2017 Sand Hollow WORCS Results

| April 24, 2017

2017 Sand Hollow WORCS Results – Justin Seeds captured his very first WORCS Pro-class win after coming out on top of a thrilling last-lap battle with Travis Damon at Sand Hollow State Park in Hurricane, Utah, April 23.

2017 Sand Hollow WORCS Results

But it was points leader Gary Sutherlin who got things started by taking the early lead and it looked as though it was going to be his day. The Purvines/DA8 Yamaha Team rider opened up a big lead and was cruising out in front for much of the race, but during the eighth lap of the 10-lap race, his bike suffered a mechanical failure that knocked him out of the race.

This set the stage for a two-rider showdown for the win between Seeds and Damon, who inherited the top spot when Sutherlin dropped out.

But Seeds wasn’t far behind the new leader and could smell a win brewing. He caught Damon and the swapfest began. At one point, just as they were heading out for the final lap, the two actually crashed into each other. Seeds went down but got up quickly and their battle resumed right down to the finish.

The race for the win came down to the final turns and it was Seeds coming out on top, as they crossed the finish line nearly side by side. Officially, Seeds took the checkers .571 seconds ahead of Damon.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Seeds. “I’m bummed for Gary breaking, but racing is racing and we all have issues. Travis and I had a race to our own and we battled it out for the win. After that last-lap crash, I struggled to get my bike back up. Travis came in hot and we both got into each other. It was intense. He was faster than I was in the sand. I knew in the rocks that I was faster than he was. I saw him leave that door open, and I got him in that last corner. I got my first Pro podium here and now I got my first win.”

“Justin just came out of nowhere on that last lap and I wasn’t going to give it to him easily,” said Damon. “Coming into the scoring chute, I heard him let off the gas and I just sent it, but I ended up in a Tuff Block. We were going back in forth in the dunes and then side by side in some sketchy rocks. We both had different lines and he just got me right before the transponder chute. I am so pumped for this podium.”

Despite a big crash on the first lap, Michael Del Fante (Yamaha) finished a distant third but he was happy to get on the Pro podium for the first time.

“I ended up on my head after the first lap and thought my race was over,” said Del Fante. “I got back up and tried to run smooth smart laps. Overall it was a really good day, and I got on the podium. I’m getting more comfortable with the sand. We’re making progress.”

Fourth went to Brock Reveal (Yamaha) and fifth to Mason Ottersberg.

Defending champ Robby Bell was hoping to gain some ground on Sutherlin in the championship, but he too dropped out of the race with a mechanical during the fifth lap while running fourth. Justin Wallis’ bike was another victim of the sandy track.

Eric Yorba, a regular in the WORCS Championship, did not attend the race after having injured his back earlier in the week.

Despite the DNF, Sutherlin still leads the championship by 15 points over Seeds, with Bell slipping back to third. He trails Seeds by 10 points. Damon is fourth six points behind Bell.

2017 Sand Hollow WORCS Results

In Pro 2, Dante Oliveira won his second consecutive race and padded his points lead in the process. Oliveira hasn’t finished lower than second all season. He has won three races this year and finished second three times. Oliveira dominated the race, leading every lap and holding off Kyle Mercier at the finish. Alex Dorsey was third.

“I got out to the lead on the first lap and set a pace,” said Oliveira. “Kyle caught me on the last lap, so I stepped it up and pushed it until the finish.”

Mercier drove a conservative pace early in the race and then sprinted to the finish recording the fastest lap time in the Pro 2 class on the final lap. After nearly catching Oliveira, Mercier earned his third consecutive podium.

“I usually don’t do this well in the sand and rocks, but I feel great,” said Mercier. “For the first hour, I paced myself. I went to a traditional tire; I just sent it in the rocks and got my confidence up. By the end, I had the lines dialed.”

2017 Sand Hollow WORCS Results

In Pro 2 Lights, Cooper Abbott scored his second straight win. Abbott had a great start and recovered from a crash in the scoring chute to net the victory with a last-lap pass. Jake Alvarez battled Abbott to the finish, but settled for second, followed by Clayton Hengeveld.

“I had an awesome battle with Jake until the end,” said Abbott. “I got a first kick start and made some quick moves into second. I had a tipover in the scoring chute, put my head down and made the pass with four corners to go.”

Alvarez just lost the lead on the final lap. Despite the track getting rougher as the race went on, Alvarez held on his first podium of the season. “It started getting rough at the end, but I made the best of it,” said Alvarez.

Hengeveld finished third and now sits in a numerical tie with Abbott in the championship. He recovered from a bad get-off to score his third straight podium.

“I just wanted to finish and charge hard and I made on the podium,” said Hengeveld. “I stalled it off the start and I fell, so I’m glad to get the finish. This race is my favorite, and I was third so I can’t complain.”

The next race for the WORCS motorcycles is scheduled for May 19-21 at Iron Mine Racepark in Cedar City, UT.

HARLEN FOLEY

2017 Sand Hollow WORCS Results

Sand Hollow State Park

Hurricane, Utah

Results: April 23, 2017

PRO

Justin Seeds (Kaw)
Travis Damon (Hon)
Michael Del Fante (Yam)
Brock Reveal (Yam)
5. Mason Ottersberg

PRO 2

Dante Oliveira (KTM)
Kyle Mercier (KTM)
Alex Dorsey (KTM)
Matt Maple (Hon)
Zane Roberts (Hus)

PRO 2 LITES

Cooper Abbott (Yam)
Jake Alvarez (Hus)
Clayton Hengeveld (Kaw)
Riley Snow (Yam)
Austin Serpa (KTM)

2017 Sand Hollow WORCS Results

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