This past weekend was held the last round of the WORCS Series at Honolulu Hills Raceway in Taft, CA. The temperature was averaging 105 degrees over the weekend without any clouds in sight, which made it hard for the riders to stay cool. H&M Motorsports’ Beau Baron got the Pro Class holeshot, the win and the Championship. Not enough for Beau, he also secured 3rd Overall in the UTV Production 1000 class on top of that. His teammate David Haagsma got 2nd in the race, which was enough for him to get 3rd Overall, his personal best to date. In the Pro-Am Class, Garrin Fuller got second in the race and therefore secured the Championship. Garrin also won the Production A Class race and also won that Championship. All in all, a very good weekend for Elka Suspension and its Stage 5 shocks.
The men on the Pro Class Podium were all smiles, with Beau Baron on top with his race win. Beau was on fire that day, taking the Holeshot against a charging Dustin Nelson then pulling away lap after lap until the finish line. His teammate David Haagsma was also very happy with his 2nd place finish after this long race. David rode fast and without any mistake. He took advantage of some rivals getting stuck in the tires of the WORCS-Cross section and made an important pass. He then closed the gap and went after Beau, who was on his own pace. Dustin Nelson was also riding super fast and smart, battling with Josh Frederick and finally coming in 3rd by the checkered flag. Dustin was happy to be back on the podium after some bad luck in previous rounds.
H&M Motorsports team manager Allan had many reasons to be happy during the awards banquet. Beau took home the Champion’s plate and David took 3rd, amazing results for a first-year effort from a privateer team. Josh Frederick got 2nd overall and proved everyone why he deserves his nickname of “The Animal”.
It takes several efforts for a team to rise up to the top. It might have been H&M Motorsport’s rookie year as a Pro Team, but their partners are no newcomers: Curtis Sparks (engine), Doug Roll (a-arms), Elka Suspension (shocks) and Maxxis (tires) are all long-time sponsors of the team with impressive background and success in ATV racing.
Duncan Racing’s Garrin Fuller ended up in 2nd Place in the race behind Collins Webster, which was all he needed to secured the Pro-Am Championship. Garrin also took home the Production A Class by winning the race and the overall.
In the youth classes, two kids were seen more often than others on the podiums this year: Kyler Thau and Alex Ortiz.
At 11 years old, Kyler has been racing no less than 5 classes this year in only his second full WORCS season. Kyler won 3 classes that day and 3 Championships later at the banquet.
Alex Ortiz might have not won any Championships this year, but he is no stranger to the podium. This kid has amazing speed and a very professional attitude, both key factors to his success this year. Alex recently broke his back, which prevented him from racing this weekend, therefore possibly also preventing him from winning those championships. He is now back in shape and will soon be seen again on the podium. Alex also has been involved with Elka Suspension by helping them and Doug Roll with testing for the Stage 5 shocks on his Raptor 250. He was apparently behaving like a pro and his feedback helped them bring this setup to the public.
The WORCS Series is possibly the most entertaining and fun racing to attend on the West Coast. There is a nice family atmosphere and the action is a great combination of off-road and motocross track. The future looks bright for the series with lots of entries, upcoming Super events and TV coverage for next year.
