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Offroad Motorcycle
and ATV Nationals
2010 OMA Racing Series
Round #7 - Mizzou XC Race
August 15th, 2010 |
Photos and Story
By: John Gasso |
John Pitts Takes Victory
at OMA ATV Nationals Mizzou XC Race
2010 Parts Unlimited OMA
ATV National Racing Series
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OMA
ATV Racing Links
Round 7- Mizzou XC
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John Pitts had a little luck on
his side for round 7 as he beat the heat
to bring home the overall win!
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Newark, MO - Round seven of the
OMA Nationals series was held at the Miller Farm
in rural Newark, Missouri under oppressive heat
and humidity with a triple digit heat index. A faster,
more open course was laid out by Bill Gusse in order
to keep the racers a bit cooler, given the weather
forecast. Some of the racers and machines had overheating
issues, but John Pitts and his Dirtworks Motorsports
Vee Rubber Honda persevered for another victory
in his home state.
Bryan Hulsey battled back from an early race
mechanical issue to finish his tenth lap five
minutes behind Pitts, putting him on the second
step of the podium. Dan Schaefer parked his Larry’s
Motorsports Kal-Gard Honda after seven laps at
one hour and twenty two minutes due to overheating,
netting him thirty sixth place overall.
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Dan Schaefer's
Honda was serving him well until the heat
struck the quad & began to oveheat
it - Dan parked it to let it cool off
before continuing the race as to not harm
the machine
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Schaefer took the final pro podium position by outlasting the Dirtworks Motorsports
Maxxis of reigning series champion Kyle Martin,
who ended his day with forty second place overall.
The early part of the race looked like another
Kyle Martin victory in the making. After a commanding
start that netted Martin another K&N $100
holeshot the Moose Racing Monster Energy Honda
lead for the first five passes through the Moto
Tally scoring checkpoint. “I got the holeshot,”
recalled Martin. “I had a nice little lead.”
Comfortable with the race progress up to his pit
stop, Martin was not greatly concerned that Pitts
managed to get by him while stopped for fuel.
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Kyle Martin
was well on his way to setting himself
up for a good run at the Mizzou XC race
by getting the Pro holeshot to lead the
pack out into the hot sun
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“I stopped for gas and goggles and Pitts got around me. I was able to eat
his dirt for a little while,” said the reigning
series champion. “I got by him and thought,
this is going to be good. With the fast track I
knew I was going to be able to stay in front.”
Unfortunately Martin could not foresee a mechanical
failure that would soon end his day. After hitting
a ditch with some considerable force, The Dirtworks
Motorsports Honda stopped running. Martin said,
“I hit hard and thought I just killed the
bike by hitting the off switch. I got it started
and went to take off and the wheel fell over.
I knew then, once the wheel fell off, I was done.”
A broken heim joint left Martin with a flopping
front wheel and no hope of continuing his race.
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John Pitts,
coming off from a great run at Spring
Creek, pulled out the win at Mizzou XC
in the hot heat & inched further to
the points championship
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Martin’s mechanical issue was just the break John Pitts was looking for.
After a close race with Martin for five laps, Pitts
now had the opportunity to put his Vee Rubber Rekluse
Honda out front and keep it there. “I got
out to a decent start and followed behind Kyle and
Bryan,” recalled Pitts. He said “we
got kind of turned around on the track where a new
portion was cut in and I ended up getting around
Bryan when we found the course. Then I just tried
hanging with Kyle as long as I could. I got to battle
with Kyle, you know; follow him for a couple laps.
I got around him when he pitted, then he followed
me for a lap or so and I hit a tree, and he got
around me. Then I followed him and he broke down
not too long after he got back in front of me.”
After Martin dropped out Pitts maintained his
lead with strong, consistent laps and extended
his gap from Bryan Hulsey to five minutes and
forty seconds at the end of the tenth and final
lap. He said “I think Kyle would have had
me if he wouldn’t have broke down, but I’m
happy to be up here.”
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Bryan Hulsey
put in a valiant effort to take the win
at Mizzou but unfortunately he fell just
short of the mark but still retains the
points lead by 4 points after his 2nd
place overall finish on the day
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Second place went to Bryan Hulsey after a good race, but the former series champion
could not make up the three minutes and twenty seconds
he spent in the pits to start lap number two. “At
the end of the first lap my bolts holding my gas
tank on broke,” said Hulsey. “So I had
to pit just to try to do something to keep the whole
front end of the bike on. We kind of rigged up some
bolts to hold the fenders and everything on. I fell
all the way back behind the pro-am class, so I had
to work back through them.” The traffic would
be Hulsey’s next challenge, as wet sand thrown
by riders ahead of him packed Hulsey’s radiator
and caused the Motion Pro UM Performance Honda to
overheat. Help from the Dirtworks Motorsports crew
in the pits got his radiator cleared, but more valuable
time had been lost the leaders.
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