Colton Haaker scored a big win at the Denver EnduroCross. Photography by Shan Moore
JCR Honda rider Colton Haaker scored his second win of the season at round five of the AMA GEICO EnduroCross Series in Denver, Colorado. After an exciting main event, which saw Colton going bar-to-bar with defending champion Taddy Blazusiak for several laps, Haaker was able to secure the lead and take it to the finish. Beta’s Cody Webb rounded out the podium with third overall at the National Western Complex.
Coming in to Denver, it was Red Bull KTM’s Blazusiak and Beta’s Cody Webb who were tied for the points lead with Haaker two points behind in third. But after another close main event, Haaker was able to mix things up just enough to boost himself to the front, though the championship still remains in a tie with Blazusiak.
“I’m excited,” Haaker said. “I haven’t had the red plate in two years now and I only had it for one round. I’m riding well beyond anything I have before and putting in a lot of work at home. It shows when it comes down to the race. I really had it tonight. I’m really stoked!”
Haaker started the main event off with a holeshot, but quickly found himself side-by-side with Blazusiak. The two duked it out for the lead with Blazusiak grabbing the point in the early laps. Haaker kept the leader in his sights, and then capitalized on a mistake when Blazusiak lost his front end coming out of a rock turn. From that point, Haaker held on to the lead and never looked back, leaving Blazusiak to collect second.
(Left to right) Cody Webb, Colton Haaker and Taddy Blazusiak celebrate on the Denver podium. Photography by Shan Moore
Blazusiak also admitted that an extreme close call during the evening hot laps shook him up just before the main event. Blazusiak found himself nearly doing a superman over the tire jump, and looked like he was heading for an epic crash. Though he technically landed off the bike, he miraculously somehow kept it upright and didn’t hit the ground. “I don’t want to say that it affected me in the main, but actually it did,” Blazusiak said. “I was taking that step up super easy. I thought I could hit it as hard as I can but… oh man.”
Webb got out to a mediocre start and had his hands full with Taylor Robert in the early laps. The two pushed each other hard, ending up off the track at one point, and going down in a heap at another point. After their tangle, it was Webb who was able to rebound quicker, and advance into the top-three. Webb was able to reel in Haaker and Blazusiak, and nearly got close enough to challenge Blazusiak for second, but ran out of time and had to settle for third.
Factory Husqvarna’s Mike Brown was also able to slip past Robert after he and Webb went down, but Robert wasn’t about to yield his position so easily. He and Brown duked it out for fourth with Robert ultimately taking the point. Brown held on for fifth place, his best finish of the season.
The finishing order, in combination with the single points given for the heat race win and quickest hot lap, there is now only one point separating the top-three with Haaker and Blazusiak tied at 117 points each and Webb with 116 points.
Denver EnduroCross Main Event Results, October 4, 2014:
1. Colton Haaker (Hon)
2. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM)
3. Cody Webb (Bet)
4. Taylor Robert (KTM)
5. Mike Brown (Hus)
6. Max Gerston (Bet)
7. Cory Graffunder (KTM)
8. Nick Thompson (KTM)
9. Ty Tremaine (KTM)
10. Bobby Prochnau (KTM)
11. Wally Palmer (Chr)
12. Destry Abbott (Kaw)
13. Eric Rhoten (Bet)
