Motoworks / Can-Am’s Josh Frederick & Jeremie Warnia Round out the Podium

WORCS ATV Racing
Round #4 – Racetown 395
April 25, 2010

Adelanto, CA – Yamaha’s Dustin Nelson charged his way to his first WORCS pro win of the season at round four after grabbing the pro holeshot and checking out on the competition. Joining Nelson on the podium was Can-Am/Motoworks’ Josh Frederick and Jeremie Warnia.

While most racers on the east coast were up to their nerf bars in mud this weekend, the west coast WORCS racers enjoyed sunny skies and warm temperatures for round four of the 2010 WORCS series hosted by Racetown 395 in Adelanto, CA.

The great weather seemed to agree with Yamaha’s Dustin Nelson as he shot off the line to grab the Holeshot, but it was not all smooth sailing for Nelson as he was under pressure from Can-Am/Motoworks’ Jeremie Warnia right from the start. Warnia and Nelson were battling hard all through the first lap and then in lap two, Warnia tried to make a move on Nelson, but instead of making the pass, Warnia ended up crashing, which allowed Nelson to pull away from the rest of the pack.

Nelson was able to keep a comfortable lead for the rest of the race, finishing almost 40 seconds ahead of second place. “Finally!” exclaimed Dustin Nelson regarding his win. “Everything went great for me out there. I had some bad luck earlier in the season, and it gets frustrating when things don’t go right, but last week I got the win at Quadcross and now I got the win at WORCS. It’s such a relief and it’s really a good confidence builder for me. Now I feel ready for another win,” Nelson concluded.

Can-Am/Motoworks’ Josh Frederick had a strong race as came off the line quickly and was soon in third place behind teammate Warnia. Frederick stayed on the throttle and took over the number two spot when Warnia crashed in lap two. From there, Frederick kept a steady pace and was unchallenged for the entire race, but despite his best efforts, he was unable to close the gap on Nelson and would claim the second spot on the podium. “I went out there and kind of played it safe this time. I still have the points lead, but I want to keep it that way, so I will be going for the win at Milford,” said Frederick.

Jeremie Warnia, who has been racing the AMA ATV Motocross Championships this season, showed up for round four and showed that he still has what it takes to keep a strong pace for the two hour race. Warnia was second off the line right behind Dustin Nelson and was giving Nelson a good battle for the entire first lap, but in lap two when Warnia went for the pass, he and Nelson bumped tires and Warnia would end up taking a dirt sample. “I was trying to pass Dustin and we connected and I ended up crashing. I was lucky because I wasn’t hurt and was far enough ahead that I only fell back to third,” said Warnia, who would go on to record the fastest lap time of the race of 09:34.129, and claim the final spot on the podium.

MCR/Maxxis’ Beau Baron had his hands full for the first two laps of the race. Baron was fifth off the start and was in a heated battle with John Shafe, who was in fourth, from early in the first lap. Baron and Shafe battled back and forth for two laps, and then in lap two, the pair got together and Shafe would end up crashing. From there, Baron would move into the number four position where he would remain until reaching the checkered flag.

Baron’s teammate, Josh Row, came on strong for round four as well. Row was in the top ten off the start but quickly began picking off the competition. By the fourth lap, Row had found his way into the number five spot and that is where he would stay until crossing the finish line.

Fellow MCR/Maxxis racer, Levi Marana, was running a solid race for round four. Marana was in tenth off the start and began working his way through traffic until finding his way to sixth place. Marana would hold his position for seven laps before reaching the checkered flag.

Can-Am/Motoworks’ Dillon Zimmerman ran a solid race after getting off to a slower than usual start. Zimmerman was almost last off the line, but quickly made up for it by making his way into the top ten by lap two. Zimmerman would eventually hang on to take a seventh place finish.

Occasionally racers become weary because of the long distances they have to travel to get to a race, but Factory Honda racer, Dirkie Baard, was absolutely thrilled to make the trek all the way from South Africa to take part in the WORCS race. Baard, an endurance racer in his home country, kept a solid pace and would go on to claim and eighth place finish on a Matlock Racing prepped Honda TRX450R..

Robbie Mitchell kept things consistent as he made his way up from the back of the pack to finish in ninth place, while Washington State racer, Ryan Piplic would round out the top ten.

Andy Lagzdins would finish in a solid 11th place and despite a nasty wreck after tangling with Beau Baron, John Shafe would hang on for 12th place. ITP Quadcross racer, Justin Noss decided to try his hand at WORCS, but ran into mechanical issues that sent him to the back of the pack.

Mike Cafro, who was in the top five of the points chase sacrificed his own race to tend to the needs of his team when the warm weather began to cause overheating issues. Cafro pulled into the pits and helped his team cool their quads when they came in for their scheduled fuel stops. Cafro’s sacrifice would have him finishing in 17th place, but he is still in seventh in points.

In the Pro-am ranks, MCR/Maxxis’ David Haagsma would claim his second win of the season, giving him a 16 point lead. Norco, CA racer Justin Jones would finish in a solid second and Javier Robles, Jr. would work his way through traffic to claim the final spot on the Pro-am podium. Cody Mitchell would run a solid race to take the number four spot and Garret Stucki would have his best finish of the season to round out the top five.

In the Women’s a class MCR/Maxxis’ Julie Russell took her third straight win of the season. Russell’s efforts also qualified her for the Pro-am main even on Sunday, but Russell chose not to race and instead stayed in the pits to offer support to her team.

Round five of the 2010 WORCS series will head to Milford, CA, where Hone Lake MX will play host on May 21st – 23rd as the fastest racers on the west coast will compete for the podium.