Yamaha/ITP Quadcross Series Round 2 Arizona Cycle Park, Buckeye, AZ 4/11/10
Round two of the 2010 Yamaha/ITP Quadcross series was held at ACP in Buckeye, AZ. The track layout is fun with lots of jumps, including a 100ft. plus uphill triple step up. We had our first warm race of the year with temperatures in the low 90’s. The high temps, along with a little wind made for a very dry, blue groove race track. The heat and tough track conditions would definitely play a part in the out come with the new 20 minute plus 2 lap motos putting more emphasis on fitness than the shorter motos of the past.
Moto 1: The drama started before the gate dropped in moto one with Jason Dunkleberger being pulled from the line when his kill tether did not work upon inspection. Dunk had about 10 minutes to try and fix it but did not make it back for the start of the race. When the gate finally did drop, my #94 YFZ 450R pulled me to a great holeshot with John Shafe rounding the first turn second and Justin Noss third. I had clear track ahead and tried to make the best of it as I immediately started pulling a gap. Noss and Beau Baron made the pass on Shafe in turn three to move themselves into second and third right away. During the first half of the moto I was able to pull away by about 8 seconds while Noss and Baron battled for second. Baron made many pass attempts but finally made one stick as Noss took the outside for a better run at the uphill triple and Baron snuck by on the inside at about the 15 minute mark. The positions would stay the same for the rest of the moto, so when the checkers flew I took the win by 10 seconds over Baron in second, Noss in third, Shafe rode the best I’ve seen from him in a while for fourth and Jason Fife rounded out the top five.
Moto 2: My YFZ-R once again pulled me to a convincing holeshot to collect the $250 GYTR Holeshot Award. Shafe again followed me through turn one but this time Dunk was back and slotted into the third spot. Noss and Baron couldn’t stay away from each other and were once again nose to tail entering turn three. They went three wide trying to pass to the front but got together and their bikes became tangled. They would have a very similar battle to the one they had in the first moto, only this time it was starting from the back of the pack as it took valuable seconds to get the bikes apart. Out front, I once again had clear sailing and by lap four had built up a ten second lead over Dunk, who had made the pass into second on lap two. I was able to back it down to a more comfortable pace for the remainder of the moto as the top three positions held solid. Noss and Baron worked their way through the rest of the pack with Baron eventually getting by Noss. I crossed the line fifteen seconds ahead of Dunk to take the moto win, Shafe was a strong third with Baron making it to fourth and Noss fifth.
Dustin comments:
“Round two of the Yamaha/ITP Quadcross series went very well for me, two holeshots and two moto wins. That’s what we set out for every time we show up to the track and I haven’t had a race this dominating in a while. This track had many jumps with flat landings and landings into holes but the shocks worked pretty well. I’m really looking forward to the next race at Rynoland on May 9th. This is a new venue for us and I always like the challenge of figuring out a new track.”
Top 5 Results:
1) Dustin Nelson Yam
2) Beau Baron Hon (on Elka)
3) John Shafe Hon
4) Justin Noss Yam (on Elka)
5) Jason Fife Yam (on Elka)
Corrent Top 5 overall:
1) Dustin Nelson 47 (on Elka)
2) Beau Baron 42 (on Elka)
3) Jason Fife 36 (on Elka)
4) Justin Noss 35 (on Elka)
5) Jason Dunkleberger 31 (on Elka)