IN
THE
WIND
P30
BARNES WINS ILLINOIS OMA
T
he OMA Nationals Pro-Am
series visited Prophetstown,
Illinois, for round five, August 4,
Yamaha rider Cody Barnes came
away with the overall win.
With no rain in recent weeks,
the track conditions would be
different from the soft, moist,
sandy dirt that builds great berms
for the local MXC events held in
the spring at this facility. Traction
was at a premium on the semi
hard-packed sandy soil. Six and
a half miles of challenging, single
track intermixed with a few open
lane sections wound through
the woods in a tight, flowing trail
system.
The start saw Colten Zuidema
(KTM/Moose/Kenda) rocket out
to the lead, taking the holeshot,
and setting a blistering pace
through the woods. Zuidema
held the lead for two laps until
series points leader Cody Barnes
(Moose/Kenda) was able to fight
his way past traffic and overtake
his racing buddy from Illinois.
After nine laps, it was Barnes on
top, with Zuidema holding on to
second place ahead of Colten
Gerstner (Husqvarna/
O'Neal/Kenda), who
rounded out the Pro-Am
podium.
Gerstner, who came
in from Colorado, said, "I
think that was the hardest
thing I've ever done. It
was a blast, though. Well
worth the trip."
According to Barnes,
"it was really loose soil.
It was dusty the first
couple laps when I was
battling for the lead. But
after I was able to get out
front it got a little better.
I kind of found a groove, but you
couldn't push too hard because
the corners were really easy to
give out on you. You had to re-
ally watch yourself on your line
choice and whether or not to
trust the berms. The track was
kind of tight and technical, and,
with the soil, you had to be really
careful on your line selection and
all that."
John Gasso
1. Cody Barnes (Yam)
2. Colten Zuidema (KTM)
3. Clayton Gerstner (Hus)
4. Colt Converse (Hus)
5. Zach Sulzberger (Yam)
6. Buddy Fortune (Yam)
7. Bryan Johnson (Kaw)
8. David Stickel (KTM)
9. Austin Wells (Hus)
10. Shane Klimek (Yam)
Cody Barnes came
from behind to win
the latest round of the
OMA ProAm National
Cross Country in
Illinois.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
JOHN
GASSO
Colten Zuidema
got off to a fast
start but couldn't
keep Barnes at
bay and finished
second.
