FOUR IN A ROW FOR
FAHRINGER
AT THE RACE OMA
R
ounding out the 2018 OMA
Pro-Am Nationals season,
The Race, presented by Sidi,
was held in rural Fenton, Illinois,
Sunday, November 4. This was
the 43rd installment of an event
that has become a Midwest
institution, and the tradition of
difficulty was upheld, with a little
help from Mother Nature. Rain
and wind throughout the race
added another layer to the al-
ready tough Bill Gusse-designed
course that wound through
creeks, across fields, over
numerous logs and relentlessly
beat on the riders who attempt-
ed to complete the challenge.
At the end of the day, after
nearly four hours of pound-
ing away at the merciless trail,
Nick Fahringer (Sherco/Moose
Racing/Kenda) passed through
timing and scoring to complete
his second lap of the 35-mile
torture test, adding his name to
the very short list of four-time
event winners.
Cody Barnes, the only other
rider to complete a second lap,
collected second place and
locked up his OMA Pro-Am Na-
tionals Championship, clearing
the scoring tent nearly five min-
utes after Fahringer. Third place
went to Mark Heresco (KTM),
followed by Zach Sulzberger
(Yamaha), with Bryan Johnson
(Kawasaki) rounding out the top-
five finishers.
"Last year was my first Moose
Run on a Sherco, and, being
unfamiliar how to set the thing
up for the cold weather and the
IN
THE
WIND
P32
open fields, I seized it, and I was
pretty bummed," Fahringer said.
"I was competitive, and bitter
about throwing it away, because
I just want to put my name on this
race."
This year would be a different
story for Fahringer, he added,
"The weather was not looking
good, but I committed to coming
up to 45-degree rain instead of
70-degree prime Alabama condi-
tions. The biggest competition
today was the conditions. It was
a survival race. Cody Barnes
had an early lead on the start. I
kind of followed Cody and got a
good coating of mud on me until
I got around him. When we came
around for the second lap, I need-
ed brake pads and I changed my
jersey because I was shivering,
it was so wet and cold. The first
lap was beautiful. But, the second
lap it was ruts, mud, and lappers
everywhere. I had my work cut out
for me there. It was just kind of
survival, not trying to overheat the
bike."
John Gasso
OVERALL
1. Nick Fahringer (Shr)
2. Cody Barnes (Yam)
3. Mark Heresco (KTM)
4. Zach Sulzberger (Yam)
5. Bryan Johnson (Kaw)
6. Colt Converse (Yam)
7. Jeremy Smith (Yam)
8. Hayden Krauth (Kaw)
9. David Stickel (KTM)
10. Shane Klimek (Kaw)
Nick Fahringer made
up for last year's
DNF with a win at
The Race OMA in
Fenton, Illinois.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
JOHN
GASSO
