2013 WORCS Round 2 at Buffalo Bills
Photos and Text by Seth Fargher,SethFargher.com Primm Nevada is always a popular event for WORCS side by side racers with last year’s event drawing one of the largest turnouts of the season. This year was no exception with 64 UTVs present for Saturdays side by side race. Its actually quite amazing that so many side by sides made it out after the unforgiving conditions at Canyon MX just two weeks prior. Two weeks isnt a lot of time to clean up and prep a machine after racing in normal conditions, let alone the swamp fest that was round 1. While there was no rain to speak of this round, by Saturday morning the surrounding hills were turning white and high winds would making for an extremely chilly race. Primm is one of the only remaining rounds to incorporate an asphalt section as part of the course. This year the WORCS staff actually used the Buffalo Bills parking lot as the starting line which created a few unique obstacles and made for some interesting racing. From the start line drivers would snake through an S curve and then funnel down a narrow shoot, barely wide enough for two vehicles, before emptying out onto the trophy truck track. Because of the narrow start, promoters opted to release racers in waves and use the results from the previous race to dictate a drivers starting position. Unfortunately for front runners RJ Anderson and 2012 Champion Ryan Piplic who faced mechanical issues at round 1, this meant they would be starting near the back of the pack. To even the score, promoters would use adjusted time to determine the overall winner which essentially meant racers would be racing the clock. Good for the guys in the back to have a chance at the overall but it would mean that at any given time, the driver would have virtually no clue as to his actual position. When the green flag waved Beau Baron shot from the line and captured the holeshot, easily four to five car lengths ahead of Holz Racings Wesley Barker who followed in second with Greg Row right on his rear bumper. WORCS announcer Tim Shelman could be heard over the loudspeaker This is going to be trouble for pretty much everybody. He was right and Beau would run the entire race without ever getting passed although several drivers managed to put together spectacular races and inch ever so close when the clock finally stopped ticking. Defending Champion Ryan Piplic found himself starting on the third row after a mechanical setback left him with a 13th place finish in Arizona. Despite his position, Piplic managed to dodge and weave his way through the pack and log some of the fastest laps of the day. We heard at one point he was actually leading Baron on adjusted time but when the checkered flag flew, Baron managed to edge him out by a mere 25 seconds. RJ Anderson who fought for the championship down to the final race last year had a difficult round 1 and unfortunately didnt fair any better at round 2. The Walker Evans/Holz Racing Products Polaris driver pulled the holeshot in his starting group but his motor gave out just part way into the first lap. Runner up from Arizona, Greg Row, was holding down second place directly behind Baron for most of the race but a blown belt would put hisPolaris RZR XP out of commission and he would settle for 15th on the day. Probably the biggest news of the event was Can-Am/Motoworks Josh Frederick who was the first racer to put the newCan-Am Maverick on the podium. After suffering belt issues that forced a DNF in Arizona, Frederick found himself on the fourth row with a lot of traffic ahead of him. Granted adjusted time doesnt mean you have to pass everybody to take the win but the more people in front of you, the greater your chances of getting held up by a slower driver. Frederick was in fifteenth place as the end of lap one and managed to work his way all the way up to third place by lap five of the six lap race. This was the second side by side podium of the ATV champs career and he was excited to be on the box. In the Production 1000 class Mitch Guthrie Jr. maintained his dominance by leading the field the entire race giving him his second overall of the season in his Polaris RZR XP. Aside from Beau Baron, Guthrie is the only other side by side racer to claim both overalls in the first two rounds of racing this season. David Haagsma who opted to sit out round 1 due to the sub par racing conditions made his side by side racing debut by piloting his Maxxis/H&M MotorsportsPolaris Rzr 570 to the number one spot in the 750 class. Racers will enjoy a month long break before heading for the sandy shores of Lake Havasu. Although Baron has taken both overalls in the side by side pro class, its early in the game and as we learned last year, anything can happen in side by side racing. WORCS Round 2 Race Results:
2013 WORCS ATV/UTV Schedule:
Links:
|
No Comments