Huge Win for Wilk at Shasta Dam West Hare Scrambles
Mark Kariya | April 13, 2015
Vaughn Wilk led the last half of the weekend’s feature race at the Shasta Dam Grand Prix to earn his first major Pro victory. Photography by Mark Kariya
Northern Californians picked up popular wins for the local crowd as the Kenda/SRT AMA West Hare Scrambles Championship Series hit the halfway mark in the season, with Vaughn Wilk and Joey Fiasconaro going 1-2 on home turf at the Shasta Dam Grand Prix hosted by the Redding Dirt Riders, round four of the series.
It marked Wilk’s first trip to the top of the box as a Pro on his Valli Construction/Dicks Racing/Works Connection-sponsored YZ450F and made him the fourth different winner this season while early leader Fiasconaro settled for second overall, but his fourth-straight FMF 250cc Pro victory. In the big picture, Cory Graffunder slightly stretched his series points lead by claiming third overall.
“I just got my first Pro win of any kind at the [AMA] District 36 race two weeks ago,” Wilk said. “I almost won this race last year and I kind of threw it away on the last lap so I felt really motivated today.
“It’s awesome! I never thought it would happen.”
SRT KTM’s Graffunder got the holeshot on his Kenda/TBT/O’Neal-backed 300 XC but found himself unable to hold off the inspired Fiasconaro who took charge about 30 minutes into the first 20-mile lap and set the pace aboard his IRC Tires/Sierra Motorsports/NorCal KTM 250 XC. “I kind of slid a little bit wide in a corner, sliding on the rocks, and he just snuck up the inside and I said, ‘You can have it, man! Good luck, because I don’t want to go that fast on these roads!’” Graffunder reported.
“It was a little nerve-wracking; I’ve never led a National before with all these guys,” Fiasconaro admitted. “I don’t like the speeds so much on the fire roads—it really makes me nervous. But in the single-track I really like it; I feel comfortable in that.” But he held pace admirably, Wilk the only rider able to pass him when Fiasconaro started getting a bit tired. That settled the top spots.
FMF/Maxxis/RPM Racing KTM’s Travis Coy lost a little ground in points to Graffunder after finishing fourth on his Bonanza Plumbing/Motorcycle Superstore.com/Klim 450 XC-F, but he remains second in points. Purvines Racing Beta’s Nick Burson rounded out the top-five followed by Mach 1 Motorsports/707 Suspension/IRC-backed Steven Godman, who recently traded his KTM 450 XC-F for a 250 XC.
Mark Kariya | Contributor
Kariya spends way too much time in the desert, but we’re glad he does as he’s the man who gets us our coverage of all things sandy.
