Press Release | November 14, 2018
2018 AZOP Series, Round 11, Havasu Havik Grand Prix, November 3-4, 2018
This is a race report provided by AZOP, written and photographed By Jonathan Barrett
Lake Havasu City, Arizona: home to the most scenic track in the state. Located next to Crazy Horse Campgrounds, the privately owned closed course is sought after by WORCS, Big 6, and now AZOP. The round 11 stop [of the 2018 AZOP series], sponsored by Peoria Ford and River Rat Motorsports, was the most scenic of the season as racers lined up on the starting line facing the beautiful Lake Havasu and raced along the shore. With a mild 80 degrees, the entire weekend felt comfortable with a breeze blowing off the lake.
The Peewee Bikes lined up first, with Danny Baca’s Kawasaki KX65 and Colson Skersick’s KTM 65SX battling all race in the 65cc C class and finishing on each other’s fender, respectively. Ryker Jirsa would take third, one lap down. In the 50cc 4-6 Year Old class, Courtney Curley and Mason Hayne would finish 1-2 with Curley’s Honda XR 50 and Hayne’s Pamaha PW 50. In the 50cc 7-8 Years Old class, Cooper Skersick would take his KTM 50 to the top spot of the podium, followed by Kaycee Curley and Wyatt Massey, giving the class a KTM sweep of the podium. Lane Odom would take fourth on his PW 50.
The Mini Bikes were up next, with Marley Kuhn taking first in the 65cc B class on his KTM 65, followed by Chase Boyd and Hailee Froust taking second and third on Kawasaki 65’s. Emilee Carter would take the Women’s C class, building on skills learned all season and running faster than ever. Tate Van Voorst would take the overall win and the win in the 80-150cc A class on a Blud Lubricants sponsored Honda 150 with Jonathan Kirat following behind on a KTM 150. PorterMay would win his 80-150cc B class on a Honda 150 with Travis Boyd following on a Honda as well, and Gunner Deatherage would round out the podium on his Kawasaki. Clay Stringer took the win in the 80-150cc C class on a Honda 150, with Clayton Hixon and Danny Carter taking second and third on a Honda and Yamaha, respectively. Danny Baca and the Skersick brothers would take 1-3 in the Open Mini class. Top 10 finishes are as follows: Tate Van Voorst, Jonathan Kirat, Porter May, Travis Boyd, Clay Stringer, Gunner Deatherage, Marley Kuhn, Clayton Hixon, Danny Carter, and Brisbane Smithson.
The Big Bikes were up next, with plenty of local talent coming out for the day. Steven Gibson came out to race his local race, as did Alex Morgan. Gibson would put down solid times on his Husqvarna and finish overall first and first in Pro, a lap ahead of second place Morgan on a Honda 450. Wyatt Perry had immediate clutch issues in the race and pulled off after four laps, giving third place to AZOP pro rider Jeremy Newton of Scootin’ Newton Racing. The second Newton, Deegan, would take a sixth after a brief battle with Jeremy. The 125-250cc A class had Drake Hacker’s Planet Contractors/Ride Shop TBT Kawasaki take first. Hunter Guiboa, Collier Martinez and Michael Mate would take 1-3 in 125-250cc B. Dylan Hammond, Trevor Mclaws and Tyler Odonnell would take 1-3 in 125-250cc C, with Kawasaki, KTM and Yamaha taking it, respectively.
Gary Peterson took Master 50+ A, while Richard Heyer took his Pit Enterprises/ Rekluse Yamaha YZ450 to the top spot of the podium with Ken Eldridge and Rolland Shrill taking second and third on a Yamaha and KTM. Billy Dipley won the Open A, with the Garrett Offroad Racing sponsored Braxtan Gallian KTM taking second and the Blud Lubricants sponsored Brian Perry Jr Suzuki taking third. Jeff Furnell took the win on his local track in the Open B class on his Honda with Jon Froust taking second and Martin Craven took third.
In the Open C class, Joe Joe Kalous took the win with Cameron Gagnon Tyler Dumdei behind him. Weston Atwater was running well until he took a spill on a cliff and had to hold his bike up until a sweep rider came to help him pick his bike up. Chris Fischetti took his Yamaha to the top spot in 40+ B, and David Gilreath took the win in 40+ C. Richard Green took the win in Super Senior 60+ on his KTM. Josh Serna and Kyle Kuse took 1-2 in the Vet 30+ A class, with Kyle Pethers and Matt Daugherty taking first and second in Vet 30+ B. last but not least, Joe Shill, Roy Fagan and Tim Finnegan took the podium in Vet 30+ C. Top 10 finishes are as follows: Steven Gibson, Alex Morgan, Jeremy Newton, Shane Logan, Randall Fuller, Deegan Newton, Drake Hacker, Hunter Guiboa, Billy Dipley, and Collier Martinez.
The Havasu Havik Grand Prix was the most scenic race of AZOP’s season, with the rare opportunity to race along the shoreline and jump a lagoon. Thanks go to the Lake Havasu City for inviting AZOP to run their event at this beautiful track. Next race is November 17-18 in Gila Bend, Arizona. More info at AZOPRacing.com.