Thursday, June 16, 2011

Monster Energy Kawasaki?s Justin Soule? Grabs Third at the Honey Lake WORCS Event

2011-06-14 15:16
Soule? usually knows what to expect when he gets to Honey Lake, but the heavy winter rains and resulting water run off made it much more challenging than he had anticipated. Despite the changes he maintained a fast pace, running near the front of the pack throughout the weekend, but found it difficult to make passes on the technical course. He kept his KX?450F on two-wheels both days to secure a third-overall finish. The consecutive podium performances concreted his fifth-place position in the points and inched him even closer to the number four spot.

?I still call Honey Lake MX my local track even though I moved to Southern California,? said Soule?. ?I grew up riding out there and I have a lot of family and friends in the area. The track was so loaded with rocks you couldn?t even see the dirt in some places. There were sections of track that looked like a cobblestone road. On Saturday I rode well, but fell off the pace a little after my pit stop and finished in third. Sunday I rode really tight and had constant pressure from other competitors all day. It seemed like I always had someone on my back wheel pushing me, so I ended up battling the entire race for position. My KX450F was really handling great through the rocks. It sucked up countless impacts and actually made the ride bearable. Even though I didn?t win the event, it?s nice to land on the podium both days in front of the hometown crowd. I?m glad to get out of there healthy and now I?m fully focused on the upcoming EnduroCross season.?

Rock Hard Determination
Robert came to Honey Lake and attacked the course on his KX450F. Although the numerous rock gardens slowed many riders down, Robert didn?t hesitate to pin the throttle around the track. He navigated the rocky course with expert speed and precision on Saturday to grab the runner-up spot. On Sunday, he got out front early and started to gap the field after leading four laps. Robert was looking like he had the win in the bag with two laps left, but unexpectedly hit a rock with his front tire and was thrown off the bike and back to 12th place. Robert finished fifth overall for the weekend after going 2-12, but still held onto his second-place position on the leaderboard.

?Saturday I felt really confident on the track with my KX450F?s suspension setup perfectly,? said Robert. ?I was keying off the leader most of the race and finished just a few seconds behind him. On Sunday we got our pit strategy dialed and thought we had everything in place to take the win. I got off to a good start, and maneuvered around the leader by the second lap. I continued to pull away from the pack when I ran into trouble. On the second to last lap I was in fourth-gear on a high-speed downhill section when I caught a rock that sent me head over heels. My bike got mangled up pretty good from the accident so I wasn?t able to continue and ended up with 12th for the day. It was actually a pretty hardcore wreck, but I was able to walk away from it with just road rash and some bruises which is a good thing.?

Climbing the Ladder
As the WORCS season rounds past the halfway point, Abbott continues to climb up the points ladder. Despite a tough weekend on the unforgiving course, Abbott moved into seventh place in the standings after finishing 9-8 on the weekend. While the technically challenging track was more suited to his riding style, a couple mishaps would prevent him from landing on the podium.

?I came into the weekend with high expectations because I knew this track would play toward my strengths,? said Abbott. ?It was more off-road than a moto style, with lots of dry creek beds, rocky ravines, and rock drops. On this kind of track the consequences are higher so you have to ride smarter. On Saturday morning I crashed pretty hard during practice. It was actually one of the biggest crashes I?ve had in years and kind of shook my confidence going into the main event. When the race began I got a good start and was running around fifth, but washed out my front end and ended up finishing in ninth. On Sunday, I regrouped and hit the track expecting to redeem myself. I was in the top five for the first couple laps, but overshot a big jump and cased into the face of the next jump. I was pretty shaken up after that accident, but still finished the race in eighth place. I?m just happy I?m still healthy and really looking forward to the upcoming X Games and ISDE.?

Rock Gardens
Situated at 4,200 feet above sea level in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Honey Lake MX is subjected to the same onslaught of heavy winter weather that made the Donner Party famous. As a result, the rain and excess snow run-off left the already technical course with much more exposed rock than the riders had anticipated.

?It was unbelievable how much rock was exposed,? said Soule?. ?You know I?ve been racing out there a long time and it has always been rocky, but nothing like this year. I talked to the owner of the course and he told me the excessive snow run-off from the winter uncovered twice as many rocks as usual. The technical sections of the track seemed overrun with baseball to basketball-sized rocks which really raised the difficulty level. There were sections of the track where you couldn?t even pick your line, you just had to go where the rocks bounced you. I just kept adjusting to wherever the rocks kept kicking me. It was pretty tough going most of the race.?

Going to the Big Show
As the WORCS series heads into a summer break, the Monster Energy Kawasaki team will turn their focus indoors. At the end of July, the off road team will head to Los Angeles, Calif., to kick off the EnduroCross season at the ESPN X Games. Soule? has been training for the EnduroCross season in between WORCS rounds and is excited to get another action-packed season under way. Robert, who has already proven himself a top contender in the WORCS, is looking to make a name for himself in yet another series. Abbott will also be adding the EnduroCross season to his calendar, which is already packed with WORCS, AMA Hare & Hound, and the ISDE.

Results
World Off Road Championship Series (WORCS)
Honey Lake MX ? Milford, Calif.
June 11-12, 2011

Pro Class Results ? Round 6
1. Kurt Caselli, Palmdale, Calif., KTM (1-2)
2. Mike Brown, Bluff City, Tenn., KTM (6-1)
3. JUSTIN SOULE?, VICTORVILLE, CALIF., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI (3-3)
4. BOBBY GARRISON, HESPERIA, CALIF., KAWASAKI (4-4)
5. TAYLOR ROBERT, SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI (2-12)
6. ROBBY BELL, SUN CITY, CALIF., KAWASAKI (7-6)
7. Ryan Abbatoye, Ridgecrest, Calif., KTM (5-9)
8. Tye Hames, Lancaster, Calif., Honda (8-7)
9. Bobby Bonds, Maricopa, Calif., HSQ (11-5)
10. DESTRY ABBOTT, PEORIA, ARIZ., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI (9-8)

Pro Class Point Standings
1. Kurt Caselli, Palmdale, Calif., KTM, 264
2. TAYLOR ROBERT, SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 238
3. BOBBY GARRISON, HESPERIA, CALIF., KAWASAKI, 237
4. Mike Brown, Bluff City, Tenn., KTM, 216
5. JUSTIN SOULE?, VICTORVILLE, CALIF., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 192
6. ROBBY BELL, SUN CITY, CALIF., KAWASAKI, 178
7. DESTRY ABBOTT, PEORIA, ARIZ., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 140
8. Ryan Abbatoye, Ridgecrest, Calif., KTM, 132
9. GARY SUTHERLIN, GLENDALE, ARIZ., KAWASAKI, 116
10. Kyle Summers, Discovery Bay, Calif., Yamaha, 108

Source: KMC

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