Parts Unlimited World Off-Road Championship Series (West)
Round 1 : Canyon Off-Road Park
he flu and some of the best off-road racers
win the opening round of the WORCS series
There were a lot of Yamaha riders at the front of the pack in the opening round of
the World Off-Road Championship Series in Arizona. yz pilots Ty Davis (left). Russ
Pearson (above) and Lance Smail (Below) finished 1-2-3.
The final race of the day on Saturday was the 250cc class, which
proved to be the largest class of the
day. Yamaha rider Lance Smail
turned a lot of heads by beating offroad hotshots, local favorite Destry
Abbott and Yamaha-mounted Nathan
Woods to the finish line. The former
national and supercross rider took the
checkered flag out in front, giving
Davis something to think about
overnight.
With all of the qualifiers done,
Sunday's main was shaping up to be
a free-for-all. It was going to be a battle among seasoned off-road veterans; hot, new, young guns looking
to dethrone their peers; and new
motocross-savvy four-stroke racers
ready to prove they have what it
takes to be the best off-road racers
on the planet.
Sunday's Pro race boasted 65 Pros
and 15 Semi-Pros, all lined up ready
to do battle. When the green flag
dropped, Russ Pearson snagged the
holeshot with Yamaha teammates
Davis and Woods in tow. Smail got a
sixth-place start and quickly moved
his way up to the lead pack. Davis,
STORY AND PHOTOS BY
MIKE DEMAREE
PEORIA, AZ, JAN. 12
7fy Davis appears hell bent on winU ning the 2003 Parts UnlImIted
World Off-Road Championship Series
title. After leading most of the series
last year and then losing out to Mike
Kiedrowski at the end, Davis showed
just how determined he is to win the
'03 crown after taking the series
opener in Arizona despite having the
flu. The Montclair Yamaha rider dug
deep and pulled off a hard-fought win
at Canyon Off-Road Park in Peoria.
Davis began the weekend on a
winning note. During Saturday's qualifying races, which determine start
picks for Sunday's Pro race, Davis
pulled off a big win in the Vet class
over Honda's Johnny Campbell and
Honda-mounted Dax Billing. In the
Four-Stroke/200cc race, Russell
Pearson, Davis' teammate, ran down
KTM's Kurt Caselli to take the win. A
fully healed Shane Watts, who let the
field go off the start, caught and
passed everyone except Pearson and
Caselli.
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JANUARY
22,2003'
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