Mesquite, NV – Duncan Racing’s Garrin Fuller bad luck streak made a 180-degree turn as he took the lead on the final lap and won the WORCS Pro ATV race at Mesquite MX. It marked Fuller’s first-ever Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series presented by Maxxis and Dirt Wheels Pro win. Mike Sloan finished second. Points leader Beau Baron recovered from a hard crash on the last lap while leading to finish third, followed by Matthew Hancock and Jeff Hancock.

CST’s Beau Baron, who was looking to win his sixth consecutive race, took the early lead with Fuller following in third. Fuller briefly grabbed the lead in the middle stages of the race when Baron pitted, but Baron quickly retook the spot. Then, on the final lap, Baron hit a rock and crashed hard, handing the lead and the victory to Fuller.

ELKA’s Garrin Fuller had difficulties all season: mechanical problems, crashes and the like have sidelined him in several races while he was contending for the top spot. Today, however, it all came together.

“I never want to win this way, but it’s good to finally get this win behind me,” said Fuller. “How I rode today is how I should be riding all of the time. We’ll try to get on the box for the last three races and see how we do. I’m just sick of all of the excuses. I have a fresh bike, fresh suspension and fresh motor. I’m ecstatic. It’s been a long time coming. I never even thought I could compete with Beau, but I was there right with him. I just tried to keep that pace the whole race. I’ll try to use this momentum for the rest of the season.”

STI’s Mike Sloan was caught up in the first-lap melee, but overcame that to be in the right place when Baron crashed. The rookie followed Fuller to earn his fifth consecutive podium.

While Baron wasn’t happy with his crash, he was pleased with his podium finish. Not only did he finish at a track that has taken him out of contention for two previous championships, but he also retained the championship lead with a 28-point margin. In addition, since the SXS classes didn’t run here, Baron hopped on his dirt bike and won the Plus 30 Expert Motorcycle race.

Pro Rookie Matthew Hancock continues to build his consistency this year. After finishing fifth in the last race, he stepped it up to finish fourth here. Hancock was also caught in the first-lap carnage and drove through the field to record the top five.

Pro Motorsports’ Jeff Hancock crashed in the middle stages of the event. He rebounded to finish fifth, his best showing of the 2016 campaign.

In Pro Am, points leader Justin Waters won his second-straight race. Interestingly, Waters rode his backup quad in the race after finding engine issues prior to the race. Ricardo Gonzalez was second, followed by Travis Hanes.

“Unfortunately it was rough race at Sand Hollow so we were missing a few people,” said Waters, who had his own share of injuries this year, including lacerations to his mouth and around his eyes. “Ricardo rode really well, so I had to ride hard on my Yamaha to get the win. I had a small issue with my race quad and I didn’t want to chance the motor. So I rode the other quad and it felt really good. I didn’t really know my game plan going in, so I just ran with it and I pulled well.”

Gonzalez has been training hard and he’s getting better every round. His second-place finish marked his second consecutive podium.

Hanes stalled at the start and started nearly three minutes behind the field. His recovery to third was nothing short of miraculous.

Frontrunners Logan Huff, Brian Sirevaag and Kyle Fuller sat out this round due to injuries suffered at and since Sand Hollow. Fuller attempted to race on Saturday, but chose not to race in the pro-am due to his injuries, but he hopes to be back in action at Iron Mine Race Park in three weeks.

The Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series presented by Maxxis and Dirt Bike has a final round of racing before the summer break with a full card of racing as the series heads to Iron Mine Race Park in Cedar City, UT May 27-29.