Team Christy Racing Wins 2009
SCORE Overall Championship
Class 24 Pro ATV Team Report
- By Andy Lagzdins
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Andy Lagzdins
& Avala hold the SCORE Overall ATV
Trophy
|
Las Vegas, NV (12/14/2009) - After
an long and dusty season of desert racing, Christy
Racing wrapped up the Score International Class
24 and Overall Quad title at the Baja 1000. With
wins at the San Felipe 250 and the Baja 500, the
team needed only to complete the 1000 to clinch
the 450 class championship, but the overall title
was still up for grabs depending on the outcome
of the race. Perrenial favorite Team Honda, led
by Wayne Matlock, took the Baja 1000 win but a strong
third place finish by the Christy's team was enough
to take the series by a narrow four point margin.
Led by team owner Craig Christy, the Duncan Racing-prepared
Honda TRX450R started strong in the Baja 1000,
with ex-GNCC Pro rider and OMA Champion Andy Lagzdins
putting in a steady and conservative ride to put
the team in the hunt early.
After an extended ride by Steve Abrego around
the San Felipe area, Joe Bernal ran up the edge
of the Sea of Cortez and handed the machine to
2008 BITD Pro champ Dave Scott. As night fell
on the Baja peninsula, the lights also went out
on the Honda 450R, requiring a stator replacement
at the halfway mark of the race. After the setback,
Dave Scott raced through the most demanding section
of the course- Mike's Sky Ranch. Avoiding overturned
buggies and broken trucks in the early hours of
the morning, Scott persevered and handed the quad
back to Lagzdins for the run up the coast.
Coming into Santo Tomas with the Elka/Roll Design
suspended machine working flawlessly, Andy handed
off the quad to Craig, who would endure the last
leg of the course to the finish. Craig crossed
the finish line after 29 hours of grueling terrain
and challenges to secure his first-ever Score
Overall Championship.
The Score Inernational Series is considered by
many to be the pinnacle of endurance racing, and
Team Christy's success couldn't have been realized
without the help and support of Duncan Racing,
ITP Tires, Elka Suspension, Moose Racing, Rockstar
Energy Drink, PWR Radiators, Cycle Gear, and DirtFirst
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Andy Lagzdins
leaving race mile 167
|
At 6:45 in the morning, Christy rider Dave Scott
started the race as the 8th class 24 quad off the
line. Those that are familiar with this event know
that San Felipe is synonymous with countless “whoops”
that will fatigue even the most fit athlete.The
first third of the course is so brutal that many
teams put fresh riders on at race mile 25 and/or
RM 46. Dave was confident that he could maintain
a competitive pace till RM 61. After a splash &
go pit stop at RM 46, Dave made it to RM 61, out
of breath but grinning ear to ear as he told rider
number 2, Steve Abrego, that he had passed 6 quads
during his herculean ride!
Armed with the knowledge that the team was now in
1st place on time, Abrego rode like a man possessed.
He quickly overtook one quad and was neck and neck
with 104A as he came within radio range of the next
pit stationed at RM 122. A crowd gathered around
the Christy Hummer to listen to the colorful play-by-play
commentary broadcasting from the race bike. Steve
and 104a swapped positions at least three times
through the silt beds, even though the team was
still in 1st place, on time, and only moments away
from physically leading the race, the chase crew
stuck to the game plan and calmly added fuel, changed
the air filter and gave the quad a visual once-over
before allowing Andy Lagzdins to start his 71 mile
section.
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Dave Scott was
already headed back home so Steve Abrego,
Andy Lagzdins and Craig Christy asked
the Tecate girls to accept on his behalf
|
It did not take Andy long to overtake 104a, thus
putting the team physically in 1st place. Andy stopped
briefly at RM167 for fuel and some good news; he
had
created a 4 minute lead
over second place. Even though the chase crew
advised him to relax and maintain the gap Lagzdins
stretched the lead another 4 minutes by the time
he passed the quad to team principal and rider
of record; Craig Christy.
With the final race miles ahead, Craig put the
cruise control on and swiftly picked his way through
the boulder strewn Huatamote wash and onto the
final sprint to the finish. Christy must have
been able to taste victory as he managed to increase
the lead to 12 minutes. Class 25 winner, Wayne
Matlock, met Christy on the podium with a couple
celebratory Tecate beers to toast both victories
in classic Baja fashion.
This epic result could not have been achieved
without the fantastic Duncan Racing / Honda TRX-450R
equipped with Elka Shocks, ITP tires, PWR radiator,
Fatboy 4 exhaust system and Sunoco Race Fuels.
Additional support from Rockstar, Cycle Gear,
Joe Bernal, Beast Paddock Services, RGEAR, Instinct
Charter Boat and The Dirty Patrol were sincerely
appreciated.
www.christysracing.com
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