OFF-ROAD
o bby Bonds w inning a race
isn't anything new. In fact ,
he's won many races duringhis amateur days as a fulltime motocrosser, and he
even nearly won a National MX moto a
few years ago. But winning a major offroad race was definitely something new
to the 22-year-old from Bakersfield, California, after he took top honors at the
second round of the World Off-Road
. Championship Series (WORCS) in Texas,
which was co -sanctioned by STORM .
And he said it was the biggest win of his
career, which, up until recently, involved
nothing but motocross.
B
38
Round 2
I
Feb. 21 -22, 2004
II EEIiI
World Off-Road Championship
Series
"I'd put this as the biggest race I've
ever won ," Bonds said. "I've been close at
a couple of Nationals [in motocross1 but
never really won ."
One could quickly and understandably
assume that the Texas course must have
been styled in favor of the motocross
racer, which some WORCS courses in the
past have been , but not this one, as it
turned out . In fact, many of the WORCS
regulars said that the four-mile course,
laid out on and around the Cross Creek
MX facility, was one of the most off-road
technical - and overall best - yet in the
series' four-year history, so the win by
Bonds was nothing less than impressive .
MARCH 10,2004 • CYCLE NEWS
And he didn't just luckinto it, either. No, the
young motocrosser-tumed olf-reader (but
still a motocrosser) worked for it and, for his
elfort, flat-out beat some of this country's
best off-road racers at their own game.
Actually, Bonds'win inTexas should not have
come as too much of a surprise, since he
rode well at the series opener in Mesquitea
month earlier but was knocked out of top
contention when he ran out of gas.
" I d idn't think I'd win because of the
woods," Bonds said. "The course suited the off-road riders .
I guess I picked it
up pretty quick.
t "',
•
40th Anniversary
1;:. ~ 'l.
This was my first race in the woods, so I
was out of my element."
Second placewent to another rider who
began his career as a motocrosser, Nathan
Woods . The Montclair Yamaha/Zip-Ty
Racing team rider was , in fact , a con tender for the win until surrendering
the top spot to Bonds on the ninth lap
of the 13-lap race .
Kawasaki Team Green made it two
KXs on the podium with former Hare &
Hound champ Destry Abbott taking third
ahead of defending WORCS Champion Ty
Davis and Suzuki privateer Robert
Naughton .
The WORCS series visited the Cross
