The recent rain in Arizona proved to be the deciding factor in labeling the second round of the AMA West Coast Hare Scrambles Series, hosted by Arizona Motorcycle Riders Association and the Rock Stars Motorcycle Club, an “epic” event. The dirt was perfect and the dust at a minimum as the 150 A and B riders battled it out through the rocky canyons, tight and twisty trails, and an Endurocross-inspired section, at the Gila County Fairgrounds in Globe, Arizona. Local resident and factory Kawasaki Pro Destry Abbott took the win by almost a minute, and with that won the National Pro class as well as a bonus Pro Purse offered by the Rock Stars MC and K-Rock Photos. Ryan Powell from San Raphael, CA, and Gary Sutherlin, a local AMRA Pro, rounded out the top three.
“I had a great jump, and was in third after the first two corners,” Destry said. “Justin Soule was leading, followed by Ryan Powell. Since it was so hard to pass, I rode right behind them the first lap and we actually had a lot of guys right on us. As soon as we headed into the Endurocross [-inspired] section I was able to pin it past Ryan, and then I passed Justin going down the next hill.
“Once I was in the lead, I tried to put a little gap on them so they couldn’t key off me. After the third lap, I made my first [of two] pit stop[s]… Ryan passed me when I was pitting. [He] was riding really well and I knew he was going to be tough to beat. I was about 3-seconds behind him when he stopped for gas, which gave me a nice gap again and the lead. After this I rode a good pace, and was able to pull further away each lap. It felt really good going down towards the finish, and having everyone cheer me on.
As for the course, Abbott said the 9-miles were tight and technical, and he only made it into fourth gear once a lap, if at all.
“This was the first time I’ve raced a National Hare Scramble race in years,” he said. “If I knew they were all like this, I would love to do this series. It really felt good to get a National win again and in my home state!”
Abbott went on to commend the promoters for putting on a truly professional event.
“I really need to give huge props to AMRA [and the] Rock Stars for putting on such a great event. It was by far the best National event I’ve raced in a long time, counting hare and hounds. It was really technical and well marked. You could definitely tell they put in a lot of hard work.”
AMRA’s next event will be a Qualifier, the Desert Mountain Enduro, hosted by ATR. It will be held on March 16 in Peoria, AZ, at the Boulders OHV area off Highway 74’s mile marker 11.5.
Top 20 Overall
1. Destry Abbott (KAW)
2. Ryan Powell (YAM)
3. Gary Sutherlin (KTM)
4. Jordan Brandt (BET)
5. Justin Soule (KTM)
6. Ian Blythe (YAM)
7. Ty Davis (SUZ)
8. Brian Garrahan (YAM)
9. Brandon Johnson (KTM)
10. Dylan Murdock (KAW)
11. Garrison Gragg (KTM)
12. Corey Floyd (YAM)
13. Patrick Garrahan (KTM)
14. Devan Bolin (KTM)
15. Brian Butler (BET)
16. Rodney Spencer Jr (YAM)
17. Eric Habenicht (KAW)
18. Brian Sperle (KTM)
19. Tim Hillsamer (KTM)
20. Travis Coy (HON)
