It’s been a long, hot summer on the west coast and we are so ready to gear up and get ready for the final 3 rounds of the 2012 AMA/KENDA National Hare & Hound Championship Series!
In just ten days, the Silver State Trailblazers will be hosting their first National Hare and Hound event near the town of Panaca, NV, on Saturday September 8th. The hosting club has been working hard all year to put on an epic race weekend with festivities all weekend long. With all the recent rain and thunderstorms out west, the course is sure to be a sweet one twisting up and through the trees and down some nice, smooth sand washes. (more race info below…)
With only 3 rounds remaining in the 2012 season, the battle for the overall championship is going to come down to the wire!
Check out previous Off-Road.com Hare & Hound coverage here:
Pearson Takes Win at Round 6
Caselli Crashes, Argubright Wins at Round 5
Caselli Cruises to Victory at Round 4
The 2011 Champion, FMF/KTM’s Kurt Caselli, suffered a severe shoulder injury earlier at Round 5 in Utah which caused him a DNF (did not finish) and also caused him to sit out Round 6. And with the cancelation of Round 7 and one less race to make up some lost points, the point’s leader currently is now THR Motorsports rider, David Pearson.
Pearson was the overall winner of Round 6 and he now leads over Caselli by 22 points. Neither of these racers can afford to DNF any of the of the final 3 rounds. Come on out and watch this epic battle!
Two members of the Purvines Racing Team are currently sitting in the 3rd and 4th overall positions – Justin Morrow and Nick Burson. Both of these riders have had their best finishes in the series this season and they improve at every round. There are only 10 points separating these two teammates. In between racing the National events, you are likely to see Morrow and Burson racing together in other desert team events and other series’ as well.
Rounding out the Top 5 overall as we head into the final 3 rounds is JCR Honda’s David Kamo. Kamo has had a couple of bad crashes earlier in the season which has caused him to DNF two rounds, but will be vying for an overall win in the upcoming second half of race season.
Rounding out the Top 10 in overall points so far is: 6. Jacob Argubright, 7. Skyler Howes, 8. Axel Pearson, 9. Brady Elton, 10. TJ Hannifin.
The Woman’s Title has been won already by Stillwell Performance’s rider Nicole Bradford! This is Bradford’s first year racing this series and is so far ahead in the point’s battle, the title is already hers. Bradford will not be racing the final three events as she had to have leg surgery after an injury at Round 6. We would like to give a huge CONGRATS to Nicole for winning the Women’s #1 Title for 2012 and we hope to have her back in 2013!
There are many awesome battles going on in all of the other National classes this year. Only 15 points separate Skyler Howes and Axel Pearson in the 250A Class. Brady Elton and Michael Slawson have a 5-point difference going into Round 8 in the Open A class. Cordis Brooks has a huge lead in the 200A Class. 2011 Vet A Champ, Dan Capparelli, has a huge lead in the points and is on his way to another Championship title. Mark Weirich has a huge lead in the 40+A Class. GREAT battle going on in the 50+ Class between the Mikes – Mike Whitcomb and Mike Korenwinder with a 1-point difference! Kerry Chartier leads the 60+ Masters Class, and the 2011 ATV Champ, Andy Lagzdins, currently leads the ATV A Class!
Check out previous Off-Road.com Hare & Hound coverage here:
Pearson Takes Win at Round 6
Caselli Crashes, Argubright Wins at Round 5
Caselli Cruises to Victory at Round 4
You can find all the AMA National Points Standings Here.