“I’m probably 90 percent right now; my wrist is still pretty sore. I don’t mean that in a bad way – I’m definitely hurting – but I just rode a smart race today.”
So said the 90-percent healthy Gary Sutherlin after winning the 28th Annual Virgin Voyage, hosted by the Vikings Motorcycle Club, round four of the Kenda/SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series.
Consisting of three loops (40, 28 and 32 miles long) around the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Area and based near The Rockpile, the Virgin Voyage closed out the first half of the series in much the same way as it started: Sutherlin on top of the podium flanked by defending series champ Ricky Brabec and FMF KTM Factory Off-road Racing Team’s Ivan Ramirez. Round four, however, found Ramirez in the runner-up spot with Brabec third, unofficially moving the KTM racer into joint possession of first in points at 101 each with the THR Motorsports/Precision Concepts/Bonanza Plumbing champ.
However, everyone had to follow Skyler Howes who rocketed off the start aboard his Blais Racing Services KTM 300 XC, enjoying a few miles of a helicopter carrying a videographer as his closest companion.
Before too long, Sutherlin went to the front on his Dunlop/Motorex/Fox-backed 450 XC-F, though he was unable to hold off the charging Brabec, who sprinted away.
“I was riding really tentative the first half and Ricky rode great,” Sutherlin admitted. “The first 40 miles I think he put a minute on me. He left me. He was pinning it and Ivan was keeping me honest. It was good racing the first loop [and] I knew it was going to go [like that] all three loops.”
Indeed it did, though Brabec saw his chances evaporate on the second loop: “Unfortunately on the second loop I made a few mistakes, got lost and Gary got around me,” Brabec said, Even more costly was hitting a rock and putting a hole in the case on his Braking/DA8 Training/O’Neal KX450F. Adding oil at the pit stop let Brabec get to the finish, though it’d be in third place – his worst finish of the season so far.
That left Ramirez as Sutherlin’s only realistic challenger, but he was unable to repeat his round-three triumph, finishing almost a minute and a half behind Sutherlin. However, moving into the points lead with Brabec undoubtedly removed most of his disappointment.
Purvines Racing Beta’s Nick Burson rode to a lonely fourth followed by Zip-Ty Racing Husqvarna’s Dalton Shirey, the only FMF 250cc Pro winner this season. Howes, Purvines Racing Beta’s Axel Pearson, Precision Concepts Yamaha’s Justin Morgan, PCI Race Radios KTM’s David Kamo and LG Electric/EPM Engineering/Rick’s Custom Shutters YZ450F-mounted Ryan Smith rounded out the top 10.
