This past weekend, the RMRA took over the Elbert County Fairgrounds in the quaint, country town of Kiowa, Colorado for Round #3 of the Supercross Series. Riders hailed in from all around to replace what would normally be farm animals for dirt bikes and cowboy boots for moto boots — making for a night filled with fun-havin’ and bar-bangin’ of epic proportions! Let’s recap:
Pros:
We’re not going to sugar coat it, the turn out for the pro classes at this race was disappointing as far as numbers go. However, underwhelming rider count doesn’t always have to mean underwhelming racing… and it certainly didn’t this time!
The 450A class might have only consisted of four riders, but the racing that those guys threw down was top notch. The first time they hit the track, none other than Todd Bannister would find himself leading the pack off the gate with Bobby Fitch and Mitchell Gifford in hot pursuit. Gifford made quick work of Fitch til he had a close call through the whoops, but was able to recover 2nd and make a run for the lead. Bannister and Gifford both put on aggressive rides and the #311 had many “almost” passes, but the #120 was not about to give up that 1st position — which he made very clear when he ran his competitor high in the corner before the whoops, securing the win, leaving Gifford to settle for second, and Fitch for third. In the main, Bobby Fitch reminded the young guns in the group that he’s still a contender, leading the first part of the race with Bannister and Gifford following behind in yet another heated battle! The two put the crowd on the edge of their seats early in the race, but Todd thew it away with a crucial mistake early lap three. This gave Mitchell all the room he needed to put the pressure on Bobby and make the pass for first after sending the whoops together, side by side. Gifford earned the W, Fitch 2nd, and Bannister 3rd.
Open Pro/Non Pro was even more eventful! In both races, the top riders were battling so close you could have thrown a blanket over them. Really. It was the ‘don’t blink or you’ll miss something’ kind of racing— especially in the main. Bannister started off in front, with Fitch right there in second, and Flesia briefly in third til Gifford swooped in. For a solid three laps, those top guys were all over each other. Fitch was pushing in hard on Bannister when he went down after the whoops, leaving only Gifford to bring the heat on the front-runner, #120. We watched the two go at it all day long, but the intensity of their battle in this one was off the charts. Eventually, Gifford decided it was time to make a statement, cutting inside Bannister on the corner before the finish, leaving the #120 on the ground. Gifford would come away with a comfortable win, Flesia following respectively, and Fitch rounding out the top three.
450B:
Again, the gate wasn’t full of riders for this class, but it definitely was full of speed, talent, and fun racing! In moto one, Ryan Zawacki pulled a major holeshot and secured a dominant lead by mid-race. Behind him, though, was a serious battle taking place. The #0 of Caleb White and the #438 of Cannon Bolding went at it every lap til Bolding went down with only a small portion of the race to go. Zawacki cruised passed the checkered in first, White in second, and Bolding a ways behind but still in third. The final time their tires hit the dirt, Dylan Flatley lead the pack with Ryan Zawacki and Caleb White in tow. Flatley’s reign wouldn’t last long, however, as Zawacki pulled off a mighty impressive pass through the rhythm during lap one. Caleb White followed suit, putting the pressure on Flatley and eventually making his pass through the whoops. Zawacki earned first, White second, and Flatley third for that race.
Openmini 85cc 9-12yrs:
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: The talent that the 85cc riders showing up to these RMRA races have right now is simply insane. There’s no other way to put it. And when all that talent gets thrown onto one track simultaneously, it makes for some dang good racin’. In the first race, Jace Hinrichs (who, by the way, had literally just pulled off the track and straight on the gate for back to back motos) came out swingin’ for a nice holey, with Caden Gordy close behind, Treg Duvall in third, and Ethan Funk right there in the mix, too. Funk pressured Duvall til he made a mistake, leaving the door open for the pass into third. Things stayed the same for the majority of the race, til the #14 of Blake Leach came out of thin air to put on a (very) late charge through the pack. He kept the pressure on the leader, Hinrichs, and nearly got the job done, but took second by barely a front wheel over the finish at the checkered! It was seriously close! In the second moto, Funk started his ride off right with a holeshot, but Duvall and Gordy were right there chomping at the bit. Funk lost the lead when he went down after the rhythm and at about the same time, we saw your moto one winner, Leach, working his way through the pack after a mediocre start. Impressively, Leach snatched the number one spot by only lap three, but fell in a corner and had to make up time yet again. It didn’t take long, though, as he passed for second on the step-on-step-off and passed for first through the whoops, all in the same lap. Leach would take a well-deserved win, Duvall would follow, and Hinrichs would grab third.
65 Open 7-11yrs:
Much like the 85 class we just covered, this 65 class is also overflowing with youngsters who have way more talent than they know what to do with! The beginning of moto one was a bit all over the place, with a few of the early leaders making mistakes resulting in position switch-ups left, right, and center. By the time everyone settled in, the #199 of Gannon Lawson had a pretty solid lead going and the #24 of Beau Leach and #637 of Ryan Hadley were behind having the battle of a lifetime. Hadley flew through the whoops with enough momentum to make the pass for second, but Leach stole it back the next lap and the two kept it tight, spending the entire final half-lap bar to bar. In the last corner, Leach squeezed through the inside to edge out his competitor. Moto two, Zach Redd grabbed the holeshot and Leach and Lawson followed closely. Lawson used his Bubba-like speed through the whoops to make quick work of the riders ahead til he landed the number one position! Redd earned second that moto and Leach earned third.
Who knew that such a sleepy town could turn out such exciting racing? Though the numbers weren’t what one could’ve hoped, the battles were still unparalleled. There are only two rounds left of the RMRA Supercross Series this season and we just can’t wait to soak up every last drop of SX goodness that we can! Until next time, people… Here comes the checkered flag on this one!
