AmPro/FMF Yamaha’s Paul Whibley controlled everything about the Maxxis Wolverine Cross-Country National at the Twisted Trails Off-Road Park outside of Mesick, Michigan, on June 12. From the start to the high-speed grass track to the extensive tight, sandy trails in the Michigan woods, he never put a wheel wrong in rolling to his fourth straight victory in the fifth round of the Parts Unlimited Off-road Motorcycle and ATV Nationals.
“Everything fell into place right from [the start],” he said, referring to his $200 FMF Holeshot Award-winning jump off the line. “I had a lead and I could watch [eventual runner-up] Chris [Bach] a little bit. As the day progressed, I started edging more and more away from him.”
Indeed, American Beta’s Bach recovered from getting shoved around in the first turn to move into second place early and kept tabs on the three-time and defending series champ the rest of the afternoon. Unfortunately for Bach, he snapped the tip of his 450 RR’s brake pedal off and had to ride the final lap and a half without it, thus ending up nearly two minutes behind.
Obermeyer/AmPro Yamaha’s Jordan Ashburn had a completely different starting experience compared to Whibley and was last to leave the line. However, he also quickly worked through the pack until he plateaued at third. By the time he reached that spot, the first two were gone so he settled for third, with American Honda/GEICO Powersports/JG Off-road’s Scott Watkins less than two second behind in fourth. Husaberg’s Nick Fahringer rounded out the top five, having had to rebound from arm pump in the early going.
