The Halfway point is here for the 2024 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC WORCS Racing series, and it heads to Shorty’s MX Park in Blythe, California, for all the racing action. This course brings together an Mx track full of big jumps and fast corners with an elevation change down to a deep, sandy Offroad course in a fast sub-8-minute lap time for the pros. Braxton Grosse, fresh off a race back east for GNCC, took a late night flight- to make it back in time and made the most by bringing home a win in the Pro Class, Justin Semas wins the Pro-Am, and Torey Matajcich finishes on top of the box in Womens Pro.

The points are heating up this year with one of the best battles in recent memory, and this round was no exception as the top 3 battled it in the heat for a 90-minute fight! Travis Damon took the lead early, sprinting out of the gate as he was almost 20 seconds ahead by the third lap. Grosse didn’t let that stop him; he kept him honest, slowly reeling him in, starting on lap five and then putting his fastest lap down on lap six before passing Damon. About halfway through, Damon experienced clutch issues, which forced him to pull back on it, prioritizing a finish over a win, being only one point behind Beau Baron for the lead in points.

Damon and Grosse passed each other again in the following laps before finally pulling away and taking the top step for the second round in a row. Baron kept a consistent pace for the entirety of the race, keeping his points and finishing the race in 3rd, coming into the final round before the summer break. Rounding out the top 5 were Auston Baxter and Layne Fryar after a grueling sandy race. Baron and Damon are only separated, with Grosse still not too far behind as they reach the halfway point in the series, and the title is entirely up for grabs.

In one of the largest lines of the weekend, Pro-AM had sixteen racers lined up as the green flag dropped. Justin Semas found his way out front early, showcasing his speed. He comes into this race with a dominant points lead after finishing every race this season on the podium. Eduardo Rojas was hot in pursuit for the start of the race until a mechanical on the 4th lap kept him from the top and forced a DNF for this round. This allowed Daven Desilva to slide into the second spot as he would hold that position for the remainder of the race, finishing in second place in his career-best in the Pro-Am.

The hard charger award should go to Rylan Steadman as he finished the first lap in 8th place, but that didn’t stop him as he picked off riders lap by lap and, on the final lap, found a way around Joshua Jackson to put himself on the podium in the third position. Semas finished in 1st place almost 3 minutes ahead of his closest competitor and put down the fastest lap at 8:25 early on in the race to set the pace for the Pro-Am field.

On Saturday, the Anderson Powersports Womens Pro lined up in one of the largest growing classes at WORCS racing. West Coast powerhouse Torey Matajcich did what she does best as she led the class from start to finish. Layne Fryar kept her honest as she pushed hard to battle with Matajcich, finishing just behind in second place. Dakota Hibler found herself on the podium for the first time this season as she battled hard for the final spot on the podium. 

Thanks to the sponsors, volunteers, and racers for coming out this weekend. We can’t wait to see everyone at the next round, which will be held at Three Peaks Oasis in Cedar City, Utah, from May 17th to 19th.