Jarrett’s Drought Ends at Tenn OMA

Mark Kariya | May 4, 2010

Though he hadn’t won since the final round of the 2008 series, Jimmy Jarrett kept plugging away, knowing in his heart that he could still be a winner in the Parts Unlimited Off-road Motorcycle and ATV Nationals.

His perseverance paid off at the Rekluse Hangman Cross-country National in Hanging Limb, Tennessee, on May 2, round two of this year’s series, when he emerged the winner by seven seconds over JG Off-road/GEICO Powersports/Monster Energy Kawasaki teammate Scott Watkins, who started off by earning the $200 K&N Filters Holeshot Award and spent the rest of the race at or near the front. FMF/KTM Factory Off-road Racing Team’s Russell Bobbitt, the reigning and two-time AMA National Enduro Champion, made his OMA debut memorable by leading the first lap and eventually claiming third for the day.

And what a day it was. With most of Tennessee inundated by a storm that dropped more than 14 inches of rain over the weekend on Nashville about 90 miles to the west, the course at Daryl Hoover’s farm was certainly muddy, but rain held off for the most part after drenching the ATV racers the day before. Still, the conditions demanded more than all-out speed.

“Today wasn’t about being the fastest guy,” Wakins insisted, “it was about being the smartest guy. There was definitely a lot of tough hills and mud holes out there. Jimmy and I, we went back and forth; each of us got stuck or fell down. I’d go down and he’d go by me, and he’d go down and I’d go by him, so it was a fun day.”

Officially, four-time series champ Jarrett led the last three laps after Bobbitt sprinted to lead the first lap. But as Watkins said, he and Jarrett diced back and forth exchanging the lead multiple times each lap. It became apparent that the win would come down to the final lap, and Jarrett had his place picked out.

“That one hill out there that everybody was talking about, as we were riding to it, he was right behind me,” Jarrett explained. “I knew it was going to come down to that hill. Somehow, I made it. I know I was mowing trees over and running over peoples’ legs, but I was going to get to the top one way or another! But I made it and looked back and never saw him.”

Despite giving up much of that lead when he slid out in the deep, slick mud three turns from the finish on his Silkolene/Pirelli/Moose-backed KX450F, Jarrett took the checkered flag first, stopping the clock at two hours, 31 minutes and 33 seconds, Watkins roaring in at 2:31:40 and Bobbitt taking his Muscle Milk/Motorex/KTM PowerWear 250 XC third in 2:33:06.

After having some trouble with “the hill” also, Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Jordan Ashburn from nearby Cookeville claimed fourth with Husaberg’s Nick Fahringer fifth in his seasonal series debut.

Kawasaki privateer Adam Bonneur took aa lonely sixth while two-time and defending series champ Paul Whibley battled back from a lengthy pit stop to reportedly tend to front brake issues on his Am-Pro/FMF Yamaha WR450F for seventh. South Africa’s Kenneth Gilbert took eighth place over Lite A winner

Michael Williams and Open A winner Zach Klamfoth. An unspecified problem forced round one winner Thad Duvall out after two laps and he was credited with 12th in the Pro ranks.

Unofficially, Watkins is the new series points leader over Ashburn with Bonneur third.

Mark Kariya | Contributor

Kariya spends way too much time in the desert, but we’re glad he does as he’s the man who gets us our coverage of all things sandy.