Beau Baron Wins Crazy Horse Pro ATV Race

Lake Havasu City, AZ – The 2014 Rocky Mountain ATV MC WORCS Series presented by Motoworks and Dirtwheels hosted its third round of the series in Lake Havasu City, Arizona at Crazy Horse with Sparks Racing /Maxxis racer Beau Baron taking the Pro ATV win followed by Yamaha’s Dustin Nelson in second, and 417 Motorsports / Elka’s Josh Row rounding out the podium.

Although gusty winds didn’t offer very comfortable conditions early in the weekend, the sunrise over the track on Sunday morning provided perfect racing weather. However, with temperatures rising well into the 90’s, the heat became a major factor in the endurance of many of the racers. As the flag dropped at 2:15pm, spectators, race enthusiasts, and even Lake Havasu spring-breakers lined the course to catch a glimpse of the action.

Claiming top honors on the day was Elka/DWT’s #1 Beau Baron aboard his Honda machine. After his quad started on the first kick at the dead engine start, Baron was off to a great start for the sixteen lap event. Taking over the lead on lap six, Baron put his head down and charged hard through the brutally rough course that had a mix of sand, mud, dust, and even water, and Baron found himself in plenty of water when he landed right in the middle of the famous “Lagoon Jump”and submerged his quad, his Curtis Sparks engine continued to stay running and pulled him out of the water, and to the checkered flag for the pro atv win.

Baron as ecstatic when asked about his win, “It’s a real big deal for me to get a win today because anything can happen at one of these races. To get these points and to keep going is very important for me and hopefully by the end of the season I’ll have a good lead like I did last year,” said Baron.

Finishing in second place for the day was Yamaha/DWT’s #94 Dustin Nelson. As Nelson battled in third place for several laps, he was able to overcome the heat as well as the rough terrain and move into second on lap twelve. Although he has never had much luck at this particular race in previous years, his set up for 2014 gave him the edge he needed to leave this event on the podium.

With amazing components on his machine and a great support system backing him, Nelson said that his ATV was working flawlessly and he had no complaints. “The Fox Shocks and Walsh components were put to the test today, the track was brutal. My setup was a little soft on the rear, but the Fox Shocks pulled through and didn’t fade on me, and my Moto-X-Perts motor gave me great power all day,” Nelson said about his great sponsors.

Rounding out the podium was Elka/Maxxis’ #417 Josh Row. Putting his Honda on the podium again, Row and his team were pleased with his performance and very happy to score his third straight podium finish. After a good start, Row quickly passed for the lead. However, a mistake sent riders flying by him and he found himself having to battle again and he rebounded to claim the third spot at the finish line.

With the track conditions brutally rough, Row was impressed with how well his machine pulled through the long race. “The Elka Shocks were working awesome. Doug at Roll Design has been helping me make tweaks and I definitely wouldn’t be up here on the box if it weren’t for them and the awesome set up I had today. The Maxxis Tires and Tire Ball combo is pretty spot on as well as the Sparks Motor, I couldn’t have asked for a better bike today,” Row stated about his quad and his sponsors.

Taking fourth for the day was H&M Motorsports’ David Haagsma. After taking the lead early in the race, he succumbed to the intense heat as he slowly dropped back to fourth. Although not the finish he wanted, he remains in the championship hunt and is currently third in points behind Baron and Row.

Rounding out the top five was LMR Racing Honda rider Robbie Mitchell. Pulling the holeshot and holding the lead for three laps, Mitchell’s impressive ride was incredible as he capped of the day with a solid fifth place finish.

Unfortunately, JRI/Can am’s Dillon Zimmerman was off to an impressive start early on until mechanical failure left him with a DNF. Although he had a bad start, he charged his way all the way up to second place, until his engine overheated. With his JRI Shocks working perfectly, Zimmerman was frustrated with the issues, but eager to continue training to get ready for round four.

Honda rider Garrin Fuller also battled within the top five during the race, but unfortunately fell victim to mechanical failure as well, taking a DNF on the day.

In the Pro Am Class, it was #36 Mike Sloan taking the overall win. With an impressive lead of over three minutes on second place, Sloan dominated the event from start to finish by grabbing the Holeshot and holding the lead to the checkered flag.

Taking second for the day in the Pro Am Class was JRI/Golden Motorsports’ David Flores. With a commanding lead over third, Flores’ podium finish was well earned as he battled his way through one of the roughest tracks of the season.

Rounding out the podium for the Pro Am Class was Pro Motorsports’ Matt Hancock. After overcoming issues earlier in the race, Hancock charged all the way from seventh place to an impressive third place finish.

With round three of the WORCS Series in the history books, we are looking forward to yet another exciting event at round four as the fight for the 2014 championships heats up. The series will pick back up in Hurricane, UT at Sand Hollow Track on April 11th!

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