David Haagsma Takes the Pro ATV Win at Round 2

The 2014 Rocky Mountain ATV MC WORCS Series presented by Motoworks and Dirtwheels held its second round at Buffalo Bills in Primm, NV with H&M Motosports’ David Haagsma grabbing his first win of the season in Pro ATV class, followed by teammate and defending champion, Beau Baron, in second. 417 Motorsports’ Josh Row rounded out the WORCS Pro ATV podium.
With absolutely perfect weather, clear sunny skies and an amazing course that featured a new rocky downhill section along with a road jump, which attracted a large crowd of spectators during the Pro Main.
To add to the excitement, both the Pro ATV and Pro Motorcycles Mains were combined into one two hour long race with the Pro and Pro2 Class Motorcycles taking off the line first followed by the Pro ATV Class. The Pro 2 Lites class was third off the line followed by the Pro-Am ATV class.
Without a starting gate, it was a dead engine start, and Yamaha’s Dustin Nelson was prepared with his new 24 volt battery setup as he launched off the starting line to grab the holeshot, and Nelson held the lead for the first lap before Maxxis’ David Haagsma made the pass for the lead followed by Beau Baron in the rocky downhill pro section with Nelson dropping back to third.
Haagsma held on to claim his first win of the season, and his second straight win at Primm after claiming the 2013 season finale WORCS win, and his win tightens up the points battle between Haagsma and Baron heading into round three at Lake Havasu.
With a mid-pack start, Beau Baron quickly made his way into third place. Making the pass for second on lap two, Baron maintained great speed and stayed smooth despite the jagged course. Racing in second for the majority of the race, he suffered a flat tire that required a pit stop and tire change. After losing one position due to the pit, he was able to capitalize on the mechanical issue of another rider and he moved back in to second place. Luckily, he was able to finish on the podium despite the issue that almost cost him a position.
Rounding out the podium was 417 Motorsports’ Josh Row. With the addition of the dead engine start, Row had issues kick starting his quad and it took him four times to get it started. Although he was in the back of the pack, Row was able to push hard and made several passes on the first lap. Riding in fifth for much of the race, he was able to get by a couple riders that had mechanical issues and settle into third. Making up time on second place, he was closing the gap until he stalled his quad with twenty five minutes left. Racing smart, he settled for third and was ecstatic about his second consecutive podium finish.
Finishing fourth was the #5 Honda rider Robbie Mitchell. Unfortunately after a second place start, he lost his rear brakes in the second turn and was forced to ride safe for the entire event. The first lap was difficult trying to figure out the best way to race and maintain speed without his rear brakes. Although he was frustrated, Mitchell was feeling stronger than ever and looking forward to making a comeback in the upcoming races. Despite the bad luck and battling with braking issues, Mitchell gained some valuable points with a fourth place finish.
Rounding out the top five with an impressive ride was Garrin Fuller aboard his #45 Honda. This top five finish is his best score in the Pro class at WORCS this season. Although he had an excellent finish, Fuller is looking to continue improving and is eager to get back to training for the next round. Fuller stated that one area he will be working on specifically is improving the first thirty minutes of his race in regards to speed. With support from Duncan Racing as well as the freedom to control his own program, Fuller is completely confident at the starting line knowing that he is ready and he has the best components on his machine. With added suspension help from Doug Roll of Roll Design, Fuller’s Roll/Elka set up combined with Fuller’s impressive riding skill and stamina is the perfect combination to run in the front pack.
He is thoroughly impressed with how his ATV handled through the rough course and he is more motivated than ever to break into the top four in the near future. “Through the two hours, my Elka shocks did not fade whatsoever. I felt confident everywhere, and I was able to hit everything that I wanted,” said Fuller about his Duncan Racing Honda.
Finishing in sixth was GPS Offroad’s Dillon Zimmerman. After riding in fourth most of the race and even racing into the second place position for a short time, the bearings on his spindle went out and his front wheel came off on the second to last lap, leaving him sidelined. Although he was frustrated, he was impressed with how well his JRi /GPS Can-am worked through the challenging course.
Collins Webster, who rode in sixth place early on, suffered a crash that left him limping in to the finish. The Can-am rider had to settle for a seventh place finish for the day.
In the Pro Am Class, STI’s #36 Mike Sloan grabbed the holeshot and lead for the entire race. Riding a smooth yet fast race for over two hours, Sloan’s strategy of staying consistent worked well for the long event. Riding his Honda across the checkered flag with a time of 2:06:39, Sloan had a sizeable gap on the rest of the field.
Sloan has described the long race as a survival race, and is happy that his well working machine was able to keep him from getting too exhausted. “My Elka suspension was flawless. With my Roll Design components everything was working smooth, it was really good,” Sloan said about his plush ride.
Coming in second was the #1P of David Flores. The Lonestar Racing backed Honda rider stayed smooth and settled in behind the leader for the whole race. With no pressure from the riders behind him, Flores focused on being smooth and finishing on the podium.
Rounding out the final spot on the box was #76 rider Ryan Waldo. After making a charge late in the race, he was able to move in to the final podium position and cross the finish line with a time of 2:08:50, only thirty-six seconds behind second place.
With the second round of the 2014 Rocky Mountain ATV MC WORCS Series presented by Motoworks and Dirtwheels in the history books, the series will move on to Lake Havasu City, AZ for Round three on March 15-16th.
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