CAMDEN, TN

Round eight of the Mid-South Cross Country Youth Series, sponsored by Pirelli, Answer, MSR, Pro Taper and Maxxis, was held at the Camden's Tennessee Firearms Training Center, with spent gun shells and old abandoned targets strewn about the property. Rain was in the forecast for the day, but all in attendance were hoping it would hold off until evening or even nightfall.

KTM/Performance Supercycle/Johnny Signs/K100-backed Sam Thurman (53, above), contesting the Mini A 65cc class, grabbed the holeshot and quickly had a battle on his hands with fellow KTM rider Brett Gourley, who was looking for any way around the leader that he could find. His chance came on lap one, when Thurman bobbled, and the Rinken Mods-backed Gourley got by.

Thurman stayed close, looking for his chance, and when Gourley crashed on lap two, Thurman took the lead back. Close to the end of lap two, Gourley dived inside of Thurman on a corner and regained the lead for the second time. On laps three and four, the two stayed close, and only a few precious seconds separated the pair heading into the fifth and final lap.

With the race winding down after almost 60 minutes of racing, Thurman made a last-ditch effort to pass Gourley and dived inside of him three turns from the finish. The pass put Thurman on the top spot of the podium. Gourley held on for a strong second-place finish on the day.

"I was thinking about what my dad told me before the race on Saturday, when he said, 'You really need this one,' and I had to try to make the pass for the win before the scoring tent," Thurman said. "It was kind of muddy out there. The track was all wide open, and I had a good time."

In the Junior B 85cc class, the battle still continues for the championship. KTM-mounted Go-Pro/RMW Machine Works-backed Hunter Hutchinson, round seven's winner, grabbed the lead early and stayed out front on laps one and two. He was looking to keep the momentum from winning the previous round and start a winning streak of his own. Series points leader and fellow KTM rider Andrew Clark, in second, stayed close to Hutchinson, and Tanner McCoy completed out the freight train, in third. The trio of riders were swapping back and forth on laps three and four. Clark had begun a late charge, along with McCoy, when Hutchinson crashed. This set up the last-lap battle, with Clark and McCoy going all out for the win.

With about a mile left in the race, Clark and McCoy got tangled up, and McCoy came out on top with the victory. Clark would have to settle for second. Hutchinson, who'd recovered after his crash, came in third.

With four rounds left in the series, many of the championships are starting to shape up to be exciting races all the way to the end. Round nine on March 14 in Nunnelly, Tennessee, will be no exception. For more information, go to www.MSXCracing.com.

Results

P/W (4-6): 1. Dylan Proffitt (Cob).

P/W (7-8): 1. Daniel Spurgeon(Cob); 2. Nathan McCoy (KTM); 3. Ty Gallimore (Cob); 4. Garrett Elrod (Cob).

MINI A: 1. Sam Thurman (KTM); 2. Brett Gourley (KTM); 3. Kalab Hagan (KTM); 4. Ben Jones (Kawasaki); 5. Dillon Bryant (Suzuki).

MINI B: 1. Matthew Harris (KTM); 2. Leighton Tittle (KTM); 3. Landon Morrison (Suzuki); 4. Wesley Hardin (Kawasaki); 5. Agnes Bruce (KTM).

JR A: 1. Brandon Gourley (Kawasaki); 2. Austin Lee (KTM); 3. Colin Brasher (Honda); 4. Jake Froman (Kawasaki); 5. Blake Clark (KTM).

JR B: 1. Tanner McCoy (KTM); 2. Andrew Clark (KTM); 3. Hunter Hutchinson (KTM); 4. Blake Rinsch (KTM); 5. Matthew Bell (Yamaha).