Former race mechanic Gary Sutherlin claims first WORCS Pro title as a rider.
NTS, Inc. KTM rider Gary Sutherlin came to the final round of the 2014 Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series presented by Motoworks and Dirt Bike just needing to finish half the race in order to clinch his first career WORCS Pro title.
Well, it is finished. Sutherlin is the 2014 WORCS Champion.
Mathematically speaking, the title battle between Sutherlin and defending WORCS Champion Robby Bell came down to the final round at Buffalo Bill’s Resort and Casino in Primm, yesterday, but Sutherlin’s early season race win streak had afforded him the luxury of being able to play it safe at the end of the season. He played it cagey for the first half of the Primm finale, making sure he secured enough laps to clinch the championship before stepping up his pace in the final laps of the race.
The 2014 WORCS title is the culmination of a dream for Sutherlin, who was the lead mechanic for 2006 WORCS Pro Champion Ricky Dietrich, but his racing season is far from over. As the new WORCS Champion, Sutherlin is headed to Argentina to compete in the International Six Days Enduro along with fellow WORCS racers Justin Jones and Travis Coy. Sutherlin said he plans on coming back in 2015 to defend his WORCS title.
Exiting WORCS Champion Robby Bell endured a season of ups and downs, but the Kawasaki rider finished on a high note when he secured his second WORCS win of the year at the Primm finale. RPM/KTM’s Justin Jones led the first half of the race before Bell was able to pass Jones for the lead. Bell would hold that lead through the finish, with Jones settling into the second spot, which matched Jones’ career-best WORCS finish. It took him all season, but WORCS Pro rookie Eric Yorba finally ascended to the Pro podium, finishing third. Sutherlin finished fourth, followed by 2014 WORCS Pro 2 Champion Travis Coy, who made the jump to the Pro Class for the season finale.
In the Pro 2 Class, John Burr Cycles’ Steve Gibson secured his third win of the season and finished an impressive fifth overall, while runner-up Brandon Prieto and third-placed Erik King completed the Pro 2 podium. NCY Yamaha’s Michael Del Fante bagged his fifth Pro 2 Lites win of the season, and he also clinched the 250cc A Championship by one point over Blayne Thompson, who finished second in the Pro 2 Lites Class. Travis Damon was third.
Tatum Sik returned from an injury that caused her to miss the past four WORCS rounds, and she earned her first Women’s Pro class win of the season. Brandy Richards, the 2014 class champion, finished second. Britney Gallegos was third.
With the 2014 WORCS season now complete, the racers will enjoy a short three-month break before the 2015 WORCS series gets underway with the series opener at Honolulu Hills in Taft, California, January 16-18.
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