CALIFORNIA CITY, CA

Lost Coyotes MC's Eric Caudillo (34, above) rode his Honda CRFX450 to the overall victory and Class 30 Expert win at round two of the Alta Vista Events SuperCourse Desert Series, trouncing the competition and finishing at least five minutes ahead of his nearest competitor.

The Lancaster, California, rider had a shot at the overall earlier in the year, when Alta Vista Events put on the "150" - a massive two-lap desert SuperCourse that was a hit with the crowd. It looked like he was set to win the absolute overall in the first event of the series, but when the IRC Tracking units were checked, it was found that he had missed the course and was penalized enough to knock him off the overall top spot.

Not this time! Caudillo took the lead from the outset and never looked back. In the process, he also posted the fastest lap of the day, covering the "Tuff 20" course with a lap time of 29 minutes and four seconds and an overall finishing time of two hours, one minute and seven seconds.

The SuperCourse was set for two hours, and it was anticipated that most of the fast riders would get in four laps. The first 13 overall riders did just that; everyone else was at least one or two laps behind.

Second overall was Eric's older brother Michael Caudillo, on a THR Motorsports/FMF/ZD Racing KTM. He posted a time of two hours, seven minutes and 10 seconds for the four laps and was always poised to take over the lead should Eric make a mistake. Nonetheless, Michael, by virtue of finishing second overall, captured the top spot in the Over 30 Novice class.

The 20-mile course had been rated as a 4.8, meaning that it was on the slow side, including some of the more technical sections. However, looking at the results, the top five overall averaged about 38 mph, with Eric being the only one to break into the over-40-mph category on his first lap. That was pretty fast for the course. The consensus about the racecourse at the end of the two hours was that it had enough of a variety to make it challenging and fun. The tough spots were tough, and some riders had problems clearing a couple of hills, but just as they were being challenged by the course, there was a smoother section that gave everyone time to breathe a bit.

Third overall went to Hoosier Precision/XRS Only/CMS/No Fear-backed Honda jockey Jason Jacobson, posting a time of two hours, 10 minutes and four seconds, but winning the Open Beginner class nonetheless.

Checkers MC/O'Neal/CGG/Smith/SA Racing-sponsored Yamaha 250 rider Scott Anderson nailed the fourth-overall spot and finished first in the Over 50 Expert class, finishing with a time of two hours, 10 minutes and 57 seconds - a mere 53 seconds off the time of the podium's third finisher.

Rounding out the top five overall was Honda pilot Ryan Parrish, who captured the Open Novice victory with a time of two hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds.

Results

O/A (finishing 4 laps): 1. Eric Caudillo (Honda); 2. Michael Caudillo (KTM), 3. Jason Jacobson (Honda); 4. Scott Anderson (Yamaha); 5. Ryan Parrish (Honda); 6. Tony Donna (Honda); 7. Jeff Leonard; 8. Brian Woleben (Kawasaki); 9. Randy Nix (Honda); 10. Steven Lazar (Yamaha); 11. Anthony Muneton (Honda); 12. David Knight; 13. Bill Markel (Yamaha).