Victory at the GXE/MRANN/Mason Valley Dirt Squirts Yerington National moves Ricky Brabec closer to the SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship.
Ricky Brabec is making his move at the right time.
After taking the points lead at round eight of the SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series–the second win of the season and of his career–Brabec moved farther ahead in the series points chase by dominating round nine, the GXE/MRANN/Mason Valley Dirt Squirts Yerington National Hare & Hound, in Yerington, Nevada, yesterday.
Former points leader Nick Burson didn’t quite get the start he needed and had to work his way up to finish second, dropping five more points behind Brabec, who leads 233-208. The most consistent rider this season having finished on the podium at all but one round, Burson’s only hope for the championship is if he wins and Brabec falters at the series finale next month.
Burson’s Purvines Racing Beta teammate Axel Pearson rounded out the podium at Yerington, matching his best-to-date third at the previous round and vaulting him to fourth in points at 131.
Ivan Ramirez of the FMF/KTM Factory Off-road Racing Team remains third in points but suffered through a worse day than Burson after a slight wrong turn right after the bomb gave several others an open door. Ramirez found himself unable to punch through and could only manage seventh, so he now has 185 points.
Brabec’s day couldn’t have gone much better. The THR Motorsports/Monster Energy/Precision Concepts Kawasaki racer started out by grabbing the $300 Speed Freak Bomb Run Award, just edging out Blais Racing Services KTM’s Skyler Howes, who had won it the previous round. Unfortunately for Howes, his day ended a few miles later when he crashed and suffered a possible broken arm.
That put Bel-Ray/FMF/Moose Racing Husqvarna Factory Off-road Racing Team’s Jacob Argubright into the runner-up slot, and for the rest of the 59-mile first loop, he and Brabec pulled away from the field, the Husky pilot sitting just outside Brabec’s dust.
But the bad luck that has plagued Argubright this season struck once more. Shortly after leaving the pits for the 30-mile second and final loop, his rear tire came apart and he tweaked his ankle, forcing him to retire.
Burson inherited second at that point, but he was too far back to catch Brabec, who ended up winning by nearly 8 minutes with a time of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 36 seconds.
Now, Brabec finds himself the favorite going into the last race of the season–his first full-time shot at it, by the way–but he tries to deflect talk of the championship.
“I’m not nervous, but there’s a lot of pressure,” Brabec said. “I mean, anyone that knows how it feels to be in the points lead, it feels like you have a big target on your back. I do really good with pressure and trying to keep myself calm. I go into the race not saying the thing’s for sure; I just go into the race and say I’m going to go have fun with all my friends, and I finish where I finish. If it’s not the right time, it’s not the right time.”
SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series
GXE/MRANN/Mason Valley Dirt Squirts Yerington National Hare & Hound
Results: September 21, 2014 (Round 9 of 10)
1. Ricky Brabec-Kaw
2. Nick Burson-Bet
3. Axel Pearson-Bet
4. Justin Morgan-Hus
5. Justin Morrow-Bet
6. Dennis Belingheri-Kaw
7. Ivan Ramirez-KTM
8. Ryan Kudla-KTM
9. Ryan Smith-Yam*
10. Morgan Crawford-KTM
*First 250
SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series Points Standings (After 9 of 10 rounds)
1. Ricky Brabec-223/3 wins
2. Nick Burson-208/2 wins
3. Ivan Ramirez-185/3 wins
4. Axel Pearson-131
5. Skyler Howes-113
6. Ryan Smith-109
7. Justin Morrow-108
8. Jacob Argubright-106/1 win
9. Brandon Prieto-90
10. Morgan Crawford-76
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