/KTM’s Eric Yorba
Michael Del Fante took the win in the Pro 2 class, but it was no cakewalk as he had to contend with Steve Gibson, who pulled to within 1 second of Del Fante on the final lap of the race. But Del Fante held on for the win, followed by Gibson and Dalton Shirey. In the Pro 2 Lights class, KTM-mounted Logan Chambers claimed the win after taking the lead on lap one. Jeremy Newton and Mitch Anderson finished second and third respectively.
The 2015 Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series Presented by Maxxis and Dirt Bike heads to Buffalo Bill’s Casino and Resort in Primm, Nevada, for round two, February 6-9.
2015 Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series
Honolulu Hills MX
Taft, California
Results: January 18, 2015 (Round 1 of 9)
Pro
1. Robby Bell-Kaw
2. Gary Sutherlin-KTM
3. Justin Jones-Hon
4. Justin Seeds-Kaw
5. Eric Yorba-KTM
6. Blayne Thompson-Kaw
7. Ivan Ramirez-KTM
8. Travis Coy-KTM
9. Jesse Lundin-Yam
10. Justin Morgan-Yam
Pro 2
1. Michael Del Fante-Yam
2. Steve Gibson-Kaw
3. Dalton Shirey-Hus
4. Starr Savage-KTM
5. Travis Damon-Hon
6. Justin Wallis-KTM
7. David Broderick-KTM
8. Erik King-Kaw
9. Chad Broughton-Kaw
10. Jakob McCoid-KTM
Pro 2 Lights
1. Logan Chambers-KTM
2. Jeremy Newton-KTM
3. Mitch Anderson-KTM
4. Dante Olivera-KTM
5. Matt Bynum-Yam
6. Kyle Hutcheson-KTM
7. JT Baker-KTM
8. Corey Crispin-Yam
9. Jase Burke-Kaw
10. Daniel Lundin-Yam
2015 Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series Point Standings (After 1 of 9 round)
Pro
1. Robby Bell-25/1 win
2. Gary Sutherlin-22
3. Justin Jones-20
4. Justin Seeds-18
5. Eric Yorba-16
6. Blayne Thompson-15
7. Ivan Ramirez-14
8. Travis Coy-13
9. Jesse Lundin-12
10. Justin Morgan-11
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