Wes Miller Wins AMA National Hare and Hound Season Finale
Johnson Valley OHV Recreation Area

Wes Miller secured the final win of the 2013 NHHA Racing Season in Johnson Valley

Los Angeles , CA (11/29/2013) - Wes Miller captured the win at the final round of the AMA National Hare and Hound Series. The race put on by the 100’s MC, took place near Lucerne Valley, CA in Johnson Valley. The 37‐mile course consisted of mainly very technical rocky single track with some high‐speed sand washes. A storm passed through the area for 2 days prior to the race, dropping rain, lowering temperatures, and leaving snow capped mountains surrounding the pits. This made for near perfect desert racing conditions with loamy soil and not a spec of dust. The start at the Hare and Hounds is dead engine into about a ½ mile “bomb run” that leads to the actual racecourse.

Miller got a good jump off the line. But midway through the bomb run, series champion Colt Brinkerhoff had a few bike lengths on him when their trails combined. Wes fell into 2nd in close chase. As the bomb came into the course, there were several lines and Miller was able to pull along side and make the pass. Now in the lead, he put his head down and tried to open a gap. The courses are very narrow and extremely rocky. Wes knew that a key to winning would be saving his tires and underside of his quad. Miller said, “Once I was in the lead, I thought I could back it down and try to save my quad. But Colt held tough and stayed right there.”

The 2 lead quads stayed neck and neck over the early miles. Brinkerhoff was able to sneak by in another multiple line section. “I was surprised when he got by me. I wasn’t expecting it. So to be honest, it kind of pissed me off. At that point, I decided to quit playing games and to try and put the hammer down” stated Miller. He tucked right in behind the leader and pressured him. Waiting to pounce on the slightest mistake, Wes was able to take back the lead when they both blew by a tight left hand turn out of a wash. Back in the lead, Miller worked to get some breathing room. He was able to open a small gap coming into a tight rock section near the 11‐mile mark. Miller looked for a good line, but none were big enough for a quad to fit through. He tried one and got hung up. Luckily it was on a slight uphill and he was able to roll backwards and try another line.

The second time, Wes pinned it and was able to carry enough speed to glide over the boulders. This brief hang up allowed Brinkerhoff to close back up. The two again battled with Colt going for a pass, but not being able to make it stick. Miller shut the door and stayed on the gas. Wes said, “ I saw Colt out of the corner of my eye trying to make a pass and I thought to myself, there is no way I’m letting you by. So I grabbed a handful of throttle and slammed the door on him. At that point, I said screw saving the quad. I put my head down a rode as fast as I could. I figured at that pace, one of us would either crash or break.” Miller’s thought panned out.

“The course is so narrow and the speeds are so fast, it is hard to look back. I couldn’t hear him behind me, so I finally looked back in a turn and didn’t see anyone back there. I figured something must have happened.” Later it was found out that Brinkerhoff hit a rock and derailed his chain. Now with a big lead, Wes focused on being smooth and fast picking his way through the slower motorcycles. He kept up a steady pace over the next 20+ miles. Wes passed numerous bikes on the single-­‐track course. “It was interesting working my way through the bikes. Most of them are beginners and you never know what they are going to do.” said Miller.

There was one final boulder section that wasn’t wide enough for a quad. Wes was able to find an alternate route around it and headed to the finish. He raced down the high-­‐speed stretch into the pits. Miller finished 1st overall ATV in an impressive time of 1:23:24 for an average speed of just over 26 mph on the very technical course. Wes Miller would like to thank Bomb Squad Racing, Coldcock Whiskey, Walsh Racecraft, Fox Shox, Maxxis, DWT, Pro Armor, Tire Blocks, K&N Filters, Fly Racing, GoPro, Rich Morel Engines, Motion Pro, FMF Racing, Precision Racing Products, Baja Designs, Lonestar Racing, Galfer Brakes, Hinson Clutches, CV4, IMS, Scott USA, Quadtech, Rugged Radios, Kicker, Bosch, Spider Grips, and Adelitas.