Duvall Dominates OMA Opener

Mark Kariya | April 20, 2010

Am-Pro Yamaha’s Thad Duvall won two races in one at the Reynolds Family Farm in Medora, Indiana, on April 18. Named the Johnny Signs Hill Jack Cross-country National, the event served simultaneously as the finale of the inaugural Parts Unlimited Off-road Motorcycle and ATV Winter Nationals and the kickoff to the eighth annual (regular) Parts Unlimited OMA Nationals. In doing so, he finally broke the win streak of two-time and defending OMA series champion Paul Whibley, who was credited with sixth place after a mechanical issue dropped him from what appeared to be a sure top-three finish on the last lap and forced him to push his Am-Pro Yamaha WR450F to the pits.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Jordan Ashburn edged Duvall for the $200 K&N Filters Holeshot Award and led a lap, with the eventual winner mixing it up with three others during the first hour. In fact, besides Ashburn and Duvall, Whibley and four-time series champ Jimmy Jarrett also took turns leading, with the leading four gapping the field as they swapped positions often in the first half of the race.

But attrition on the hilly, wooded course hosting its first race began to pare the group during the second hour. Jarrett dropped out after getting launched into a tree and smashing a radiator on his JG Off-road/GEICO Powersports/Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450F, leaving Whibley and Duvall dicing up front with Ashburn a close third. Closing after a relatively slow first half, Jarrett’s teammate Scott Watkins closed ground and finally passed Ashburn in the final half hour, Ashburn hampered by a bent shifter and a crash.

And when Whibley had his last-lap issue – which no doubt was traceable to a reported run-in earlier with an obstacle that bent his shifter – Watkins, Ashburn and the rest found themselves moved up one position. The top five ended up being Duvall, Watkins, Ashburn and Kawasaki-mounted privateers Adam Bonneur and Kenneth Gilbert. A lap back, Whibley notched sixth ahead of Lite A riders Michael Williams and Chris Douglas, 30-39 A winner Steve Leivan and Lite A Derek Spangler.

“I kind of knew I was a little bit faster than those guys and [I] just wanted to get out front and try to check out before we pitted, and that’s what happened,” Duvall said.

“I’m going to try to do the whole series this year – kind of do the GNCCs and the OMAs and try to get Yamaha’s name out there,” he declared. Duvall was certainly successful doing so in Indiana, where he handed new teammate Whibley his first OMA loss since the season finale in 2008. Round two will be in two weeks in Tennessee so Duvall will be tested quickly to see if he can repeat Whibley’s perfect 2009 season.