Bakersfield, CA (5/25/2017)
- H&M Motorsports’ David Haagsma was well
on his way to another victory when a broken
drive belt took him out of contention on the
final lap of the WORCS Pro SXS race at Iron
Mine Race Park in Cedar City, UT. Though he
finished 13th, he retains the points lead
going into the final three races of the season.
Haagsma had first gate pick and grabbed the
holeshot at the start in his naturally aspirated
car. He lost the lead to a turbo car on one
of the track’s wide-open sections, but stayed
in contention, taking the lead on the final
lap. Without warning, the drive belt broke
on his car taking him out of the race.
 |
Sparks’
David Haagsma grabbed the Pro SXS Holeshot
on the front row |
“The naturally aspirated RZRs do a little
better off the start than the turbos,” said
Haagsma. “I hooked up and got the holeshot.
I held it through the motocross track, but
once we got into the open section of the track,
Ryan got past me, and I couldn’t really do
anything about it. I tried to stay with him
and toward the end of the race I started to
catch him. On the very last lap, I passed
Ryan and then about 20 seconds later I blew
up the belt. That ended my race.”
Though not happy with his finish, Haagsma
took solace in the face that he holds the
lead in Pro points heading into the next race.
He has a 14-point lead in the title chase.
 |
David Haagsma suffered a belt failure
on the final lap, but he still holds
a 14 points lead in the championship
points race |
“This is not the race I wanted, but I still
have a decent points lead,” said Haagsma.
“We have to do well the next races.”
Haagsma is driving a naturally aspirated
car in a class that allows turbocharging.
Though he is enjoying the reliability of the
engine, he is not down on power by much due
to SPARKS Racing.
“The turbos have a little more top speed,
but SPARKS has my engine running great,” said
Haagsma. “I passed Ryan going through the
rough stuff and I kept up my momentum. Overall,
the car was great, but it’s just hit or miss
when you’re going to break a belt.”
Haagsma will be back and ready for more as
the WORCS Series next heads to Glen Helen
Raceway in Devore, CA. That race is scheduled
for June 16-18.
H&M Motorsports
2017 Sponsors:
Maxxis, H&M Motorsports, HP Dairy, Haagsma
Farms, SPARKS Racing, Cognito Motorsports,
Tire Blocks, FOX Shocks, Shoei Helmets, K&N
Filters, PRP Seats, Method Race Wheels, Lusardi
Motorsports, Finish Line Signs, The Winning
Team Apparel, ATVRiders.com, Fly Racing