Factory FMF/KTM rider Taylor Robert scores his first WORCS win of the season at Iron Mine Race Park in Utah.
These days, Taylor Robert is a busy man, racing all over the world as one of America’s top off-road stars in the ISDE and marquis Hard Enduro events as well as maintaining a full schedule on US soil. So when Robert, the 2012 WORCS Pro Motorcycle Champion, finally got the chance to take in a WORCS round last Sunday, he intended to make the most of it. At Iron Mine Race Park in Cedar City, Utah, Robert picked up right where he left off the last time he raced in the series, in the winner’s circle.
Robert rode a nearly perfect race to win the Pro class, while Precision Concepts teammates Robby Bell and Justin Seeds finished second and third respectively to complete the Pro podium.
A replacement venue for the canceled Pala Raceway, California, round, the Iron Mine Race Park course proved to be one of the fastest tracks of the season, boasting wide open field sections along with a mix of motocross, endurocross, and tight switchback sections to challenge the competitors. High heat—temperatures were nearly 100 degrees during the race—only added to that challenge.
Robert wasn’t the only former WORCS regular to drop-in on the event. Several former WORCS series campaigners showed up to Iron Mine, including Robert’s KTM teammate Ivan Ramirez along with Honda’s Colton Udall and Mark Samuels. The added star power stacked the field to make for an interesting race.
Robert established his dominance right away, however, as he got the holeshot to take the lead, ahead of Ramirez. Robert posted impressive lap times lap after lap, only losing the lead briefly when he made a pit stop; he quickly regained the lead on the following lap.
Robert’s hands began to blister severely late in the final laps of the race, and that allowed Bell to close in on him, but Robert was able to cross the finish line eight seconds ahead of Bell to take the win. Robert extended his WORCS win streak to eight, as he has won every WORCS race he has attended since June of 2012.
Although Bell crashed after hitting a rock on the final lap, second place helped him to reel-in series leader Gary Sutherlin. Bell now trails Sutherlin by just 11 points with three rounds remaining. Footage from Bell’s onboard GoPro camera can be viewed below.
Seeds secured his third straight podium finish with a third-place finish. While Seeds got off to a sixth-place start, he started picking off racers and moved into third place in the final laps of the race. Reigning Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 Champion Colton Udall finished out the day in the fourth place on his Honda. Udall was last off the start, but he methodically worked his way through the pack to the fourth spot, just ahead of his teammate, Samuels.
WORCS Pro points leader Sutherlin, finished off the podium for the first time this year with a seventh-place finish, behind Eric Yorba in sixth. Sutherlin charged into second place early in the race, but he had to make an unscheduled pit stop to replace a fuel injector, which killed his chances for a win.
In the Pro 2 class, RPM/KTM’s Travis Coy extended his winning streak to four straight, which extends his points lead in the championship race to 25 points over second place, Matthew Maple. In the Pro 2 Lites class, Michael Del Fante claimed his second straight win as he charged from the third spot and into the lead in the final laps of the race. Blayne Thompson grabbed the holeshot and held the lead for the first half of the race until his motorcycle exhaust pipe cracked, which ended his day.
Round seven of the Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series Presented by Motoworks and Dirt Bike heads north to Straddleline ORV in McCleary, Washington, August 1-3
Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series
Iron Mine Race Park
Cedar City, Utah
Results: July 13, 2014 (Round 6 of 9)
PRO
1. Taylor Robert-KTM
2. Robby Bell-Kaw
3. Justin Seeds-Kaw
4. Colton Udall-Hon
5. Mark Samuels-Hon
Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series Pro Points Standings (After 6 of 9 rounds)
1. Gary Sutherlin-136/4 wins
2. Robby Bell-125/1 win
3. Justin Jones-106
4. Eric Yorba-96
5. Justin Seeds-92
PRO 2
1. Tavis Coy-KTM
2. David Broderick-KTM
3. Matthew Maple-KTM
4. Kyle Mercier-Kaw
5. Justin Morgan-Hus
PRO 2 LIGHTS
1. Michael Del Fante-Yam
2. Jesse Lundin-Yam
3. Dalton Shirey-Yam
4. Alex Teagarden-Yam
5. Dante Oliveira-KTM
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