Anza, CA (6/22/2010) - The
weather in Anza was completely opposite of the
race two weeks ago in Milford. Instead of 30
degrees and snowing, it was 90 plus with the
sun beating down; and no shade to be found.
Most of the time sweeping all day Saturday is
a disadvantage to a racer, especially if your
race is late in
the day.
You might get a lap or two in to see the course,
but sweeping is hard work, and it's hard work
all day. By the end of a race day a sweep rider
is pretty worn out. Cahuilla Creek was no exception.
Riding a dirtbike all day in 90 degree heat
left Jeff Stambaugh a bit more tired than usual
and a bit more dehydrated than he would have
liked. That was good news for the other UTV
entries who pulled up to the lines unfatigued
and ready to go. Stambaugh's had a good year
and has been tough to beat.
14 UTVs headed into the off-road ahead of Class
3. The first section off-road was fairly short
but it was tight. The off-road led back to a
huge national caliber motocross track with wide
open downhill jumps and step-up to tables. It
was fast and fun! "Those kinds of tracks
are good because it gives the UTVs a chance
to show what we can do," Jeff explained,
"With the right lead-in to a jump, we can
do the 60 footers too. It's pretty impressive
to see 1300lbs flying at eye level or above
your head on a motocross track, and besides
the Pro race on Sunday, the most spectators
come out to watch the UTVs. It's definitely
a crowd-pleaser, and it's fun for the drivers,
too."
The off-road was dusty and rough. Cahuilla
Creek doesn't have an "off-road" track,
but WORCS staff cut in the course they wanted
in the week before the race. Fresh trails untouched
by bikes or quads made it a rough Saturday.
Of course, after the Pros get done with it on
Sunday it's a freeway, but the UTVs had to take
it a bit slow to work their way through it.
Because it was just cut in, the off-road was
only 2 miles long, but it helped close up the
gaps between racers.
Stambaugh had a decent start and stayed out
front of Class 3 for the duration of the race.
Focusing on Class 2, Stambaugh began to pick
them off one by one. At the end of the race
he made it first in class and sixth overall,
despite being more tired than usual from sweeping.
"I definitely didn't rally as hard as I
usually do. I kept a moderate pace and just
tried to maintain that through the whole race,"
Stambaugh said, "The motocross was definitely
the best part. My Lonestar Racing/ Elka Suspension
setup could fly evenly though the air and land
smoothly. It just absorbs everything. I've been
running that combo basically since I started
seriously racing the Rhino and it's been great.
Anything that can take a 40 foot fall like the
one I took at Racetown a few years back is top
quality! That is the same set up I'm running
today- no problems."
Coming into the break before round 7 at Stambaugh's
"home" track, Straddleline (Olympia,
Washington July 23-25), he has 5 wins in Class
3. Jeff managed a 1st overall at Primm in February,
and a 2nd overall in Lake Havasu in March. He
has a total of 125 points and currently leads
class 3 in points and also the overall points
chase for the #1 plate. The UTV classes get
one #1 plate awarded to the driver with the
most points overall out of all 3 classes. Stambaugh
won the Class 3 Championship in 2009, but also
had the most points out of classes 1, 2 and
3 which earned him the #1 plate for the 2010
season. Heading into the deep woods of Washington,
Jeff is looking to secure his 2010 Championship,
defend his #1 plate, and put on a good show.
Straddeline is a unique venue for the WORCS
series; unlike any of the other tracks WORCS
visits during the year. See you there!!
