NE EDT Racing Round 1 - Ironclad Kinston, North Carolina April 29, 2016

Earnhardt Racing / Hoosier / Pippard Performance's Michael Houghton had a strong showing in the Pro class for the opening round as well as he came away with a third place finish after a very fast-paced twenty lap feature. Houghton got off to a great start near the front of the pack and was quick to enter the battle up front and wrangle his eventual finishing position early on in the race. He remained smooth and hit his marks to start his season off on the podium.

Michael Houghton rounded out the Pro Class podium in third

In the Pro-Am class, Brad Riley was the top gun for the evening as he pulled the holeshot ahead of pack who was now in hot pursuit behind him.

Brad Riley grabbed the holeshot in the Pro-Am Class

Luckily for Riley, he had his Rekluse TRX450R dialed in and was already starting to build a lead on the field after only a few short laps. Riley went on to create a sizable lead on the pack and run his own race out front to take the win, forcing the other racers to battle behind him to get on the box. Vechery Racing / Elka / MAXXIS Tire's Brian Ace came into the season opener on a brand new machine, a brand new team, and proved he was hungry for a win.

Brad Riley celebrates his Pro-Am Class win with a wheelie

Ace quickly got himself into position near the front of the pack off the holeshot and set his sights on Riley up front. After several laps, Ace found himself coming under fire from Earnhardt Racing's Michael Houghton who sat in third place. The pair fought for the remainder of the fifteen-lap race and finished in this same order with Ace taking second place and Houghton in third. Kris Bures and Aaron Medlin both had a great battle as well throughout the race with Bures finishing in fourth place and Medlin rounding out the top five.

Brian Ace finished second in the Pro-Am Class