World Off-Road Championship Series
Nathan Woods lengthens points
ad with first WOReS win.
ake Havasu C ity, well-known
for its close proximity to the
Co lo rado River and its warm,
desert climate, has always been
a favorite spot for spring breakers, boate rs, perso nal watercrafters and
_~ __,eam", pers, but judging by the huge crowd
••
t at tu rned out for the third round of the
Wo rld O ff-Road Championship Series
, it's also becoming a favorite
If-road racers, especiall y for
t
Woods and the Montclair Yamaha/Zip-Ty Racing Team.
he nearly 1200 racers who comthe course of the weekend,
erged as the top gun after
own the 38-rider Pro class on
d he even made the win look
at easy o n a track that is quickly
putation for being one of the
- toughes t and most physically
courses on t he WORCS ciralso made it three in a row
tclair YamahalZip-Ty Racing
avasu venue. (Ty Davis won
ears.)
rea lly rough, rocky,
d technica l," Woods said. "You
d to be on your toes . There were
switchbacks , which were really
ere was also the heat . Although
only in the upper 80s, cool by
36
MARCH 31, 2004 •
CYCLE NEWS
40th Anniversary
Havasu standards, it was pretty much the
first time the series regu lars had to expe rience fairly hot conditions this season.
And it was for this reason that many of
the Pro racers chose to ride the lighter
and more nimble two-strokes for the
Havasu race .
"I chose to ride the 2S0cc two -stroke
today just because of the heat, the rough
course and the whoops," Woods said.
"Normally, I've bee n riding my YZ4S0F,
but I tho ught the 250 wo uld be a better
choice , and I think I made the right
choice."
A four-stroke did, however, make it on
to the podium, and it was ridden by
anot her Montclair Yamaha-backed pilot,
Russell Pearson . Desert racing's numberone rider, Pearson ended up finishing a
distant second on his YZ4S0F, while privateer Robert Naughton finished a strong
third on his Suzuki RM2S0 two-stroke.
Technically, the Havasu course is laid
out on a small island within the Crazy
Horse Campground, which is only accessible via the London Bridge (or by boat, of
course). The WORCS crew managed to
squeeze out a 3.S-mile course on the limited space they had to work with, and
when you're short on track and long on
riders , you end up with one very rough
course. Constant track maintenance and
watering over the weekend , however,
