Taft, CA – With a new year and sponsors, one thing remained the same, Robby Bell finishing on top at the 2016 Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series presented by Maxxis and Dirt Bike season opener.   Justin Jones finished in the second spot followed by Blayne Thompson against the largest turnout of pros since 2011.

Over twenty pros lined up for the starts of the WORCS season opener at Honolulu Hills Raceway in Taft, California, and with heavy rain leading up to the race weekend, the track was in near perfect condition for the main event.

The defending champion, Robby Bell, was prepared for the stacked field as grabbed the holeshot on his Kawasaki, and led the majority of the race with Justin Jones pressuring Bell for the lead most of the race.  Jones briefly took over the lead after Bell’s pit stop, but Bell was able to retake the lead and hold it for good to take the win.

OX Motorsports / Honda’s Justin Jones had a difficult start and had to ride through the field to briefly take over the lead, but he held on to in the two hour long race to secure the second spot on the podium.

Blayne Thompson recovered from a crash late in the race and rebounded to grab the last spot on the podium. He fought off Seeds on the final lap to secure the final spot on the podium.

Rocky Mountain MC/Maxxis’ Justin Seeds spun at the start and caught Thompson on the final lap, but his charge for the final spot on the podium ended when he went down in the final lap, but held on to claim the fourth spot

Honda’s Colton Udall spent most of the off-season building the OX Motorsports team. In fact, he was riding a Honda from last year here and was happy to net the top five.

In the Pro 2 Class, KTM’s Logan Chambers battled with Travis Damon for the entire race and took the victory with Thor Amador rounding out the podium.

“This was my first race ever in Pro 450 class,” said Chambers. “I got off to a great start, pulled the holeshot. Travis and I made the mistake of running the Pro section on the first lap and came out seventh and eighth, but we battled back through and finished first and second. It’s good to start out this championship with a win. Hopefully I can continue this streak, stay consistent and finish on the podium”

Damon enjoyed the battle with Chambers. The two traded the lead so many times, it was hard to keep track. “I definitely had to fight for it, but it was fun,” said Damon. “I think Logan and I passed each other six times out there. I’m pretty pumped, but this should bring some good momentum for the rest of the year.”

In Pro 2 Lights, RPM/KTM’s Dante Oliveira won the race ahead of Jarett Megla and Preston Campbell.

The 2016 Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series presented by Maxxis and Dirt Bike season opener provided some intense racing action, and the next round of racing is just three weeks away on January 29-31st at Buffalo Bill’s Casino in Primm, NV for round two.