SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Colton Haaker won round three of the 2014 GEICO AMA EnduroCross Championship inside the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California. The Rockstar, Lucas Oil JCR Honda rider dominated the day by setting the fastest hot lap, winning his heat race and then passing Beta USA’s Cody Webb to take the main event win.
The start of the main event was intense as Webb, Haaker, Mike Brown and Taddy Blazusiak were all locking handlebars fighting for the $500 Nexen Tire Holeshot award. Webb ultimately took the lead ahead of Haaker while Brown was pushed back to sixth and Blazusiak was all the way back in eleventh.
Webb led the first three laps over Haaker and the two Northern California natives battle had the partisan crowd on their feet. Haaker was able to pull even with Webb exiting the water hole on lap three and made a clean block pass to take the lead. Webb tried to retaliate in the next corner only to grab too much front brake, which caused him to go down. Webb knocked FMF KTM’s Taylor Robert over as he got up but they got going again in second and third.
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Haaker took advantage of the gap to ride a safe main event and take his second career win. “I have been working so hard to get another win and it takes so much work to be prepared to make this happen” said an ecstatic Haaker. “That start was crazy as we all were locking bars and I knew I needed to stay with it to have a chance to win.”
Blazusiak slowly worked his way through the field to move into fourth and then made a pass on Robert when he got stuck in a rock section on lap ten of fifteen. Blazusiak held the final podium position to the end and Robert finished fourth.
Cory Graffunder rode a solid race on his KTM to finish fifth ahead of Husqvarna’s Mike Brown, Beta’s Max Gerston, Geoff Aaron,Gary Sutherlin and Tyle Tremaine rounded out the top ten.
Only three points separate the top three as Webb holds a one point lead over Haaker and Blazusiak is only three back.
Sacramento, California GEICO AMA EnduroCross Expert Main Event results:
1. Colton Haaker Honda
2. Cody Webb Beta
3. Taddy Blazusiak KTM
4. Taylor Robert KTM
5. Cory Graffunder KTM
6. Mike Brown Husqvarna
7. Max Gerston Beta
8. Geoff Aaron KTM
9. Gary Sutherlin KTM
10. Ty Tremaine KTM
11. Kyle Redmond KTM
12. Bobby Prochnau KTM
13. Wally Palmer Christini
The Women’s class was equally exciting in Sacramento with seventeen year old Morgan Tanke taking the win. She took the lead form Tarah Geiger on the first lap and then withstood heavy pressure several riders. Chantelle Bykerk, the defending women’s champion ultimately took second with a last lap pass. Rily Elinger took her first ever podium after pushing Tanke for several laps.
Sacramento, California GEICO AMA EnduroCross Women’s Main Event results:
1. Morgan Tanke KTM
2. Changelle Bykerk KTM
3. Rily Ellinger KTM
4. Rachel Gutish KTM
5. Tarah Geiger KTM
6. Lexi Pechout Sherco
7. Melissa Harten Gas Gas
8. Megan Griffiths KTM
9. Brianna Vinsonhaler KTM
10. Megan Blackburn Kawasaki
The evening also included a host of support classes for amateur, vet and trials competitors. Austin Schiermeister won the amateur class over Trystan Hart Wyatt Hart, who are brothers.Jason Gitchel took the vet class win over Kane Silverberg and Kelly Gelhaus. Joey Fiasconaro took the TrialsCross win ahead of Nathan Brown and Michael Salsman.
The Lucas Oil Productions team will again be producing one hour shows for the eight AMA EnduroCross events that will air on MAVtv. The Sacramento event will air on July 26th at 11:00 am EST and re-air at 2:00 PM EST. Check out www.MAVtv.com for more information.
The next round of the 2014 GEICO AMA EnduroCross Championship will make a first time visit to Atlanta on Saturday, August 23rd. The Gwinnett Center will host the first EnduroCross event on the East Coast in a few years and it is expected to attract some fresh talent, especially in the Vet and Amateur classes.
For more information, please visit www.EnduroCross.com.