Whibley Second At Arkansas OMA
Press Release | May 28, 2013
Monster Energy Athlete Paul Whibley finished a strong second at round four of the OMA cross-country series in Fort Smith, Arkansas, this past weekend.
A rainstorm on Saturday evening made a portion of the course unrideable, forcing the organizers to shorten the loop to seven miles as riders prepared for the worst by waterproofing their bikes for slippery mud and deep-water crossings.
Whibley grabbed the holeshot to start the race and led the Pro contingent through the opening lap. A wrong turn on lap two left the Am Pro rider lost on the trail for a short period of time, as Nick Fahringer took advantage of the situation and took over the lead. But still, Whibley remained in contention for the win, as he battled with series points leader Russell Bobbitt, Fahringer and Kailub Russell for the next few laps.
Midway into the race, Fahringer began pulling away, as Whibley solidified his second place status. Russell got stuck in a deep rut on the final lap, allowing Bobbitt to gain control of third, as Fahringer took the win ahead of Whibley, Bobbitt and Russell.
“I felt like I had a good race and I’m relatively pleased with second,” said Whibley. “It was pretty wet out there from all the rain and some of the ruts got pretty deep and there was a pretty bad mud hole. I got lost on the second lap and dropped back to fourth, but I was able to regain the lead in the big mud hole. But then Fahringer got by me and took the win.”
“My hand is good now,” added Whibley. “It doesn’t seem to be a factor any more and I’m looking forward to winning one of these things soon.”
Next up for Whibs is the Wiseco John Penton GNCC in Millfield, Ohio, on June 1st.
Results
1. Nick Fahrringer (Hsb)
2. Paul Whibley (Monster Energy Yamaha)
3. Russell Bobbitt (Hsb)
4. Kailub Russell (KTM)
5. Josh Weisenfels (Yam)
