T
he OMA Nationals Series
2019 race season kicked off
in Prophetstown, Illinois, April 20-
21, with the Big Sandy XC on April
20. Perfect weather and excellent
track conditions promised a great
day of racing. After the Easter
egg hunt for the kids, it was off to
the races for the adult racers.
As the pack rounded the first
turn in a cloud of dust, it appeared
Zach Sulzberger and his Bar-
bies Lawn Care/Snow Removal
Yamaha might have the holeshot.
Cody Barnes (Beta/Moose/Ken-
da), however, slipped through the
middle between Sulzberger and
Tanner Whipple (KTM/Moose) to
steal away the holeshot.
Barnes was off into the woods
on a blistering pace around the
six miles of trails. Unfortunately
for Barnes, his bike experienced
a rare mechanical issue, and his
race day was over after only a
couple laps.
Whipple found himself in the
lead and maintained his own
smooth and quick pace, ultimate-
ly able to hold on for the win.
Colten Zuidema (KTM) over-
came a battle with arm-pump and
put on a massive push in the last
lap to capture second place.
Sulzberger and his Yamaha
rounded out the podium, finishing
just seconds behind Zuidema.
"I got off to a good start," said
Whipple. "Cody [Barnes] was lead-
ing, and I didn't even try to keep
up with him, because I knew he
would run a pace that I could not
run. I kind of just rode smart and
IN
THE
WIND
P26
Whipple
Tops OMA
Big Sandy XC
Opener In
Illinois
Tanner Whipple won the Big
Sandy XC, the opening round
of the OMA National Series, in
Illinois. PHOTOS: JOHN GASSO.
Darren Carlson was the Vet-class winner.
