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| KTM's
Taylor Kiser took over the lead, but he
was feeling the pressure from Suzuki's
Chris Borich |
As lap two started, the middle of XC1 was still
battling it out as several riders remained nose
to tail and wide open. Brandon Ballance had a
good position early on, and other riders such
as William Yokley , Andy Lagzdins , Adam McGill
and Santo Derisi all were off to a solid run.
Lagzdins and McGill entered the pro pit area and
McGill charged hard to try and take the position,
the pair headed out of sight side by side heading
for the woods. Sturdivant was spotted being towed
in after ½ a lap due to his battery issue
forcing him to spend the remainder of the event
as a spectator. He wouldn’t be the only
victim of mechanical issues as Derisi soon found
his trusty steed coughing up oil and trashing
and engine ending his day early after a great
run.
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#5 Adam McGill started outside the top
10, but by the end of the 2nd lap, he
worked his way up into the 5th spot behind
#3 Chris Bithell |
Michael
Houston debut on the KTM didn't go as
planned, and Houston found himself being
towed back to the pits |
Other riders were slowly sneaking up the ranks
as now the pro riders were mixing it up with
lappers. Duane Johnson had his Can Am working
well as did Warnert Racings Chris Bithell who
was putting in a solid race. A few riders met
with problems and spent the race either dealing
with a broken machine or were forced to the
side of the course. Micheal Houston and Johnny
Gallagher both had to call it a day after the
first two laps. Meanwhile, Chris Borich was
now charging and picking off positions. Kiser
had taken the lead from Ballance and Cook was
still sitting in the number two spot. Yokley
was back in the mix running inside the top 10
and Pickens and McClure had been clawing their
way through the pack and were poised to break
inside the top 10 as well. Matt Smiley remained
low key as he lurked just inside the top 10
the entire race running a good pace that would
put him in position for a solid finish at this
event.
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#8 Bryan Cook was off to his best ever
start running in top 3, which was amazing
considering he spent most of his winter
laying brick instead of riding |
Johnny
Gallagher was on the gas in the first
lap, but by lap 2 he began to fade and
was out of the race by lap three with
unknown issues |
When Borich attacked the top 3 riders, he did
so with authority. Breaking free of the woods
and speeding down pit row, a thumbs up was the
sign to his team that he was doing just fine
and was right where he wanted to be. Long gone
are the days of riding with reckless abandon
to make up time, and it’s paying off big
time as the young rider has matured and grown
to the point where he can command the pace of
the race!
