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2011 Yamaha / Quad-X
Racing Series
Round #4 - Speed World MX
Surprise, Arizona
June 18, 2011
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Yamaha
/ Quad X Racing Series - Pro ATV Race Report
::Continued::
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#422 David Haagsma lead the early charge
in Moto 2 & finished out the day 4-2
for third overall |
MCR/Maxxis Tire’s David Haagsma was looking
impressive as he charged off the start in the first
moto and held on for a solid fourth place finish,
but the second moto, Haagsma really showed his talents.
Haagsma’s Sparks engine allowed him to take
the moto two holeshot and lead for several laps.
Haagsma was holding off Dustin Nelson, but Nelson
was able to slip by, giving Haagsma a respectable
second place finish in moto two that would give
him his first Quad X pro podium appearance in
third overall.
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#143 Dirkie Baard just missed a podium finish
with a 4th place finish |
Dirkie Baard, who is another racer that has shown
consistent improvement over the first four rounds,
showed no signs of slowing down as he charged hard
to finish third in the first moto and follow it
up with a solid fourth place finish in moto two.
Baard’s 3-4 finishes put him in fourth overall,
but it would not be surprising if he were to find
his way to the podium before the end of the season.
“I have been training really hard and I want
to be on the podium, so I will keep working at it
and hope it pays off for me,” said Baard.
Jesse Goss was able to round out the top five
overall with 6-5 finishes, while Oregon racer,
Ethan Thatcher’s 5-6 put him in sixth. Evan
Spooner’s 7-9 finishes would put him in
seventh while Jason Fife landed the number eight
spot overall.
MCR/Maxxis Tire’s Beau Baron had a tough round
this time. Baron was third off the start in the
first moto behind Josh Row. “It was really
dusty in moto one and I couldn’t see too well
so it took me a while but I finally got by Row,
but then I notice I was having a hard time keeping
my feet on the foot pegs and when I looked down,
I saw oil all over my boots. I thought maybe we
just overfilled the oil tank so I kept going, but
then I got to the face of this one jump and my engine
locked up. I pulled in the clutch just in time to
save myself from doing an endo off the jump,”
explained Baron, who would take an eleventh place
finish in the first moto.
Moto two didn’t seem to go any better for
Baron. “We were at the starting gate and
I noticed one tire was flat. We run tire balls
so I knew that wasn’t right. We were changing
tires right on the line and got them changed just
in time for the gate to drop,” said Baron,
who charged off the line side by side with David
Haagsma. Unfortunately, Baron hit a huge hole
that had developed going into the first turn and
got sideways, sending him back to eighth place.
Baron was trying to make up time and passed several
riders, but ran out of tear offs and could not
see. “It was one of the scariest moments
I have ever had. I knew I was coming up on this
huge table top that we were hitting in fifth gear
to clear. I was going up the face, and I couldn’t
see a thing and had no idea where I was going
to land, so I threw my hand up, slammed on the
brakes, ducked down, and coasted over the lip.
I could hear quads on both sides of me going over
my head. It was pretty intense!” he stated.
Luckily, no one landed on him and Baron was able
to keep going and make up time after tossing his
goggles, but the mud and poor visibility held
him back and Baron would only finish in seventh
place, giving him ninth overall.
In the Pro-am class, Garrin Fuller went 1-1 to
take the overall win and extend his points lead
on the competition, while Tanner Gemperle’s
2-2 finishes put him in second on the pro-am podium.
Dylan Dixon’s consistent 4-4 finishes allowed
him to claim the final podium position in third.
Josh Pursell took 3-6 finishes for fourth overall
while Keith Carlson’s 5-5 would have him
rounding out the top five.
Round number five of the 2011 Yamaha Quad X series
will be heading back to Glen Helen Raceway on
July 9th, where Beau Baron will be seeking redemption
as he tries to take the top spot on the podium
away from Dustin Nelson. |
