Blythe, CA – Mike Sloan earned his first Pro ATV victory since March during the the Rocky Mountain ATV MC WORCS Series presented by Polaris RZR and Dirt Wheels event at Shorty’s Sports Park. Kenny Sanford won his sixth consecutive Pro Am ATV race. It marked round seven of the season for the ATVs.

The event was held at a brand-new venue for WORCS. The track, located east of the Salton Sea in the Mojave Desert, featured deep sand and rocks similar to Lake Havasu. The track required constant attention and got rough as the race was run.

Sloan took the holeshot and was never seriously challenged throughout the event. The win comes nearly five months to the day of his last win, in round three. Though Baron, who finished second, holds a significant 11-point lead in the title chase, Sloan is not going to make it easy for him with two races left. Evan Spooner finished third.

“I got a great start and I was just flowing through the sand and choppy stuff,” said Sloan. “I just rode my race and I felt good. I hit my marks every single lap. The track was pretty brutal in the beginning, but that’s to my liking. That’s what separates the top guys.”

Baron got off to a fifth-place start and was stuck behind Travis Damon in the early stages of the race. After getting past Damon, he realized that Sloan’s lead was likely unbeatable so he ran a consistent pace and finished second, protecting his points lead. “I got around Damon, but by that time Sloan checked out,” said Baron. “We are really close on lap times so I conserved and tried to maintain so I could protect my points lead. Then again, I don’t think I could have caught him, anyway.”

Spooner equaled his best finish of the season by finishing third for the third time. He too battled Travis Damon before taking the third spot for good. “That was a long day on a very rough track,” said Spooner. “I was fourth on the start and Damon and I had a hard battle for four laps. I started to put in some clean laps and the bike was working awesome.”

In Pro Am, Sanford had to work hard to earn his sixth consecutive win. The points leader was slow at the start, but quickly found the fast away around the track and took the lead. He wasn’t headed from there. Brian Jackson was second, followed by Kenny’s brother Cody Sanford.

“The start was not good for me, but I caught the Pro line two laps in,” said Sanford. “A lot of people were out there and the track was brutal.”

Jackson broke his arm in a pit bike mishap at Mesquite, but his comeback was strong. After finishing fourth in the last round, he tied his best finish of the season with his second runner-up effort of the season. “I had trouble getting the bike started, but I made a few passes on the first lap,” said Jackson. “I got up to Cody, passed him, and just cruised to the finish after that.”

Cody Sanford held onto second behind his brother for most of the race. He battled Jackson for much of the latter stages of the race before surrendering the second spot and finishing third. It marked his second podium of the season. “I was trying to be consistent with my laps,” explained Cody Sanford. “Brian got closer to me every lap. I just couldn’t hold on any more, so I let him pass me. The track was rough, but it was fun.”

The WORCS ATV classes next race November 13-15 at Buffalo Bill’s Resort and Casino, before finishing up the season December 4-6 in Lake Havasu City, AZ.