LEESVILLE, LA

Round six of the MTA Louisiana Cross-Country Series drew more than 100 racers to the sandy, rolling hills of Leesville Motorsports Park, located near Fort Polk, Louisiana. Great weather and ground conditions greeted the riders, and the 5.2-mile course included a motocross track, flowing 'dozer-wide trails, and a few obstacles for the spectators to enjoy.

When the green flag was waved, Kawasaki jockey Kevin Hutchinson narrowly got the holeshot, followed closely by Suzuki City's Stephen Reed in the XC1 Expert class. Reed quickly moved into the lead, and Honda jockey Jason Harvey fell in behind him. When the two came out onto the motocross portion toward the end of the lap, Harvey made the pass on Reed and started building a cushion.

After leading for the next two laps and getting even further out front, Harvey overjumped a section, which left him lying on the side of the course, watching his rival Reed and the rest of the pack go by. Unfortunately, Harvey's injuries were severe enough to take him out of the race, and most likely the championship points battle.

Meanwhile, KTM rider Stephen Sturges from Meraux, Louisiana, put in a breakthrough performance, setting the fastest lap with a 13:20 on lap number five and showing his endurance and determination. Although Sturges pushed hard until the end, it wasn't enough to stop Reed from taking the overall victory. Sturges landed in second overall, just two seconds in front of KTM-mounted XC2 Lites winner Jason Reine in third overall. Reine grabbed the holeshot in his class and never looked back, earning another $100 reward. Hutchinson held on to round out the podium in the XC1 class in third place and fourth overall. Suzuki pilot Andy Beebe put in his best ride of the season to capture fifth overall. Honda of Lafayette's Ryan Breaux finished second in the XC2 Lites class, with Yamaha rider Clint Woods only 23 seconds behind in third place.

Stephen Reed (above, center) got to spray competitors Stephen Sturges (left) and Kevin Hutchinson (right) with champagne on the podium, took home the $150 in cash, and is now in a comfortable lead in the championship points standings.

"Leesville Motorsports Park turned out to have almost no dust and perfect traction for good bar-to-bar racing," Reed commented. "The owner did a great job prepping the open but technical course of 5.2 miles. The course bermed up well and had three extreme obstacle sections, adding some excitement for the spectators. Seven laps was all it took to tire the best of Louisiana's off-road racers at a total time of one hour and 39 minutes. My Moose Racing Sahara gear helped keep me cool through the hottest part of the day. Thanks, Suzuki City, Enduro Engineering, Raceworks, MTA, Michelin Tires, and I really appreciate all who helped in getting round six ready to race. Congratulations, Brennen, Cameron and Carolyn Reed on great racing. I wish Jason Harvey and Duel Judice a fast recovery."

The Ironman of the day was KTM-mounted Novice rider Blair Benoit, who overjumped a hill; he didn't crash, but the impact broke two bones in his foot. Benoit soldiered on, just sitting down and standing on one foot, to grab a second-place finish and earn valuable championship points. As Reed mentioned, Novice rider Duel Judice of Performance Cycles crashed early on and was out of the race with major injuries. The winner of the class was Yamaha rider Dustin Harwood, and third place went to Suzuki rider Lance Ford of Schriever, Louisiana.

A very impressive performance was put in by young KTM rider Russ Wiggers from Fort Necessity, Louisiana; he not only won the Junior (14-16) class but also finished eighth overall. Yamaha jockey Jake Haddox and KTM rider Brayton Broussard rounded out the podium in the Junior class.

Results

XC1 EX: 1. Stephen Reed (Suz); 2. Stephen Sturges (KTM); 3. Kevin Hutchinson (Kaw).

XC2 EX LITES: 1. Jason Reine (KTM); 2. Ryan Breaux (Hon); 3. Clint Woods (Yam).

NOV: 1. Dustin Harwood (Yam); 2. Blair Benoit (KTM); 3. Lance Ford (Suz).

NOV LITES: 1. Daniel Lee (Yam); 2. Lance Kelly (Kaw); 3. Jamie Barringer (Hon).

SR (40+): 1. David Hall (KTM); 2. Mark Ray (Hon); 3. John De Lee (Hon).

BEG: 1. Chris Fontenot (KTM); 2. Danon O'Kelly (KTM); 3. Jeremy Oxley (Kaw).

BEG LITES: 1. Reed Bonvillain (KTM); 2. Hunter Manning (KTM); 3. David Shaw (Hon).

JR (14-16): 1. Russ Wiggers (KTM); 2. Jake Haddox (Yam); 3. Brayton Broussard (KTM).

KIDS VET: 1. Brennen Reed (Suz); 2. Chase Joubert (KTM); 3. Kyle Lafleur (KTM).

KIDS INT: 1. Cameron Reed (Suz); 2. Evan Wiggers (KTM); 3. Grant Broussard (KTM).

WMN: 1. Julie Broussard (KTM); 2. Carolyn Reed (KTM); 3. Alex Wiggers (Yam).

P/W: 1. Landon Shively (Yam); 2. Steven Merriett Jr. (Yam); 3. Hayden Colvin (Yam).