Mark Kariya | May 3, 2021
2021 Pandemic Pounder Hare & Hound Results. Purvines Racing Yamaha’s Tyler Lynn grew up and still lives in the small town of Mona, Utah, which most people don’t even notice when headed north on Interstate 15 to Salt Lake City. He and his brothers have made the town proud with their success on the high school’s wrestling team, but now, he’s taken that a few steps further by becoming what’s believed to be the first overall triumph in AMA Hare & Hound National history by a Utah resident.
Lynn Wins Pandemic Pound Hare & Hound
He and his Precision Concepts/Dunlop/O’Neal Racing-backed YZ450FX claimed the win at the Sage Riders Motorcycle Club’s Pandemic Pounder Hare & Hound at the Little Sahara Recreation Area, round five of the series, May 1.
Beta’s Joe Wasson remains the series points leader after finishing second aboard his Kenda/Motul/Fly Racing 480 RR with teammate Zane Roberts third for the day and second in points on his FMF/DP Brakes/Klim-sponsored 480 RR.
Despite focusing on grand prix racing for the past two years, Lynn showed no signs of rust in his first National Hare & Hound in two years. If anything, the time away from his roots has made him sharper.
“I’ve been wanting to make it back to one for the past few years, but the way scheduling gets, we’re racing so much, so when I have the weekends off, I kind of like to take the weekends [completely] off,” he said.
But he couldn’t pass up the chance to make history and he added, “I [dreamed about] this moment my whole life! I’ve looked up to [past champions] Kendall Norman, Kurt Caselli and them guys on the podium. Just to make it up [on the podium] is cool and to make history is even better.”
First, though, he had to get through the traditional Sage Riders bomb run in the sand dunes where he trailed eventual Pro 250 winner Clayton Gerstner and Wasson in the early going before storming past to take the lead.
“I got a really good start and settled in behind Joe for the first mile or two, then I decided to use a little of that GP sprint speed and kind of pushed it for a few miles and put a little bit of a gap [on them],” Lynn said. “Then I put it on cruise and just flowed and had a good time.”
Lynn’s closest pursuer through the 38-mile first loop was Johnny Campbell Racing (JCR) Honda’s Preston Campbell, though he was two minutes and 48 seconds behind Lynn, Campbell and his Pro Circuit/Kenda/Fly Racing CRF450X enjoyed a 54-second cushion over Wasson in the early going of the twistier 40-mile second loop.
However, reported contact later with Wasson left him without a rear brake and he had to settle for fourth at the finish. Referring to the beginning of the race, Wasson (Kenda/Motul/Fly Racing Beta 480 RR) admitted. “I’m a little hesitant in the sand dunes now after my wrist injury [a couple years ago in New Mexico]. Once we got onto the [bulk of the] racecourse, there was so much dust I couldn’t make any passes hardly so I rode a little slower pace than Tyler. By the time I got into second, he already had a couple minutes on me.”
Lynn cruised to the finish with a total time of 2:24:51, Wasson 4:03 later with Roberts third, 55 seconds after his teammate.
Roberts said, “Tyler just left us in the dunes—he was gone; right off the bat he was gone! I just couldn’t get a flow going there on that first loop. It was kind of a mediocre day [for me], but these guys were ripping. It was a little embarrassing for Tyler to come out and smoke us after not racing one of these for a while, but props to him for an amazing ride.”
After Campbell, another returning rider made a statement with his top-five finish, Axel Pearson earning fifth place in his first start of the season aboard his Pearson Farm Racing/AEO Powersports/Moose Racing GasGas EC 450F.
Having forfeited the Pro 250 win with a crash in the closing miles at round four, Gerstner was ecstatic to lead the class wire to wire for his second victory of the season on his Husqvarna of Aspen/TBT Racing/SRT TC 250. He was also sixth overall ahead of class runner-up Robby Schott, who made his National debut (and only his fifth ride) aboard a Shot Racewear-sponsored CRF250RX.
Slam Life Racing (SLR) Honda’s Justin Morgan gutted out eighth overall while still coping with a suspected lung infection followed by Beta’s Cole Conatser and Garrett Off-Road Racing Husqvarna’s Corbin McPherson (third and fourth Pro 250s, respectively, and the inverse of their round-four finishes).
Pro Women saw Full Factory Off-Road KTM-mounted Rachel Stout add a second career triumph (her first of the season), overtaking Elite Off-Road Husqvarna’s Britney Gallegos on the second loop and going on to win by 4:05, with Beta’s Morgan Tanke-Colon third.
Over 500 riders made the second Hare & Hound National in Utah another well-attended event and the last one before the summer break.
By Mark Kariya
2021 AMA Hare & Hound National Championship
Round 5
Pandemic Pound Hare & Hound
Jerich, Utah
RESULTS (May 1, 2021)
OVERALL (Top 10)
1. |
Tyler Lynn |
(Yam) |
2. |
Joe Wassen |
(Bet) |
3. |
Zane Roberts |
(Bet) |
4. |
Preston Campbell |
(Hon) |
5. |
Axel Pearson |
(KTM) |
6. |
Clayton Gerstner |
(Hus) |
7. |
Robby Schott |
(Hon) |
8. |
Justin Morgan |
(Hon) |
9. |
Cole Conatser |
(Bet) |
10. |
Corbin McPherson |
(Hus) |