Colton Udall was behind Trevor Stewart at the start of the West Coast Grand Prix feature race but not for long as he swept past and won convincingly for the second year in a row and the second round in a row. Photography by Mark Kariya
The Hilltoppers Motorcycle Club has been very good to Colton Udall throughout his career. Its members have provided crucial pit support in Baja races and he’s always enjoyed the grand prix it hosts at the club’s 29 Palms Motorsports Complex.
Maybe it’s because he tends to win at the fast desert venue, which he did for the second year in a row in the AMA West Coast Grand Prix Series (WCGP) feature race at the 41st Annual Hilltoppers M.C. Grand Prix, round four of the AMA District 37/MSR Big 6 Grand Prix Series.
“Believe it or not, this was the first grand prix I ever did in my life,” the Ox Motorsports.com Honda rider shared. “I bought an AMA District 37 card and the rest is history.”
So, as a tribute to the club, Udall commissioned a Hilltoppers-themed paint scheme for his Scorpion helmet, then did them proud as he took the lead on the first lap and proceeded to ride away from the pack on his Redi/AHM Factory Services/MSR-sponsored CRF450R.
The only man to lead him during the 90-minute race was fast-starting WCGP Pro II racer Trevor Stewart who got the holeshot and led for about half a lap on his John Burr Cycles/Enzo/Alias Gear-backed YZ250, which couldn’t match the 450 on the long, uphill paved road section.
After that, it was all Udall. “I just kind of held my pace; I didn’t really push real hard,” he insisted.
But his pace still took him out of reach and he recorded his second Big 6 win in a row and his second consecutive Hilltoppers victory.
Stewart gamely held second overall for the first half but couldn’t hold off the 450cc brigade that swept past in the final half. Zip-Ty Racing Husqvarna’s Blayne Thompson ended up a minute and 10 seconds behind Udall for runner-up honors followed by Precision Concepts Kawasaki-mounted Justin Seeds. John Burr Cycles Kawasaki’s Ryan Reina and Udall’s teammate Mark Samuels rounded out the top five overall.
A crash left Stewart unable to hold off Outlaw Racing/Kenda/Motion Pro YZ250F-mounted Rowan Trefz for the WCGP Pro II lead—Trefz savoring his first triumph in his second year in the class, having previously won Vet Pro—with Paso Robles KTM’s Mitch Anderson third in class and eighth overall. Fellow Pro II racers Nic Garvin and Ben Meza rounded out the top 10.
