Taylor Robert and Gary Sutherlin went 1-2 in a KTM rout of the Silver State Trailblazers’ Purvines Racing Muley Run, round five of the Kenda/SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series today.
Incredibly, this was Robert’s first-ever hare & hound National while for Sutherlin, it was his first race back after losing his spleen five months ago due to complications from a crash with another rider while practicing at the end of last year. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Off-road Team’s Jacob Argubright claimed third for the second round in a row after a few crashes.
“I’m trying something I’ve kind of always wanted to do but never really had a good opportunity to,” the Red Bull/FMF KTM Factory Off-road Racing Team’s Robert said. “Maybe it’s something to look forward to next year. I’m not sure if I’m going to go back to Europe and do those races or not; that’s still kind of up in the air.”
Defending series champion Ivan Ramirez of the FMF KTM Factory Off-road Racing Team also made his return to the series after missing two rounds with a wrist injury. After getting a good start, however, he ended up going down pretty hard and limped in to finish 10th Pro, 12th overall.
With 2014 series champ and current series points leader Ricky Brabec fulfilling Team HRC Rally duties by racing to seventh overall in the Atacama Rally in Chile on race day, the points chase had the potential to change, but Argubright’s third place closed the gap from a 33-point deficit to 19, 110-91, unofficially. Privateer Ryan Smith continued to hold third with 78, unofficially, after finishing seventh for the day.
The Silver State Trailblazers put together a three-loop race (25, 33 and 35 miles long), the pits located on the grounds of the town’s motocross park and the start in a fairly narrow sand wash three miles east of town. In addition to paying H&H series points, the race paid points to three other series (AMA District 37, MRAN and USRA), which helped generate a turnout of approximately 400 riders to the one-day event. Not only is that believed to be a club record, it’s the most entries for any round to date.
Due to the wash’s narrow width, the club split the start into waves according to class, something the BLM prefers. Though that helps when it comes to dust and congestion, it does hinder those going for overall finish points like Joe Wasson, the FMF Pro 250 winner for the fourth round in a row. Since he had to start on the second row, he had to come through more traffic than usual to claim ninth overall, his worst overall finish since his 11th at the opening round where he was also second in class. Of course, it didn’t help that he lost the rear brake of his Chidester Transport Racing/Cycle City of Mountain Home YZ250 early.
As for the action at the front, Robert made it fairly boring, grabbing the lead on the narrow (and wet in places with multiple creek crossings) bomb run and controlling the race from there.
“It was a little difficult [to get used to],” Robert said. “There were actually some pretty fun parts out there, but I’m definitely not used to going that fast. I’ve done the Baja 500 and 1000, but in those races you know exactly where you’re going. Here, you have no idea where you’re going so that was a little bit different, but I had a good time. I was just trying to focus on looking ahead and trying to read the terrain. I was in front the whole time, so I didn’t really have anybody to key off of so it was definitely all coming up pretty quick!”
Robert came off the last hill and into the finish to complete his first hare & hound National in 2 hours, 42 minutes and 38 seconds. Bonanza Plumbing-backed Sutherlin, an FMF KTM support rider, tucked in behind Robert off the start, but couldn’t close the gap to make a pass and settled for second in 2:44:00, saying, “I put a lot of emphasis on the start. Taylor got me on the start and I was like, ‘All right, just be smooth and key [off him].’ He rode really, really good today; I was impressed. He pushed really hard the first loop and gapped me a little bit. It took me a little bit to get going and I started moving pretty good on the second loop. I had a couple little stupid falls today. We got close a couple times today—I got in his dust—but hats off to him; he rode a great race today.”
Trying different lines to stay dry (remember: drowning his bike a couple miles from the finish cost him the win at round two in Idaho) didn’t work out as well as Argubright had hoped, though a third-place start isn’t too disappointing. But falling four times in a rocky canyon at the end of the first loop was out of the ordinary for the Husky racer who prides himself on being good in the rocks. Another spill later quashed his hopes of catching Sutherlin as that one popped the fork seals and the fluid dumped over the front brake rotor, leaving him with only a rear brake. Coincidentally, third matched his finish at last week’s Vegas to Reno desert race, and it matched his finish from round four of the Hare & Hound series. And were it not for the round-two fiasco, Argubright would be looking at five straight podium finishes.
The Purvines Racing Beta duo of Nick Burson and Axel Pearson had mixed fortunes, with local favorite Pearson from nearby Panaca having to battle back from a bad start to a close fourth place, just five seconds behind Argubright. Burson got a pretty good start but was unable to move up from fifth. Skyler Howes, Ryan Smith, Justin Morgan, FMF Pro 250 winner Wasson and Max Eddy, Jr. completed the top 10 overall.
This year’s series will now be seven rounds long as the race in Yerington, Nevada, on September 27 has been cancelled. Round six remains September 17-18 at Red Mountain, California, and the series finale is still in Lucerne Valley, California, on October 22-23.
2016 Kenda/SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series
Silver State Trailblazers’ Purvines Racing Muley Run
Panaca, Nevada
Results: August 28, 2016 (Round 5 of 7)
Overall
1. Taylor Robert-KTM (first Pro)
2. Gary Sutherlin-KTM
3. Jacob Argubright-Hus
4. Axel Pearson-Bet
5. Nicholas Burson-Bet
6. Sjyler Howes-Yam
7. Ryan Smith-Yam
8. Justin Morgan-Yam
9. Joseph Wasson-Yam (first 250 Pro)
10. Max Eddy Jr.-Kaw
11. Sage Vincent-Suz (first A Open)
12. Ivan Ramirez-KTM
13. Taran Taylor-Kaw
14. Nick Stover-KTM
15. Jared Schlapia-KTM
16. Dalton Shirey-Hus
17. Nic Garvin-Hon
18. Tyler Lynn-Yam
19. Grant Statley-Yam
20. Jayson Densley-Yam (first A Senior)
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