Bell Wins Glen Helen NGPC
W
hile not back to 100 per-
cent physically, Chaparral
Motorsports/Precision Concepts
Kawasaki's Zach Bell managed
to win the Prairie Dogs Motor-
cycle Club's Prairie Dogs Grand
Prix at Glen Helen Raceway
Park, round three of the FMF
AMA National Grand Prix Cham-
pionship (NGPC) Series.
That put a stop to the win
streak defending series champ
Dante Oliveira had amassed,
though the FMF KTM Fac-
tory Off-road Racing Team rider
maintains the championship
lead with 85 points thanks to
his 1-1-2 scores through the first
three rounds. Bell sits second
at 73, unofficially, after his 4-2-1
finishes.
Third on the day went to Team
Green/Fasthouse rider Trevor
Stewart.
However, things could have
been very different had Bell
not caught a lucky break and a
helping hand from Pro Women's
winner Brandy Richards.
With just a couple laps to go
in the 90-minute, $8000 fea-
ture race, Bell enjoyed a fairly
comfortable lead over Oliveira.
However, a lapped rider got out
of shape in a narrow section and
inadvertently sent Bell to the
deck where he ended up pinned
beneath his Team Green/Hoo-
sier Tires/Moose Racing-backed
KX450. To make matters worse,
hot oil leaking out of the engine
made things very uncomfortable
for the 2017 series champ.
It was easy for him to imag-
ine having the win slip from his
grasp.
But who should show up but
Brandy Richards? Seeing Bell's
predicament, Richards, who
had an even bigger lead on her
competition, quickly stopped her
IN
THE
WIND
P40
Despite a crash late
in the race, Zach Bell
managed to win the
Prairie Dogs GP—the
first victory of the
season for the 2017
series champ.
PHOTOS BY MARK KARIYA
