Colton Haaker (10) lead Cody Webb (1) en route to victory at the Las Vegas EnduroCross at the Orleans Arena. Photography by Kit Palmer
It was a fight to the finish between Colton Haaker and Cody Webb for the main-event win at the GEICO AMA EnduroCross round at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 1, and when the dust settled, it was Haaker, on the Rockstar/Lucas Oil Husqvarna coming away with the big win.
It started off with Haaker nabbing the holeshot and his teammate Mike Brown settling into second, with the number-one plate holder, Webb, holding down third on the FMF/RPM Team Maxxis KTM. It was the race everyone was waiting for, with some of the top riders of the series starting up front.
Brown, however, abandoned his chance for the win when he dropped his bike in the wood pit, setting the stage for a Haaker/Webb duel for the win. Webb turned up the heat a few times during the race, but Haaker responded every time and eventually opened up a small lead as they threaded their way through lapped traffic. Haaker maintain his advantage to take the win, crossing the finish line with a few seconds to spare over Webb. They were the only two riders to finish on the lead lap.
Geoff Aaron rode a steady race and finished third, giving Gas Gas its first podium finish in EnduroCross history. Webb and Aaron also made it two former Trials Champions on the podium.
Webb kept the damage to a minimum by setting the fastest lap during both the afternoon and nighttime Hot Lap sessions, earning a bonus point on the night. Haaker and Webb went into the night tied on points but left with Haaker gaining a two-point (instead of a possible three) advantage.
“I didn’t get the Hot Lap but I knew if I could get the holeshot I could control the race from there” said Haaker. “But because of the lappers, the wood pile and it was a difficult track it wasn’t easy.”
“It was really tough to get around the lappers” said Webb. “I rode really good all night and I caught up to Colton and then I just got hung up in the wood pit a few times and that let him get away”.
Aaron made up for a tough start to the season where he did not qualify for the mains at the opening two rounds. “I have been working really hard this year riding with Colton a lot and felt really prepared but just kept putting myself in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Aaron said. “So it was definitely cool to pull off a podium.
SRT Racing-backed Cory Graffunder took a solid fourth position on his KTM. Ty Tremaine took a personal best of fifth on his FMF/RPM/Team Maxxis KTM. Kevin Rookstool finished sixth on his Suzuki, followed by Max Gerston, Nick Thompson, Brown and Kyle Redmond.
RESULTS
Las Vegas, Nevada
Orleans Arena
May 1, 2015
GEICO AMA EnduroCross
Main Event Results
1. Colton Haaker Husqvarna
2. Cody Webb KTM
3. Geoff Aaron Gas Gas
4. Cory Graffunder KTM
5. Ty Tremaine KTM
6. Kevin Rookstool Suzuki
7. Max Gerston Beta
8. Nick Thompson KTM
9. Mike Brown Husqvarna
10. Kyle Redmond Beta
11. Jamie Lanza KTM
12. Destry Abbott Kawasaki
13. Noah Kepple KTM
