COLORADO SPRINGS, CO

For the third time in as many events, the E-Racer Productions Fall Triple Play Gran Prix Series, sponsored by Dirt Cheap Off-Road in Woodland Park, Colorado, produced a new overall winner. This time it was current RMEC champion Ian Blythe (above), on the Valcom Motorsports/Topar Racing-backed, Stillwell-suspended KTM 450, taking the win at the Ram Off-Road Park in Colorado Springs.

Off the start, Vickery Motorsports YZ450-mounted Bernie Frederick jumped out to the early lead. Frederick led handily for the first lap, setting a frantic pace, while Blythe seemingly sat back, content to bide his time, ready to strike when the moment arrived. That moment occurred shortly into the second lap, when the patient Blythe made his move to the front. Blythe then steadily put a few seconds per lap on Frederick before pitting for fuel at the one-hour mark with a 20-second lead in hand. A sluggish pit stop by the Blythe crew allowed Frederick to retake the lead, as Blythe pulled out of the pits just as the speedy Frederick roared past.

After the pass, it looked like "game on" again, but it took just half a lap for Blythe to regain the lead for good. Frederick hung tough for the next three laps, pushing and prodding for a way around the young KTM rider before losing ground and losing sight of the leader in the final laps.

KTM-mounted Scott Forrest snagged third overall, topping the Over 40 A class in the process, by just the narrowest of margins - only a single second ahead of Heavyweight A rider Chris Parr. Dustin Rushton rounded out the top five on his Yamaha.

Yamaha-mounted Jed McCue led the B class home in the two-hour race, winning the Over 30 class handily with a four-minute margin over Brady Van Matre. Ray Puckett rode a steady pace in his B-class debut, motoring his KTM 200 XC to the Lightweight win and third overall in the B ranks, while just 20 seconds back, Aaron Larson rolled his YZ250F to second in the Lightweight B division. Brant Ford, on yet another KTM, topped the Heavyweight B ranks at fifth overall.

The C-class riders had their own event, running for 1 ½ hours on the challenging, fast-paced course without having to worry about the faster classes running them down. Matt Kyle stood up to the challenge best, topping the Over 30 class on his CRF450R Honda with a wire-to-wire victory. Ray Thomas Jr. didn't have it so easy: He had to work his way up from a sixth-place start to the second overall position and first in the Lightweight class, while Kenny Perkins rounded out the top three with a consistent pace. Kyle Lyndemuth hammered his Suzuki RM125 to second in the Lightweights. Skyler Kramer put in a stunning ride, topping the Mini A class at fifth overall on his YZ85.

Topping the Junior 7-and-Up class was the KX65-mounted Kolten Barlow. He was on the gas right out of the gate, leading every lap for a convincing victory, although second-place finisher Trevor Williams kept him honest, shadowing Barlow after recovering from a seventh-place start to finish just 20 seconds behind the leader. Conner Witt rounded out the podium, piloting his KTM 65 to third in the 7-and Up class, while Alex Lindley topped the 85 C class at fourth overall.

Results

H/W A: 1. Ian Blythe (KTM); 2. Bernie Frederick (Yamaha); 3. Chris Parr (Yamaha); 4. Dustin Rushton (Yamaha); 5. Mark Jenkins (Honda).

40+ A: 1. Scott Forest (KTM); 2. Kevin O'Leary (KTM); 3. Kent Krebs (Honda).

MINI A: 1. Skyler Kramer (Yamaha); 2. Skyler Bergeron (Honda); 3. Xavier Hunt (Honda).

H/W B: 1. Brant Ford (KTM); 2. Tristan Rickard (KTM); 3. Tom Streetman (Kawasaki); 4. Chuck Short (Yamaha); 5. Mike Smith (KTM).

L/W B: 1. Raymond Puckett (KTM); 2. Aaron Larson (Yamaha); 3. Tyler Pennington (Hus).

30+ B: 1. Jed McCue (Yamaha); 2. Brady Van Matre (KTM); 3. Daniel Danner (KTM); 4. Trevor Parmenter (KTM); 5. Andre Jaffe (Husaberg).

40+ B: 1. Alan Kellar (Yamaha); 2. Dan Woodard (Husaberg).

H/W C: 1. Mark Means (Kawasaki); 2. Nick Hamill (Honda).

L/W C: 1. Ray Thomas Jr. (Yamaha); 2. Kyle Lyndemuth (Suzuki); 3. Anthony Hancock (Yamaha).

30+ C: 1. Matt Kyle (Honda); 2. Brandon Fosbinder (Yamaha); 3. Chet Kramer (Yamaha); 4. Joseph Hunt (Yamaha); 5. Shawn Lindley (KTM).

40+ C: 1. Ken Perkins (KTM); 2. Jeff Kochenberger (Yamaha); 3. Ray Thomas (Suzuki); 4. Billy Bunt (Yamaha).

KIDS 85: 1. Alex Lindley (Suzuki).

KIDS (7+): 1. Kolten Barlow (Kawasaki); 2. Trevor Williams (Kawasaki); 3. Conner Witt (KTM); 4. Blake Donatelli (Yamaha); 5. Tyler Cartwright (Kawasaki).

KIDS (4-6): 1. Bryant Ford.