Mark Kariya | November 24, 2020
The Kenda/SRT AMA West Hare Scrambles (WHS) Regional Championship Series, Presented by MojoMotoSport, may have been brief at just two rounds, but it packed a full season’s worth of drama and action into those two rounds. The finale took place at the Owyhee Motorcycle Club/SIDRA Racing/Magic Valley Motocross venue in Boise, Idaho, November 21-22.
Local favorite David Kamo won round one two weeks ago, putting him into the driver’s seat for the Pro-class and overall series championship, but the PCI Race Radios KTM racer’s grip on the points lead was tenuous at best, given the short series and close racing which allowed no mistakes.
More than twice as many Pros showed up for the second and final event at the rough, hilly and sandy Owyhee M.C. grounds, among them one of Kamo’s desert-racing rivals in the Nationals—Beta’s Zane Roberts.
While not a regular in the series, Roberts obviously felt right at home, as he quickly made his way up to the front of the pack after a rather mediocre start aboard his Kenda/Motul/Klim-backed 480 RR. After shadowing FactoryOne Sherco’s JT Baker for the first hour of the two-and-a-half-hour race, Roberts motored past when Baker ran into a lapper. After that, Roberts rode unchallenged and stretched his lead for the remainder of the race, finishing with nearly three minutes over Baker.
Despite issues with lappers, Baker held on for second aboard his 707 Suspension/FMF/FXR 450 SEF. Combined with his third overall at round one, that gave him 46 points and a tie for second overall with Clayton Gerstner who was third overall today. Fourth-overall David Kamo, however, took the title on his hare & hound Kamo Realty/Kurt Caselli Foundation/Fly Racing 450 XC-F despite being less than 100 percent.
More tired and achy than warranted after his win at round one, Kamo tested positive for Covid-19 and trained for this title decider by lying in bed.
“I didn’t think I was going to race,” he said. “I felt light-headed pretty much all day today because I haven’t been doing anything, haven’t been exercising or anything.
“It was definitely a hard push today, especially with the lapped traffic on such a [short] course. The second lap, I was leading, and I came around and a lapped rider fell over in front of me and I hit him and about went over the bars. It just took almost all the energy out of me to get my bike back up and out of him.”
And that was just one of several run-ins with lappers. But he backed it down until the last few laps, but when informed that Gerstner was coming he mustered up his remaining strength to push. “Man, that saved me to get a championship today! It’s a great way to end the year. I’m so happy with that!”
KTM of Aspen’s Gerstner was back on his own Wrap Colorado/Hinson/Shoei 250 SX-F instead of his girlfriend’s Husky that he’d thrashed on at round one. However, he trailed his competition off the start had a hard time finding his flow the first half of the race. “I think I was just really tense and nervous [thinking about the championship],” he said. “I’ve always wanted to win a Pro 250 championship because I love 250Fs. I decided this is the year to do it and next year we’ll try to go for the [Pro] Open [title], I guess.”
TBT Racing Kawasaki rider Corey Floyd finished fifth overall followed by Beta’s Cole Conatser, the Pro 250 runner-up. Monterey Peninsula Powersports Yamaha-mounted Justin Bonita got the holeshot and led for a some of the opening lap, eventually finishing seventh ahead of Cycle Barn Yamaha’s Justin McGovern, Fly Racing KTM rider Blayde Jones (the Open A winner) and Ryllie Dickinson (the Open A runner-up riding his Edge Performance Sports KTM).
OVERALL
- Zane Roberts (Bet)
- JT Baker (She)
- Clayton Gerstner (KTM)
- David Kamo (KTM)
- Cory Floyd (Kaw)
- Cole Conatser (Bet)
- Justin Bonita (Yam)
- Justin McGovern (Yam)
- Blayde Jones (KTM)
- Ryllie Dickinson (KTM