Bakersfield, CA (9/20/2018)
- 51 Fifty’s David Haagsma scored his second
victory of the season during the WORCS Racing
Series Pro SXS race at Glen Helen Raceway
in Devore, CA. The victory allowed him to
pad his points lead with just three races
left in the season.
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51
Fifty's David Haagsma Takes the Win
at Glen Helen WORCS |
The event marked the return to WORCS competition
after the long summer break, and things didn't
start out smooth for Haagsma as he suffered
an engine failure during Friday's practice,
but with the help of Cognito Motorsports and
Sparks Racing, Haagsma had a new engine delivered
and installed just in time for the Pro event
on Saturday.
The new engine ran flawlessly, and Haagsma
snagged the holeshot at the start of the race,
but fell back at the end of the long straightaway
on the first lap. He sat back in second until
the final lap when he made a thrilling pass
and cruised to victory
“I had the lead, got to the big straightaway
and didn’t know where I was going, braked
way too early and Cody just blew by me,” said
Haagsma. “The rest of the race, I just followed
him, trying to figure out lines, picking up
speed behind him, and trying to figure out
where I could pass him.”
Haagsma had tested the corner several times
before committing on the final lap. Using
an inside-outside move, he stuck it and made
a clean pass.
“The very last lap, I knew I had to send
it, so on the long straightaway right where
he passed me, I went wide and used the loam
to kind of cut in and dive inside on him,
and it worked out perfect,” said Haagsma.
“I just got enough in front of him and had
the lead from there. It was a great race;
especially for how bad of a weekend we had
before this.”
The win came at a good time for Haagsma.
After trouble in the last round, he still
holds the points lead, though by a slim margin.
He extended his lead to seven points going
into the final three rounds.
“The last round I didn’t have a good race
and a lot of issues and ended up sixth, so
Cody made a lot of points up,” said Haagsma.
“It made that gap really slim, so to get a
couple more points on him and spread it up
a little is good because he’s going to be
coming to the rest of the year, and he’s always
a competitor. It’s not over until the very
last round.”
Glen Helen is known for its massive elevation
changes, and challenging terrain. This year’s
track also featured a mix of mud and hard
pack surfaces. Haagsma said his Maxxis Tires
gave him reliable grip during the entire event.
“I got the holeshot easily,” explained Haagsma.
“There was a lot of different soft and muddy
and hard packed terrain. Maxxis tires worked
well in all of it.”
During the summer break, Haagsma took himself
off the market and got married. “I have a
number one fan for life,” joked Haagsma. “She
has to love me whether I win or suck, so it’s
good,”
Haagsma will return to the WORCS Series at
its next round scheduled for October 5-7 at
Mesquite MX in Nevada.
H&M Motorsports’
2018 Sponsors:
Maxxis, 51FIFTY, Polaris, H&M Motorsports,
HP Dairy, Haagsma Farms, SPARKS Racing, Cognito
Motorsports, Tire Blocks, FOX Shocks, Shoei
Helmets, K&N Filters, Method Race Wheels,
Lusardi Motorsports, Finish Line Signs, The
Winning Team Apparel & ATVRiders.com
