National Hare & Hound Champion Destry Abbott scored his second victory in a row in Delta, Utah, yesterday. The win marked his third of the series to cushion his point lead over Kawasaki Team Green teammate and rival Brian Brown.
Abbott’s win didn’t come without a little drama, however. Coming into the pits, after the first loop, Abbott had a 20-second lead over Montclair Yamaha’s Ty Davis. The club putting on the event, the Sage Runners, had forewarned the racers that a five mph pit speed limit would be strictly enforced. The defending champ was clocked at 24 mph in the pits. They held Abbott for one minute to penalize him for his speed infraction. This opened up the door for Davis, giving him a 25-second lead, heading out on the second loop.
Abbott commented after the race about his mishap, “I really didn’t think I was going that fast. I was a little anxious and just blew it. It was totally my fault. I respect the club’s decision to enforce the rule…I’m really fortunate that everything worked out.”
Davis’ lead was short-lived. His luck turned for the worst at about five miles into the second loop. The whole bottom seal of his front fork blew, and he was unable to continue the race. This makes for two DNFs in a row for Davis, virtually eliminating any chance he has for a Hare & Hound National Championship.
With Davis out of the picture, Abbott was able to regain the lead. About 15 seconds behind him was DH1 Racing/Michael’s Yamaha’s Kurt Caselli. The 250cc pilot was charging hard to try and catch Abbott, but unfortunately for Caselli, he ran out of time.
Another Montclair Yamaha rider who had a bit of bad luck was Russ Pearson. Off the bomb run, Pearson was in second and he actually passed Abbott for the lead. Pearson, who has been on fire as of late, with last-minute charges from the back, would run out of gas an astounding four times in Utah. He came into the pits fourth after running out of gas during the first loop; he moved back up to third and ran out again, on the second loop. By the time it was over, Pearson had to settle for fifth overall.
Abbott finished with the win, Caselli was second, Team Kawasaki’s Brian Brown was third, Team Green/Price Racing’s Shane Esposito finished fourth and Russ Pearson rounded out the top five.
At the half way point in the series, Abbott leads Brown 115 to 101 with Caselli in third with 71.
