Round three of the 2010 Yamaha/ITP Quadcross series was held at Rynoland in Anza, CA. This was the first time the series has been to Rynoland, which is known mostly for being a two wheeled training facility for owner, Ryan Hughes. The track was very skinny and slippery making passing difficult for most. There were however a few rough straights that were plenty wide for passing.
Moto 1: The gate actually broke in our first moto as the starter stomped the drop pedal, the gate shook but did not drop. I almost ran into the gate but stopped just in time for the starter to manually drop the gate, leaving me with a bad jump. Beau Baron pulled the holeshot with Justin Noss second, Reed Petchnick third, Jason Dunkleberger fourth and me in fifth. With Baron out front I felt like I needed to make quick work of the riders in front of me to not let him get away. First was Petchnick, who made a mistake and pushed over a berm letting Dunk and myself by. Soon after, I out jumped Dunk down a rough downhill to take over the third spot, then just before the end of the first lap I passed Noss as we accelerated up a whooped out uphill. Baron had a small gap out front but I was able to close the gap in just over a lap. As we started lap three I got to the inside of him down the rhythm section and made a block pass in the following corner to take the lead. Over the next few laps I pulled a lead of about 4 seconds, then with only a few laps remaining I pushed over a berm and nearly got stuck, losing all my cushion. It was then a close race to the finish, where I took the moto win with Baron second, Noss third, Dunk fourth and John Shafe fifth.
Moto 2: The gate fell much smoother in the second moto and Noss took the holeshot and the GYTR $250 holeshot award. I slotted into second as we rounded the first turn. I was able to pass Noss on the same rough uphill that I had in the first moto to take the lead just before the end of the first lap. Baron had made his way to third by the end of lap one. With clear track ahead I put down some really good laps and opened up a margin that would eventually peak at about 15 seconds. Baron made up some ground on Noss and the two started an epic battle that would see them change positions 4 or 5 times before Baron made the pass stick and started to pull away from Noss with three laps to go. Dunk was trying hard to become part of the battle but never got close enough. At the finish, I took the win ten seconds ahead of Baron. Noss was third, Dunk fourth and Shafe fifth.
Round three of the Yamaha/ITP Quadcross series was a good one. There was a close battle for the lead in moto one and a great battle for second in moto two. The track was a little disappointing, so much potential but very skinny and horrible track prep. Now I’m really looking forward to the next race at Speedworld on Saturday night, June 19th. Our first night race of the year and the track usually makes for some great racing.
Top Five Results: Top Five Points:
1) Dustin Nelson Yam 1) Dustin Nelson 72
2) Beau Baron Hon 2) Beau Baron 64
3) Justin Noss Yam 3) Justin Noss 55
4) Jason Dunkleberger Yam 4) Jason Fife 51
5) John Shafe Hon 5) Jason Dunkleberger 50