GPS Offroad Products' David Flores Wins Pro-Am WORCS Round 5
WORCS ATV Racing - Round 5 - Honolulu Hills - Taft, CA - May 11-12, 2013

GPS Offroad Products' David Flores captured his second Pro-Am win of his Racer career on his Honda 450R ATV

Las Vegas, NV (5/15/2013) - It was a bittersweet weekend for the GPS Offroad Products crew at round five of the WORCS series held in Taft California.  After seemingly breaking the curse that plagued him the first three rounds, Dillon Zimmerman was eager to prove that his podium finish in Utah wasn’t a fluke and that he has the speed as well as the program to run in the top of the Pro Class.

WORCS officials laid out a fun and very high speed course through the foothills outside of Bakersfield, California.  Much of the track was built on old access roads used to maintain oil rigs, many of which are still in service today.  The course also featured one of the largest MX tracks in the series, complete with a 100+ foot step up allowing riders to launch upwards of 140 ft.

Despite having a starting gate, the Pro and Pro Am races would again feature a dead engine start.  Both Zimmerman and Collins Webster struggled off the line and found themselves near the back of the back after the first turn.

Dillon Zimerman placed 6th at Honolulu Hills WORCS Round 5

Once into the offroad, Zimmerman was able to begin picking riders off.  A mistake by Robbie Mitchell on lap 5 allowed Zimmerman to move into the third position, looking as if this race might be a repeat of Utah.  Unfortunately that wasn’t to be the case.

While Zimmerman managed to hold off the hard charging number 94 of Dustin Nelson, his heel guard netting managed to give way in the final laps of the race, forcing his foot under the rear tire.  Fortunately he stayed on the quad but it was enough to bring him to a stop, fearing a broken ankle. 

The mishap allowed both Mitchell and Nelson to get by and forced Zimmerman to ride very cautiously to a 6th place finish ahead of Garrin Fuller and his Can-Am teammate Collins Webster who had an unfortunate DNF due to a broken swingarm.

“I gave it away,” said a disappointed Zimmerman after the race.  “It sucks to have a podium finish almost in the bag and then lose it because of something so simple.”

Despite some disappointment in the Pro class, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the GPS Offroad Products crew in Taft.  David Flores who has been a dominating force in the Production A class as well as the Pro Am ranks managed to sweep both classes, giving him three straight podiums and two wins in the Pro-Am class.  His performance in the Pro Am class was nothing short of spectacular after stalling in the first turn and struggling to restart his ATV.  By the time he got it going the entire class was almost out of sight.

Flores was able to put his head down and charge the entire 90 minute race, moving up to second place on the third lap and taking over the lead on lap four.  He maintained almost a 30 second lead over second place all the way to the checkers giving him the second Pro Am win of his career.

Mike Sloan who has been having a string of bad luck after beginning the season so strong saw more frustration in Taft after dealing with motor problems in both the Open A as well as the Pro Am class.  Sloan finished in second during Saturdays Open A race and opted to swap engines for Sundays Pro Am race, hoping to resolve the issue.  Unfortunately after taking a commanding holeshot and leading the first two laps, his motor gave out and he would suffer a DNF.

Other Amateurs achieving success in Taft were Alex Ortiz and Conrad Funke.  Ortiz earned a first and second in two of the youth sport classes and Conrad Funke managed to earn his first overall of the season with a win in the 30+ A class.

It was a mix of good and bad in Southern California for GPS Offroad Products.  After crossing the halfway point, we hope the kinks are worked out for all of our riders and that each of them are able to finish strong in their perspective classes, continuing to push GPS Offroad Products to the head of the pack.

About GPS Offroad Products
GPS Offroad Products is a wholesale tire and wheel retailer.  As the exclusive US distributor for Goldspeed Racing Products as well as the manufacturer of SUN F ATV and UTV tires, GPS Offroad Products provides quality, offroad, racing and recreational tires and wheels at an industry low price.

www.GPSoffroadproducts.com