Cycle News Staff | April 13, 2009
The opening round of the Parts Unlimited Off-Road Motorcycle and ATV Nationals looked both new yet familiar at the same time. The Maxxis Hangman Cross-country National visited a new venue in Nashville, Tennessee, April 12, with challenging but otherwise perfect conditions on Easter Sunday, an event co-sanctioned by the Kentucky Off-Road Hare Scrambles Series.
However, it appeared to be a re-run of most of last year with defending series champion Paul Whibley battling multi-time champ Jimmy Jarrett throughout on Ricky Doores’ farm.
Whibley emerged the winner after finally putting Jarrett away in the final hour, giving him the early points lead in both the OMA Nationals and the GNCCs. The Kiwi’s triumph also gave the new JG Offroad/GEICO Powersports/Monster Energy Kawasaki squad a 1-2 finish aboard their KX450Fs.
It was almost a 1-2-3 for the Kawasaki team, but Andrews Yamaha/Monster Energy/O’Neal YZ450F-mounted Jason Thomas edged Whibley and Jarrett’s KX250F-mounted teammate, Scott Watkins, by three seconds to earn the final podium spot.
“Hopefully, it’s going to continue [like this] all this season,” Whibley said with a smile. “It’ll be a good year’s racing if it carries on like this.”
Jarrett, however, countered: “Hopefully, it doesn’t go like last year. He [Whibley] got a bunch of wins real quick, early in the season. I just need to win a couple and keep him in sight with points and all that – can’t let him get away.”
Husaberg’s Nick Fahringer claimed fifth on his Motorex/Pirelli/Troy Lee Designs FE450 over Rekluse/Pro Action/MSR YZ450F-mounted Jeff Melik. Kawasaki-mounted Dustin Gibson rallied back to seventh, while Cole Kirkpatrick was the top KTM with his eighth place, followed by Open-A racers Chris Bach, on a Kawasaki, and Zach Klamforth on his Yamaha.
