Smith's teammate Dalton
Shirey got the holeshot and
led the first 40-mile loop
aboard his Zip-Ty Racing/
Rekluse/Troy Lee Designs FX
450, completing it almost two
minutes ahead of Argubright.
"The whole loop, Dalton was
on fire—couldn't even touch
him," Argubright admitted.
Argubright had started
about fifth but made a few
quick passes before engaging
in a spirited duel with Beta's
Joe Wasson, last year's series
runner-up. A big crash before
the end of the loop left defending series champ
Argubright with the handlebar rolled all the way back
down—a major hindrance when it comes to bike
control. "I was just too excited," he said. "I didn't
stay in my lane. The pace was so high off the start,
which is cool—the helmet cam [footage] is going to
be so good—but I didn't respect the land and it bit
me in the ass."
For Wasson, the season definitely started off on
the wrong foot, though the race itself went well for
most of the first 10 or 15 miles as he found himself
among the lead pack. But then his Kenda/Motul/Fly
Racing 430 RR began sputtering and soon quit. "I
pushed it down to the road [leading to the main pit]
and we got it going again," he said. By the time the
Beta crew diagnosed a faulty spark plug, Wasson
was far back, but he rejoined the race, eventu-
ally finishing 15th Pro and 120th overall, though he
pointed out, "My fitness is where it needs to be, my
VOLUME 57 ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2020 P37
(Left) Despite a big crash on
the first loop, Jacob Argubright
recovered to win the Winter
Classic Hare & Hound National.
(Right) Tarah Gieger tried a
desert race. She must have
liked it. Gieger topped the Pro
Women's class but has no plans
to chase the championship.
