Ozarks
Cross Country Racing Series
Round #3 - Reeds Spring, MO
April 5th, 2008 |
by Stephanie Hulsey
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Round 3 of the OXC Pulls in
131 Racers in Missouri
Kyle Martin Takes 2nd Overall ATV Win
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Kyle Martin
once again grabbed the hole shot in the
Pro Class and held onto the lead for the
five lap race.
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Right off the starting line of round three, it
was single file with rocks flying, weaving through
a couple twists and turns at the edge of the woods,
and under the arch where many spectators chose
to view the hole shot battle. It was déjà
vu for Missouri’s Kyle Martin, who once
again grabbed the hole shot in the Pro Class and
held onto the lead for the five lap race. Martin
said that getting through the lappers in the bottlenecks
was key to clinching the top spot in the afternoon
race and a commanding points lead in the series.
Fourteen Pro’s were among the 131 racers
battling it out on the rocky terrain at the Reeds
Spring venue of the Ozarks Cross Country ATV Racing
series.
This six-mile track was the most challenging
so far with its rocky terrain, Ozark hills, creek
crossings, and bottlenecks plaguing riders throughout
the race. A section of the track was rerouted
before the start of the race when some riders
found that bottlenecks can play havoc even during
practice. Recent rains throughout the state left
the soil soft and when combined with the loose
rocks, and off camber sections, created a struggle
for many riders on steep uphill climbs and downhill
turns.
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3rd Place PRO finisher
Matt Olsen
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Joining Martin on the podium was Bryan Baker
and his Polaris Outlaw, placing second after starting
from dead last off the start and having a lengthy
battle with a rocky ledge in an attempt to work
his way around lappers hung up in a bottleneck.
OXC’s emcee, Matt Olson of Illinois, took
a different spot on the podium this time, finishing
third overall for the day on his Honda and tying
with Kentucky’s Jake Yates for third place
in series points. While the bottlenecks were a
concern for many, Olson stated they seemed to
work in his favor. After battling with Yates and
Zac Johnson, it was Olson who came through for
the final podium spot.
Jody Estes, aboard his Gateway Cycles Kawasaki
took fourth place honors, while Zac Johnson rounded
out the top five at Reeds Spring. Johnson is now
tied with Carson Coffman for second place in series
points.
Todd Senger came through the finish line in fourth
place after lap two and pressed his way through
lappers to hold onto second place, only to drop
to sixth overall in the final lap due to mechanical
problems. Two of the Pro-Am racers, Josh Eaton
and Frankie Musarra raced their way among the
Pro’s to take the seventh and tenth place
spots among the top ten overall finishers. Round
three’s top ten all came through for the
checkered flag within seven minutes for an exciting
finish to a hard fought race.
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OXC ATV Cross-Country
Racing Podium
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Thirteen women and youth class racers tackled
the southern Missouri terrain in the morning class.
After three rounds, Hannah Payne, Kerri Roberts,
and Shellie Robertson are at the top of the Women’s
class standings.
With the season half over, point battles are
a thought on some racers minds. In the Pro-Am
Class, Jeff Range and Tony Friga are tied for
first, with Josh Eaton only one point behind and
Tony Shepard nipping at their heels. Mike Blanton,
Rodney House, and Chris Wyatt have raced their
way to the top three spots in the A Class, with
ten points separating first and third. Richard
Stanley, Patrick O’Neill, and Gaylon Harris,
representing their home states of Kentucky, Missouri,
and Illinois, are in a hard fought battle for
top honors in the +30A class, and well ahead of
the remaining six riders in the class.
Round four takes riders to Westphalia, Missouri
on May 3 and one stop closer to the end of a tremendous
inaugural season of OXC Racing excitement. Visit
www.oxcracing.com
for additional information.
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