The second half of the Parts Unlimited Off-road Motorcycle and ATV Nationals kicked off far differently than the first half – at least for Paul Whibley. The two-time and defending series champion seemingly couldn’t catch a break in the first two rounds before finally getting back on track and even picking up wins at rounds four and five.

At the Maxxis Spring Creek Grand Prix, round six of the 10-race tour, the Am-Pro/FMF Yamaha star Whibley enjoyed one of those rare days when seemingly everything goes right and he picked up victory number three, moving into the series points lead for the first time as well.

“Yeah, it’s where I would have liked to have been earlier on in the series, but it’s been good [lately],” he pointed out. “We’ve had some bad luck [in the first two rounds] and now [we’re] working our way back to the front. I guess it’s good to be hitting the second half of the season with the lead.”

Actually, he did have one moment and that was at the start. He jumped off the line well and went into the first turn at the world-famous Spring Creek Motocross track in Millville, MInnesota, at the front of the pack. But when he got sideways aboard his YZ450F, Factory Performance KX450F-mounted privateer Cooper Bailey stayed on the throttle and stole the $200 K&N Filters Holeshot Award.
 

From there, however, Whibley made amends, quickly worked into the lead and stayed there for the rest of the hot and humid day.

Giving chase and ultimately finishing second overall, about a minute and a half behind, was his teammate last year 2009 series runner-up Scott Watkins. The JG Off-road/GEICO Powersports/Monster Energy Kawasaki racer reported, “I had a good start – I was third off the line. I got into the woods second, I think, behind ‘Whibs.’ He just pinned it! He put a few seconds on me here and there, and then we stayed pretty much even.

“Every race, he just seems to creep away a little bit. He definitely is doing something right; his training and his practicing is paying off. But I’ve still got hope. I’m not getting absolutely slaughtered out there so I think there’s hope for me to win one of these yet.”

And that’s how Husaberg’s Nick Fahringer is feeling after finishing third aboard his FX 450 for the second straight round, continuing a run of strong results he’s also enjoying in the AMA National Enduro Series. (Missing round one followed by two sub-par races have him seventh in points, but if he keeps this up, he’s certain to move up the charts.)

“I attribute that to working so hard in the beginning of the season and here in the second half, just having some fun with it, learning what I can get away with doing and not doing – really just trying to be smooth with everything.”
 
Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Jordan Ashburn ran as high as third in the early going and battled Fahringer for a while, but a small crash followed by stalling momentarily relegated him to fourth, some three-plus minutes ahead of Open A winner Jake Fiddler’s Johnnysigns.com KX450F.
 
Adam Bonneur came back from a three-kick start for fifth in the Pro class, sixth overall, aboard his K’s Motorsports KX450F followed by holeshot winner Bailey and Lite A winner Michael Williams. Making Williams’ triumph more impressive is the fact that five weeks ago he crashed so hard while practicing that he had to have his spleen removed and he just started riding his Barry Heath Racing KX250F on Tuesday. After getting the green light from his doctor on Wednesday to race, he was anxious to get back on the track and he demonstrated no ill effects from his forced layoff. He’s now won all five rounds he entered; he missed the previous round while recovering from surgery.
 

“The only problem is my chest protector at the bottom just rubbed the [surgery] scar a little bit, but other than that, nothing’s hurting,” he insisted.

Four-time series champ Jimmy Jarrett also returned from injury--or at least he tried to. After missing the previous round due to recovering from a hit-and-run incident where a truck hit his from behind while he was training on a bicycle, Jarrett ran in third on the first lap, but his layoff and residual soreness forced him out after the first hour. Thad Duvall fared no better, the winner of two rounds reportedly dropping out with radiator-related issues but remaining third in points, unofficially.
 
August will be a busy for OMA racers with three rounds this month. A new venue in Missouri will host round seven in two weeks and we’ll see if Whibley continues his new win streak.

Results
1. Paul Whibley (Yamaha YZ450F)
2. Scott Watkins (Kawasaki KX450F)
3. Nick Fahringer (Husaberg FX 450)
4. Jordan Ashburn (Kawasaki KX450F)
5. Jake Fiddler (Kawasaki KX450F)
6. Adam Bonneur (Kawasaki KX450F)
7. Cooper Bailey (Kawasaki KX450F)
8. Michael Williams (Kawasaki KX250F)
9. Steve Leivan (Yamaha WR450F)
10. Tim Nienow (Yamaha WR450F)